Created by Jon Moore with Diana Powell, Broad Street Cider, or BSC, opened in July 2017. After living in California for all of their lives, Jon and Diana moved to New Orleans in 2010, so that Jon could get a PhD at Tulane University. It was a slight shock coming here, as California has a ton of microbreweries and, at the time, New Orleans did not.
Because his PhD was related to studying the history of the British Empire, Jon and Diana had the chance to spend ten months traveling around the world in the quest for research. Along with the information came a chance to try the finest craft beers and ciders across the globe, and what they soon found was that in countries like France, New Zealand, England, and Australia, ciders are dry and not typically sweet, as we're accustomed to in America. Jon and Diana were instantly hooked and inspired to start their own business doing what they loved.
"We met so many people around the world that wanted to make amazing cider and beer and bring their passion to others," says Jon. " In Australia, Diana asked one owner why she started her business, she shrugged and said, 'I enjoy beer and decided to make my own job.' We asked ourselves what we love to do in life, and we love drinking cider and beer in bars and taprooms and talking about craft beverages with everyone. This is why we created Broad Street Cider."
Broad Street Cider differs from other businesses, first and foremost, because it's a cidery, not a brewery, and one of the only ones for hundreds of miles, as it's currently the only one in the state of Louisiana. Unlike beer, which is brewed with heat playing a process, cider is similar to wine-alcohol derived from fruit juice and a process that is a labor of love, as they take juice and add yeast, which converts fructose into alcohol, and then naturally carbonate or keg-condition. It's a similar process to making sparkling wines or Belgian beers. Because Roulaison is a next-door neighbor, you'll also often find some tasty cider cocktails as well inspired by them and other local distilleries.
There's also really good news for celiacs, or those who cannot have any form of wheat, barley, or rye within their diets, because cider is 100 percent gluten-free; BSC is a really safe place to have a gluten-free date night. The only beer at Broad Street Cider is served in cans, not tap lines, via dedicated glasses.
Also, their hand-crafted ciders also contain no artificial flavorings or added sugars and are not produced with any kind of animal products.
Currently, Broad Street Cider has 12 ciders available, via glass, adorable jar, or by the flight, mostly named after the British Royals that Jon loves to study. The regular stars of the lineup are Duchess of Devon (with Earl Gray tea), Viscount (Boozy Caramel Apple), and Diamond Jubilee (champagne style). There are also rotating seasonal flavors, like Blueberry Fields, Ruby Jubilee (tart cherry), Springtime Flowers (with elderflowers), and Raspberry Jam, as well as some hot spiced ciders. Additionally, BSC recently found a great source of Louisiana honey, so they are now offering meads, like one called "It's Not You, It's Mead."
Plus, there are a lot of fun activities, including movie nights, karaoke, trivia, special releases, and other events. You can find the full calendar online on their Facebook page, @broadstcider.
Broad Street Cider is 21 and over. BYO food. Dogs are okay in outside seating area. They're open 1 p.m. - 10 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and closed Sunday and Monday.
