CLEVELAND — The Brownhoist Cider Company was started by David Doughten and Ed Vargas, two friends who also had lifelong careers as criminal defense attorneys in Northeast Ohio. But both say they were ready to make a change, and their pivot from law to cider came right on time.
“I had kind of a weird specialty, which was death penalty cases. I was part of the team for the appeal of the first death penalty in Ohio and I got to the point where I had done too many homicides. I didn't want any tragedy and I was looking for a way out,” Doughten said.
He took a course on creating hard cider at Tri-C and was instantly hooked. Doughten also knew his friend Ed Vargas was the founding president of the Cleveland Bourbon Club, and decided to reach out.
“I figured if anybody knows about alcohol, it's Ed. He's Dr. Frankenstein. And I'm Igor,” he said with a laugh.
Now with their 23-acre Farm in Hiram Township and headquarters at the historic Brownhoist Building on 40th and St. Clair, The Brownhoist Cider Company now has presence in local bars and stores around the state.
“We believe that we're the only cidery in Ohio that grows the apples, picks the apples, crushes the apples, chooses the apples, ferments the apple cans, labels the apples, and then sells the cider, we think, from start to finish,” Doughten said.
But if you check the labels on each side or flavor, you'll see that David and Ed haven't left their connections to the world of law too far behind.
“One of the [ciders] that's actually become quite popular, we call ‘Hung Jury.' A hung jury is when people can't agree whether or not they're agreeing on a point. And a lot of people came down like, really don't know if we'd like this. It's kind of strange. So we called it Hung Jury,” Vargas explained.
Other flavors include ‘Adjournment.’
“We have adjournment because you were adjourn for the holidays. So that's our holiday cider,” he added.
And their flagship product is a pun based on David’s nickname.
“My last name is Doughten, and my friends and criminal defense colleagues call me 'reasonable doubt,' so get it? ‘Reasonable Doubtin’,” he said.
With a brand-new taproom location set to open this year and new flavors on the horizon, the Brownhoist Cider Company seems poised for a great future. But this work and the joy that it brings is the biggest win for Ed and David.
“Criminal defense, after a while, it grates on you. It kind of weighs on you. You don't get to meet people at the best circumstances in their life. It's almost always tragic circumstances, and this feels like a chance to create something,” David said.
“You leave the courthouse in the worst awful mood in your life, stressed out and just worrying about everything,” Ed added. “Get out there, put the work clothes on, and with that half an hour, you feel better.”
And as David explains, the benefits go far beyond just starting a second career.
“Standing out there, pruning trees, chopping wood, it's healing.”
Click here to learn how you can purchase Brownhoist Cider and stay up to date on their new taproom and products here.