Cider Summit Seattle 2019 Post 2/2 – Tasting Notes

September 11, 2019September 11, 2019 cidersays 2 Towns, Alpenfire, Archibald James, Bauman's, Bembel with Care, Chatter Creek, Cider Riot, Cider Summit, French Cider Inc., Herb's, Manchester Road, Newtopia Cyder, One Tree, Pear UP, Pierre Huet, Portland Cider, Rev Nat's, review, Seattle Cider, Soundbite, Union Hill, Wildcraft cider, cider event, cider review, cider summit, cider summit seattle, cider tasting, hard cider, seattle, tasting notes

This is post 2/2 on Cider Summit Seattle 2019, with tasting notes on 21 ciders. Post 1/2 covered the event.

The Tasting Notes

2 Towns Ciderhouse (Corvallis OR) Kingston Black – A draft-only special release. Semi-dry, tannic, lower acid, with a woody earthy flavor.

Alpenfire Cider (Port Townsend WA) Kingston Black – A small batch bottled release. Semi-dry, with a lighter flavor than expected for a KB single varietal, with notes of citrus and wood, and mild tannins.

Archibald James (Leavenworth WA) Smash Apple – Their sweeter (1.5% residual sugar) flagship canned/bottled offering. Semi-dry and very apple forward. High level of flavor for the lower sweetness.

Bauman’s Cider (Gervais OR) Kir Royale – A black currant and cherry barrel aged cider. Semi-sweet to semi-dry, with bold cherry and oak flavor.

Bembel with Care (Germany) Apfelwein Pure – A flagship canned release. Dry to semi-dry. Yeast-forward, and reminiscent of beer.

Chatter Creek Cider (Woodinville WA) Kingston Black – A special bottled released. Dry and acidic, with citrus and wood notes, but less complexity.

Cider Riot (Porland OR) Kingston Black – A special bottled release. On the sweeter side of dry. Rich bitter tannic flavor with caramel, leather, and orange.

Herb’s Cider (Bellingham WA) Forte – A keeved golden russet single varietal (which is unique as typically only French bittersweet apple juice is keeved), Cognac barrel aged. Semi-dry but tastes even sweeter, smooth, and apple-forward with hints of tropical fruit.

Herb’s Cider (Bellingham WA) Fruit Challenge – A one-off Foeder aged bittersweet plum jerkum. Dry but fruity, more berry than plum (but I’ve never been able to pick out plum flavor in a cider).

Manchester Road Cider (Chelan WA) Apple Sox Red – A flagship bottled offering with beets added for color. Semi-dry to semi-sweet. Apple forward and non-specifically fruity.

Newtopia Cyder (San Diego CA) Passionate Mishap – A draft-only cider with passionfruit. Semi-dry to semi-sweet, with notes of tart passionfruit and some citrus.

One Tree Cider (Spokane WA) Passionfruit Guava – A one-off fruit cider challenge entry. Semi-sweet to sweet, and full flavored, with more passionfruit than guava.

Pear UP (East Wenatchee WA) Peargria II – Take two on a one-off margarita-inspired perry (from 100% pears, no apples) for the fruit cider challenge. Semi-dry to semi-sweet, with notes of lime, pear, and other fruit.

Pierre Huet (France) Calvados – This apple brandy is aged 5-10 years, and imported by French Cider Inc. I’m not big on spirits, especially served neat, so I’ll defer to my husband, who loved it. I can however say it was smooth for the high ABV. However, I think I’ll stick to cider and Pommeau.

Portland Cider (Portland OR) Peach Berry – A new canned release. Semi-sweet to semi-dry. More generally fruity than specific peach & berry, reminiscent of their Sangria, but slightly drier and less complex. Speaking of their Sangria, I heard it will be going to draft-only for awhile due to lower sales, which is sad as its my favorite from them.

Reverend Nat’s (Portland OR) Saint Citron – A new canned release. Semi-dry and citrus-forward, primarily grapefruit, with a hint of ginger.

Seattle Cider Company (Seattle WA) Strawberry Guava – A limited release with strawberries and guava. Dry, with mild fruitiness, but low flavor intensity.

Soundbite Cider (Everett WA) Two Plums Up – A limited release with plums. Semi-dry and fruity, more strawberry-rhubarb than plum I thought.

