John O.
Yelp
You're in for a treat, because I am thrilled to tell you about this place.
So the bar scene is kind of, as you guess, a hit or miss. Some places are fun dives but others can be really divey. Others have a tense and pretentious scene, awhile others just feel worn and tired. Then there's Far From the Tree Cider.
This place is nice, clean, with a mellow atmosphere. Definitely has a bit of a hipster crowd providing their patronage, otherwise a friendly and relaxed group that appear to frequent here.
Being just outside of Downtown Salem, you think this would be a disadvantage. Fear not! There are a couple of advantages to this horror for any place of R and R in Salem! For starters, the taproom is on a street with easier access to parking, so no walking 10-20 minutes to your car, or paying for parking for that matter. Being at the edge of the neighborhood, it's serene and quiet compared to Downtown Salem. The crowd here seems to understand that, and always appear respectful of that.
The taproom itself is of decent size, not very large in space. However, the patio area is used to provide more area for patrons to relax. The business even provides heat lamps for the patio area to keep patrons warm.
There are special events going on during the week to provide entertainment. Speakeasy Donuts will come, which in itself is worth the visit. The different ciders available are unique and delicious, with a sampler rack availble to explore with your palate. What is also niffty is the merch available, but you found a cider you like? Take a 6 pack home with you to enjoy!
My recent visit, opted for Idle Wild, Bog, Dive, and Ectoplasm. The Idle Wild was crisp and sweet. The Bog had undertones of cranberry with hints of herbs in the aftertaste. The Dive was a unique flavor with the smoked nutmeg, the only way I can describe it is a mild fall flavor with the nutmeg but then a more smokey wood finish.
Last one, has to be discussed at length. The Ectoplasm was unlike anything I've had before. Green bell pepper, jalepeño, and kiwi in a cider? Are you insane? Yes they were, but it ties together insanely well. Even though served cold, there was the warming sensation from the jalepeño; yet the heat was not overpowering at all. It was just enough to let it's presence be known; but without coming in banging pot's and pan's screaming "I'm here" by having too much heat in the drink to cause that burning of the tongue from capsaicin. This was a masterful stroke of brewing regarding the ingredients utilized. This is not something I could drink all the time, but it was a wickedly delightful experience. I need to come back, because they have frozen ectoplasm!