Cider and mead lovers of Long Beach can rejoice as the long awaited opening of Great Society Cider & Mead is officially beginning their soft open Thursday, August 4 at 4:30 PM. Last night I had the opportunity to attend their private soft opening and if the turnout was any indicator of the future of Great Society Cider & Mead, it is bright indeed.

Great Society Cider & Mead provided 20 taps of ciders and mead as well as numerous bottles that pours could be purchased from. If you are someone that thinks ciders are all apples, pears and pineapple, you really owe it to yourself to check out their wide range of delicious beverages. The first we tried was the Grand Opening Gose prepared for Great Society by 101 Cider House; it really set the tempo for the interesting flavors we would experience. The Gose saltiness with a cider was unexpectedly tasty. The Space Bloody Orange by Ace Cider was my first attempt at a food pairing with a cider; it was great with the salmon cakes we got from the kitchen. The Black Fang and Savage Bois were both delicious examples of the mead available; to be honest, I cannot wait to get back to try even more.

The kitchen at Great Society is turning out some great food at very reasonable prices. We had the Smoked Maple Macaroni and Cheese as well as the above mentioned salmon cakes and filet tips that were outstanding. Judging by what the burgers looked like as they passed by, that is something I want to try next.

The menu is set up for omnivores, vegetarians and vegans. Currently it is limited for the soft open, but once things get rolling you can expect a stellar menu for all.

These photos begin when I first started visiting the location back in February. You may notice that they were initially going to call it Independent Cider House; but after they put the sign up they changed the name to Great Society Cider & Mead to avoid any possible trademark issues should they decide to begin producing their own beverages. The photos culminate with the soft open last night.

Great Society Cider & Mead is located at 601 E. Broadway in Long Beach. During the soft open their hours will be 4:30 PM to 12:00 AM on Thursday and Friday, 11:30 AM to 12:00 AM Saturdays, 11:30 AM to 10:00 PM Sunday, and 4:30 to 11:00 PM on Tuesday and Wednesday. They will expand their hours for lunch on weekdays and brunch on weekends in the near future. Cheers!