PIF Cider wassails in celebration of its first year | News, Sports, Jobs

Dion and Molly Stepanski opened Presque Isle Farm Cider, affectionately known as PIF Cider, about a year ago, and they are celebrating their festive burst into the downtown Alpena scene with a Wassail Anniversary Party on Saturday. And everyone’s invited.

The fun begins at 1 p.m. and goes until, well, until you’ve had enough cider, or 10 p.m., whichever comes first.

Live music kicks off at 1:30 p.m. with Charles Madison playing until 3:30 p.m., followed by Brian Natzel from 4 to 6 p.m., and Ethereal Purr (formerly Jeff and Sue, Cult of 2) from 7 to 9:30 p.m. The Smoking Trolls food truck will serve food out back during the special event. Drink specials will happen in the taproom throughout the celebration, including $4 half pints and $6 pints all day as well as discounts on bottles. And anyone wearing apple-themed attire will get an additional discount.

The definition of wassail is “to drink plentiful amounts of alcohol and enjoy oneself with others in a noisy, lively way.”

News Photo by Darby Hinkley
Presque Isle Farm Cider co-owner Molly Stepanski pours a glass of hard cider at the taproom on Thursday. Saturday is PIF Cider’s Wassail Celebration, starting at 1 p.m. and featuring live music, drink specials, and a discount for anyone wearing apple-themed attire.

Non-drinkers will find options, as well. It’s an all-inclusive atmosphere.

“It can mean a toast to one’s health,” Molly Stepanski said of wassail. “It can mean you’re going to drink until your heart is content and be merry. It can also mean going through the English countryside checking out where apples grow, and drinking cider there.”

The Stepanskis have lived in Portland, Oregon, New Orleans, Louisiana, and Denver, Colorado, but they found their way back to Dion’s home base after having their son, Sawyer, now 10. Dion is a classically trained jazz musician who played gigs in New Orleans, and Molly is a former Advanced Placement English teacher who has lived abroad, including in Africa for a year. They own Presque Isle Farm, a certified organic market vegetable farm in Posen, where they grow greens, vegetables, and, of course, apples. They have become a vibrant part of the downtown landscape, hosting events and being actively involved in Alpena Downtown Development Authority activities.

“It’s been a pretty fun ride,” Molly Stepanski said. “Somehow, I ended up here. I feel pretty lucky.”

Plans are to continue to get to know their customer base and offer more options for an even wider apple appeal.

“We are definitely expanding our product line,” Molly Stepanski said. “We started off with all dry, essentially. It’s all really akin to traditional English-style cider. So, if you went to London, sat in a pub, ordered a pint, it would taste like a lot of the stuff that you would be served, depending on where you were. It’s got a lot of heritage and tradition.”

They have also partnered with Townline Ciderworks in Williamsburg to offer more varieties.

She explained that the hard cider they offer currently is a dry variety, unlike the sweet ciders you might pick up at the grocery store.

The Stepanskis make a great pair in business and in life. In business, Molly Stepanski takes care of the marketing and sales side and day-to-day operational tasks, including all the “fun” paperwork that must be filled out and filed to keep a business running. Dion Stepanski is the main farmer, and what Molly Stepanski calls a “nose savant.”

“I would say one of the main points that has made us successful thus far is Dion’s … he’s kind of like a nose savant,” she said. “It’s really weird. He has a hyper intense sense of smell … He can smell stuff that a lot of people cannot.”

That trait comes in handy in the hard cider world, as Dion Stepanski can determine which layers are present and/or missing from a cider, and adjust it to perfect the flavor.

“He will go to sleep not being able to figure out, because most everything we do is blending,” Molly Stepanski said. “And he’ll wake up and come to me and be like, ‘I figured it out.’ Correct proportions and all that. And then he’ll go and do it. It’s totally a gift.”

The married couple will continue to offer events open to everyone, including drag shows, as they have hosted several in the past year.

“This place, we take pride in the fact that this is a safe space for anyone,” Molly Stepanski added. “Throughout the summer, I’ve had, at minimum, 10 people specifically come in here and introduce themselves and say, ‘I know about this place, and so many people do, and we’re so grateful that you’ve created this safe space.’ … Be who you are.”

PIF Cider also does a lot of fundraisers for nonprofits that feed the hungry or clothe those in need.

“We’re kind of in that, hopefully, in a phase, where people start, more and more, using their businesses to do good things,” she said. “That’s our main goal.”