40 Under 40 Tastemaker

Head Cider Maker, Angry Orchard 

The apple of his eye

Burk grew up in Williamson, New York, where the town’s motto is “The Core of Apple Country.” In high school, he and his friends would ferment fresh-pressed cider into hooch, a skill that would prove to come in handy. Burk made his name as a cider maker at Virtue Cider. Angry Orchard would recruit him to be its head cider maker, leading research, development and experimentation. Burk is based at Angry Orchard’s cider house in Walden, New York, where he spearheads ambitious projects like their nationally released natural-fermented cider, Walden Hollow.