Our visit to Hardscrabble Cider on Monday afternoon brought our Upstate New York trip to a disappointing conclusion. The below average to poor cider and less than appealing food treats, are not worth the detour.
Quality: As the last spot on a trip full of trying different alcoholic beverage, Hardscrabble Cider proved the low point. We tried the three ciders on the menu and they were not good. The Scrump, a sweet unfiltered cider was the best of the three, but that is not saying much. I had no interest in ordering a second pint. Dry was below average, while Black Dirt Beet was nearly undrinkable. I don't know who figured a strong beet flavor would work in cider, but they were wrong. As we made our way through the ciders, I grabbed a snack from the farm store, an Apple Cider Donut. I don't know how it got cold and stale so quickly, but it can be added to the items we did not finish here.
Quantity: The Pints were 16oz with solid pours. The Apple Cider Donuts are small, just two or three bites.
Value: $8 for a Pint of Cider. $1 for an Apple Cider Donut.
Ambiance: Hardscrabble Cider is located within Harvest Moon Orchard & Farm in North Salem, New York. The actual cidery is just a tiny bar in the corner of the farm store, which has a few tables outside. The weather was no good, but I could imagine on a nicer day sitting at a table outside, which overlooks the pumpkin patch and a small pond. The farm itself is a maze and a bit of a disaster. With no signs, guests were just wandering around, and the rain turned everything into a muddy mess.
Crowd: A bunch of families were at the pumpkin patch, but the rain clearly kept most folks away from the farm and cidery. Only one other couple was drinking ciders on the outdoor patio.
Service: No signs or clear indications of how to get to the cider bar. One of the employees pointed us in the complete wrong direction, which seems crazy for a farm with not too much going on.
Parking: Massive dirt parking lot, which was filled with puddles and mud on a rainy day. read more