Enjoy a Day Trip to Ironbound Farm, a Hard Cidery on a 108 Acre Farm in Asbury, NJ
I love New Jersey and I love hard cider, so when the two things come together it’s a beautiful thing. Ironbound Farm, home of Ironbound Hard Cider and New Ark Farms, is a great place to grab a drink, eat farm to table, and enjoy the outdoors. Not only does the company produce fantastic cider, but they are doing some amazing things for the Garden State and the community.
Ironbound Farm started with their first product, Ironbound Cider, which came on the market in June 2016. The inaugural cider celebrates New Jersey’s long history which cider making, especially in Newark (hence the name, Ironbound) where cider was the city’s first industry.
View this post on Instagram
Their cider is produced in a house that was built in 1810 and has a beautiful rustic barn estimated to be built in the late 1700s. The buildings were restored to their original beauty to hold as their tasting room.
During your visit (and I recommend making reservations in advance) you’ll enjoy a menu of their classic Ironbound Cider, specialty ciders (black tea and lemon, Highland’s Harvest, seasonal options), hard seltzers, fortified cider (their take on white and red vermouth), cider inspired cocktails, and wine. Those 21 and under can enjoy their “Kinder Cider”, a filtered fresh apple cider.
I was a big fan of their Lemon Ginger and Green Tea Elderflower Seltzers. Unlike some other hard seltzer, their hard seltzer is made from ingredients from their farm with no added preservatives and no sugar substitutes.
I also recommend dining during your visit. Their menu changes frequently since everything is farm to table, but I really enjoyed their “Daily Harvest Wings” and a flat-bread pizza.
In addition to the food you can order in their cider garden or in their taproom, you can also pick up fresh produce from their Farm Market. Their 108-acre transitional organic farm uses “regenerative farming practices to manage their vegetable crops, infusion plantings, and their extensive orchard of heritage cider apples, which includes the East Coast’s largest planting of Newark’s own Harrison apple — early America’s most renowned cider apple.”
They also have a Farm Share program.
View this post on Instagram
What I loved most about Ironbound Farms (other than the cocktails, food, and ambiance) was what they’re doing for job creation. Their sister company, New Ark Farms, is an agricultural company that is creating jobs for Newark’s chronically underemployed. Their workers are trained to maintain their orchards using regenerative agricultural practice. Their new skills help them “navigate the economic, social, and physical stressors that they regularly face, both on and off the job.”
Ironbound Hard Cider is not just another alcohol or cider company, they are Jersey Strong with an emphasis on “Jersey”, creating jobs for New Jerseyans and bringing agriculture to the Garden State.
For more information check out their Website, Facebook, and Instagram.
*Editors Note – although this article is being published in April 2021, the photos come from a visit to the farm in November 2020.
