By Jessica H. | In Conjunction with Bloody Mary Tour

Stem Ciders is hosting a series of pop-up events featuring local businesses and restaurants. We attended the recent Creole brunch pop-up featuring The Real Dill and The Post on a sunny Sunday in Stem’s RiNo taproom and patio. Included in each brunch ticket was an all-you-can-eat assortment of food items from The Post and two drinks– whether you chose a Bloody Cider or a cider of your choice.

Stem Ciders is one of our favorite places to grab a drink in Denver. Cider is currently one of our top three preferred boozy beverages and Stem offers an unparalleled array of options in their taproom– and truth be told, they make a mean cider. We have been visiting their RiNo location weekly since we moved into our Five Points row house a year-and-a-half ago. The cozy taproom is adorned in wood and filled with barrels, board games, and oftentimes, live music.

In May, Stem partnered with local pickle company The Real Dill to craft a collaboration cider for The Real Dill’s 5th Anniversary. Thus, the Salted Cucumber Cider was born. The Salted Cucumber Cider is an innovative cider, with light crisp cucumber notes intertwined with subtle hints of apple. At the pop-up brunch, The Real Dill’s Bloody Mary mix was on hand to create Bloody Ciders made with ¼ Bloody Mary mix and ¾ Salted Cucumber Cider. The resulting Bloody Cider was similar to a Michelada, only way better. You can thank the cider’s cucumber touch for that!

We are avid fans of The Real Dill and have been indulging in their pickles and Bloody Mary mix for years. Their Bloody Mary mix is made from cucumber water leftover from the pickling process and showcases The Real Dill’s commitment to being a zero-waste company. A Bloody Mary bar full of The Real Dill products was available to top-off the breakfast cocktails– think specially-made cider pickles, Creole okra, garlic green beans, ginger carrots, and pearl onions. 

The Post provided the delicious Creole food spread; all of it was gluten-free! We munched on shrimp and grits, scrambled eggs, biscuits, and spicy collard greens, which we covered with Bloody Mary hollandaise sauce. Any good bruncher knows you have to top off your savory dishes with something sweet, so The Post baked an assortment of breakfast desserts made with Stem Ciders and The Real Dill products. This was the first time we have ever indulged in a chocolate cider breakfast muffin.

We love how this event focused on collaboration between Denver small businesses. After all, this is why Denver is “Denver”: big city dreams with small-town love. Stay tuned for future pop-up events at the Stem Ciders RiNo taproom!