Liberty Apple Cider Release Party

Heurich House Museum and ANXO, celebrate the re-release of the 102-year-old Heurich’s Liberty Apple Cider at a release party on Saturday, August 20th from 5-8pm in the museum’s biergarten, 1921.

The ANXO team – known for their dry-fermented ciders – worked closely with the Museum to create a 21st Century version of legendary D.C. brewer Christian Heurich’s Prohibition-era offering, which was first available for modern day consumption in 2020. The result is a tart, non-hopped version of the cider that was first sold a century ago.

At the release party, guests can enjoy the historic cider alongside an elevated cider menu including ANXO favorites: Grand Cru, Nevertheless, and Cidre Blanc, a limited selection of local beers, wine, and non-alcoholic beverages. The biergarten also gives guests the opportunity to explore HOME/BREWED, an exhibit featuring 1,000 objects from the historic Heurich brewery. Masks are recommended in indoor spaces. 1921, a Biergarten, supports the museum’s Small Business Development programs.

Free to attend. Registration recommended, but not required. Registration Link: tinyurl.com/libertyrelease

About Liberty Apple Cider:

In anticipation of Prohibition coming to D.C., Christian Heurich pivoted his brewery to make a non-alcoholic apple drink, purchasing $100,000 worth of Stayman Winesap apples and pasteurizing them to prevent the juice from fermenting to alcohol. While he diluted the beverage and added a hop extract, what Heurich did not anticipate is that, contrary to beer which requires the addition of yeast, cider ferments in its own juices. After 18 months, the apple drink was about 6% ABV.

Although Prohibition was in effect, in 1920 Heurich was given special permission to sell the fermented apple drink – which he called Liberty Apple Champagne – for just three weeks. In 1933 when Prohibition was repealed, Heurich still had 60,000 gallons of Liberty Apple Champagne stored at the brewery, which were dumped and lost to time to make room for future brews. One hundred years later, the new Liberty Apple Cider pays homage to Heurich’s original release, while staying true to ANXO’s standards of creating ciders made with only apples and no additives.

“We are excited to partner with ANXO to re-release the historic Heurich’s Liberty Apple Cider, especially because of their commitment to planting and harvesting from heritage apple trees and their use of traditional cider making techniques,” said Kimberly Bender, CEO & Museum Director of the Heurich House Museum. “Heurich would be proud as he had several fruit trees at his home in the Dupont Circle neighborhood as well as at Bellevue Farm in Hyattsville, and he would have loved to be able to legally sell his cider!”

To recreate Heurich’s Liberty Apple Cider, ANXO’s cider makers used solely Stayman Winesap apples sourced from 78 Acres Farm in Smithsburg, Md, and fermented the apple juice dry in large wooden casks. The result is a tart cider that stands at 5.8% ABV and remains naturally sugar-free, gluten-free and low in carbohydrates. The can design pays homage to the original Heurich’s Liberty Apple Cider label, utilizing the 20th century logo and restoring the “made with the pure juice of the choicest apples” and “serve cold” phrases.

“We’re a brand born and bred in D.C., so it’s incredible to be partnering with a District institution like the Heurich House Museum that holds an important role in the history of beer and cider coming out of this city,” said Sam Fitz, co-founder and president of ANXO. “Knowing that Mr. Heurich was passionate about apples – like our team at ANXO – gave us a lot of inspiration to make this recreation fantastic. We’re so honored that the Museum has trusted us to bring this cider back to life!”