Page 38 - 04-June-2024

TRUE NORTH
CIDER 3843 B 44 AVE.
IF A STUDENT EVER LEFT AN APPLE ON TY
de Hoog’s desk when he was a teacher, you might wonder if it got him thinking. These days, he turns about 100,000 pounds of the fruit a year into crisp, creative ciders in his hometown of Camrose.
De Hoog started out homebrewing beer. But when he landed a job teaching in Creston, B.C., he and his wife rented a house on an orchard. When life gives you apples, “well, you gotta give cider a try,” he says. With the arrival of their first child, they headed home to be closer to family, bringing a love of cider with them. True North Cider was the result, opened in January 2021.
De Hoog is still teaching, just not in the classroom. Craft cider is relatively new to Alberta. “It seems like there’s been, slowly, a shift from when we started to now, where people realize what cider actually is,” says de Hoog. “Education is our biggest thing.”
True North is working at “shifting the
narrative” from equating the drink with syrupy-sweet, cooler-like concoctions. The cider is always made from 100 per cent Candian apple juice, dry and easy-drinking.
It also leans toward the unconventional. “In North American cider, there really is no set style,” says de Hoog. “You can go whichever way you want.” His preferred direction includes aromatics, enlisting
the nose alongside the taste buds. While True North serves a traditional cider at
its taproom and summer patio, its core lineup also includes hopped raspberry and blueberry-vanilla versions. Seasonals have combined pomegranate and basil, lemon and lavender, and more, to delicious effect.
Overall, says de Hoog, “we’re trying to promote quality and uniqueness.” After your crash course, take a stroll through Camrose’s eclectic downtown and consider staying over — most hotel chains are represented, with the Canalta posting strong reviews. ED.
CAMROSE MAIN- STREET SHOPPING
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CAMROSE
TY DE HOOG
94 KM
FROM EDMONTON
WHERE TO STAY
CANALTA
38 EDify. JUNE.24