Taking the Back Road to Cider Success

In Ventura, Blake Kininmonth and his girlfriend Liz Niles are creating handcrafted cider with just apples in small batches, using traditional beer yeasts and fermentation practices that include no added sugar.

“We’re just trying to make something that is cross between a beer and a cider that everyone can enjoy without feeling bloated or tired,” says Kininmonth.

The couple met in the Bay Area. Niles, originally from Camarillo, studied environmental sciences at UC Berkeley; Kininmonth grew up in Lodi then studied finance at San Francisco State University. While there, he became a bartender and decided that mixology for fine dining was a better fit than finance.

For Niles’ master’s degree studies, they moved together to Portland where, among other things, they found an abundance of blackberries. One year, after picking over 100 pounds of the berries, they had to get creative to use them all. Though they had previously made kombucha, the successful batch of blackberry bramble was their real introduction to alcohol fermentation. Reviews from molecular-gastronomy- focused colleagues at Paley’s Place said that it tasted “like a Bordeaux” and “has characteristics of a Cab with peppery notes.” Inspired, Niles and Kininmonth went on to make blackberry cider, learning the ins and outs of apple-based ferments.

Due to family circumstances and a need for better weather, Kininmonth and Niles moved to Ventura County near Balcom Canyon in 2018. Niles, who now sits on the board of California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF), got a position with Sespe Creek Organics in Fillmore. Kininmonth worked as a mixologist at two separate locations while putting money aside to brew their cider. When COVID-19 hit, and restaurants and bars closed, Kininmonth shifted full-time into building up the business, aptly named Balcom Canyon Cider.

“We did a custom crush at a couple wineries,” says Kininmonth. “A custom crush is for when you don’t have the start-up cash to open your own winery or brewery. You can get your beer/wine wholesale license with the ABC [California Alcohol and Beverage Control] and make your wine at a certified facility.”

They produced and bottled their first batches of cider at local wineries throughout Ventura County and Kininmonth says, “I was able to self-distribute our product, personally going door to door every day to every bar, restaurant, liquor store.”

The cidery currently sources blends of apples from different terroirs in the Pacific Northwest but are looking to use local varietals in the future.

“Our Saison Cyser is fermented with Belgian Saison yeast, lightly hopped with Styrian Golding hops and is made with 95% cold-pressed apples from Yakima Valley, 5% freshly extracted orange blossom honey from Blue Ridge Honey in Ojai (literally freshly scraped from the honeycomb and began fermentation same day!)”

In early 2021, Niles and Kininmonth signed a lease on a spot in Ventura where they will be able to hand produce and package their ciders for wholesale and online purchasing. They hope to open a tasting room in the future. The cider is currently available at local restaurants, bars and locally owned markets throughout Ventura County, Santa Barbara and Los Angeles.

For more information or to find a local retailer, visit BalcomCanyonCider.com.