Enjoy craft cider at Halcyon Days Cider Company, but don’t miss the labyrinth!

Halcyon (hal-see-uhn) Days Cider Company is a unique addition to Rockbridge’s locavore/craft beverage scene. Halcyon Days makes small batches of hard cider using over 50 varieties of apples from the 2000 trees on the property 7 miles south of Lexington on Rt. 11. 

New owners, Ryan and Liz Colvin grow, harvest, and press the apples. They ferment and then mature the cider for two to six months.  Each batch of cider is bottled, carbonated and labeled by hand. 

The many varieties of apples allow the Colvins to create different flavors and control the sweetness of the final product. Many ciders are offered for tasting and purchase, ranging from semi-sweet to dry. Harrison, Virginia Hewes Crab and Ashmeads Kernel are just a few of the heirloom cider apples used in their blends.  The alcohol content varies, but is similar to that of craft beers. 

 While the cidermaking is accomplished in a new state-of-the-art production building, the rest of the facility is refurbished from historic Rockbridge County structures.  An existing 1940s milk barn that was used in dairy farming in an earlier use of the property has been renovated into seating space and a large family game room. A covered breezeway connects the milk barn building to the tasting room, which is in a reconstructed 19^th century log cabin moved to the site from North Mountain.

If making hand-crafted ciders in a unique setting wasn’t enough, the grove of dwarf apple trees on the knoll above the cidery is a story in itself. The trees grow along wires, much like those at vineyards, and the grove itself is laid out in the design of a labyrinth. The labyrinth, which is a larger version of the same design, is the floor of Chartres Cathedral in France, and leads one on a continuous path to the center at the top of the hill. Historically, the 13^th century labyrinth at Chartres is representative of a pilgrim’s quest for the holy land, and the design has been duplicated in many places. 

The cidery has new updated hours: Thursdays 2-7, Fridays and Saturdays 12-7, Sundays 12-6. Please visit their website at www.halcyondayscider.com or follow them on Facebook/Instagram for updates. The address is 4135 S Lee Hwy, Natural Bridge, VA 24578. Phone (540) 291-1340.