Union Hill Cider (East Wenatchee WA) Pinkheart – A blend with Red Fleshed, Cripps Pink, and Dabinett apples. Semi-dry, with subtle fruity citrus flavor.

Union Hill Cider (East Wenatchee WA) Hard Harvest – A blend with Cripps Pink, Dabinett, Porters Perfection, Kingston Black, and Snowdrift Crab apples. Dry to semi-dry, with subtle earthy citrus flavor.

Wildcraft Cider Works (Eugene OR) Rome Beauty – A single varietal of Rome Beauty apples. Measurably dry but it tastes sweeter, apple-forward (cooked) and non-specifically fruity, and completely clean. I liked the level of flavor (high) vs. sweetness (low).

I also had some 2 Towns Pommeau and Eden Heirloom Blend Ice Cider, because we still had tickets left, and they are awesome.

In Summary

It was impossible to taste all the ciders at the event, or even one from each producer, so I’d also like to share previous tasting notes and reviews of ciders from the other cideries I didn’t get to highlight: Alter Ego, Anthem, Avid (previously Atlas), Bad Granny, Brownrigg, Browar Polska Imports (Possmann & Ruwet), Capitol Cider, Caple Road, d’s Wicked, Double Mountain, Dragon’s Head, Eaglemount, Eden, Finnriver, Greenwood, Idun, Independent Cider, Incline, Jester & Judge, J. Seeds, Liberty, Locust, Longdrop, Miloslawski, Samuel Smiths, Schilling, Sea Cider, Snowdrift, Swift, Tieton, Ulee’s, Virtue, Wandering Aengus, and Washington Gold.

My favorites were Schilling Guava Mint (which I actually tried the night before but I’ll count as it was made for this event), Herb’s Forte, 2 Towns Kingston Black, and Alpenfire Kingston Black. Two of those were draft only, but I picked up bottles of the other two. Speaking of Kingston Black, single varietals from KB were popular, with at least 5 cideries offering them.

This event is always the highlight of Washington Cider Week, and the biggest and best cider event of the year in Western Washington.

Seattle Cider Pineapple Agave

March 11, 2019March 11, 2019 cidersays review, Seattle Cider cider, cider review, cider tasting, hard cider, Pineapple Agave, pineapple cider, seattle, Seattle Cider, tasting notes

Review of Seattle Cider’s Pineapple Agave. It is my first time trying this new seasonal release, but I’ve previously had their Semi-Sweet, PNW Berry, Olympic Honey, Plum Gose, Oaked Maple, Harvest Series Gravenstein Rosé, Gose, Dry, Gin Botanical, City Fruit, Heirloom, Lavender Lemon, Cucumber Hibiscus, City Fruit, New England Style, 2015 Washington Heirloom, Winesap Rose, and Red Wine Barrel Berry.

>>This is a review of a sample can provided to Cider Says by Seattle Cider. Although I will take care to treat it the same as any other review, there is always the potential for bias as I received it for free. The only consideration I knowingly made was pushing this up in my cider review cue. I love free stuff, especially cider! Want your cider or cider-related product reviewed here? Contact me.<<

Cider: Pineapple Agave
Cidery: Seattle Cider Co.
Cidery Location: Seattle WA
ABV: 6.5%
How Supplied: 16oz can
Style: American craft cider from dessert apples, with pineapple juice and agave nectar

Availability: seasonally, starting in Washington and Colorado

Cider Description: Fresh pressed Washington apples, pineapple juice, and agave nectar come together to create Seattle Cider Company’s newest seasonal release.Pineapple Agave, 6.5% ABV and 1.8 Brix, boasts ripe and juicy pineapple aroma, soft tartness, and the subtle tropical sweetness of agave for a perfectly balanced and bright addition to the Seattle Cider lineup.

Cidery Description: Not your standard cider. Seattle Cider Company bridges the gap between wine and beer with flavorful, small-batch cider, bringing true craft cider back to Seattle and across the country. Seattle Cider Company’s year-round and seasonal offerings break the mold of overly sweet cider, showcasing the incomparable flavor of Washington apples. Naturally gluten free and made from a custom blend of fresh pressed, locally grown apples, Seattle Cider Company’s products are handcrafted with all natural ingredients and never from concentrate. Seattle Cider products are currently available throughout Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Idaho, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Nevada, Missouri, Massachusetts, Colorado, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Montana. Visit our tasting room, The Woods, at 4660 Ohio Ave. S. in Seattle. For more information, visit seattlecidercompany.com, or follow Seattle Cider Company on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@seattleciderco).

