A new hard cidery is operating out of the South Hills – and you can try it at Carnegie Coffee Company.
Co-owners Derek Luke and James Bucki launched Voyager Cider after years of experimenting with making beer and wine in their own homes.
“I’m from Armstrong County originally, but I was working as a teacher in this very remote part of Alaska, where you had to either fly in or take a boat to get to, and it was cheaper for me to make my own beer or wine where I lived, than to ship it from Anchorage,” Luke says. “So that’s how I started.”
“And I am from Buffalo, originally, and I started out making beer when I moved to Pittsburgh. After a few batches of beer, I wanted to make something that my wife would enjoy, too, so I started experimenting with cider,” Bucki says in a release. “The first cider I tried ended up being way too sweet, so I found some other recipes and started seeking out heritage cider apples from nearby local orchards. Many batches of cider, and a few awards later, here we are.”
After Luke moved back to Pennsylvania, he and Bucki met through a mutual friend and became friends. Eventually, the two started to work together to create their own hard cider company, complete with a vintage 1977 VW Van (nicknamed Sebastian), the brand’s unofficial mascot.
“We actually started back in 2021, but, like most alcohol companies, there was some lag time in getting licenses and approval,” Luke says. “We officially launched this January, and were able to sell to the public.”
The duo has teamed up with Carnegie Coffee Company to sell their cider on Fridays (11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.) and Saturdays (11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.) through March, with the possibility of extending the partnership throughout the year.
“We’ve been really fortunate in partnering with Carnegie Coffee, because they had the space, and were open to staying open later, and offering a new food menu that pairs with our cider,” says Luke.
Voyager Cider uses apples sourced from Soergel Orchards, and currently has two ciders available. Voyager 1 is the cidery’s signature blend, with notes of apple blossom and citrus, and a nutty lemon finish. Northern Spy, Voyager’s current single varietal, is made from Soergel’s Northern Spy apples, and has a floral and bright citrus finish.
“Our process is different than a lot of other cideries,” Luke says. “Basically, we put the yeast in, and let it do its things. It takes a little longer, but our final product is really dry, around 8% alcohol.”
Since the two opened up shop in January, the demand has been better than they expected. Luke says that they’re in the process of expanding their capacity in order to keep up.
“We’re currently selling faster than we’re replenishing our product, so we’ll be introducing two new product lines really soon,” he says. “We’re going to be releasing Voyager 2, which will be a slightly sweeter blend.”
They’re also planning to release a blueberry cider.
“We have a longer process than other cideries, so we have to plan out months in advance in order to meet out demand,” he says. “It’s a good problem to have.”
Up next? Luke says that they’ll be setting up at a few farmers markets in the area this spring, and eventually have an eye towards opening their own tasting room.
Voyager Cider can be found at Carnegie Coffee Company on Fridays and Saturdays. Follow them on Instagram for the latest updates.
Leave a Reply