Ibantik Craft Beverages: On a Mission to Grow Craft Cider in Utah

Utah Beer News

As I mention in each introduction, Utah Beer News is here to share stories from brewers, breweries, and everyday imbibers. Well, this time on the podcast we get to chat with our first Chief Cider Curator.

Matthew Ostrander holds that title at Ibantik Craft Beverages. Ibantik is an organization whose mission is to grow the craft cider scene in Utah.

And it’s doing just that. As a Utah-licensed brokerage, Ibantik works with hard cider producers from coast to coast to get craft cider on liquor store shelves and to make them available for consumers to enjoy in Utah’s bars and restaurants.

Ostrander’s first sip of an alcoholic beverage took place in an English pub in the mid-90s. And, you guessed it, it was a cider. Since then, he’s sampled and enjoyed hundreds of hard ciders from all around the world. You can find his tasting notes for many of them on HardCiderReviews.com.

Recently, he visited with Utah Beer News to talk about cider and cider culture. In this episode, Ostrander shares insight on:

• The history of cider in America
• Why he is so passionate about bringing new craft ciders into Utah
• What ciders you can expect to find on liquor store shelves now and potentially in the future
• And why cider is experiencing a boom much like craft beer has experienced in recent years

Plus, we chat about two places you have an opportunity to learn even more about craft cider:

• He takes to Instagram Live to host Cider Saturdays — an informal chat about and tastings of interesting ciders.
• And coming up is a series of Cider Pairing Meals. The first is set for Sunday, January 31, 2021, at Hopkins Brewing in Sugar House. You can visit Hopkins Brewing on Facebook for additional details and to purchase tickets to the five-course brunch. And keep an eye on Ibantik’s social media for future cider pairing meals.

Thank you to Matthew for taking the time to talk with Utah Beer News. And thank you for listening. If you enjoy this type of storytelling, I’d appreciate it if you could please leave a review on your podcast platform of choice.

And now, let’s jump in to learn more about Ibantik Craft Beverages and its Chief Cider Curator Matthew Ostrander.

For an accompanying article, please visit UtahBeerNews.com.

Enjoy the episode!

Episode 43 | January 25, 2021