Local cider maker pours some science into his art

Richard Read, owner of Griffin Cider Works.

(Thomas Ondrey, The Plain Dealer )

LAKEWOOD, Ohio – Richard Read, who operates Griffin Cider Works in Westlake, is planning to open what he says is the first cider house in Northeast Ohio.

Read said he believes Griffin Cider House will be the second one in Ohio, behind West End Cider House in Athens. It will be located at 12401 Madison Ave., currently Madison's Tavern, about five blocks west of West 117th Street. Read said he hopes to close on the deal Saturday, Dec. 13.

"A cider house is kind of like a cider-focused pub. It's not really a bar. It's really unique, and you just don't find them here," Read said.

Read, a native of England, said cider houses typically are found in each city in the United Kingdom.

Read's wife Rosemarie officially will own the cider house along with her mother, Rosita Alcantara, said Read, who will own 33 percent of the business. They plan on calling the ownership company the Last Voyage Cider Houses after Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan's voyage to the Philippines, where his wife is from.

Read said he hopes to be able to serve "light-bistro"-type food with an English flavor, he said.

"For us it's going to be a cultural hub as well," he said. "It's going to be more than a watering hole. We're going to use it as a way to educate people about real cider and teach people how to make it."

Read prides himself on creating real cider, which is fully fermented and made exclusively from fresh juice. It often lands at a higher alcohol level, about 6 to 7 percent and yields complex flavors, almost like a saison-style ale. Light cider is made with reconstituted apple concentrate. There's little variation, and makers can add unfermented concentrate or natural flavors.

Read looked at renovating space in Tremont, Ohio City, Kamm's Corners and University Circle before deciding on the Lakewood location. In keeping with British themes, his goal is to open on England's national day, St. George's Day, April 23. The day commemorates the country's patron saint.

John Stipanovich, brother of Madison's Tavern owner Nick Stipanovich, said the bar has been open since 1977 and has "passed through family generations."

"It's just time to let it go," he said.

Griffin's bottling works and production facility operate out of the basement of JW Dover. Read likened his operation to a local, well-known brewpub in the area.

"We're similar to Fat Head's (Brewery)," he said. "They have their brewhouse (in North Olmsted) and their production facility (in Middleburg Heights).

Read remains excited about the venture, something he has wanted to do for a long time.

"I've got one of the best partners I can have," he said.

Read aims high, always trying to envision how the local market can embrace cider.

"I've got a lot of big dreams," he said, "and this is the country to do it, right?"