The Latest Northwest Cider News & Releases for Q1 2023
NW Cider Club
The pacific northwest is one of the most exciting cider scenes in the world and there are a lot of stories that go uncovered. Unless you are following the right accounts 24/7, you can easily miss the latest in news, events, new ciders, and more, so we thought it would make sense to check-in with Oregon and Washington cideries seasonally to report what’s new all in one place, we are called New School Beer + Cider afterall.
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PS we have a page dedicated to New School Cider News.
EVENTS
Registration for the northwest cider symposium closes on March 1st for the event held March 13th and 14th in Tacoma, Washington. If you are in the cider industry, media, or affiliated with a retail account, or aspiring to be part of the cider scene than this is the event for you. The Symposium comprises a trade show, educational workshops, happy hours, and tasting and social gatherings to learn, grow, connect and celebrate the vibrant northwest cider industry
Hood River Hard Pressed Cider Fest
The 8th annual Hood River Hard-Pressed Cider Fest is back to the gorge on April 29th with more than twenty cideries will be participating, with over 40 ciders on tap. The fest gives seasoned and novice cider drinkers alike the chance to sample cider from Oregon and Washington’s very own cider makers. The daylong event also features local craft and food vendors, and a kids’ area with giant yard games. Hood River Cider Fest guarantees a great springtime event for the whole family.
Oregon’s largest cider festival is returning to Portland on June 23rd and 24th, 2023. The big news is that the venue is changing, no longer will it be held at The Fields park in northwest Portland, it’s moving to the indoor/outdoor paved and amenity filled event space The Redd on Salmon in SE Portland. More info is forthcoming.
CIDER RELEASES & NEWS:
The NW Cider Club is a quarterly curated subscription club featuring different themes from cider styles and apple varieties to regions. The current one-time box ships directly to homes or offices and doesn’t require an ongoing subscription is Appley Ever After, an expertly curated, characterful collection that invites you to drink in orchards and makers of the Willamette Valley region.
News: Portland’s adventurous Swift Cider is known for variety and playfulness that are expressed in their latest Cider Maker's Reserve Series of single varietal releases. Their N. Portland taproom is currently on a hiatus and only open the last Friday of January and February. But March is nearly here, and soon the taproom at 100 NE Farragut St, Suite 101 will be back to regular days and hours.
Pineapple Mai-Tai cans are back in stock of this flavor inspired by the famous tiki cocktail. Made with pineapple, blood orange juice, cinnamon and vanilla beans. Notes of citrus, fresh pineapple, and rum-like spicing.
Pip Saison is a Single varietal Montana-grown Newtown Pippin cider apples fermented with a Belgian Saison yeast. Dry, full bodied, and delicious.
Mac Kevik is another Single Varietal with a rare and unique showcase of an incredible American cider apple and an exceptional Norwegian yeast. The McIntosh apple is known for its alluring rose-like aroma and Kveik yeast has taken the brewing world by storm with an incredible tropical fruit flavor profile. The tart acidity of this McIntosh brightens the notes of guava and stone fruit for a juicy, fruity experience made from 100% apple.
News: Sherwood, Oregon has a beautiful new cidery tasting room that is fittingly about 19 miles southwest of Portland. 19 Acres Cider has been around since 2020, but their new taproom just opened last October. Situated in the vicinity of various wineries, 19 Acres taproom is in a modern converted horse barn, updated with reclaimed wood accents serving light snacks like charcuterie and cheese plates.
Yuzu & Plum Cider collaboration Shimai-Toshi Brewing Portland based contract brewery Shimai Toshi, specializes in beers brewed with Japanese citrus. Their new 19 Acres collab is a semi-dry cider with yuzu zest added and a touch of red plum for citrus. Very limited on draft.
Portland Cider Co.
News: Oregon’s second largest cidery opened their third location in Cedar Hills recently, and is currently undergoing a complete remodel of their homebase Clackamas tasting room that is scheduled to reopen in March.
