An Apple A Day: Introducing The Six Sailor Cider Way

As I asked about the various flavors of cider offered, Michael Valentine, owner of Six Sailor Cider, rose from his chair and moved with purpose toward a nearby table. He grabbed a well-worn notebook and plopped it—already opened—in front of me. The pages were coated completely in cider labels representing the countless flavors Six Sailor has manufactured since they officially began selling their product in 2017 and opened their storefront in The Gateway this past September. Although the entire interview had already elucidated such, this was the precise moment I knew I was dealing not just with a brewer or entrepreneur but a craftsman impassioned by every part of the cider-making process.

In Valentine’s early 20s, brewing beers for kicks with friends morphed into making meads, which evolved into the “final boss” of crafting cider. He hatched the idea of Six Sailor in 2014 and began peddling products three years later. “I think I researched every cider company in the world at the time trying to figure out what they were doing and what we could do differently,” he says. “No one was really doing interest – ing flavors; they were just doing different types of apple. So, we started doing stuff that was more interesting.”

“The unfiltered is designed for families and kids, the sparkling will be a punk-rock alternative for teenagers to have something a bit healthier than soda and the hard cider will be for adults craving something different than just a beer.”

“Interesting” hardly scratches the surface of Six Sailor’s creativity. As I sat contently chugging a Hazelnut Chai Cider (my chilly day choice), he pointed to a-jillion-and-one different, delectable flavors, all crafted with real fruit and spices that are often locally sourced through partnerships with companies such as Weeks Berries and Kessimakis Produce.

Valentine runs a tight ship, conscious not just of the finished product but of ensuring the drinks’ vibrancy in both flavor and personality. The six namesake ciders each have a different sailor identity attached to them complete with expertly executed names, backstories and incredible character designs painted by local artist Jacob Wayne Bryner adorning each can. Valentine explains that the sailor identity “pays tribute to [my] background in film, writing movies and working on screenplays.” He says, “We wanted to do something more fun, creative and artistic. We wanted the cider to look like something you’ve never seen and have it jump off the shelf.”

The six main flavors available year round include the classic Night Compass (spiced apple cider), Shipwreck (blueberry peach)—Valentine’s favorite—and dessert blends such as Mermaids Lagoon (Irish cream). On a three-month basis, Six Sail – or introduces seasonal flavors, as with the unconventional, foolproof candy cane and cranberry orange. The upcoming spring cycle will feature ciders flavored with jalapeno, rose and lavender.

If those choices aren’t enough for a cider skeptic, Six Sailor also rolls out a flavor of the week at local markets and has crafted a Ciders for a Cause series, in which 100% of profits are donated to local organizations. Popular and tantilizing, Pasifika Pride (strawberry guava dragon fruit) benefits the Nuanua Collective, and Fuck the Supreme Court (orange honey lemon – grass) benefits the Utah Abortion Fund and Indigenous Women Rising.

“We wanted the cider to look like something you’ve never seen and have it jump off the shelf.”

On top of these innumerable, mouth-watering mixes, Six Sailor plans to regularly produce both hard and non-alcoholic offerings. Valentine says, “The unfiltered is designed for families and kids, the sparkling will be a punk-rock alternative for teenagers to have something a bit healthier than soda and the hard cider will be for adults craving something different than just a beer.”

With plans to expand his storefront into a full-fledged, Art Nouveau cinema and cider bar, establish a manufacturing ware – house, sell ciders in local and eventually national grocery stores, develop online and subscription-based purchasing programs, continue collaborating with local business and organizations (did someone say cider ice cream floats?) and continuing concocting completely kick-ass flavors, Valentine clearly has his flags raised and is ready to set sail. Follow Six Sailor Cider’s progress via their website, sixsailorcider.com, or their Instagrams: @sixsailorcider, @sixsailorhardcider and their new bar handle, @themaidensgrasp.

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Rio Connelly’s Inaugural Cider Release at Scion Cider Bar
Mountain West Hard Cider: Complementing, Not Competing