Price: n/a (probably retails for ~ $10.99-$11.99 / four pack)
Where Bought: n/a
Where Drank: home
How Found: cidery press release

First Impression: Light straw yellow hue. Nearly still. Smells mild, of tart pineapple.

Tasting Notes: On the drier side of semi-dry. Light bodied. Low to moderate tartness. Moderate acidity. No bitterness, sourness, funk, or tannins. Notes of pineapple, green apple, and lemon. Quick finish. Low apple flavor and complexity. Low to moderate flavor intensity. Moderate to high sessionability.

My Opinion: I enjoyed it, although I would have preferred a bit more flavor and sweetness.

Most Similar to: I’ve tried over a dozen pineapple ciders, and I think this is closest to Apple Outlaw Pineapple Getaway, Portland Cider Co. Pineapple, or a slightly drier version of 2 Towns Pineapple

Closing Notes: This is one of my favorite varieties from Seattle Cider, in addition to the Oaked Maple and Olympic Honey, which are some of their sweeter selections, although in general I’m not personally a big fan of their ciders as they run drier with a lower flavor intensity. I’d recommend their ciders for folks who like dry to semi-dry modern ciders.

Have you tried Seattle Cider Pineapple Agave? What did you think?

Cider Summit Seattle 2018 Post 2/2 – Tasting Notes

September 12, 2018September 7, 2019 cidersays 2 Towns, Angry Orchard, Blue Mountain, Brownrigg, Chelan Craft, Cider Riot, Cider Summit, D's Wicked, Herb's, Herout, Idun, Manoir du Parc, Miloslawski, Ole Swede, One Tree, Pear UP, Possman, review, Ruwet, Schilling, Seattle Cider, Tieton cider, cider summit, cider summit seattle, cider tasting, cider tasting event, hard cider, seattle, tasting notes

This is post 2/2 on Cider Summit Seattle 2018, with tasting notes on 21 ciders. Post 1/2 covered the event. Sorry some of these photos aren’t that great, but this isn’t a photography blog…

The Tasting Notes

2 Towns (Corvallis OR) Pommeau – I’ve had their Pommeau (cider + apple brandy) a number of times (see my full review here), and have a bottle in my “cellar”, but its probably my favorite U.S.-made Pommeau. Both me and my husband didn’t want to pass up a sample. Semi-sweet, rich, easy to drink despite the high ABV, and awesome as always.

Angry Orchard (Walden, NY) Dear Brittany – This is one of the small batch ciders made at their Innovation Cider House, a French-style keeved cider. Semi-dry, tart, and funky, with a hint of sourness, although I picked up more heirloom than bittersweet apple flavor. As expected for a keeved cider, it was very apple-forward and flavorful in general for not being very sweet.

Blue Mountain (Milton-Freewater, OR) Pete Limely – Semi-dry to dry with notes of tart citrus (especially lemon-lime). This was a bit too dry and mildly flavored for me, but I liked the overall flavor notes.

Brownrigg (Seattle WA) Rum Barrel Aged – This is apparently not a new cidery (I read they started in 2014), but this is my first time seeing them, and my first time trying their cider. Dry. Very mild flavor, slightly tart, with a rum finish. I think I would have liked this better if it was a bit sweeter.

Chelan Craft Cider (Chelan WA) Cider with Lemon – This is a new cidery, and my first time trying their cider. Semi-dry, with lots of tart refreshing lemon flavor. I liked it. ~~I’m curious how they will do in the market though, as their bottles were listed for $23 / 750ml~~ [update – I was told that was a mistake and the real price is $15/bottle]. I couldn’t tell what type of apples they used – maybe dessert, maybe heirloom. The price would be more in-line with heirloom~~, but still on the high end of what I see in store~~s.