Mango Mimosa Portland Cider Co.’s 2023 winter/spring seasonal is a refreshing tropical sea breeze in a glass (or their 12oz cans). Take a trip to the tropics with this cider that pairs Northwest apples with mangos and bright citrus. A refreshing sea breeze in a can, it’s sure to be your next brunch favorite. Available January - May, 2023.
Locust Hard Cider
Woodinville, Washington based Locust Hard Cider has tasting rooms from Spokane, Washing to Vancouver, and even into Texas and Colorado. Two new limited release or seasonal ciders capture some very unique flavors and are now out in limited rotation.
Cold Brew Coffee Hard Cider Is a balanced semi-sweet 6.1% ABV hard cider featuring Cutters Point Cold Brew Coffee (a blend of Colombian, Ethiopian and Nicaraguan beans) & cider made from WA apples. The collaboration is coffee forward with notes of toasted mallow, baker's chocolate, amaretto, & light spice with hazelnut and vanilla for a super smooth, finish. Available now in 12oz cans.
Cucumber Cider is a draft-only flavor of off-dry cider made with 90 pounds of cucumbers for a refreshing flavor that tastes like a spa day. Find it on tap at all Locust Cider locations.
Fortune & Glory Cider
News: The Astoria, Oregon cidery previously known as Reveille Ciderworks is now Fortune & Glory and has relocated to the former Fernhill glass studio on the upper level of Fort George Brewery’s property. Now they have a stylish tasting room specializing in Belgian-style liege waffles that pair up with their primarily French Farmhouse and English-style pub cider lineup.
Breakfast in America is an old Reveille Ciderworks flavor refreshed and rereleased that harnesses the powers of apple, pear, grapefruit, and orange with a special botanical blend of peach blossoms, dried orange peel, rose hips, hibiscus and blackberry leaves. Available now on draft of in 16oz cans to-go.
Reverend Nat’s
News: Portland’s popular experimental cidery Reverend Nat’s hasn’t had a tasting room ever since they relocated from the Hollywood neighborhood to the industrial N. Portland area. But good news cider fans, because Nat’s is now hosting a pop-up tasting room in their production space every Saturday from 11 am to 9 pm at 1211 N Loring St.
The Queen’s Red is a mixture of Eastern-Washington red wine, fresh apple juice, hard apple cider, and essences of spice and citrus. One of those spice essences is Kola nut*, the flavor of which is the base for what we know today as cola! If you’re familiar with Calimocho/Kalimotxo, then you’ll be more than able to detect the inspiration. The addition of red wine creates a stunning burgundy color and brings a unique richness to the table. The Queen’s Red sits at 6.1% and tastes like a refreshing take on sangria, making it the ultimate brunch beverage. Available now on draft or in 12oz cans.
News: The Seattle based cider masters had to close their Portland cider house temporarily last year when a burst pipe caused major damage, but the space is now fixed up and back in business.
Emerald City Blackberry Pear is Schilling’s current seasonal made with a bounty of juicy blackberries and exquisite pears. It’s a winter cider made as an ode to ripe summer fruit but with bold lush and jammy flavors with a rich body, bright acidity, and a smooth finish. Expect a sweet, dark, and tangy cider. Available now on draft and in multiple can sizes.
News: One of Oregon’s most award-winning cideries has announced a brand new Forbidden Fruit series of co-ferments, meaning hybridized ciders that are fermented with fruits like wine grapes instead of 100% apples with juices or flavorings added post-ferment like most ciders are made. Each label features new illustrations by local artist Meridith Burchiel.
Bauman’s Forbidden Fruit Series current releases:
Pinot Noir (The Red) is a co-ferment of traditional cider apples with Pinot Noir grape skins from Kristoff Farms. It is a captivating, perfectly balanced, crisp and juicy expression of the Willamette Valley’s favorite grape
Muscat (The White) is a co-ferment of muscat grape skins from Paradis Vineyards with Brown Snout, Pitmaston Pineapple, and Kingston Black apples. It feels like the last few days of summer, surrounded by warm sun and wild flowers.
