Bull City Ciderworks

Last weekend we were having a very Durham Sunday morning.  We headed downtown and had a glorious Sunday brunch at Dames Chicken and Waffles.  We also spent some time laughing, reading, and buying some new (to us) books in Letters Bookshop next door.  You might think our Durham fun was over for the day, but you'd be wrong, we had one more stop in Downtown Durham that I highly recommend.  

What it is:  Bull City Ciderworks makes their own local cider on Elizabeth Street downtown in a very unassuming warehouse.  It doesn't look like much from the outside, so we didn't really know what to expect when we went inside.  Plus, we were taking our two energetic boys inside a place that makes and serves hard cider, so we weren't sure how that would go.  However, at all went fantastically and everyone had a great time!

We headed in and immediately saw the large barrels where they make the cider.  A sign directed us around the corner to the tasting room.  The tasting room was small with a few tables and a bar with tall stools.  We fortunately brought a book for the kiddos (that we had just purchased at the bookstore), and they sat entranced while we sampled a few of the ciders.  Bull City Ciderworks offers all kinds of hard cider and puts some different and delicious twists on it.  I'm not a beer drinker so it was fun to stop by a place where I could also enjoy the tasting.

We decided to try the tasting flight where we got to try several different small pours for, I think $2 per small glass.  We tried some delicious traditional ciders, one made with ginger which was my favorite, one made with tea, and even one with blueberries.  Everything that we tried was delicious. They also had a local root beer made in Raleigh on tap for a non-alcoholic option and it was fabulous.  Even my youngest son tried it and thought the root beer was awesome!  They also had some nonalcoholic juice boxes for the kiddos if their thirsty.

Bull City Ciderworks also sells ciders by the pint and growlers at this location.  You can also pick up their growlers at several other locations around town like Sams Bottle Shop.

I can't wait to head back when the weather gets a little warmer when they throw open the garage doors on their tasting room and people can sit out on the picnic benches, occasional food trucks stop by, and they will even have some fun games outside to enjoy.

What we liked:  We loved that they had something different, and they made a delicious, unique product.  We also liked how they are kid and dog friendly and are welcoming to both.  I like how they have a tasting room that can open to the outdoors so they can really take advantage of the space outdoors (for little energetic kiddos to get their wiggles out).  It is a place that can accommodate kiddos, but would also be great to stop by on a date day or evening.

What we would change:  It was a small tasting room, so it would be nice to have more space for when word gets out about this great little stop.  However, fortunately they can open up their garage door and use the picnic tables for more space.

Website and other Important Information:

Website:  http://www.bullcityciderworks.com/

Address: 113 S. Elizabeth St, Durham

Hours: Wednesday and Thursday: 5pm-10pm, Friday 4pm-11pm, Saturday 11am-11pm, Sunday 1pm-6pm

Photos: 

(our flights of cider)

(the taps)

(a view from the outside)