Cider Riot! (Portland OR) Everyday Passionfruit – Awesome tropical scent, on the drier side of semi-dry, but the passionfruit flavor was very mild and mostly on the finish, which was a bit of a let down.

d’s Wicked (Kennewick WA) Tropical – On the sweeter side of semi-dry, tart, with notes of orange, pineapple, and passion fruit. I liked how flavorful it was without being sweet.

Herb’s Cider (Bellingham WA) Triplet Special Reserve French Oak Aged Semi-Dry – This is a new cidery, and my first time trying their cider. Semi-dry to dry, thin bodied, super mild flavor intensity, with notes of heirloom apples and hints of oak. This was a bit too mildly flavored for me.

Hérout à Auvers (Normandy France) Pommeau de Normandie AOC – Imported by Beauchamp Imports (French Cider Inc.) – they have online sales too by the way. This Pommeau is made from 3/4 apple cider and 1/4 Calvados (French apple brandy), then aged at least 14 months in oak barrels. Semi-sweet, both rich/oaky/earthy and fruity (both my husband and I agreed on strawberry), clean (no funk or sourness), easy to drink for the higher ABV, and overall awesome. I bought a bottle to take home, and think it was an awesome value at $40 / 750ml (as most local Pommeaux run $25 / 375ml). Pommeau keeps very well by the way, and you can leave a bottle open for months and just have a bit at a time – I think this will be perfect at cellar temp in my cider fridge. They also brought La Chouette Rosé, Kystin Opalyne, and Herout AOC Cotentin Extra-Brut, which I’ve previously sampled.

Idun Cider (Seattle WA) Heirloom Dry – This is a new cidery, and my first time trying their cider. They currently only have this single flagship release. On the sweeter side of semi-dry, medium bodied, very apple forward, but overall mild in flavor. I didn’t really taste the heirloom apples (this is listed as having Gravenstein, Winesap, and Newtown Pippin), but I kinda liked it.

Manoir du Parc (Normandy France) Authentic Rosé – Made from red-fleshed apples and pears. Semi-sweet, lovely fluffy natural carbonation, and notes of strawberry, watermelon, and pear. Very reminiscent of La Choute Rosé. Awesome!

Manoir du Parc (Normandy France) Authentic Cidre – I also re-tried their flagship cidre. On the drier side of semi-dry, funky and tannic, apple and yeast forward, with a hint of sourness. My husband surprisingly liked this (usually he dislikes funk, like I dislike sourness). I think it was because the cidermaker? (or at least some very knowledgeable French dude) was telling us all about it during the tasting. That sort of experience is what makes me love Cider Summit.

Miloslawski (Poland) Perry – Imported by Browar Polska Imports. Semi-sweet to semi-dry, with a very mild canned pear flavor. I surprisingly liked it. I was expecting it to be super sweet, but it was a perfect sweetness level for me.

Ole Swede (Tonasket, WA) Bada Bing! Cider – 90% apple and 10% cherries, co-fermented. Semi-dry, tart, with a mild real cherry flavor. They also have a Cherry Perry, which I thought I had tried, but I can’t find anything that I wrote about it, so I guess not!

One Tree (Spokane WA) Tropical – Semi-sweet, full bodied, juice-like, with a very very similar flavor to Schilling’s Imperial Passionfruit that I tried the night before (as it was made using the same puree from Oregon Fruit Products), but with a hint of pineapple (which One Tree added in addition to the puree and apple juice). I really enjoyed it, and think it would have been awesome to use it in a cocktail with rum.

Pear UP (Wenatchee WA) Barrel Hoppin Pear – A barrel aged version of their hopped perry (100% pears, no apple). On the sweeter side of semi-dry. Smooth, mild flavor, with hints of pear, hops, and oak. I usually don’t go for the mild flavored ones, but that worked well for this one, as hops isn’t something you want to go too overboard with.

Possmann (Germany) Pure Cider Rosé Black Currant – Imported by Browar Polska Imports. Semi-sweet with a light fruity flavor, although I couldn’t specifically identify black currant. I surprisingly liked this, despite the commercialness.

Ruwet (Belgium) Cidre – Imported by Browar Polska Imports. Semi-dry, mild overall flavor with apple & citrus. It tasted a bit commercial to me though, and I would have liked more flavor intensity. I think this is my first Belgium cider, very cool.

