Norway – Cider Tasting at Ciderhuset
You’ve heard of wine tasting and perhaps you’ve had a flight of beer before, but what about cider tasting? While in Norway, I quickly discovered that it was apple season! And when it is apple season, it is cider season! You would expect it to be far too cold in Norway to support apple production, but in the Sognefjord region, the fjords keep the temperature relatively mild. Yet, I wouldn’t call the apple cider industry very industrial in Norway. Instead, there are small, family-owned and run farms that also produce cider. With that in mind, there are not many locations that actually have cider tasting available. One place that does in the Ciderhuset in Balestrand. Let me tell ya about the experience.
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Initial Impressions of Ciderhuset
I reached out to the Ciderhuset in advance because we would be visiting after their designated cider tasting season. Normally you can book a cider tasting through their website. It was good we did because it is extra busy during the harvest season. This is when they pick, crush, and ferment all of the cider for the year! When we arrived, there were high school girls picking apples. We found out later that the girls were raising money for a trip or something and had asked for extra hours at the Ciderhuset. So cute! I loved that this was a way that the Ciderhuset hired a bit of extra help – such a small town thing to do.
One of the owners, Åge, met us out front and educated us a bit about apples in general. He told us that the chillier weather allowed the apples to have a longer ripening, so the flavor can develop. This explains why the giant apple I had on our way back from the Borgund Stave Church was so insanely sweet and tart! See pictures at the bottom of that post. We then went upstairs into a large indoor space with enormous windows facing out to the Sognefjord. This is where we had the cider tasting proper.
At a Glance:
- Rating: 4 (out of 4) stars – would do it again in a heartbeat!
- Intensity: Cute clothes, warm layers
- Location: Balestrand, Norway
- Cost: 270 NOK per person
- Restrooms: in the Glasshouse area of the Ciderhuset
- Timing: 1 – 2 hours, depending on how quickly you taste
Highlights:
- Learn about apples in Norway
- Discover the cider-making process and what causes differences in flavor
- Delicious cider!
Cider Tasting
You can pay for only the tasting, or also have more hands-on experience by having someone lead you through the tasting process. We had the second option, where Åge sat with us and telling us stories. Before the tasting began, we tried three different apples – an eating apple, a baking apple, and a cider apple. Apparently, we only have eating apples in the US because I’ve never tasted anything like the baking apple and cider apple that we tried there. The baking apple had a bit of sweetness, but still much more bitter than any apple I’ve ever tasted – not enjoyable enough to finish my slice. Then the cider apple was another level of bitter. It has a lot of tannins in it, causing my mouth to completely dry out with just a tentative nibble. These cider apples are what the Ciderhuset uses to create their ciders.
With the oddly tannic apples in mind, you can expect that the ciders at the Ciderhuset to be much less sweet than the bottled ciders you normally taste in grocery stores. But without the sweetness, you can get into a comparison of flavors throughout the flight. The flight of ciders you taste at the Ciderhuset includes five ciders of various flavors, served in mini wine glasses. The flight comes with mini descriptions of each cider, but I loved hearing Åge give details of making the ciders or what he was aiming for. In the ciders, you will taste different levels of fruitiness, tannins, and even with hops.
Watch out for the final cider – Beor. With 14% alcohol, Åge modeled this cider after the legends of a drink for the Viking Gods! When tasting this, we got a 15-minute story from Norse mythology of Thor tricking someone out of marrying his daughter by asking questions until the sun rose. During this legend, one of the characters says the Viking Gods drank strong alcohol made from honey. So, understandably this cider has notes of honey and high alcohol by volume. Honestly, it tasted amazing. Perhaps I am part Viking God? JK, but I believe I am part Norwegian.
About the Ciderhuset
Being a family-run business, the Ciderhuset small and approachable, yet very well run with a dedicated cider tasting room. Planted in 1922, the Eitungjerde Høyvik family runs the apple orchard and Cider House. Nowadays, Åge runs the orchard, cider cellar and education of visitors, while Eli-Grete manages the finances and events at the Ciderhuset. Although this duo handles the day-to-day, there is a palpable effort toward including the next generation and passing along the cider-making knowledge. When we were there, Eli-Grete and Åge’s granddaughter was visiting and would come to bring Åge apple slices every now and then.
When you visit, you drive through the orchard to the main building, which includes a banquet hall, glasshouse, and cider cellar. We did our tasting in what they call the Glass House, which features incredible views of the orchard overlooking the Sognefjord. The environment was peaceful and absolutely gorgeous.
Full Transparency
My mother and I got a 50% discount for the tasting portion of our experience at the Ciderhuset. We also ended up buying a bottle of cider, which was not discounted. I wanted to talk for a second about how the discount might have affected my experience at the Ciderhuset. Because we were just outside their normal tasting and tourist season, we had the place to ourselves. Both owners: Åge and his wife Eli-Grete were extremely friendly and is proud to show off their facilities. I am sure that if you began to talk with the Åge, he would likely sit and chat for a while.
Bottles of cider are available for purchase downstairs, where they do the bottling. The ciders are so well priced that we couldn’t help ourselves. We drank the bottle a couple of nights later when we were staying in Eidfjord. We didn’t risk taking a bottle of cider home in our checked bag, but I’m sure you could if you have those fancy wine protector sleeves.
Overall Thoughts: Cider Tasting in Balestrand
Cider tasting at the Ciderhuset was great. I cannot think of a better way to learn about Norwegian cider than to visit a family-run orchard that has been in existence for nearly 100 years. I always find that wine tasting at the vineyard is more fun than a tasting room and it is no different for a cider tasting. There is just something about enjoying the mini glasses of cider with the person who made them while looking out at the Norwegian fjords. I wouldn’t change a thing.
Other things to do in the Flam Area:
- Take the iconic Flam-Gudvagen fjord cruise
- Taking a ride on the Flam Train
- Mountain Biking the Flam Valley Downhill
- Visit the Stegastein Viewpoint
- Go to a Historic Stave Church
- Day trip to Fjaerland
- Cider Tasting in Balestrand
Do you know of anywhere else in the world that has cider tasting?? There is barely a time that I am not in the mood for an ice-cold cider, so I’d love to learn more about the process via cider tastings. Oregon? New Zealand? Add suggestions to the comments below!
Happy Travels,
Hanna
