A pop up cider bar? It’s a thing! And it happens right here in Vancouver on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. Birds and the Beets transforms into Orchard & The Sea, a bar that’s dedicated to all things cider!
This innovative cider bar opened up this past summer and it’s something that Vancouver hasn’t seen before. While we have a large selection of places with a craft beer focus, what’s a cider drinker to do? Enter Kelly and Shawn Pisio. As owners and operators of Txotx Basque Imports, cider is at the heart of their lives, so opening Orchard and the Sea just seemed like the next step! Kelly told me about how much they loved visiting the cider bars in Seattle, but it was the trip to Spain for their wedding (which was in a cider house!) that started the fire. During a layover in New York, they had planned to visit Wassail, a vegetable-focused restaurant and cider bar. “We sat at the bar and managed to chat with the extremely talented Cider Director, Dan Pucci, about cider for quite a while and a light-bulb went off. We wanted this in Vancouver!”
One might ask, Why Cider? “With the explosion of craft beer, we saw the consumer palate changing. People are seeking new and interesting flavours in regards to beer and because of that, cider is following close behind. BC’s craft cider makers are producing really exciting products and there’s no end in sight as to where it will go!”
There’s a lot more happening at Orchard and the Sea than just a cider bar. October 15th – 22th was BC Cider Week and during that time Orchard and the Sea hosted two long table dinners that offered a selection of different ciders! More of these events are in the works, including one for American Thanksgiving. So stay tuned to their social media for information on that and any other events.
The menu at Orchard and the Sea is one that is meant to pair perfectly with ciders. It changes often but is always small, affordable and has a Spanish focus! You’ll find a variety of BC, USA, and Spanish ciders for your enjoyment which you can buy by the bottle, in a flight, or on tap! The selection is also always changing, so make sure to check their Facebook and Instagram for a sneak peek of what to expect each week!
Shawna Perry
Membership Coordinator
CAMRA BC – Vancouver Branch
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