Schilling (Auburn, WA) Red Wine Barrel Aged Pommeau (paired with chocolate) – Semi-dry, smells of red wine barrel, but for me the flavor was mostly apple-flavored alcohol burn. A bit too boozy for my liking. My husband was a bigger fan. They also have this on tap at Schilling Cider House right now.

Seattle Cider (Seattle WA) Red Wine Barrel Berry – On the drier side of semi-dry, super mild, with hints of berry, oak, and botanicals, and a red wine finish. Characteristically Seattle Cider. Surprisingly complex, but for some reason I didn’t really like it, although I couldn’t say why.

Tieton Ciderworks (Yakima, WA) Oak Barrel Aged Cider Summit Collaboration – Semi-dry, higher carbonation, tart, super mild smooth citrus & oak flavor.

In Summary

It was impossible to taste all the ciders at the event (or even one from each producer), so I’d also like to share previous tasting notes and reviews of ciders from the other cideries I didn’t get to highlight: Alter Ego, Anthem, Avid (previously Atlas), Bad Granny, Chatter Creek, Double Mountain, Dragon’s Head, Eaglemount, Eden, Elemental, Finnriver, Hi-Wheel, Incline, Jester & Judge, J. Seeds, Liberty, Locust, Longdrop, Louis Raison, Maeloc, Montana, Moonlight Meadery, Portland, Reverend Nat’s, Samuel Smiths, Sea Cider, Snowdrift, Steelhead, Swift, Wandering Aengus, Washington Gold, WildCraft, and Worley’s

My favorites of the day were Herout Pommeau, 2 Towns Pommeau, One Tree Tropical, d’s Tropical, and Manoir du Parc Authentic Rosé.

This event is always the highlight of Washington Cider Week, and the biggest and best cider event of the year in the Seattle area!

Notes from a Cider Tasting Class with Reverend Nat

September 22, 2017October 21, 2017 cidersays 2 Towns, Bull Run, Cascadia, Liberty, Rambling Route, Rev Nat's, review, Seattle Cider, Wandering Aengus, Washington Cider Week cider, cider class, cider review, cider tasting, Downtown Spirit's, hard cider, reverend nat's, tasting notes, wa cider week, Washington Cider Week

For my third Washington Cider Week 2017 event, I attended a cider tasting class with Nat West of Reverend Nat’s Hard Cider (in Portland Oregon), at Downtown Spirits in downtown Seattle. It was my first time at that store, which had a large selection (spirits, wine, beer, cider, mead, etc), plus an area set up with chairs & tables for classes & tastings.

The Event

I only read about the event the day before, but it sounded like a cool opportunity, as The Reverend (as he is commonly referred to – and he is an actual online ordained Reverend) has a lot of interesting insight on the industry. I already missed out on some fun cider week events as I didn’t find out about them until after the fact (apparently the official NW Cider calendar stopped accepting submissions pretty early), so I didn’t want to pass this up.

The tasting list was a bit underwhelming with multiple mass market PNW canned ciders, but the two hour event with 10 ciders only cost $10. That was crazy good deal, as that probably only covered the cider (and maybe even not), so Nat was basically volunteering his time. He took the train up from Portland just for this and one other event. There were only 11 of us who attended (and 2 of those were store employees).

I liked that the class was very informal. We were encouraged to ask questions whenever, and we were even allowed to just pass the ciders around and pour how much we wanted (with a suggested amount so everyone got to try some). Although that meant we couldn’t go back and taste anything (unless there were leftovers), it also meant I didn’t have cider poured into my glass which I would have felt obligated to drink to move on.

Cider Tasting Notes

We tasted the following ciders, in this order: Cascadia Granny Smith, Liberty McIntosh, Wandering Aengus Golden Russet, Seattle Cider Winesap Rosé , Seattle Cider Semi Sweet, Rambling Route Apple, Reverend Nat’s Revival, Bull Run Bramble Berry, 2 Towns Cot in the Act, and Reverend Nat’s The Passion. The first was described as a palette cleanser, the next three as American Heirloom, the following three as American common, and the last three as flavored. Most of the time he would also include some European ciders, like English, French, and/or Spanish, but I think he was limited to what this store had in stock and cold.

