Chicago’s first annual Cider Summit took place at Navy Pier on Saturday from 11 AM to 7 PM, and judging from the effusive greeting we got from a couple strangers when we first walked in around 3, the pours had been pretty generous up to that point. Which is actually sort of surprising unless they’d spent some extra money: the entry fee ($20, $25 at the door but it was sold out by the time we arrived) included 10 tasting tickets, each good for maybe two to three ounces of cider—though additional tickets were available for two dollars apiece. Most people there didn’t seem particularly drunk, though.
As the afternoon went on and more people arrived, lines got longer and pours got shorter. By 5, many of the vendors were out of cider, and people were still arriving. Still, for a fledgling event this one wasn’t bad: there was a little food available, the crowds were manageable, and several dozen ciders were available for tasting. Below are a few favorites.