Harpers Ferry’s White Hall Tavern proprietor, German immigrant Frederick Roeder, brought his brewing and baking expertise with him to America. Both processes were co-dependent on the cultivation and use of hops. Roeder’s 1860 tavern offered patrons a fine assortment of distilled and fermented beverages. Annual cider house pressings were consumed as fresh cider, fermented hard cider by the introduction of yeast, or distilled hard cider a process that concentrated the alcohol content. Both alcohol methods preserved this popular fall beverage to be enjoyed far into the dark and cold winter days that were ahead.
For further information, call Harpers Ferry National Historical Park at (304) 535-6029.