Brightwood Pizza and Bottle, ANXO
711 Kennedy St., NW
DC’s first cider bar (and cider maker) ditched its original Shaw location in 2021, but its Brightwood Park taproom remains. It’s part of Brightwood Pizza & Bottle, which also serves crispy, Neapolitan-style pizza to go with ANXO’s dry ciders, and features a beer and natural wine shop.
Lost Boy Cider
317 Hooffs Run Dr., Alexandria, VA
When life gives you gluten and soy allergies, make…hard cider? At least, that’s what founder Tristan Wright did when he discovered he could no longer enjoy beer or whiskey for that reason. Now, nearly a decade later, Lost Boy Ciders serves up its four flagship ciders at its Alexandria taproom, in addition to weekly and monthly special batches (September’s creation is a hopped cider, in preparation for Oktoberfest). There are food trucks on-site throughout the week (see the schedule on Instagram or Facebook).
Mt. Defiance Cidery and Distillery
495 E. Washington St., Middleburg
This historic building-turned-distillery in Middleburg is perfect for a casual weekend day trip. Order a flight of its featured ciders—it comes with a palette cleanser of sweet vermouth—or sample the absinthe, which is made in-house along with other spirits like rum, apple brandy, whiskey, and gin.
Two Story Chimney Ciderworks
7115 Damascus Rd., Gaithersburg
Stop by Etchison Country Store across the street to grab some fried chicken or a sandwich, then head over to Two Story Chimney. The cidery grows seven different varieties of apples on-site and presses them into a variety of hard ciders, including “Over the Falls,” a blend aged in red wine barrels, and “Foraged and Farmed,” a cider made with whatever berries are available in the wild and at Maryland farms (right now, there’s a strawberry brew on tap). You can also reserve a campfire and take in the 30 acres of sprawling scenery, and if you’re still hungry, there are food trucks (check out the schedule on Instagram).
Cobbler Mountain Cider
5909 Long Fall Lane, Delaplane
Sit by the fire or hike with your pup on one of the many trails at this family-run Fauquier County cidery. Its taproom features 26 housemade, small-batch ciders on tap, with flavors ranging from red sangria to pomegranate-and-black-currant to mango-lemonade (there’s also homemade non-alcoholic cider and root beer). Food trucks come to the cidery sometimes, but picnicking is encouraged. Cobbler Mountain is open on weekends and by appointment on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays; reserve your spot here.
Doc Waters Cidery
22529 Wildcat Rd. Germantown
Boasting weekly live music events, Friday trivia nights and a rotating cast of food trucks, this MoCo cidery seems to have it all—including ciders made from apples grown on site. Speaking of, it’s officially pick-your-own apple season, which you can also do here. If you’d rather settle in and enjoy the view, you can reserve a fire pit or igloo.
