Pressing Fall/Winter Cider News, Events & Seasonals
Tis’ the season for cranberry ciders and holiday spice.
Lately the cider news has been crushingly fresh from the annual harvest. The New School regularly publishes cider news, but it can get lost in the onslaught of beer related news that makes up most of the content. In an effort to keep up to date, we are attempting to start making regular check-ins with a digest of the latest out of the Pacific Northwest.
The following is split up into three sections: Cider News, Events, and Cider Releases.
NEWS BITES:
Portland’s new Alchemy Cider debuts food truck and covered patio
Alchemy Cider is the mystical new Portland cidery with a flair for the dramatic. Their ciders brood with semi-dry apple forward quench ability while others go into botanical tonics of fruits and herbs, with oak-aged and heirloom apple flavors on the way. Alchemy opened in August but only recently completed a covered outdoor patio for the winter, and announced Breaking Buns Asian food truck will be a permanent new food addition.
Cider Bite has closed
Portland’s oldest cider bar called it quits. Full story here.
Schilling Cider sues Incline Cider
Tacoma, Washington’s Incline Cider has been partnered with Schilling Cider since 2015 to make and package their ciders. Incline reportedly entered into a new partnership to make their ciders in Oregon, and Schilling Cider sued alleging that the recipes are their own proprietary property. A judge issued a Preliminary Injunction against Incline earlier this year, but the lawsuit is still playing itself out. We hope to have much more to say about this soon…
Oregon Consumes the Most Cider Per Capita in America
According to the Northwest Cider association and the Oregon Beverage Alliance it is true!
CiderCon 2026 registration now open
The largest industry cider event in the country will be held in Providence, Rhode Island next year. Details here.
Apple Outlaw Cidery taproom now open
Not so fresh news but important cider news anyway, Apple Outlaw Cidery opened a great taproom and restaurant with a full patio this summer in Jacksonville, Oregon. The taproom serves pizza, wings, salads and dessert every day and brunch on weekends, plus pours from 24 draft lines. It’s a destination worthy-spot in the Applegate Valley and is open now winter hours with a fire pit and their seasonal Coastal Cranberry cider with a kiss of rose hips on tap and in bottles. Visit them at 15090 OR-238, Jacksonville, Oregon 97530.
American Cider Association Partners with Brock University’s CCOVI to Bring Certified Cider Guide™ Training to Canada
The American Cider Association (ACA) has partnered with the Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI) at Brock University to deliver its internationally recognized cider education program in Canada. CCOVI will host one-day workshops designed to prepare participants for the ACA’s Level 1 certification: Certified Cider Guide™ (CCG).
The Certified Cider Professional™ Program, developed by the ACA, is the leading education and certification program for the cider industry worldwide. This new collaboration marks the program’s official entry into Canada, creating expanded access for professionals and enthusiasts while also recognizing and celebrating the unique perspective of Canadian cider.
The workshops will cover cider history, production methods, styles, sensory evaluation, and food-pairing principles. Registration includes access to the Level 1 Certified Cider Guide™ exam, and ACA members are eligible to receive a special discount code.
CIDER EVENTS:
11/21 - 11/23
Fall Cider Fest
Pine Street Taproom inside downtown Portland’s food hall Pine Street Market, is hosting a little fall cider festival from November 21-23rd from 12-9pm with over 40 different ciders. $30 for 12 tasting tickets.
11/23 4-10pm
Black Sunday Gifts and Riffs at Alchemy Cider
Altar PDX and Alchemy Cider invite you to an afternoon celebrating Portland's amazing artists! An incredible craft fair marketplace with more than two dozen vendors alongside live music at Alchemy Cider. All-ages 4pm-10pm $10 sliding scale donation in support of bands Gaytheist, Hiss, Semuta, Chaotic Neutral with DJ Fatts
More details and a complete vendor list on the Facebook event page here.
Taste Like a Pro: Cider Sensory Training Workshops
Non-member Cost: $45 USD. Click on an event link for more details and to RSVP.
November 29, 2025 | Seattle, WA | Hosted by: Yonder Cider
12/6-12/7/25
Sauna Social & Oyster Bar Pop-Up at Yonder Cider Seattle
Yonder Cider’s Seattle taproom presents a cozy wellness weekend from 12–8 PM. PNW Mobile Spa are bringing their wood-fired sauna, cold plunges, lockers, robes, and towels - everything you need to relax and warm up. Cold plunge challenge: Stay in 60+ seconds and your cider is on PNW Mobile Spa.
Plus, The Little Pearl Oyster Bar by Salish Sea Greens will be serving creamy clam chowder and briny-fresh oysters to keep you full and happy.
Early birds: First 20 sign-ups get a free robe rental! Reserve your spot here.