Yonder Cider
Velvet Cashmere Yonder’s limited-edition collaboration cider with Fast Penny Spirits is now in distribution for the first time. This one-of-a-kind cider features Yonder’s Negroni-inspired winter seasonal – Cashmere – blended with Fast Penny’s Amaricano amaro for a beverage unlike any other. Available in 16-ounce cans, cider and amaro fans can enjoy this beautiful creation via NW Beverage in the greater Seattle, WA area.
Stoked is Yonder’s winter seasonal flavor designed for snow-time outdoor activities. Their first limited edition release, this cider-apple-only blend is 70% Stoke Red apples and 30% Red Flesh apples, all from Wenatchee. Available now for a limited time through March. 6.9% ABV
12 Bridge Ciderworks
Oregon City, OR cidery has one of the most popular cider taprooms around, making it a great place to try new limited release flavors and their entire lineup.
Morrison Double-Hop is a returning favorite available on-draft at the 12 Bridge Ciderworks taproom only. This semi-dry cider is made from an English ale yeast and dry-hopped with a blend of locally grow Willamette and Mosaic hops.
Double Mountain Cidery
News: Did you know Hood River, Oregon’s Double Mountain Brewery also produces their own award-winning ciders? They grow their own apples, cherries, and pears, and use fruit sourced from their orchard and other orchard friends around the Hood River Valley. Starting out 2023 they are refreshing their lineup and branding with design inspired by traditional matchbook art from the 1940s & 1950s. The new labels use processing techniques to give them an aged printed look. Some things you might notice are that the black appears to be printed offset, to replicate an old print plate being misaligned, as well as visible halftone dot patterns throughout the artwork, and an added worn paper effect.The focal point of each label is a black tree, which is a nod to Double Mountain’s low-intervention approach to cider making with no added sugars or flavoring to any of their ciders
Double Mountain’s 2023 seasonal cider line packaged in refillable 500ml bottles:
Estate Heirloom Hard Cider
6.9% ABV | .09% Residual Sugar
Delicate aromas of spring apple blossoms accompanied by complex citrus notes and an earthy finish. Our Estate cider is crafted with old world cider apples grown at our Double Mountain home- Swihart Orchards in Hood River.Perry Pear Cider
6.2% ABV | 2.1% Residual Sugar
Light aromas of honey, pear drops, and green apple that end in a delicately sweet, gracefully tart and crisp cider. This 100% pear hard cider is a blend composed wholly of Hood River Valley’s favorite pear varieties.Rosé Red Flesh Cider
5.9% ABV | .03% Residual Sugar
Perceived sweetness rounds out the mouthfeel of this lightly tart cider, with delicate aromas of grapefruit and strawberry. Red-fleshed Mountain Rose and Pink Pearl apples from Hood River Valley that create an alluring pink hue.Kingston Hard Cider
6.9% ABV | .09% Residual Sugar
Native to the United Kingdom, the Kingston Black apple has a deep purple red skin and an amazing balance of tannins, acid and sugar. Grown in the Hood River Valley, this cider is tart and dry, with just a touch of ‘UK funk’.Harrison Hard Cider
8% ABV | .09% Residual Sugar
Aromas of dry orange blossom and sprightly honeydew. The Harrison apple, grown specifically for cider, was once thought lost. We are proud to bring this delightful apple back to the spotlight here in The Hood River Valley.Maybelline Hard Cider
6.9% ABV | 1.8% Residual Sugar
Notes of peach cobbler that quickly transitions into a citrus aromatic delight, ending in an easy, off-dry finish. Every sip of this fun and complex Hood River Valley apple and pear blend is just a bit different than the last.
2 Towns Ciderhouse
Oregon’s largest cidery has announced their best-selling single-serve Imperial cider The Bad Apple (10.5%), is now available in 4-packs of 12 oz. cans in 15 U.S. states. The cider first launched in 2010 was originally in 500ml. bottles, but the demand for imperial ciders is skyrocketing and 2 Towns plans to capitalize.