A disc golf basket hangs from the sign for Cider Hill Farm Taproom and Disc Golf Club, at 785 Main St. in Waldoboro, on Friday, Jan. 16. (Claire Taylor photo)
Somewhere in Waldoboro, the sun pours into the windows of a 1700s farmhouse, dancing over a glass of honey tinted local beer. Out back, behind rows of tables, a lush 26 acres roll out before the horizon, dotted with metal disc golfing baskets.
Fans of niche beer and beautiful scenery in Waldoboro can enjoy these delights at the new taproom and beer garden at Cider Hill Farm, an addition to the popular disc golf course.
Brendan Leppanen, a partner in the Cider Hill LLC, which operates the disc golf course and the taproom, said the business’s goal is to share the picturesque landscape and historic farmhouse with a broader public.
“The property’s been mostly for disc golfers and dog walkers and metal detectors,” Leppanen said. “But now we’re like, really trying to open it up to more folks.”
Leppanen, an avid disc golfer, first discovered the property at 785 Main St. as a patron.
“I … was playing here from some of the early days when they, like, were still putting in homemade baskets and everything,” he said.
The plans for a taproom began to take shape, however, as Leppanen made connections to his Cider Hill LLC partner, Bear Ewing, as well as property owner Jeff Hurd while playing disc golf on the course.
“Forever, you know, everybody that played here was like ‘Oh there should be a clubhouse inside,’” Leppanen said.
But nothing came of the aspirations until the property went on the market and nearly sold before the deal fell through, Leppanen said.
When Hurd told Leppanen that he needed to see some returns on the property to make continuing to pay the mortgage a worthwhile endeavor, Leppanen saw the opportunity to make the clubhouse concept a reality. Thus the Cider Hill LLC was formed.
As they set out to establish what the idea would become in reality, the Cider Hill LLC found its footing through exploring what their offerings would be.
“Unsurprisingly, the conversation was like, ‘Should we make our own beer?’… And I was like, ‘No, we don’t need to make our own beer; Maine has so many great beer makers. Let’s just help people find some of those,’” Leppanen said.
He said that principle became something of an overall approach for the business.
“We don’t need to necessarily, like, create things. What we can create is like a space for people to discover things,” Leppanen said.
For the taproom, that means carrying niche beers that are relatively affordable.
“There’s a lot of like, really small, talented breweries that we’re like, pretty excited to highlight,” Leppanen said.
While the taproom will primarily showcase Maine and New England breweries, it will also carry interesting and hard-to-find brews, Leppanen said.
The taproom will have at least two ciders always in the draft rotation.
Sea Hag Cider Co., of Rockport, even made a flagship cider for the taproom, The Easy Three, which is only available at the Waldoboro taproom, Leppanen said.
Leppanen and Ewing continue to enjoy the process of shaping what the business will be, Leppanen said.
“We’re really happy to just like be patient and trust the process and keep trying to do cool things and trust that people will find it and like it,” said Leppanen.
The enterprise is an additional undertaking for the partners, which has pros and cons, Leppanen said.
“It’s sort of a double-edged sword that it’s none of our full- time jobs, which means we can … afford a slow build, but also it doesn’t get anyone’s complete focus,” he said.
At the moment, next steps in the slow build include planning events and exploring potential partnerships for the new enterprise.
The taproom is currently only using half the building and the business partners would love to share the historic building, Leppanen said. They also hope to bring food into the taproom in the next year and are in the planning stages of events, including a waffle celebration in the summer.
“You’ll have like, your traditional waffles, and then probably some waffles that you’ve never tried,” Leppanen said.
The group is working with Bonnie Foehr Rich, the head chef of Tops’l Farm and wife of Cider Hill LLC operations partner Dylan Rich, to brainstorm interesting new batter options.
Cider Hill LLC is also hoping to bring back the Waldoboro Farmers Market, which previously used the course several years ago and now could enjoy the perks of the taproom, Leppanen said.
“Our beer license is a golf course license, which means that you could get a beer and then go take it with you through the farmers market,” he said.
Though the list of hopes and dreams for the new enterprise are limitless, one thing remains the same as when Leppanen first set foot on the course with its homemade baskets and friendly faces.
“Disc golf is like always going to stay at, you know, the center of it. It’s like the heart of this place,” Leppanen said.
For more information the property, find the Cider Hill Farm Facebook page.