12/7/25
Sagra del Radicchio + Cider
Unless you already have tickets you have probably missed out on the sold-out Sagra del Radicchio event, but you can still sign-up to be alerted if more tickets open up. This is a showcase of Italian chicories and cider apples, alongside other unsung heroes of the winter table like quince, medlar, buckwheat, dry beans, hazelnuts, and winter squash. This joyful and educational culinary and cultural experience is like no other.
1/17/26
McMenamins 9th Wassail Cider Fest
Cornelius Pass Roadhouse 2:30-8pm Advanced tickets here.
Wassail is an early-English toast to good health often associated with plentiful alcohol and lively celebration. The purpose of wassailing is to awake the cider apple trees and to scare away evil spirits to ensure a good harvest. Come taste with Northwest cider houses and 30+ flavors, including Mcmenamins own Edgefield ciders. Enjoy live music, folk dancing, costume contest and a parade to toast the apple trees!
CIDER RELEASES:
Stone Circle Cider’s Hot Mulled Hard Cider available now by the jug
Estacada, Oregon’s cult-favorite English-style cidery Stone Circle is selling their Mulled hard cider by the mug at their tasting room, or by the quart jug to-go there and select shops in the Portland-area. Find the full list of locations here.
Raw Cider limited-edition Holiday Gift Box
One of our favorite Willamette Valley cideries has curated a selection of small-batch ciders made with care and intention. Limited quantities available at this special holiday bundle price and can be ordered online here. Each bundle has one 750ml bottle of 3 different flavors:
Kearns Estate: A select blend of English cider apples from our home orchard in Dayton, Oregon. Fermented with Native Yeast naturally on the apples at harvest. This dry cider has an elegant amber color with a rich apple flavor.
Golden Russet: From our estate orchard in Dayton, Oregon, this Golden Russet single varietal celebrates one of cider’s most revered apples. Naturally high in sugar, richly flavored, and acid-forward, Golden Russet produces cider of remarkable brightness and depth. Crafted off-dry, this release lets the fruit’s natural character shine.
Sparkling Perry: Made from a blend of Anjou pears sourced from 60+ year old dry farmed trees in White Salmon, Washington, and wild foraged forest pears from secret places deep in the woods of both Washington and Oregon.
Tieton Cider seasonals in 12oz and 16oz cans
Yakima, Washington’s Tieton Cider always has something fresh.
Cranberry 12oz cans available through December
Racy and fresh, this cider is perfect for lovers of both sweet and tart. We blend fresh pressed cranberry juice into an already upbeat blend of fermented apples. Bold and bright on the palate with all the freshness of ripe, red, summer fruits and cinnamon on the finish. 6.9% ABV.Cascade Plum in 16oz cans through March
Aromas of ripe stone fruit and delicate floral notes lead the way. Rich Washington-grown plums bring a vibrant ruby-toned fruitiness balanced by crisp apple acidity. Subtle tannins and a dry finish give it structure while the natural sweetness of the plum lingers just enough to invite another sip. 6.9% ABV.
Finnriver Cider’s seasonal Cranberry Rosehip
Finnriver’s botanical ciders share the earthy essence of life in the fields and forests of the Olympic Peninsula. Semi-sweet winter cider made from juice they press from transitional and sustainably grown organic cranberries from the Washington coast’s Starvation Alley Farm. They then add an infusion of wild rosehips gathered from woods and hedges around the Peninsula. Sweetened with unrefined organic cane sugar for added depth and balance. Lightly carbonated. Made without gluten ingredients.
6.5% abv available in 500 ml. (16.9 oz.)
Locust Cider limited release Dark Maple and seasonal Cinn-Ful Cran
Washington cidery with 4 taprooms in Washington and 1 in Colorado. Cans are available for home shipping in certain states.
Cinn-Ful Cran is an off-dry flavor spiced with blood orange, cranberries, and cinnamon, 6% abv available in 12oz cans.
Dark Maple is a limited release semi-sweet cider of Washington apples blended with maple & brown sugar. Complex, yet smooth and balanced with a maple finish.
2 Towns Cider’s Sled Zeppelin and Hollow Jack
Corvallis, Oregon’s 2 Towns Ciderhouse recently celebrated their 15th anniversary one-of-a-kind anniversary cider from heirloom apples including Smith’s Cider, Grindstone, and Ashmead’s Kernel, all grown locally by Pleasant Valley Cider Apples. If you can find the limited 375ml bottles they come highly recommended from the New School. Read more about them here.
Hollow Jack - the annual pumpkin cider recipe was refreshed this year to mixed feedback. Instead of the classic pumpkin spice flavors this year’s version has Ethiopian coffee from Holderness Coffee Roasters along with the spices. The result is a tart apple, smooth creamy coffee, light spicing.
Sled Zeppelin - replacing Hollow Jack for the rest of the winter is a brand new 6.9% ABV limited-edition cider. This seasonal headliner blends Pacific Northwest apples, Oregon cranberries, and a dash of cinnamon for a cider that takes your taste buds on a Stairway to Heaven.
