/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47087396/11905764_935048856569945_653751594577836162_n.0.0.jpg)
Two-year-old Salem cider company Far From The Tree has officially opened its new tasting room at 108 Jackson St., where it is currently offering cider sampling and growlette filling. The full pour license could come later this month, according to the company's website.
During a three-year stay in England, co-founders and spouses Al and Denise Snape fell in love with the European style of hard cider they found there — "dry, subtle, and nuanced in ways that its sticky-sweet counterparts are not," according to a Northshore Magazine profile last year. (While in England, Al received a degree in viticulture and oenology.) They use only Massachusetts apples to produce their hard ciders, which they barrel-age.
Current varieties on tap at the tasting room include Rind, a saison cider made with orange rind and coriander; Cord, an oaked maple cider; Patch, a strawberry and basil cider; Lei, a smoked pineapple and jalapeno cider; and more.
The Snapes ran an IndieGogo fundraising campaign earlier in the summer to raise money for the taproom buildout, and they detailed their plans to make the space community-centric, regularly hosting events with poetry readings, art, music, and more. "We want to showcase not only our cider, but the impressive creative community that exists here in Salem," they wrote.
Far From The Tree is open from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, noon to 9 p.m. Saturday, and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. The company's cider can also be found at a wide variety of stores and restaurants in the Boston area, including jm Curley, Row 34, The Painted Burro, Tupelo, and Canary Square. Plus, in July, Far From The Tree announced a new partnership with the Massachusetts Beverage Alliance, which will help increase distribution even more.