Winter and Fall Seasonal Ciders to Spice Up the Holidays
Falling into the cozy embrace of soothing winter ciders with seasonal flavors and spices is one of the greatest pleasures of the holidays. Mid-winter is when the centuries-old tradition of Wassail typically takes place, when pre-Christian times farmers would sing, dance, and drink to the health of apple trees with hopes of warding off evil spirits for a good harvest in the spring. Even if you are not normally a big hard cider drinker, there is something comforting about the complementary crisp tartness and rich depth of apples with the added layers of warming seasoning.
McMenamin’s Crangerine Dream Cider
A bright strawberry, garnet color gives hint to the tartness of the cranberry, which is at the forefront of this new winter release. The tartness is supported by underlying citrus flavors coming from orange and tangerine juices. Try pairing it with holiday meals, especially turkey and dressing!
Made with a blend of juice from Red Delicious, Honeycrisp, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Fuji, Opal, Gala, Jonagold, Newtown Pippins, and Cripps Pink apples, and extra flavored with orange, cranberry, and tangerine. The 6.70% Crangerine Dream will be sold in 16oz cans at all McMenamins locations.
McMenamin’s Pomegranate Cider – Release Date 12/7/24
Crafted with those unexpectedly gorgeous winter sunny days and the warming weather in mind. The tartness of the pomegranate is balanced with the crispness and sweetness of the apple, making for a refreshing quaff rain or shine. The 6.1% abv Pomegranate Cider will be released on December 7th, 2024 in cans.
Yonder Cider Wassail
Washington’s creative and often cocktail-influenced Yonder Cider is back with a cult-favorite Wassail cider flavor making it’s debut in 16oz cans.
The term ‘wassail’ comes from an English custom that means to ‘drink to one’s health.’ It also celebrates cider apple trees, with the hope of scaring away evil spirits to ensure a bountiful harvest for the upcoming year. Yonder’s Wassail cider embodies that tradition with a blend of juicy culinary apples and the flavorful Frequin Rouge. It is then steeped in flavorings of the season like orange and lemon peel, cinnamon sticks, star anise, cardamom, freshly ground nutmeg, cloves, and ginger root and just a touch of maple syrup for a warm, rich experience.
Historically wassails were served warm and mulled with spices, Yonder’s interpretation can be enjoyed warm or cold with spice, flavor, and tradition. Available starting November 8th on tap, in 4pks of 16oz cans in distribution, and shipping online.
Avid Cider’s Apple Pie Cider
AVID Cider Co., Bend, Oregon’s first cidery (previously known as Atlas Cider) is serving up their own cozy winter warmer Apple Pie Cider (6.2% ABV) through the fall and winter seasons. Apple Pie Cider is now available in 6-packs of 12 oz. cans across the Pacific Northwest for a limited time throughout the fall and winter season.
Apple Pie Cider is crafted from apples grown at the base of Mt. Hood, combined with warm hints of vanilla, spice and everything nice. This is a crisp, naturally sweet and delicately spiced cider perfect for bonfires, and holiday friendsgivings.
“Apple Pie Cider evokes a sense of nostalgia,” says Sam Roberts, founder of AVID Cider Co. “With natural apple sweetness and fresh-baked flavors of vanilla and spice, it tastes like coming home.”
Available for a limited time only in 6-packs of 12 oz. cans, use their cider finder at avidcider.com/cider-finder.
Clackamas, Oregon-based Portland Cider Company has two winter seasonal ciders to delight this year, one in 12oz cans and the other 16-oz packaging.
Cranberry Mule
Returning for a second year, offering ripe cranberry flavors over subtle apple notes with bright, juicy lime and a hint of fresh ginger. It pours a gorgeous ruby hue, adding a vibrant sparkle of color to any festive occasion. Delicious as a cocktail stand-in, or alongside your favorite wintertime foods. Available in 12-ounce 6-packs.
Santa’s Sauce
A taproom favorite for almost a decade, is returning this winter in limited 16-ounce cans. This festively spiced cider is made with Northwest apples, and infused with cinnamon, cardamom, and a touch of cayenne pepper. It’s spicy and warm, pairs well with prime rib or baked ham, and is perfectly suited to holiday desserts like gingerbread and eggnog cheesecake.
“Cider has the unique ability to be fun, festive and elegant all at the same time,” said Lynda Parrish, co-founder of Portland Cider Co. “A pint of Cranberry Mule is perfectly at home alongside a Thanksgiving dinner, and there’s nothing like Santa’s Sauce to wash down your apple pie ala mode.”
Santa’s Sauce and Cranberry Mule are available at select retailers and Portland Cider’s taproom.
2 Towns Cider’s Spiced Cosmic Crisp
The latest seasonal release in 2 Towns Ciderhouse’s popular Cosmic Explorer Imperial series is a winterized holiday version of their popular cosmic crisp that features a blend of warm winter spices blazes like cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, with a sweet bright hint of orange peel in a substantially body warming 9% abv. Find it in 12oz cans and 6-packs wherever 2 Towns Cider is sold.
This year there is another even more limited winter seasonal from 2 Towns called Polar Party in 16oz cans. Designed to evoke a winter wonderland swirling with a lively blend of elderflower, PNW blueberries, and fresh-pressed apples. 6.9% ABV, this one you may have to seek out at the cidery or in specialty bottle shops!
Finnriver’s Cranberry Rosehip
Chimacum, Washington-based Finnriver Cider’s festive holiday cider is available now in 500ml / 16.9oz bottles and designed to enjoy with Thanksgiving turkey, roasted vegetables or winter duck. Featuring a farm grown blend of select certified Organic Washington dessert apples, featuring seasonal varieties such as Granny Smith, Pink Lady, Braeburn & Gala. Fermented dry, and then blended with juice pressed from transitional and organic cranberries from the Washington coast’s Starvation Alley Farm. Later, an infusion of wild rosehips gathered from woods and hedges around the Peninsula are added, and finally the final product is sweetened with unrefined organic cane sugar for added depth and balance.
Lightly carbonated. Made without gluten ingredients. Cranberry Rosehip has the flavors of bright apple fruit with tart cranberry infusion, a rosy blush and an herbal, bittersweet finish from the rosehips. Add cranberry juice and Vodka for a crimson cocktail to toast the season!
6.5% abv available in 500 ml. (16.9 oz.) bottles.
Schilling Hard Cider Berrymassive
Schilling Hard Cider recently introduced a new limited release in their Excelsior line of Imperial Ciders. Berrymassive is a new, complex mixed berry cider to warm your soul with a semi-sweet 8.4% abv and a spicing of Bergamot tea. Berrymassive cider blends blueberries, blackberries, and fresh-pressed apples with a hint of bergamot.