Superstition Meadery Owner Jeff Herbert Talks Blueberry Spaceship Box

We spoke with Superstition Meadery Owner Jeff Herbert about Blueberry Spaceship Box.

BC: Who came up with this cider’s recipe?
I developed BSB by bench trialing several different fruit juices with a fermenting traditional cider, and blueberry ending up working the best. 

BC: What’s your favorite aspect of this cider (flavor, aroma, etc.)?
I love how you are able to taste a pleasantly tart green apple skin that gets rounded out by silky smooth blueberry. It turns out that the contrasting notes of apple and blueberry create a perfect complement and the most full-flavored cider in the universe. And the color is just so cool, like purple champagne. You don’t have to use your imagination at all when enjoying a glass of BSB.

BC: Where does this cider’s name come from?
My first cider was called Principia, which is named after Sir Isaac Newton’s crowning achievement that explained many superstitions of his day. When thinking of an apple in a historical context, I visualize that classic tale of Newton observing a falling apple and deciding to explain gravity. So, at Superstition, we have a celestial reference with all of our cider names.

Blueberry Spaceship Box was the second cider I ever made and the origin of the name has a cool story. When my wife Jen and I first opened our tasting room in Prescott, Arizona, we had to work long days and nights, and our kids were too young to leave at home. So, we turned our office into a place where the kids could play Xbox, watch Netflix and chill on a beanbag chair. One of their favorite items was a big cardboard box that they could both sit in at the time. On it, they drew missile buttons, launch controls and stuff like that because it was their "Spaceship Box."

Our kids weren’t the only people who got a kick out of the Spaceship Box and beanbag chair. One day I picked up burritos for our staff and we were chilling in the office at lunch when we decided to try our new blueberry cider. I looked over at one of our guys who had squeezed himself into the box to be funny, and it hit me… Blueberry Spaceship Box!

When you look at the label you can see that we have a comic strip style design telling a story of these two imaginary space adventurers harvesting blueberries from a blueberry asteroid belt encircling an apple planet, but aliens are in pursuit because they want the blueberries for themselves. We even had a bit of fun using the designer forbidden Comic Sans font for the government warning label. I love this product, and I love the name.

BC: Is this your “desert island cider?”
Absolutely! Although, now that I think about it, we might have to throw some coconut in there… desert island style.

BC: Can you describe this cider in 10 words or less?
Fruit-forward, complex and beautiful… BSB will make you smile.

BC: What's a good food pairing for this cider?
A loaded hamburger, pistachio-encrusted rack of lamb or smoked salmon.

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