Tandem Ciders — Attraction in Suttons Bay Township

Personally, I've always favored hard ciders over beers since I started drinking. So when we were planning our latest trip to Leelanau County and I was told about this place, I immediately circled it for a visit and I'm very glad I did.

Tandem is unique in that, unlike most American cider breweries I've encountered (which is admittedly a short list, but still), they seem to favor brewing dry ciders rather than sweet ones. Sarah - the staff member manning their window that day - helpfully explained to my wife and I that the owners were inspired to set up Tandem after touring the UK and sampling some of their local ciders, which probably explains why they have so many dries. Don't worry, though, sweet-cider lovers, they've got plenty of sweets to sample as well, such as their Smackintosh!

As of November of 2021, Tandem still has a number of COVID restrictions in place, so whatever the season, be prepared to sample any ciders outdoors (don't worry, though, they have a nice firepit set up near the brewery). Their staff are super friendly and helpful in explaining everything they have to offer, and the ciders themselves were quite pleasant. And if you favor dry ciders, you'll be thrilled by the sheer amount of variety they offer in that regard. Definitely worth checking out if you're in the area, especially for hard cider...

Tandem Ciders is one of our all time favorite places on the Leelanau Peninsula. The vibe is laid back and friendly and on any given day, you can find tourists and locals alike, enjoying some delicious ciders. I especially like that many of their ciders are on the drier-side, but they do have enough variety for every taste. My personal favorites are Green Man and Smackintosh.

One of the traditions we have when visiting Tandem is having a pickled egg. On our first visit, we spied the jar behind the bar and asked about it. Having never had one, we took the bartender's recommendation and tried one. We were surprised at how much we liked it!

The indoor seating is cozy. We usually visit in the fall and love when we can sit outside. In the past, there were some fire pits outside to enjoy, but we didn't see them out this past trip. To be honest, the outdoor space could use a little decluttering and sprucing up, but that is literally the only negative thing I could say about this...

When touring the wineries in the Lellanau area I always stop here and pick up some hard cider. My favorites are Smackintosh and Old Yeller. The tasting costs $2 but they give huge samples. Some of the ciders can be purchased by the glass to consume on site and it seemed that a fair percentage of their patrons do just that. The Smackintosh I bought came in a 6 pack of 16 oz. cans and I purchased a quart jug of Old Yeller. Their bottles and cans have custom labels painted right on the containers not labels so they make a nice souvenirs as well. It did cost $3 for the quart jug (plus $6 to fill it) but it can be refilled on return visits for just the $6. We got there a few minutes before opening time, people were already waiting in the parking lot, and the place got busy real quick soon as the doors opened. In my opinion this is the best place in the area for hard ciders! I'll be stopping here every time I'm in the area to get my quart...