Witch's Broom Sparkling Cider

Take a ride on Witch’s Broom, a spooky semi-sweet cider infused with a bouquet of fall spices that will send you over the pumpkin patch! With lingering notes of cinnamon, orange, nutmeg, and ginger, she is as tantalizing as pumpkin pie — but her namesake is Scotch Broom, an invasive plant that threatens the West Coast.

How We Make This Cider

Witch’s Broom combines the best of British Columbian apples with a bouquet of fall spices. First, we mill and juice the apples, then add champagne yeast to begin fermentation. While fermentation takes place, we soak cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and ginger in neutral spirits from our neighbours at Victoria Distillers, then blend the spiced eau de vie into the fermented cider base. The result is a warm, spicy concoction surrounded by the nostalgic aura of autumn.

Tasting Notes & Food Pairings 

• Appearance: Light amber, gently effervescent
• Aromas/ Flavours: Cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and ginger
• Acid/ Sweetness: Off-dry, good acid balance
• Mouthfeel: Smooth with minimal tannins, long finish

Food pairings: Witch’s Broom pairs famously with fall meals. Consider pairing with Thanksgiving dinner, root vegetables, and duck dishes. Think fall soups, braised meat dishes and roasted nuts. It’s all bound to be a wild ride!

Good to Know

• 9.9% ABV
• 750 ml clear champagne glass bottle with flip-top closure
• Produced on-site in Saanichton, BC, Canada

Awards

• 2023 SILVER - GLINTCAP (Botanical Cider)

Canadian Invasion Series

Healthy land is imperative for orchards and natural areas to thrive, not just for Sea Cider, but for all of us. We all need productive agricultural land to help feed our communities, and this means having healthy and natural areas to provide a balanced ecosystem with clean air, carbon sequestration and habitat for wildlife. At Sea Cider, we pay close attention to the connection between our orchard and the surrounding areas. Our farm comprises both orchard and forest. Our orchard benefits from our forest, which provides wind protection and habitat for birds which feed on harmful insects; while our orchard provides flowers and sunshine for indigenous insects such as mason bees to thrive.

This symbiotic relationship is threatened by invasive plants. On the west coast, well-known invaders include the Himalayan Blackberry, Scotch Broom, English Ivy and Daphne. These tenacious plants take over land, pushing out indigenous species and degrading ecosystems. When such invasive species are present on farms and in forests, they inhibit the growth of more beneficial plants, and they degrade soil quality.

To raise funds and awareness, Sea Cider has created the Canadian Invasion Series. Each cider in the series is made by pressing the best of BC’s apples, fermenting the juice with champagne yeast, and then infusing the cider with fruit, botanicals and other ingredients from Sea Cider's farm, forest and surrounding BC farms. With community at its core, Sea Cider supports local non-profits improving our environmental health thanks to sales from the Canadian Invasion Series. 

Products in the Canadian Invasion Series include, in preferred tasting order: Wolf in the Woods; Ruby Rose; Birds and the Bees; Sassamanash; Bramble Bubbly; Cherry Lane; Witch's Broom.