In an unusual building on Lincoln Drive in Hancock, chaos steadily brews. It lies in wait in barrels of oak, aging to perfection in a process of wild fermentation. It is the culmination of the fruits of Keweenawan labor and artistry. It is equal parts science and luck. This is Entropy, the flagship beverage of Gitche Gumee Ciderworks.
“Entropy is one of the only ciders in America that is made with wild apples. Even fewer ciders are made with wild fermentation and even fewer with barrel conditioning. This might be the only cider commercially available that is produced this way. We’re putting Hancock on the map for cider,” said Phil Kelm, owner and operator of Gitche Gumee Ciderworks.
Kelm, who graduated from Michigan Tech in 1987 with a mechanical engineering degree, has helped to develop breweries all over the world. In addition to his Tech education, Kelm also received training from the Micromatic Draft Beer Institute and the Siebel Institute of Technology. Despite his extensive experience, Kelm can’t run his business alone. For all things marketing and design, he relies on Hancock native Tom Adolphs, an Assistant Professor of Graphic Design at Finlandia University.
“There’s a gamble inherent to this process. The market already has a lot of sweet ciders. We wanted to provide something more personal to the area with a different flavor,” said Adolphs. “When we participated in Keweenaw Brewfest, people were so excited to taste their own apples in our cider. Our cider feeds back into our local economy and culture.”
Cider-lovers who prefer a traditional finish may favor Gitche Gumee Ciderwork’s other product, known as Dancing Fatman. According to Kelm, Dancing Fatman has a “more approachable, sweeter” flavor than Entropy, and embodies an essence that more closely resembles mass-produced ciders. A batch of Dancing Fatman can be produced in about a month, whereas Entropy must age for nine months in oak barrels. These oak barrels are responsible for Entropy’s unique, “funky” artisanal flavor.
“Local apples are an amazing resource that we want to capitalize on,” said Kelm. “So many apples in this area are left to fall from their branches. It’s really a shame that they don’t go to good use.”
Gitche Gumee Ciderworks is currently paying 20 cents per pound for high-quality local apples. In total, they intend to process twelve metric tons of apples into cider. So far, they have processed three metric tons. If all goes according to plan, sixteen barrels of Entropy cider will be produced. This is a significant increase from last year’s haul of ten barrels.
The secret to delicious cider, said Phil Kelm, is to trust the apples. “We’ve controlled chaos,” he said, “we let these apples do what they want to of their own volition. The bugs do what they like. I try not to interfere too much.”
To learn more about Gitche Gumee Ciderworks, visit http://gitchegumeebreweryservices.com/.
