Sietsema Orchards seeks to rebrand cider for summer

GRAND RAPIDS — Many people — perhaps the majority — don’t begin thinking about cider until the leaves start to turn. That spicy, apple-cinnamon flavor is quintessentially autumnal. You wouldn’t think of visiting an apple orchard before harvest time, before there are things like corn mazes and hayrides to enjoy. And when it comes to hard cider, you may either think that it’s too sweet to drink, or that it’s just an alternative for people who don’t like beer.

Andy Sietsema believes that if that is the way you are thinking about cider, you are dead wrong. He is working along with the rest of the crew at Sietsema Orchards and Cider Mill to quell some of the misconceptions surrounding hard cider and the orchard-cideries that make it.

“Most people think we take off the months from November until right now, but no, we don’t,” said Sietsema.

Right now, the crew at Sietsema is keeping up on insect control, spraying the trees before and after it rains. They’re also training the younger trees and

…