A new venture in Perry County, Pennsylvania, has emerged with the opening of Fallen From Grace Cidery on August 22, 2023. Located at 283 Evergreen Road in Shermans Dale, the cidery is spearheaded by Dustin Sparr, along with his parents, John and Carrie Sparr. This initiative builds upon the family’s established operation, Deep Blue Farms, and represents a blend of traditional fruit farming and innovative craft cider production.
Over the past eight years, the Sparrs have focused on cultivating unique apple varieties that have largely disappeared from commercial markets, often due to their short shelf life or limited appeal. Rather than pursuing conventional products like jams or jellies, Dustin leveraged his extensive home brewing experience to explore the potential of fermentation. “I’ve been brewing for probably a good eight years, experimenting with meads, ciders, even botanical wines,” Dustin explained. “I always wanted to be the niche kind of guy, because that’s why our farm was so successful.”
The cidery’s name, Fallen From Grace, reflects a philosophy of reclaiming fruits that have lost their commercial favor yet maintain exceptional flavor. “It’s not a religious thing,” John clarified. “It’s fallen from grace as in the fruits have fallen from grace. They’ve lost commercial favor, but they still have outstanding flavor.”
Crafting Unique Flavors with Rare Varieties
Among the Sparrs’ orchard are apples developed through USDA breeding programs, heirloom varieties, and rare cultivars like the Otterson apple, which won cider awards but never entered large-scale production. The ciders produced at Fallen From Grace emphasize complex apple profiles. Their flagship blend, aptly named “Flagship,” incorporates 15 different apple varieties, creating a depth of flavor often lacking in mass-market options.
In addition to their flagship cider, the Sparrs have crafted small-batch specialty ciders, including a blueberry variety made with 110 pounds of fruit for just 30 gallons of cider. Another noteworthy creation is a honeyberry cider that showcases lesser-known European and Asian fruits rich in antioxidants and vitamins. “If you’ve got to take vitamins, why not drink them?” Dustin joked.
An innovative product gaining attention is their “pyder,” a blend of cider and perry (pear-based fermentations). Dustin introduced the concept at his wedding, noting that pears contain natural sugars that do not fully ferment, resulting in a subtly sweet beverage. The family also cultivates Asian pears with a butterscotch-like flavor for future blends.
Dustin emphasized the advantages of their small-scale operation, saying, “A lot of what we do is possible only because we’re small. We can wait for the exact ripeness and blend juices in ways that wouldn’t work on a commercial scale.”
Science Meets Tradition in Cider Production
The production process at Fallen From Grace integrates a scientific approach, combining pasteurization techniques for safety and flavor preservation while minimizing chemical additives. Dustin, who holds a master’s degree in marine biology, applies his expertise in chemistry and microbiology to cider making. “It’s part art, part science. You’re working with yeast, bacteria, fermentation profiles. It’s all biology.”
Opening the cidery was not without its challenges. The Sparrs navigated complex state and federal regulations, securing seven separate licenses, including those for manufacturing, retail, and mobile food operations. They have invested in stainless steel tanks with precision temperature controls and adopted European-inspired methods that prioritize flavor and natural haziness over the clarity favored by many large producers. “We modeled more after the European cider model than the American,” Dustin noted. “We want something unique, something our forefathers would have been drinking.”
Community engagement is a core aspect of the Sparrs’ vision for the cidery. Initially, they will operate on Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., offering bottles and to-go cider slushies in flavors such as peach and piña colada. They also plan to participate in local farmers markets, including those in Dillsburg and West Perry. In the future, the Sparrs hope to expand into a taproom and explore barrel-aged projects that would further showcase their craft approach.
John, a retired special operations veteran, described the cidery as a continuation of the family’s spirit of perseverance. “I always tell him, be special, be different, but stay focused on what you’re doing on the special end of it. People want something unique.”
For Dustin, the cidery embodies a commitment to both heritage and craftsmanship. “Beer is agriculture, and so is cider. But we take it one step farther. We’re growing the apples, we’re making the cider, and we’re keeping that love of the land in every bottle.”
For more information and updates, interested individuals can find details on the Fallen From Grace Cidery Facebook page.
