Carlson Orchards
Cidery
in Harvard,
Massachusetts,
United States 🇺🇸
Associated Venue: Carlson Orchards
Established in 1936
Carlson Orchards now grows fruit on 100 acres producing:
30,000 bushels of apples
5,000 baskets of peaches and nectarines
50 year old blueberry patch
Raspberries
Sweet cherries
Today Bruce, Frank and Robert Carlson, the three proud sons of Walter & Eleanor, are dedicated to maintaining their family’s fine reputation and the great tradition of high quality apple and apple products that was born over 83 years ago.
The Carlson Family has been making fresh apple cider for about as long as they’ve had apples to pick. But when the cider business outgrew what the orchard could handle, the Carlson brothers turned to New England Apple Products, a trusted, local family company with over 150 years of cider making experience, to press and bottle the orchard’s fresh, sweet apple cider. Steve and Dave Rowse of New England Apple Products moved the cider operation to Leominster, Massachusetts (3 miles from Johnny Appleseed’s birthplace!), where the Rowse brothers continue the same high level of care and quality for pressing and bottling Carlson’s sweet cider.
All of our sweet cider is made from only the freshest apples available and is:
100% real apples
All-natural and pasteurized
Made with no preservatives or additives
Naturally sweet, with no added sugar
Flash pasteurization of our cider enables us to continue to produce and sell the highest quality of apple cider. When you see the Carlson Orchards label, you can be sure that it’s the same delicious, high-quality cider that you and your family have come to know and love. Our products are sold and distributed to many large and small food stores, restaurants, farm stands, and other locations across New England.
Clarkvv (16523) reviewed Legacy from Carlson Orchards 6 months ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7.5 | Flavor - 7.5 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 7.5
Canned March 2025, drunk 7/4/25.
Clear, deep bronze-golden.
Nose is pretty respectable mix of tart, woody, tannic apple and a bit of some sweeter, brighter, lighter ones. Clean Sacch. yeast with no excess sugar or weird notes.
Fleshy, juicy, sweet at first but drying out with some invigorating tartness, woodiness and tannin. A good mix of sweet and dry and pretty respectable stuff for a normally very commercially-minded cidery.
SaltyGrog (4618) reviewed Honey Crisp from Carlson Orchards 1 year ago
Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
Pint at a pizza place in Bar Harbor with my wife. Opaque, pale orange, lingering froth. Sweet, prickly tart nose, a touch soapy & grassy. Sweet, condensed, applesauce, fresh eating apples, nice tartness, probably back-sweetened, barely fermented, force carb. No sulfite headache. Slight malt trash boozy bite on the very tail once it started to get warm. Quaffable with a buffalo chicken beer when ice cold. Cheers.
Jow (8309) reviewed Blueberry from Carlson Orchards 1 year ago
Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 8
Can on hot afternoon Friday. Pale purple rather clear and few bubbles. Nose is blueberry and lavender. The apple is subdued more blueberry juice with the lavender. Pleasant little brunch drink
minutemat (16258) reviewed Shapley’s Gala from Carlson Orchards 2 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
16oz can from Yarmouth Wine & Spirits, shared with Soph at our apartment in Cape Cod. Hazed gold appearance. Crisp, sweet Gala apple profile, smooth unfiltered palate, nice fleshy sweet apple pulp moments.. pretty tasty.
minutemat (16258) reviewed Oak Hill Blend from Carlson Orchards 2 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
440ml can whilst kayaking in Chatham. Drunk from the can. Sweet profile with pleasant Doux-like caramelised notes.. nice unfiltered feel.. decent. Went well with being shat on by a seagull.
minutemat (16258) reviewed P.S.1 from Carlson Orchards 2 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
Draft @ Carlson Orchards. Pours a pale pink. Didn't know this was co-fermented with Petite Syrah grape pomace when tasting it. Got more of a gentle red berry presence but in hindsight this could be a grape influence. Finishes quite clean and light. Ok.
minutemat (16258) reviewed Raspberry Shandy Stand from Carlson Orchards 2 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
Draft @ Carlson Orchards. Misty pinkish orange appearance. Soft raspberry nose. Gently tangy palate, light red berries coming through, not jumping out as raspberries, light lemon citrus but overall coming across light, refreshing and simplistic. Expected a little more flavour here. Ok
minutemat (16258) reviewed Jamaican Sunshine from Carlson Orchards 2 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
Draft @ Carlson Orchards. Misty pale golden yellow appearance. Prominent ginger root aroma, continuing to taste with a moderately sweet fruity apple profile underneath. Nicely balanced. Decent gingery cider.
minutemat (16258) reviewed Blueberry Honey from Carlson Orchards 2 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
Draft @ Carlson Orchards. Pours a misty crimson pink. Assorted red berry nose. Not a huge blueberry presence, instead subtle fruity red berry shades provide much of the character.. gentle fruity profile. Ok afternoon sipper.
minutemat (16258) reviewed Simply Dry from Carlson Orchards 2 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
Draft @ Carlson Orchards. Pours a generally clear pale gold. Crisp medium dry feel, quite clean overall, filtered and simplistic. Nice refresher, but shame more of the Belgian yeast didn't come through.