Thirsty Times at Elephants Rock Cidery – Denmark

It’s not a winery, but it was one of the places on our ‘Must See Great Southern’ list. I definitely like the odd cider or two but this particular cidery made the list because some friends of ours a few weeks before our trip south had kindly given us some of the cider to try (thanks K & M!). While sipping on the tasty brews in our adult paddling pool in our backyard we couldn’t get enough of the higher than normal alcohol fuelled cider (all the ciders are 6.5% and the scrumpy is 8%).

After our busy and stressful (not, that’s totally a joke!) morning visiting Old Kent River Winery & Valley of Giants Wines & Olives it was about lunch time when we rocked up to the small quirky facility on our way back to Denmark.

There is an outside area equipped with picnic tables and a playground for kids whilst inside there is a bit of everything! I loved the giant-sized cider bottle which I couldn’t help but give a hug to.
We started off with some toffee tasting seeing as the cidery is also home to the Denmark ‘Toffee Factory’. Yep, they also make their own toffees (I can tell you’re all salivating now)! We tried the spearmint and mango toffees which were pretty tasty if I do say so myself.

Once our sweet-tooths were satisfied we moved onto the dips and nibbles section which had so many tasty delights that I wish I were a being with enough arms and hands to shove everything in my gob all at once. They have their special ‘Bit On The Side’ sauces and salsas which were pretty special, particularly the Chocolate Grandmarnier Sauce!

Of course we saved the best for last and moved onto the cider tasting counter next. We got to taste through the entire menu which included the;

• Apple Pear Cider
• Oaked Pear Cider
• Apple Strawberry Cider
• Chilli Apple Cider
• Dry Apple Cider
• Sweet Apple Cider
• Apple Ginger Cider
• Oaked Scrumpy Cider

Our picks of the day were the Apple Ginger, Apple Pear and Chilli Apple. The latter being my absolute favourite, so much so that we just had to have lunch at the cidery so I could get my fix (Mr. Spittoon was kind enough to offer to drive on the day)! The Chilli Apple is infused with jalapenos which is one of my favourite types of chillies so I was in absolute heaven.

The cidery also serves up a range of foods and ice-cream (which looked insanely good but alas I was too full after lunch). Mr Spittoon and I both decided to indulge in the German hotdog with sauerkraut and potato salad. So amazingly good and it went down with my Chilli Apple Cider superbly. It was a nice, casual and cheap lunch.
We walked out the door absolutely full and armed with 4-packs of our favourite ciders as well as a couple of packets of the tasty Chilli Cider Nuts that we couldn’t get enough of during our cider tasting. Yes we were those people who snacked on more of the free stuff than we really should have!

I would absolutely recommend stopping at Elephant Rock Cidery, particularly if you like your cider and especially for the chilli lovers out there. We have had fun back in Perth enjoying the Chilli Apple Cider with extra spicy homemade chicken enchiladas (thank-you to the Kiwi Edmonds Cookbook) and nachos. The perfect match and yet again I am regretting not stocking up on more of this fabulous Great Southern produce!

For more tips on where to drink, eat and stay in Denmark, check out my Great Southern travel guide.

Address: 2927 South Coast Highway, William Bay, Denmark WA
Phone: (08) 9840 9900
Tasting Fee: Free!
Food available: Snacks, decent sized casual meals and ice-cream 🙂
Child friendly: Yes – playground on site.
Website: www.elephantsrockcider.com.au and www.jjstoffee.com