The Ice Cave Cider House

So, it’s pretty easy to find a local microbrewery in Colorado, to include the Pikes Peak region of Southern Colorado (Colorado Springs area), but there aren’t many cider houses right now in the south. My wife and I wanted something different and thought about looking for local cider. Ice Cave came up on Unilocal!,so we decided to make the drive from Colorado Springs up to Monument to give it a try and glad we did. Julie and David, the owners, were very nice and I appreciated that they try to know their patrons by name. We ordered a flight to sample all their flavors, plus sampled the «Palmer Divide» and the «wild card». The «Palmer Divide» was our favorite (we had the classic [drier] hard cider sweetened a bit with their non-​alcoholic cider). The «wild card» mixed flavors/​styles to come up with something different (a hop-​style cider with a raspberry during this time around). We were lucky enough to visit when Mile High Phillies was serving up some good food and struck up good conversation with the other folks having a pint. We’re glad to support local businesses and hope the Ice Cave «clan» all the best. We plan to return, next time with friends.

Ice Cave has great promise! I love what they’ve got going on right now and am looking forward to watching them grow out of the space they are in because their product is wonderful. It’s rare that you can walk in to an «ery» and be greeted with a smile and by people who remember your name. It’s just as uncommon to be allowed the time you may need to select just the right beverage without feeling pressured. Julie and Dave Troudt are happy to describe each cider, provide taste tests, and talk about how it was made. Their cider is so good they will need additional brew space soon to keep up with the demand. Their soft opening was in September 2015 and while the atmosphere may not be what some think it should be and appreciate (review noted below), it does promote a certain comradery and drinking spirit among its patrons because of its intimate size and the friendliness of the owners. Ice Cave more than makes up for any perceived deficiencies by offering some fun perks: 15% military discount, gift certificates, take-​home and refillable cider growlers. I was most intrigued by Ice Cave’s «Cider Me» promotion. This is a deal where a name is drawn out of a bowl once a month and customers buy that person one cider in exchange for placing THEIR name in the bowl — those ciders for the lucky name drawn add up fast and are good for an unlimited time. The person of the month this past weekend’s tally was at 20 ciders at last count! HIGHLY RECOMMEND: Black Forest Blackcurrant cider. Suggestions: Incorporate more food items as you grow — perhaps a nice soup in the fall/​winter, a smoked fish/​cheese plate, a pizza margherita, and/​or a pork appetizer (suggestions made with the understanding that pairing food with cider can be tricky). Finally, I’d like to acknowledge the Troudt’s generosity. Despite being a brand spanking new business — likely working hard to break even and make a profit so they can grow and flourish, they put out a brand new flavor at the end of January (the Blackcurrant — which lasted about 3 days) and gave $ 1.00 for every glass sold to a single mom battling advanced cancer to help cover medical bills. I knew they were doing this at the time I walked in last weekend but, to their credit, they did not push this charitable effort on any of their customers. They just quietly made it happen. Julie and Dave Troudt and Ice Cave ROCK! Please support their business so they can continue to succeed.

The Ice Cave Hard Cider is FANTASTIC!
Awesome service. Incredibly friendly, they explained the cider process and the different types of cider they offer.
I am generally not a cider fan because cider is generally too sweet. However this cider is delightfully tart. But, if you have a sweet tooth, they have an extra non-​alcoholic splash of their pressed cider to sweeten it up.
Great local monument spot, with board games and delicious cider!
Tim, you really ought to try it again!

I will admit I’m grading cider houses on a curve, and THIS IS THE ONLY ONE haha. The owners are friendly and fun, the ambiance is on its way (it’s a young business, they’re improving all the time), and the clientele are all locals whom I bump into a Safeway and the bookstore :-)
They have non-​alcoholic cider for the kids, a nice list of food items (which I admit I have yet to try), but it’s the ciders that make this place shine. The Belgian is my absolute favorite, but all of them have character and body that set them apart and are eminently worth sampling. Highly recommended to everyone!

I was completely unaware of Ice Cave Cider until we saw it listed on Monument’s «ery Tour» map. It is tucked away off of Washington St. and 2^nd.
The tasting room was rather boring and sterile feeling.
The cider was nothing to write home about, but then again I’m not a big cider fan. The pint of Original Cider I ordered had a really off-​putting sulfur smell; so much so that I couldn’t even finish it.
So why the 2 stars, aside from the lackluster cider? The owner was not very welcoming. Crazy because that citywide tour probably brought in the most foot traffic he’ll ever see. And «two free samples» IF you buy a pint. Well, what if you don’t love the samples?
Just seems like a missed opportunity to really wow people and create a fanbase.
Best of luck to them!

While visiting Colorado my sister took me to a new place in town. Let me preface this by saying, I am not a big cider drinker although my hometown of Portland, OR does have some great cider houses.
I was pretty darn impressed with the cider I tasted at The Ice Cave Cider House. My sister enjoyed a Raspberry Apple Cider and I chose the Classic Cider. Both were crisp and fresh tasting!
The owners shared that they started making their own cider a while back because they kept running into ciders that were too sweet. They have growlers available too and I was tempted to sneak one on the plane with me, that’s how good the cider is. I’m glad I don’t live closer because I might become the Mayor of Cider.
(The only reason I did not give them 5 stars is because the décor was a bit sparse for my taste. I have a feeling that they will need a larger place soon and then they can spiff it up to my standards — LOL.)