Blog

A recipe and cider pairing suggestions from our neighbors

By Jeff Zeitler on Thursday, November 11th, 2021

Our business neighbors down East Lake Street- Ingebretsens- recently blogged about our cider and used our notes to craft an applesauce recipe as well! Take a look at their wonderful post below.  It’s a truly unique take on what we do.  We appreciate our fellow Lake Street businesses and hope to stop there soon for […]


Halloween scavenger hunt

By Jeff Zeitler on Sunday, October 31st, 2021

TODAY ONLY: Halloween scavenger hunt inside our taproom! Yes, anyone of any age is welcome, but anyone under 21 must be accompanied by an adult. Prize is a complementary glass of non-alcoholic butterbeer. In this scavenger hunt you must take a photo of: -The book “Most Potente Potions” -A skeletal hand -a witches hat -life […]


Our 2021 batch of red grape wine is in process

By Jeff Zeitler on Wednesday, September 22nd, 2021

We’re picking and crushing red grapes this week and the winery smells wonderful!  Join us for a tour on Sunday or stop by the taproom and see some of the new things we have on tap.  Things are changing, and for the better!  Hope to see you soon.


We are not in the office. Currently out foraging.

By Jeff Zeitler on Wednesday, September 8th, 2021

  We can tell you exactly where the grapes, apples, pears or cherries in your cider and wine came from because we picked them.  Apples, cherries and pears come from backyards and front yards all over the city and the suburbs.  Grapes come from a privately owned vineyard in Lake Elmo that we manage.  Rhubarb […]


Come pick grapes with us

By Jeff Zeitler on Tuesday, August 17th, 2021

As the duck at the lemonade stand asks:  Do you have any grapes? Then he waddles away.  Til the very next day. You need not waddle away.  You can walk in a dignified manner down rows of manicured vines and pick deliciously ripe clumps of Edelweiss grapes with us on Friday the 27th.  The sign […]


Winery tours are back,

By Jeff Zeitler on Thursday, July 22nd, 2021

And better than ever!  We once again conduct winery tours (that is, of the basement production area) showing you how we turn the city’s apples, pears, cherries and other fruit into wine and cider in a 900 square foot space.  As a bonus, you get to taste all of the batches we have in production!  […]


If you live here, you have rhubarb

By Jeff Zeitler on Wednesday, July 7th, 2021

Or at least it’s highly likely that you do. You’ve probably made a pie or two from it this year, maybe a bit of jam, perhaps a crisp or even eaten a few stalks by dipping them in a bowl of sugar (my favorite method when I was a kid) but I’m willing to bet […]


Slushies are here!

By Jeff Zeitler on Tuesday, June 22nd, 2021

Slushies are here!  Every hot weekend, we’ll have a wine slushie and a cider (or possibly a non-alcoholic version) slushie on tap.  We’re having a lot of fun with our new toy! Wine slushies are $7, cider slushies are $6 and they’re as delicious as they sound. Cheers!


Free cider flight if you take a selfie at a garage sale!

By Jeff Zeitler on Thursday, June 3rd, 2021

I love garage sales.  It’s one of the best forms of urban foraging in my opinion, especially if you show up on the last day when people just want to give stuff away.  I’ve hosted garage sales, and I’ve shopped them and I’ve curb shopped afterward.  So, this weekend is like the World Series of […]


Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday!

By Jeff Zeitler on Tuesday, June 1st, 2021

Yes, we are open on Wednesday all this summer, and maybe beyond.  4-9 PM each Wednesday to be specific. And to celebrate, we are offering happy hour all day on Wednesdays- $4 for any draft cider! Can’t contain your enthusiasm?  Thought so.  See you this Wednesday.


Please take our survey

By Jeff Zeitler on Saturday, May 22nd, 2021

We want your opinion.  As the pandemic fades in the rear-view mirror, we want to know how to reset the taproom so that you’ll want to be here more often. Please take our ten question survey. It’s a two minute commitment that can be really helpful for us moving forward.  You can find the survey […]


Wine for your Mom on Mothers Day

By Jeff Zeitler on Wednesday, May 5th, 2021

Whether it’s dandelion wine, a pink semi-sweet Frontenac Gris,  or a robust red Frontenac, your mom will find a wine she loves at Urban Forage this Mothers Day!  We do what we can to make Moms happy, and we hope you’re bring yours here for her special day.  We’ll also have flowers in the taproom.  […]


What should you do with your unused fruit? Well…

By Jeff Zeitler on Tuesday, March 30th, 2021

  Mike Zaske, a longtime fruit contributor and picker of many crabapples put together this awesome video for us as he was practicing making videos for his confirmation class. We love it, and send many thanks to Mike for the bushels of crabapples over the years and now this! Also of note- this week (March […]


Rhubarb wine and Dandelion-lilac are back!

By Jeff Zeitler on Thursday, March 18th, 2021

Like the return of the red-breasted robins, mud puddles and shamrock shakes, there is no surer sign of spring than fresh rhubarb, lilacs and dandelions- and we currently have all three on our online store!  And at 20% off to boot. To get bottles of rhubarb wine, dandelion wine and lilac-dandelion wine off of our […]


$4 cider taps til spring

By Jeff Zeitler on Thursday, February 18th, 2021

All taps are $4 this month and March until March 20!  And what do we have on tap right now?  Winter spice cider, pear cider, Vin de pomme rose, red velvet cyser. Four bucks a glass.  Til spring. We will survive winter together. See you there.


All reds and pinks on tap this weekend!

By Jeff Zeitler on Thursday, February 11th, 2021

This is our flight this weekend, Thursday-Sunday. All red and pink beverages.  The always popular blackcurrant cider,  the new favorite cran-cherry cider, the upstart Vin de Pomme Rose’, and a mystery tap. What is this mystery tap, you ask?  Well, you’ll have to come find out.  A flight of cider will set you back $11. […]


Flash sale! Only til Saturday Feb 6th at 6 PM.

By Jeff Zeitler on Friday, February 5th, 2021

Today and tomorrow we’re having a flash sale on all things guaranteed to warm you up on the inside. All meads, dry and semisweet are $10 a bottle. All seasonal ciders, i.e, Ghost of Citrus Past, Cran-cherry and Maple-oak are $10 a bottle All melomels (Red Velvet and Cherry) are $15. This also applies to […]


The taproom reopens. Again.

By Jeff Zeitler on Tuesday, February 2nd, 2021

  National Make A Friend Day is on February 11th and apparently is a real holiday! Come to the taproom alone if you must. Spot, our friendly neighborhood guinea pig will be friends with you…once you buy him some cilantro. And a shot of dandelion wine. February 11th will also go down in history as […]


Cooking wine sale this weekend

By Jeff Zeitler on Thursday, January 21st, 2021

Bottles of imperfectly sealed red wine are on sale this weekend!  Cook with a delicous off-dry red for $4.50 a bottle.  This weekend only  (Jan 21-23) Thursday 4-6, Friday 4-6 and Saturday 1-6.   Only while they last!  No, there is no salt in our cooking wine, and yes you still have to show ID. […]


So, here’s a piece of good news

By Jeff Zeitler on Thursday, January 14th, 2021

I mean, I could use some good news this week. How about you? News is- we have a new Vin de Pomme batch ready. And here’s the really good part. This batch is pink! Yes, it’s a rose’. If you haven’t heard the story of Vin de Pomme before- it’s this: In France, some long […]