Alexandria celebrated Virginia Cider Week with a special Cider Festival Nov. 18 at historic Lloyd House in Old Town.

Hosted by the Office of Historic Alexandria in partnership with the Virginia Association of Cider Makers, the festival featured cider tastings, live entertainment and information on the history of cider in the City of Alexandria.

“This is my first time at the festival,” said John Bateman, who attended with friends. “It has really been a good time.”

Jay Paulette sampled the Potter’s Craft Cider from a Charlottesville brewery.

“This is pretty good,” Paulette said. “It’s dry and kind of the way I like to drink cider.”

Featured at the festival were Virginia cideries as well as some cider from France through the city’s Sister City in Caen.

Cider was a popular beverage in 18th and early 19th century Alexandria and offered at area taverns. Thomas Jefferson cultivated 18 varieties of apples in his orchard at Monticello and today there are over 30 different apple varieties grown specifically for cider production throughout Virginia.

Cider is fermented like wine, not brewed like beer. One of the most common misconceptions is that hard cider is made in a single style rather than the many different styles that are produced. Virginia Cider Week was established by the Virginia General Assembly in 2012 to recognize this growing segment of Virginia’s economy.

Proceeds from the event benefit the Office of Historic Alexandria.