Carlson Orchards

Cidery in Harvard, Massachusetts, United States 🇺🇸
Associated Venue: Carlson Orchards

Established in 1936

Contact
115 Oak Hill Road, Harvard, MA, 01451, United States
Description
Carlson Orchards was founded in 1936 by Walter and Eleanor Carlson. In the thirties and forties, they made their living from a diversified farm of chickens, cows, potatoes and apples. In the late sixties, the farm specialized in fruits with apples being the main crop. The Carlsons are dedicated to growing the best tree fruits, blueberries, raspberries, and pumpkins.

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.

     Show


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7.5
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.

Tried from Can from Julio’s Liquors on 06 Jul 2025 at 21:18


6.4
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.

Tried on 14 Jul 2024 at 00:27


6
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

Tried from Can on 12 Jul 2024 at 21:46


7.9
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.

Tried from Can on 04 Jun 2023 at 18:06


7.6
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.

Tried from Can on 03 Jun 2023 at 20:42


6.6
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.

Tried from Draft on 23 May 2023 at 20:17


6.5
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

Tried from Draft on 23 May 2023 at 18:55


6.8
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.

Tried from Draft on 23 May 2023 at 18:52


6.1
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.

Tried from Draft on 23 May 2023 at 18:47


6.5
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.

Tried from Draft on 23 May 2023 at 18:44