One of Germany’s best-known ciders, Bembel-With-Care will bring their authentic, 100% apple cider to the United States for the first time, debuting in Philadelphia on 6/14 and Boston on 6/15, followed by New York City on 6/16. Known in Germany as apfelwein, the popular, gluten-free product is crisp, refreshing and perfect for summertime sipping, available in both the sleek, hand-designed 16-oz. cans that are wildly popular among craft beer drinkers and in kegs. The cider has won European acclaim for offering a not-too-sweet alternative to traditional high-sugar hard ciders, while the Bembel-With-Care® brand has been developing a cult following for their quirky, outside-the-box approach to a usually subdued genre of alcoholic beverages.

Liquid Projects, LLC will add Bembel-With-Care® to their carefully-curated portfolio and import the German cider into the United States for the first time, working independently, with the support of MHW, a nationally-licensed importer and distributor. Liquid Projects’ co-founder Lars Dahlhaus, in tandem with wholesalers Sarene Craft Beer Distributors (New York), Best Beverage (Rhode Island), 31st & Wharton (Philadelphia) and Night Shift (Boston), will serve as a friendly broker and strong voice for Bembel-With-Care®.

“We are proud to introduce this revolutionary hard cider to the United States and expand our family of interesting artisanal European brands,” says Dahlhaus, who successfully launched the ReinheitsBoten, a group of five trend-setting German craft breweries, last December.

Bembel-With-Care® has produced cider in Germany since 2007 when they saw the time-honored beverage was starting to gain traction with wine and beer drinkers alike, quickly filling the gap between redefining a classic beverage and preserving cultural heritage. In an effort to accelerate cider’s long-term renaissance, owner Benedikt Kuhn began adding carbonation to their apfelwein, whereas Germans had traditionally produced flat, dull ciders.

“Everything we do, right down to our logo, is meant to erase preconceived notions,” says Kuhn. “In Germany, the word ‘Bembel’ refers to the jug thatapfelwein is traditionally served in and the “Handle with Care” symbols are commonly found on export packaging. We are excited to share our bold rock-and-roll aesthetic and dedication to quality with a new generation of cider drinkers.”

For their United States launch, Bembel-With-Care® will introduce three interesting and fizzy flavors, including: Apfelewein Pur, a classic all-natural dry apple cider; Apfelwein Kirsch, a tart apple-cherry all-natural cider; and Apfelwein Cola, a sweet caffeinated cider infused with cola. All are made with 100% fruit using traditional recipes and not-from-concentrate juice, rather than additional manufactured sugars.

Paying homage to old world methods, Bembel-With-Care® uses only fresh apples from the famed Odenwald orchards, plucking them ripe off trees in the lush meadows of the Forest of the Odes in Hessen, Bavaria and Baden-Wurttemberg in Germany. These sturdy apples have grown in the controlled climate of the Odenwald for centuries in near seclusion, with the sole purpose of one day rolling down the hills in barrels to be enjoyed as apfelwein in the surrounding towns and cities.

Like the product itself, the packaging offers a clever balance of tradition and innovation: their smartly-branded aluminum cans are 100% recyclable and completely impenetrable by light or oxygen, lending the product to remain remarkably fresh and last considerably longer. (Bembel-With-Care® still insists you drink the contents inside immediately to ensure optimum freshness and provides a “Best Before” date on the bottom of each can). In addition, the 16-oz. cans are instant conversation starters when set down on any table, helping to bring traditional apfelwein to an entirely new audience and rescue German ciders from the brink of extinction.

Read more at source Brew Bound