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PEACH CIDER FROM WILMINGTON BREW WORKS BENEFITS HAGLEY FLOOD RESTORATION
The Fruits of Eleutherian Mills Cider collaboration has a new mission in light of recent storms.
October 13, 2021
This weekend Wilmington Brew Works and Hagley Museum and Library are releasing their latest collaborative cider, with a new mission to help restore Hagley after historic flooding in September.
On Friday, October 15, Wilmington Brew Works is releasing the next variation of The Fruits of Eleutherian Mills, which was made with Oldmixon and Jones peaches picked at the Hagley Orchard. The 22oz bottle of the cider will retail for $17.50, with 20% of sales going directly to support the efforts to rebuild Hagley’s areas damaged in the flood. Bottles of the cider are only available at the Wilmington Brew Works taproom on Miller Road in Wilmington.
On September 1, Hurricane Ida passed over the Brandywine Valley rivershed and dropped torrential amounts of rain over the area. The next day, all the water drained into the Brandywine River, which rose over 23 feet at Hagley and flooded the property along the river. While estimates of the damage from the flooding at Hagley are in the millions of dollars, Hagley plans to rebuild in the coming months to better withstand future floods. Despite the damage, Hagley is open to the public for tours of the historic estate, gardens, and barn via the 298 Buck Road entrance.
In July, Wilmington Brew Works and Hagley Museum and Library released the first of their exciting new collaboration. The cider –– The Fruits of Eleutherian Mills –– incorporated freshly picked Montmorency and Black Tartarian cherries from the Orchard just southwest of the du Pont Residence.
The Oldmixon and Jones peaches, both considered historic varieties, were picked at the Orchard over the summer by Wilmington Brew Works and Hagley Staff, under the direction of Paul Orpello, Hagley’s Director of Gardens and Horticulture. Ryan Rice, Wilmington Brew Works Cider Maker, experimented with different ways of incorporating the fruit into the cider. “In addition to co-fermenting with peaches, we added puréed peaches after fermentation. The ending result is a semi-sweet cider that is much more fruit forward. It has a wonderful fresh peach nose and tastes like eating a peach right from the orchard at Hagley.”
This release comes the day before the annual Hagley Craft Fair on October 16 and 17. Wilmington Brew Works will have a limited amount of the cider at the Craft Fair on Saturday. A five-ounce pour will cost $3, and the brewery will also have draught craft beer available for purchase. All proceeds directly benefit Hagley. More information on Hagley’s Flood Recovery Fund can be found at www.hagley.org/flood2021.
More collaborations are in store for the brewery and the historic site. The October apple harvest will be used for another cider this year, and the archivists at Hagley have unearthed some beer recipes that will be used this winter in the brewhouse.
The Fruits of Eleutherian Mills – Oldmixon & Jones Peaches will be available for sale on October 15th at Noon. Purchases can be made on online for taproom pickup, or in person at the taproom.
About Wilmington Brew Works
Wilmington Brew Works is the only production brewery in Delaware’s largest city. Housed in a 100-year old former laboratory in the old Ninth Ward, we are keeping the spirit of the building’s origins alive with new and innovative Ales, Lagers, Sours and Ciders. Our family-friendly taproom has plenty of indoor and outdoor seating for you to enjoy a drink with friends – old and new. Playfully Pretentious, Easily Enjoyed.
About Hagley Museum and Library
Hagley Museum and Library seeks to inspire all people to be innovative in their own lives through investigation and exploration of our historical collections, original DuPont powder yards, and online resources.
