New cidery preparing to open doors in Auburn

Cider makers with local roots have plans to open Ponderosa Cider Company, which includes a tasting room, in Auburn in late March. Jon Hoag, who grew up in Auburn, and his wife Ashlee recently leased a space at 102 Gum Lane and just wrapped up the primary fermentation process on their first 5,200 gallons of cider. The building, which is in the back of an industrial area that backs up to neighborhoods and bicycling and hiking trails, has a slight barn look to it with exposed beam. Hoag said the building has been around since the 1940s. The business has five stainless-steel tanks for the fermentation process, and Hoag said the focus of Ponderosa is high-quality fruit. Hoag said he estimates they will have eight varieties of cider for the first release. "We will offer different apple varietals," Hoag said. "We really want to bring fruit diversity back into everybody's palate. There are not just sugary desert-style apples. There are (thousands) of varieties of apples out there, and you see maybe three at the grocery store." Ponderosa Cider Co. will offer a hops cider and flavored ciders in the first run in addition to other varieties from semi-sweet to dry. While Hoag said their focus is on dry cider, they want to create ciders everyone will have a chance to enjoy. Though they wanted to source their apples from local farms in the Camino area, Hoag said the local farms were hit hard by an early freeze this year but he hopes to source more local apples in the future. The first batch of cider is made with apples from Oregon. Hoag said distribution is a large part of his business plan and has been working with The Pour Choice, California Club and Old Town Pizza to get their ciders on tap. "We want to get our product out to every restaurant and tap house that will serve us," he said. Customers who visit Ponderosa Cider Co. to taste will also be able to purchase directly from the business through half-barrel kegs, four-packs of cans or a single bottle. Hoag, who attended Bear River High School, said it has been nice coming back to his hometown. "Everyone has been really welcoming and it's been really nice," he said. Neighbors who live close to the cidery have been frequent visitors, asking often when the tasting room will open. Hoag said they are aiming to open in late March. In the meantime, the apples ferment in preparation for the big day.