Mattie Beason, cider expert and owner of Black Twig Cider House, will host TxotxFest November 18, from noon to 4 p.m. TxotxFest returns for a second year, offering award-winning regional and national ciders with North Carolina cuisine, and features the txotx—a traditional Spanish cider barrel recently featured in Food & Wine Magazine in praise of Beason’s cider experience at Black Twig Cider House: “The Txotx Is The Most Fun You Can Have Pouring A Drink.”
Beason introduced TxotxFest in 2016 as the first event of its kind in the Southeast to celebrate cider, the fastest growing segment in the beverage industry. “This is such an exciting time for cider, with so many cideries producing really high quality cider, and an overwhelming interest from consumers in ciders from the US and abroad. At TxotxFest, our goal is to share our passion for cider and celebrate cider from all over the world with our community,” says Beason, a certified cider expert, one of just eight cider instructors for the US Association of Cider Makers, and a recent Good Food Awards judge for the cider category.
This year, Beason kicks off TxotxFest November 17th with a $50 five-course cider-paired dinner at Black Twig Cider House featuring Asheville’s Chef Steven Goff of Brinehaus Meat & Provisions and ciders from Noble Cider, Urban Orchard, Appalachian Mountain, and James Creek.
Beason’s November 18th TxotxFest will take place from noon to 4pm and will feature cider from renowned producers (below), tasting dishes from participating chefs (below) and live music.
Tickets to the Cider Dinner at Black Twig Cider House on November 17th and TxotxFest November 18th can be purchased here.
TxotxFest will take place in front of Black Twig Cider House. The event begins at noon for VIP ticketholders and 1 pm for general admission. General admission tickets are $30 through October 17th, $35 beginning on October 18, and $40 the week before the event. All tickets include a tasting glass. VIP tickets are $50 through October 17th, $60 beginning October 18th (and also include a T-shirt and one-hour early access).
Participating Cider Producers:
- Appalachian Mountain Cidery, Boone, NC
- Blackwater Cider, Windsor, NC
- Bold Rock Hard Cider, Nellysford, VA and Mills River, NC
- Botanist and Barrel, Cedar Grove, NC
- Bull City Ciderworks, Durham, NC
- Chatham Cider Works, Pittsboro, NC
- Daidala Ciders, Asheville, NC
- Fishing Creek Cider, Whitakers, NC
- Good Road Ciderworks, Charlotte, NC
- James Creek Ciderhouse, Cameron, NC
- Jack’s Hard Cider, Biglerville, PA
- McRitchie Winery and Ciderworks, Thurmond, NC
- Molley Chomper Cidery, Lansing, NC
- Noble Cider, Asheville, NC
- Red Clay Cider, Charlotte, NC
- Urban Orchard Cider Co. and Bar, Asheville, NC
- Virtue Ciders, Fennville, NC
- Reverend Nat’s Hard Cider, Portland, OR
- Shacksbury Cider, Vergennes, VT
Participating Beverage Providers:
- De Maison Selections, Chapel Hill, NC
- Alley Twenty Six Tonic, Durham, NC
- Crude Bitters and Sodas, Raleigh, NC
- Fair Game Beverage, Pittsboro, NC
Participating Durham Chefs & Restaurants:
- Giocciolina, Aaron Benjamin
- Juju Asian Tapas + Bar, Charlie Deal
- LaPlace, Christopher McLaurin (Hillsborough, NC)
- Mateo Bar de Tapas, Matt Kelly
- Picnic, Wyatt Dickson
- Primal Food & Spirits, Tim Lyons
- St. James Seafood and Oyster Bar, Matt Kelly
- Toast, Billy Cotter
- Watts Grocery, Amy Tornquist
