Lincoln’s Saro Cider offers gluten-free taproom

Located in downtown Lincoln, Salo Cider invites your taste buds on an adventure.

With homemade ciders and a variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, Salo is a place to explore.

The Cider Taproom, located at 1746 N St., has been serving cold drinks since 2018. Four years later, the owners opened another location in downtown Omaha.

Cider production manager and co-owner Chris Gunshart said Salo’s name comes from the British Sampson Ross airliner that was the first to land on water. He said owners liked the plane’s versatility in the air, land and sea.

“The idea is that cider is versatile,” Gunshart says. “It can involve different parts of your life.”

The cidery itself is travel-inspired, with travel lounge-style seating and lighting and location-inspired ciders.

Just as traveling involves exploration, Ganshart said he wants his customers to be adventurous enough to try new things.

One of the most notable aspects of Salo Cider is its completely gluten-free bar. It all started when founder Matt Wood learned he had celiac disease and decided to step away from the beer industry. Ultimately, Wood decided he wanted to open a place where people like himself didn’t have to question whether their drinks were safe.

“He wanted a place he could completely trust,” Gunshart said. “There’s no gluten in it at all, so you don’t have to disinfect or clean it as much.”

Saro Cider is a full-service bar that serves local beers, a variety of wines, and cocktails in addition to ciders.

“We offer beer as a gluten option, but in cans,” Ganshart said. “The water pipes are completely safe because they don’t allow tap water to pass through them.”

The cidery also offers gluten-free foods such as flatbreads, hummus, cheese boards, and breads and oils.

“It’s good food,” Gunshart said. “As someone who is not gluten-free, I had no idea it was gluten-free bread.”

All ciders served at Saro are homemade. Gunshart said it’s similar to the winemaking process, where some ciders are fermented and then aged in barrels for three to six months. Barrels are typically used for whiskey, chardonnay, or rum, but may also include other barrels such as gin.

Most important to Ganchelt, in addition to being gluten-free, our cider has no added sugar, preservatives, or chemicals.

“Nothing was added that wasn’t natural,” Gunshart said. “There are a variety of sweet ciders in the Midwest, and we focus on ones that are delicious without being sweet, and ones that are flavorful without being loaded with sugar.”

Salo also makes non-alcoholic ciders in four flavors. Ganshart said spiced apple cider is the most popular, but other flavors include desert nectar, botanicals and pine needles.

“We want to be family-oriented,” Gunshart said. “We also have non-alcoholic taps available, whether you’re underage, not consuming alcohol in your diet, or just for other purposes.”

In addition to making their own cider, Gunshart said they also have some Nebraska-specific ciders made from fresh-pressed juice from Arbor Day Farm in Nebraska City.

“I really enjoy working with Arbor Day Farm,” Gunshart said. “Every quarter we try to release something that obviously originates from Nebraska.”

Currently, Salo offers Joy Harvest Cider, a semi-dry apple cider made exclusively in Nebraska. Enjoy until the juice runs out.

“When everything goes well, that’s when you can shine,” Gunshart said. “Sometimes we sell out quickly, but sometimes we can harvest a large quantity and go a little further.”

Surros cider is also available outside of the Lincoln and Omaha taprooms. This semi-sweet cider can be shipped anywhere in the United States and is also sold at local stores and bars.

“We are in most grocery stores and liquor stores in Lincoln and Omaha,” Gunshart said. “We can find as far west as Kearney.”

Local taprooms also have refrigerators stocked with ciders to-go.

Almost every night, customers notice something going on at Salo Cider. The taproom is open Tuesday through Sunday and hosts numerous events each month.

Tastings are held every Tuesday, and guests can purchase ciders at half price. Each flight includes four different flavors.

“Cider is still a growing industry, especially in the Midwest. This flight is very useful for trying different styles right away without having to pour a full pour,” Gunshart said.

A trivia night will be held Wednesday at 7 p.m., with prizes awarded to the top two teams.

On Nerd Nite, the third Thursday of every month, customers can learn something new. Gunshart said each event will feature three speakers who will talk about things they are passionate about, such as music, sports or the future of hair.

“They come, they talk, they’re passionate about a topic,” Gunshart said.

Acoustic music is played most Fridays and Saturdays from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Brunch is served every Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Lincoln Taproom is open Tuesday through Thursday from 4 to 10 p.m., Friday through Saturday from 2 to 10 p.m., and Sunday from 2 to 8 p.m.