The only new-to-me cider was Seattle Cider Winesap Rosé. Nat asked if anyone had tried all the ciders, and I said 9/10, and it was the same for him (apparently that is a new ish Seattle Cider release). The majority of the class seemed to be more so fans of Reverend Nat’s cider (which tend to be beer fans), than overall cider enthusiasts like me.

Cascadia Ciderworks United (Portland OR) Green Apple (6.9% ABV) – This retails for $9.99 / four pack of 16oz cans, and is made by Reverend Nat’s. Semi-dry, very tart, and definitely green apple flavor (single varietal).

Liberty Ciderworks (Spokane WA) McIntosh (8.1% ABV) – See my previous notes here. Liberty was described as a more traditional cidermaker, plus I know they are unique in that they are not orchard based, but only use heirloom & cider apples. This single varietal is available in bottles and on draft, and retails around $16 / 750ml. Nat described this apple variety as making a juice which is very appley (more than many other heirloom apple varieties), and it not being as common in the PNW as it is in the NE. Semi-dry. Low to moderate tannins. Notes of apple juice, caramel, honey, and must. Some other folks in the class were picking up hints of “bandaid” flavor (which is from a combination of Brettanomyces, tannins, and polyphenols). I must not be sensitive to that, as I’ve never noticed it with any cider. However, in contrast, I am very sensitive to sourness, common in farmhouse and Spanish style ciders.

Wandering Aengus (Salem OR) Golden Russet (9.0% ABV) – See my previous notes here. Wandering Aengus was described as one of the first cideries in the NW, starting in the 1990s, under the name “The Traditional Company”. This is a single varietal made using Golden Russet apples which they grew themselves, and dry farmed (no irrigation). It retails for around $9 / 500ml. I would have described it as on the sweeter side of semi-dry, but apparently this measures full dry (my all have different palettes!). Tart, acidic, bitter, and slightly tannic. Rich flavor. Long acidic tannic finish.

Seattle Cider Co. (Seattle WA) Winesap Rosé (6.0% ABV) – I’ve tried multiple single varietals from Winesap apples, and multiple rosé ciders, but not this one. Winesap Rosé is a single varietal from Winesap apples, and pink/rosé from being aged in red wine barrels. It retails for around $11 / 500ml. Semi-dry. Watery. Slightly fruity, with a hint of oak. The carbonation was visible but not detectable. Low tartness and acidity. Hints of tannins. Quick finish. I think this would appeal more to wine folks. Like most of their ciders, the flavor was very mild.

Seattle Cider Co. (Seattle WA) Semi Sweet (6.5% ABV) – See my previous notes here. This is a very commonly found cider in Seattle, and retails for about $11 / four 16oz cans. Semi-sweet to semi-dry. Fuller bodied. Low acid. Notes of apple juice, honey, and citrus.

Rambling Route (Yakima WA) Apple (6.9% ABV) – See my previous notes here. This is made by Tieton, and retails for about $9 / four 16oz cans. Higher carbonation. Semi-sweet to semi-dry. Very similar to Seattle Cider, but slightly more apple-forward. We were told these two ciders are so similar as they use the same dessert apple juice blend, same wine yeast, sugar for back-sweetening, etc.

Reverend Nat’s (Portland OR) Revival (5.8% ABV) – See my previous notes here. This retails for about $15 / six 12oz bottles or $6 / 500ml bottle. This is a very unique cider as it gets a lot of different flavors just from the use of multiple yeast strains, piloncillo sugar, and a secret ingredient which he told us but said I couldn’t write down. It is made by mixing two batches of cider together. One has yeast strain 1 and the sugar, and results in a high ABV. The other has yeast strain 2, and results in a more typical ABV. Then fresh juice is added, which is about 20% of the makeup. Semi-sweet to semi-dry. Notes of apple juice, yeast, brown sugar, honey, and hints of tropical fruit.

Bull Run (Forest Grove OR) Bramble Berry (6.8% ABV) – See my previous notes here. This cider with marionberries, blackberries, and boysenberries retails for $8 / 500ml. Semi-dry, with the berry more in the nose than the flavor, low acid, and hints of tannins from the berries.

