THIS CIDER HOUSE RULES!

Story by Randy Gross and Imogene Gross rgross@harrisburgmgazine.com, imogene@harrisburgmagazine.com

Photos by Imogene Gross

“And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.” -Roald

Dahl

For anyone visiting Grand Illusion Hard Cider in Carlisle, PA for the first time, it doesn’t take long before Dahl’s words ring true. First, and the most obvious to the most random passerby, is the notion of a cider bar – the city’s first and only – serving cold pints of hard cider inside a refurbished three-story brick relic from the 1840’s. Then what hits you immediately thereafter is the behemothic owl face painted, over the stairs, in purple (or what the owners call “expressive plum”); followed by a hint of the whimsical in the strategically placed infinity mirrors on the landing, and the purposely installed “hidden bathroom” on the second floor. There is magic in the air at 26 West High Street, and it’s no secret to anyone who’s been there on a Monday night! But more about that later.

When owners Chad and Andrea Kimmel opened the doors to Grand Illusion in February of 2018, they were definitely seeing the future through “glittering eyes.” But not even they could have imagined just how much “magic” would live inside the walls of their cidery, and just how soon Central Pennsylvania would be discovering that the many secret joys of Grand Illusion are no illusion.

Chad Kimmel’s inspiration in founding the business was to contribute to the revitalization of Downtown Carlisle. He and his family live nearby to the city and wanted to invest in the community. And he wanted this community feature to be distinctive from the start, drawing from turn-of-the-century magic posters, like those used by performers to promote their shows. “The imagery, and the colors, the excitement, the fonts of those early posters inspired the brand,” Kimmel comments. While the business has kept these visions at heart, some of Kimmel’s other intentions for Grand Illusion were a bit different from what it has become. But these are happy accidents. For instance, originally Kimmel hoped to produce his own cider blends in-house. He had to abandon this plan due to the difficulties of hiring dedicated staff to produce the small, craft batches the tasting room would need, or owning and operating an entire production line, which were not appealing to him. He preferred to focus on the building and the creation of an experience, and in 2018, he entered a contract with York County brewery Wyndridge Cider to produce their cider blends.

But that doesn’t mean Grand Illusion doesn’t take its cider seriously. In fact, it’s unique in its devotion to cider. With cider only occupying about 1% of the nation’s alcohol sales, Kimmel turned to it as a differentiation element. His staff, all of whom are Cider Certified (a designation of expertise by the American Cider Association) as a requirement for the job, serve up the recipes Kimmel devises, tests, and has produced by Wyndridge Cider, with passion. Grand Illusion serves eight of its original cider blends and two original wines, but it also stands out due to its diversity of other local brands. They are the only cider bar in Pennsylvania to serve ciders other than their own, and they also feature wines, beers, mead, and nonalcoholic sodas from local producers. All their beverages are on tap to ensure optimal freshness - even, as Kimmel is passionate to highlight, the wines. Storing and serving wine from kegs, rather than bottles, he asserts, preserves a consistent level of freshness, and as such they only partner with wineries who do. And all this attention to detail has paid off: last year, they finished in fifth place in USA Today’s travel award contest for best cidery – out of over 800 cideries in the U.S., and about 60 in PA. Its fans, who helped vote the business into the top ten, are “proud to be part of something that is recognized throughout the nation,” says Kimmel.

With its fans’ desires at heart, Grand Illusion provides a host of exciting and unusual diversions. First, perhaps their biggest mainstay, are their tableside magic performances by their house magician, Kyle Purnell. Every table is given a card to indicate whether they want magic, and Purnell canvasses the whole building, giving short performances to each and every willing group. You can witness the magic yourself on any Monday night, from 6 to 8.

Another popular feature are the escape rooms. When Kimmel bought it originally, he was unsure about the expanse of the historic building (Carlisle’s first pressed brick structure – look for a wall display detailing the place’s history to be unveiled soon), but eventually found it to be a blessing, as the third floor allowed space for two escape rooms. Currently the two themes are The Munsters and 1980s toys (specifically, Teddy Ruxpin).

Monthly, Grand Illusion hosts bingo and trivia, and quarterly they feature Murder Mystery and Drunk History nights. Occasionally they feature painting nights, and every Friday the 13th they deck the place out in “bad luck” symbols: ladders, black cats, and open umbrellas.

Of course, October is huge! Among other things, that month they host performances by Edgar Allen Poe impersonators, which always sell out. “I love the theatre side of it,” muses Kimmel. “A lot of what we do is theater, from our service, and the customer experience, and the atmosphere. You know, we want it to be fun, and friendly, and whimsical - magical.”

During our visit to Grand Illusion, we, of course, couldn’t resist trying the cider. The cidery offers flights of up to six different drinks, which include pretty much everything they sell by the glass, so it’s a great option if you’re not sure what to try. We ordered a rainbow of four Grand Illusion ciders, one non-house, local, cider, and the cidery’s mead selection. Of the Grand Illusion’s originals we tried – Blue Illusion, London Pub Cider, Spellbound, and Pearanormal our favorite was Spellbound, a delicately sweet chocolate cherry cider, which originally was a seasonal limited-run, back by popular demand. A close second for us was the London Pub Cider, a bright, dry cider, simple and classic. The nonhouse cider, Spiced Curveball by Hardball Cider, was also delightful, with a warming, but not overpowering, embrace of mulling spices. Murry’s Mead by Arsenal was a fabulous change of pace. Mead, an alcohol made by fermenting honey, is even more niche than cider, so it was our first time trying one. It could be thought of as honey wine; the floral notes of honey, as well as a dessert-y sweetness definitely come through in this pick.

To complement our sampling of ciders and mead, we ordered another flight (of what we were advised was the most popular food item): a selection of three soft pretzel sticks. Each has different seasonings – one is plain salt, another Cajun seasoning, and another Italian, and they are in turn served with three dipping sauces: honey mustard, beer cheese, and garlic parmesan.

Although Grand Illusion does not house a full-service kitchen, they offer a crowd-pleasing array of appetizers, salads, sandwiches, flatbreads, and desserts. Kimmel recommends the open-faced beef brisket, another popular item.

As for the cidery’s future? Kimmel mainly plans to keep going as he has been – cultivating a fun and offbeat environment that guests keep coming back to. He’s a busy man, after all – in addition to managing the business, he’s a professor of sociology at Shippensburg University, and a father. He is considering renting out licensing for Grand Illusion cider to other businesses – businesses that want to serve alcohol but cannot afford a liquor license, for example, or a person who “wants to open up a concept but needs the added value of alcohol,” as Kimmel explains. But in the meantime, he’ll keep up with the quirky, charming business model, to which Grand Illusion owes its success. And customers can keep coming back for their little bit of magic. It’s certainly worked well so far. 7

Check out Grand Illusion’s menu and schedule of upcoming events at www. grandillusioncider.com