If you listened to the last Cincy Brewcast you might have caught a little tidbit near the end when we were talking to Lindsey Roeper from Rivertown Brewing. That little tidbit was that they were working on a cider. How awesome is that!? After the show I had to pry some more information out about this new cider dubbed Tequilana. So I shot Lindsey a few questions to see what she’d be willing to reveal about this new addition to their arsenal.

First off thank you for allowing me to shoot some questions over about this new endeavor for Rivertown!

Lindsey: Absolutely! We are excited to have the opportunity : )

I guess I have to come right out of the gate and ask what exactly is Tequilana? What makes this new cider so great and what’s the story behind it?

Lindsey: Tequilana is our Apple Agave sparkling apple cider with a hint of tequila flavoring. When we are naming our liquids, we are all about the story! In this case, we knew we wanted to do a unique cider and went through a few options before discovering Tequilana. Agave Tequilana is the scientific name Blue Agave & we immediately fell in love with it as it speaks to the agave component as well as the tequila notes.

Adding a cider to your portfolio just crams it fuller with more awesomeness. I mean, you’ve got a killer porter, you are one of the best in the business with your sour program, you’ve done session, single, and double IPAs, your Pumpkin Ale is a seasonal staple in the region, you’ve played with rye, you’ve lagered, and you’ve bocked (are those words?) to name a few. I’d be going on forever if we talked about every style you’ve guys have done over the history of Rivertown. Why a cider? Why now? You can’t deny that there are some big ciders already in the game here in Cincinnati.

Lindsey: We are very proud to have a diverse portfolio for every palate and we wanted to add a delicious cider to round out our everyday offerings for those out there who love ciders, are gluten intolerant or are cider-curious : )

So what’s going to bring Tequilana above the curve of all the other ciders on the market?

Lindsey: We’re really excited to have a cider that has a creative flavor profile that can speak to a variety of palates. You know us, we wouldn’t just do a straight up apple cider, we have to put our Rivertown spin on it ; )

You showed us some really cool art behind Tequilana during the Brewcast. Can you tell us a little bit about the idea behind the artwork?

Lindsey: After we named her, bringing the story to life in a picture was the next challenge. We knew we wanted to utilize a calavera-esque image and when cruising around on etsy one day, I happened upon the amazing art of Laura Bartholomew (artholomew.blogspot.com), a wood burning artist. We contacted her and she has truly been AMAZING to work with. She brought Tequilana to life in a way that exceeded all expectation. We’ve embodied her as a lovely calavera holding a basket of apples surrounded by agave plants. The original art is done on wood, and then our designer, Jeremy Simmons (www.jeremysimmonsdesign.com) did an incredible job of incorporating that image onto our signature 6 pack.

The short term future of Rivertown is really ramping up to be some of the best times since you’ve been open. You’ve got some awesome new brews coming down the line and you’ve got a brand new location on the way up in Monroe. How excited are you guys for all of this?

Lindsey: Words cannot even describe how excited we all are! As a Team, together we have made so much happen over the last couple years and having Jason as our sole owner & Fearless Leader makes us unstoppable : )

Anything else you want to say to your fellow craft lovers here in Cincinnati?

Lindsey: Yes! Be kind, be fearless and be open minded in all of your taste adventures and life in general!

Thank you so much for sitting down to chat about Tequilana. I think it will be an awesome addition to the Rivertown portfolio and I think the craft scene is going to love it!

So when can you get your hands on Tequilana? So far there is no concrete date, but I was told October(ish). As always stay tuned here and on social media for any new news on Rivertown’s first cider: Tequilana.

Cheers all!