2 Towns (Corvallis OR) Cot in the Act (6.2% ABV) – See my previous notes here. This is a seasonal apricot cider (made using the whole fruit, not just juice) which retails for about $12.50 / six 12oz cans or $8 / 500ml. Very strong apricot scent. Semi-sweet to semi-dry, juicy, notes of stone fruit, and flavorful.

Reverend Nat’s (Portland OR) The Passion (6.9% ABV) – See my previous notes here. This is a seasonal cider made with Ecuadorian passion fruit juice, toasted coconut, and vanilla, and retails for about $14 / 500ml. I had previously heard this described as a sour cider, but this bottle pour and my previous draft pour were both free from sourness, so I’m game to buy it sometime as I really enjoy the flavor. Semi-sweet (his sweetest cider). Tart. High flavor intensity, with a strong passion fruit scent & flavor, with hints of vanilla & coconut.

My favorite ciders of those were from Liberty, 2 Towns, and Rev Nat’s.

Info from Rev Nat

We discussed some cider basics such as sweetness vs. acidity and the cidermaking process. However, I was surprised that I don’t think the word “tannins” came up at all (although it was on the handout, which had one side of general cider info and one side with info about the 10 ciders), despite at least the Liberty and Wandering Aengus ciders being good examples.
Rev Nat’s has five cider bases, and two of them are the Cascadia green & blue cans
- The green can is used to make Sacrilege Cherry
- The blue can is used to make half of Revival and all of Hallelujah Hopricot
2 Towns (another common Oregon cidery) is six times as large as Rev Nat’s (I assume in context of cider produced/year)
Rev Nat’s currently has 22 employees
Rev Nat’s will be moving into a new 25,000 sq ft cidery space, and will then convert their current 8,000 sq ft space into only a tap room, including food. It doesn’t look like the news about this being finalized has been officially announced, but this article from last year mentioned the same info.
Profit margins are about the same for all cideries, so ciders that cost more do actually cost more to make.
Specific gravity is a way to measure the sweetness of a cider, using the weight of the cider compared to the weight of the same amount of water. The interesting thing with SG however is that you can have a cider with a specific gravity lower than water, so that would say the cider was drier than water lol.
Single varietal ciders are apparently more of an American thing, due to our new experimental cider culture. They are probably second most common in England.
Wine/champagne yeast is often used in cidermaking as it ferments cleanly at low temperatures, is easy to remove (it will clump at the bottom of the tank), and it is designed to not impact the flavor.
Rev Nat’s in contrast uses beer yeast, which is designed to impart flavor (we were told the yeast in beer is actually what has the most impact on a beer’s flavor, not the grains or hops). I think this class did a good job showcasing Rev Nat’s ciders, as they were two of the 2-4 most flavorful ciders of the group of 10.
Nat said cider that is cloudy is more of a marketing gimmick, and cloudy ciders don’t really retain more flavor than the more commonly found filtered ones. Cloudiness in a cider can be from suspended yeast, apple debris/pulp, or pectin (naturally in apples). The first two can be filtered out, but not the last. This really made me think, as I’ve had a number of ciders which were cloudy and very flavorful (Downeast comes to mind). They did tend to be sweet and apple juice forward though, so its quite plausible they would have still tasted like that after filtering. Also, I’ve never tried the same cider before and after filtering, which I think would be the real test.
Nat often does an expanded cider tasting class during Oregon Cider Week, which includes 30! ciders in 3 hours

After the Event

I forgot to snag a photo before the tasting, but I got one of the aftermath:

After the event I looked around the Downtown Spirits shop and was excited to find an entire shelf of cider that was 50% off – Alpenfire, Eden, Eric Bordelet, Slyboro, etc. Its sad, but the high end and/or imported ciders just don’t sell very quickly. I’ve heard from several shops that they won’t be re-stocking those sorts of items. It has got more difficult for me to get imports especially. I hadn’t planned to pick up any cider as my cabinet is full, but I picked up six bottles of high end ciders for under $50, as it was too good of a deal to pass up. Very cool!

Cider Summit Seattle 2017 Post 2/2 – Tasting Notes

September 13, 2017September 12, 2017 cidersays Alpenfire, Alter Ego, Anthem, Bad Granny, Cider Riot, Cider Summit, D's Wicked, Eden, event, French Cider Inc., La Chouette, Lefevre, Liberty, Louis Raison, