Carlisle's Hard Cider and Wine Bar — Revealed Fall 2017

This is Chad Kimmel, co-owner of Grand Illusion Hard Cider.  My wife, Andrea, and I are developing a hard cider startup in Carlisle, PA, which will open in January 2018.  I wanted to use this blog series as a vehicle to outline both our story and the journey of starting an urban cidery.  We’ve met many others…

Hard cider has played a special role in the evolution of our country. So if you are feeling a bit American this 4th of July, and wish to raise a glass to all those who came before us, pick CIDER, our national celebratory drink. They did. You should too.

With a lease signed, the applications for funding and the winery license submitted, and our banner now hanging proudly in the window of our downtown Carlisle storefront, we thought it would be a good time to reflect on what it is we are trying to create for you. This is the story of Grand Illusion…

Yes, you read that right. Hey Carlisle, lets become the Portland, OR of Pennsylvania. Who said that Philly and Pittsburgh should have all of the fun? Right here in the mid-state, we have so much going on—from wineries and micro-breweries, to craft cideries, meaderies and distilleries. We now have a Cumberland Valley Beer Trail and…

We’re excited to announce that our hopped Saison cider named Double Exposure won a bronze medal in the commercial division Hopped Cider category at the Great Lakes International Cider and Perry Competition!

In its 8th issue, Cidercraft Magazine — North America’s first print magazine dedicated to hard cider — showcased the orchards and cider producers from Adams County, Pennsylvania.  Yes, it is the home of the legendary town of Gettysburg, who, in 1863…well, you know the story. Adams County, where Grand Illusion sources its apples, is the…