Bristol’s Coronation Hall Cider Mills kicked off its 2026 season on Saturday by launching a new cider that has been in the works for over a year.
The local business, run by the Graham family, produces all sorts of homemade treats using apples grown just up the hill in Greg Graham’s apple orchard, including pies, donuts, and even a barbecue sauce.
Now, a third alcoholic cider has been added to the two already created by brother Shawn Graham. It’s called the SideWheeler, named after the old steam ship that used to travel up and down the Ottawa River before the railway was built.
The process of making SideWheeler involves letting it age with oak chips from French wine barrels, but Shawn is also experimenting with aging it in American oak barrels that were previously used for rum.
Both processes lend the final cider a distinct smokiness. This flavour sets it apart from both the original cider, which is dry and light, and the Thomas Graham Hopped cider, to which hops bring a citrusy sweetness.
“It’s like whiskey without the burn,” Shawn laughed, quoting one of his niece’s descriptions of the new beverage.
Oak barrels are smoked as part of their seasoning, which makes the oak more porous and allows whatever liquid it is holding to better penetrate the wood.
“The chemical interaction between the acidity and tannin of the cider with what’s residual in the oak opens up all sorts of new flavours, so vanillas and the kind of smokiness that you get,” he explained.
“The cider won’t turn out exactly the same way every time because it’s a living product. The juice is alive, the yeast is alive, the oak still breathes and expires and you have to be attentive to all that to make a good product.”
Not to mention that each batch of cider is made with a slightly different blend of apples from the orchard, where over a dozen varieties are grown. This only adds to the diversity in taste of the final ciders that end up on the shelf.
“Every single batch of cider is always slightly different,” Shawn said.
Those interested in trying out the Grahams’ creations for themselves can stop by Coronation Hall from Tuesdays to Saturdays between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., and Sundays from 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.