Bauman’s Cider Co. seasonals Elvira’s Spicy Pumpkins and Cranberry
The legendary Elvira collaborated with local Bauman’s Cider on a spicy pumpkin cider for Halloween it may be still available.
But also their annual favorite Cranberry flavor from juicy red cranberries from the Everest family farm in Sixes, Oregon, fermented together with Bauman’s apples. The tart berries balance the sweetness of the apples, with a splash of fresh apple juice added just at the end. It is sure to brighten your holiday table.
Portland Cider winter seasonals and new Imperial flavor
Portland Cider Company has an entire lineup of winter seasonal ciders to choose from.
Santa’s Sauce - A festively spiced cider with Northwest apples and winter spices.
A holiday classic, this spiced cider is infused with cinnamon, cardamom, and a little cayenne pepper. It’s like biting into a delicious apple pie that warms your throat. 6% abv.Cranberry Mule - Ripe cranberries, juicy lime, and a hint of fresh ginger sing in this cocktail-inspired cider. Pouring a vibrant ruby hue, every pint adds a sparkle to your festivities. 6% abv.
This fall Portland Cider also debuted Blood Orange Pomegranate Cider a 6.9% abv flavors in 19.2oz cans.
Son of Man Cider releases 4 limited flavors
Cascade Locks, Oregon-based Son of Man Cider has a bevvy of new limited release ciders out right now.
Roxbury Russet - Crafted from one of Son of Man’s all-time favorite apples, bursts with flavors of dried apricot and asian pear finishing with a bitter citrus pith edge
Columbia Crabapple - expect a wild and briney, high-acid, high-tannin cider with pucker up notes of sour orange and grapefruit peel.
Jonathan - celebrates the classic American heirloom apple of the same name. Clean and crisp, with notes of white grape, passionfruit, and just a hint of spice on the finish. Made of 60% jonathan and 40% muscadet de lense.
Everybody is an Art Person - a special collaboration between Son of Man and the Portland Art Museum.
The Portland Art Museum reopens November 20, 2025 after a once-in-a-generation transformation. The team behind it is expanding what it means to be an art person. Art isn’t just on walls. It’s in cider-making, coffee-roasting, and everything made with intention. There’s no one way to make art, and there’s no one way to be an art person.
Yonder Cider releases seasonal Wassail
Seattle and Wenatchee, Washington-based Yonder Cider is well distributed in Oregon as well. Wassail isn’t just a cider - it’s a tradition. Dating back to old English customs, wassailing was a way to celebrate the apple harvest and bless the orchards for a bountiful year ahead.
Wassail - made with a blend of juicy culinary apples and tannic, flavorful Frequin Rouge. Then steeped with all the flavors of the season - including orange peel, lemon peel, cinnamon sticks, star anise, cardamom, freshly ground nutmeg, cloves and ginger root - before back sweetening with maple syrup for a warm, rich finish. Enjoy it warmed or chilled, at the taproom or at home. 6.9% ABV
Seattle Cider Co. seasonal Raspberry Blossom
Seattle Cider is one of the few northwest cideries that doesn’t make a cranberry cider for their winter seasonal!
Raspberry Blossom - with rich apple notes this celebratory cider is blushed and balanced with fresh raspberries. We ferment with Elderflowers to highlight delicate aromas of lychee and pear.
Schilling Cider seasonal Chaider
Seattle, Wa based Schilling Cider also has a new location for their Portland Schilling Cider House. Their returning winter seasonal flavor is out now on draft and in 12oz cans.
Chaider - proprietary Chai Tea blend in collaboration with Kinglet Tea of Portland. It is their delightfully unique spiced cider, perfect for sweaters and fireside imbibing. Chaider has gained widespread fall fandom for being the most reached-for fall seasonal in the PNW’s cider industry. 6.5 % abv.
Avid Cider’s seasonal Apple Pie
Bend, Oregon-based Avid Cider, now part of Blake’s Hard Cider and Austin Eastciders, has re-released their seasonal flavor in cans.
Apple Pie Hard Cider - Apples grown at the base of Mt. Hood, combined with the warm hints of vanilla, spice and everything nice. This semi-sweet cider is a gift for the cooler season.
HOPWTR releases Spiced Apple
This is a non-alcoholic hop water not a cider! But we thought it was worth noting. This launch marks another milestone for the brand as they continue to redefine the better-for-you beverage + non-alc categories.
Spiced Apple - is brewed without alcohol and infused with brewer-approved hops and functional ingredients. The flavor blends crisp apple and warming seasonal spices for a refreshing, holiday-ready sip. Like all HOPWTR products, it’s zero calories, sugar, and carbs, and enhanced with adaptogens and nootropics for feel-good refreshment in every can.
Spiced Apple is produced in limited quantities for the holiday season and can be purchased at Sprouts stores nationwide for an SRP of $10.99 for a 12oz 6-pack starting in October, or, at hopwtr.com, while supplies last.