Convergence Ciderworks wins silver medal at US Open Cider Championship

In a moment of sweet triumph, Convergence CiderWorks won the silver medal in the pear category for their Moonglow Ginger Pear semi-sweet hard cider at the 9th annual US Open Cider Championship. Co-owner of Convergence, Natalie Naber taste-tested four different batches of the cider to select the one that would ultimately represent Convergence in a competition of approximately 250 entries from an array of cideries across the US. "We didn't necessarily do too much to prepare other than, just purely really having confidence in our cider," said Naber. "Recipes will always be the same for cider, but everything changes with what we do, because it is craft and our apples all come from different sources; they can even be a different variety too, so that's why I did that tasting beforehand." Because Convergence was the only Iowa-based cidery present at the competition, Naber feels that the victory expands the scope not only for Convergence, but for the state in general and has hopes that the win will secure a way for Convergence to expand its reach throughout the nation. According to Naber, what sets Convergence apart from the competition is its use of local fruits, local ingredients, and its commitment to focusing on the local community at-large. "We work with practical farmers of Iowa to donate back for this particular cider [...] community and growth of agriculture in the state is what we're really focused on. We have our growers that we depend on, and those relationships are very very strong," Naber said. Naber went on to explain that the cider itself hosts a unique blend of pear, apple, and ginger notes. "Pear is just a really nice, also light flavor, but it has an unfermentable sugar; so you'll always have a little bit of that sweetness to it, and so that's why pear has been one of those things I marry with ginger." For those who have never tried the cider, Naber describes its flavor as "Snappy, and a little bit of zing with a light ginger aroma." Convergence distributes with Confluence Brewing throughout the state, making the cider readily available to enthusiasts in the Des Moines metro as well as along the corridor locations such as Waterloo, Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids, and Davenport. Hy-Vee has also been a major help in popularizing Convergence across Northeast Iowa, stocking it at most of their major locations. Convergence CiderWorks is located at 302 Washington St. in Decorah, Iowa. To learn more, visit: https://www.convergencecider.com/.