Cider Corps: A Marine Veteran's Cidery With a Mission in Downtown Mesa
This week's hidden gem is Cider Corps, the veteran-owned craft cidery in downtown Mesa that turned a Marine's road to recovery into Arizona's first fully dedicated cidery and taproom. Brothers Josh and Jason Duren opened it on Veterans Day 2017, and today it is the state's largest craft cidery, pouring 12 to 15 rotating small-batch ciders at a time with a mission that gives back with every glass. It is a story worth raising a pint to, and it sits right in the middle of downtown Mesa's revival.
A Marine's Recovery, Fermented in Mesa
The story starts in Afghanistan. Jason Duren served as a sergeant in the United States Marine Corps and was deployed to the Sangin Valley, where he suffered two traumatic brain injuries from IED blasts in 2012. Back home, cider making began as a therapeutic hobby during his recovery. He went on to earn a degree in Sustainable Horticulture from Arizona State University, and what started as a way to heal grew into a craft.
Jason and his brother Josh opened Cider Corps on Veterans Day 2017, a deliberate date that honors the service where the story began. They sold 2,600 pints on opening day, and the taproom has grown into Arizona's largest craft cidery, still owned and run by the family.
What to Sip at the Taproom
Cider Corps pours 12 to 15 rotating cider styles on tap, made in-house and inspired by craft cocktail thinking: a base cider paired with sweet and sour flavors. There are flights for the curious, cider slushies for warm afternoons, and canned four-packs to take home. The taproom also hosts Myke's Pizza, a wood-fired pizzeria, and Pair Cupworks coffee, so you can make an afternoon of it.
- Rotating small-batch ciders, flights, and cider slushies on tap
- The 22 Jumps cider, red plum and honey, always on tap and donating $1 per glass to brain injury research
- Wood-fired pizza from Myke's Pizza and coffee from Pair Cupworks, right inside the taproom
Why the Eastside Should Rally Behind Them
The mission is built on the motto Honor Great Sacrifice. Cider Corps partners with the 22 Jumps Project and Cohen Veterans Bioscience to raise money for traumatic brain injury research, and the 22 Jumps cider is the heart of it: a red plum and honey cider that is always on tap, with a dollar from every glass going to brain injury research. The name carries the estimated number of veterans who die by suicide each day.
That is the kind of small business worth crossing town for. You get a great cider and a wood-fired pizza in a lively downtown Mesa taproom, and every pour helps a veteran's cause. Downtown Mesa keeps getting better, and Cider Corps is one of the reasons.
Cider Corps started as a Marine sergeant's therapeutic hobby during recovery from two traumatic brain injuries, and it grew into Arizona's first fully dedicated cidery. Every glass of the 22 Jumps cider carries that whole story, and a dollar toward brain injury research.
Grab a flight to taste the rotation, order a wood-fired pizza from Myke's Pizza, and raise a glass of the 22 Jumps cider to the mission. Cider Corps is at 31 S Robson Street, Suite 103 in downtown Mesa, open Monday from 3:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday from 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. You can see the full tap list and the whole story at cidercorpsaz.com.
This week's hidden gem is part of our Small Business Spotlight series, where we introduce the independent shops, cafes, and makers that give the Eastside its character. Know a small business we should feature next? Send Tricia a note.
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