A new South Tacoma cider house was a passion project for a Washington National Guardsman, only made possible because his other dreams already came true.
Private 1st Class Brennan Sandstrom had always wanted to be in the military like his brother or law enforcement like his grandfather. After accomplishing those goals, Sandstrom wanted another challenge. He found it in Tin Hat Cider, named after the hat worn by legendary Johnny Appleseed.
“I always wanted to join the military. My brother is in the Army and I have been interested in law enforcement and being in the Guard allowed me to do both,” said Sandstrom. “Now with Tin Hat, it has allowed me to do another.”
Tin Hat Cider gives Sandstrom a chance to test his skills as a cider maker.
“I don’t really like beer, so I turned to ciders,” he said. “After finding a few I liked I started looking into it and thought I can make my own. We decided after a few batches to see if we could and now we have a cidery.”
Sandstrom is a Military Policeman currently attached to the 1st Squadron, 303rd Cavalry Regimen. In addition to being owner/operator of Tin Hat Cider, he’s also a corrections officer in Gig Harbor.
One of the hardest things he said about the business is selecting the right materials and making everything taste right. He has gone through trial and error when it comes to his selection of the right apples and finding good combinations.
“It is our business and we want to put the best product forward, so finding that best match in apples is important in making a good product,” said Sandstrom. “We are excited to keep going forward and growing the business.”
His business also has given South Tacoma a local cider house, something it didn’t have prior.
“The closest place was in downtown, and eventually I would like to have a commercial space outside of the garage,” Sandstrom said. “Opening weekend was Super Bowl weekend and we tripled our expected attendance, all in our garage, which was really impressive.”
Date Taken: | 02.07.2020 |
Date Posted: | 02.08.2020 11:55 |
Story ID: | 362284 |
Location: | TACOMA, WASHINGTON, US |
Web Views: | 355 |
Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Guardsman finds passion in Cider House, by Joseph Siemandel, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.