Ciderhuset – Balholm

Apple harvest with a view of the Sognefjord. Every autumn, students from the upper secondary school in Balestrand come as good helpers in the fruit harvest.
Apple harvest with a view of the Sognefjord. Every autumn, students from the upper secondary school in Balestrand come as good helpers in the fruit harvest. Photographer: The Cider House
Sprudlande Margaret - Balholm's tribute to the English mountain pioneer Margaret Sophie Green Kvikne who left her mark in Balestrand and even had an English church built in her honor.
Sprudlande Margaret - Balholm's tribute to the English mountain pioneer Margaret Sophie Green Kvikne who left her mark in Balestrand and even had an English church built in her honor. Photographer: Tinangent
This is how apples were pressed in the past in Balestrand... now we have slightly more efficient machines.
This is how apples were pressed in the past in Balestrand... now we have slightly more efficient machines.
Sogn is part of the northernmost fruit growing area in the world.
Sogn is part of the northernmost fruit growing area in the world. Photographer: Balholm

Activities and experiences
Farm shops
Food and beverage manufacturers
Meetings, courses and parties
Accommodation
Serving

Contact:

Gard Eitungjerde Høyvik

Address:

SJØTUNSVEGEN 32, 6899 BALESTRAND

Phone:

+47 95 90 21 90

Website:

ciderhuset.no/

E-mail:

post@ciderhuset.no

Find us
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Ciderhuset / Balholm is located in the middle of the fruit region of Sogn - in Balestrand, which has welcomed artists and guests for over 150 years, well known for Kviknes Hotel, rapper Kjartan Lauritzen and EPLE! And for us, it's apples and cider that matter. Sogn actually has the first documented apple orchard in Norway. Gard and Tuba run Ciderhuset with seniors Eli-Grete and Åge as good helpers.

What can we offer when you come to visit?

Throughout the summer season we have two cider tastings daily (except Sundays) – in the morning with a lunch board where each dish goes well with the ciders and in the afternoon with cider/fruit wines and snacks.

We also serve lunch a la carte – of course with juice or cider. You can choose between about 30 different flavors of fruit drinks with or without alcohol – juice or lemonade, cider, fruit wine, apple liqueur or fruit dram produced by us – so there is a pretty good chance that you will find something you like!

"Cider Makers dinner" is a dinner experience where food, cider and communication are closely linked and we have no complaints about the view over the Sognefjord. We are Norway's only cider restaurant - that is, we only serve drinks that we or our cider colleagues have made. The food we serve is inspired by the Mediterranean as the hostess and chef, Tuba, comes from Turkey.

In the farm shop we have all the Balholm drinks and also Balholm chocolate made in house. And of course the chocolate tastes of fruit and berries.

We have been holding on for a long time…

Balholm started pressing apples and making juice from 100% fruit in 1996, and we were the first to offer unfiltered juice in the grocery store, to mix berries in the must and to add carbonation and make sparkling drinks from pressed fruit. We pride ourselves on having a versatile selection of ciders to suit every type of food – even game stew.

At Ciderhuset you can delve into the history of the apple. You can learn about different groups of apples – table apples, table apples and cider apples, and about how different styles of cider are made. What happens when we add yeast to the must and ferment for a short or longer time? What is the point of making cider in the traditional French method? And what is the difference between cider and fruit wine? In the distillery, apple or perhaps plum dram comes from … Welcome!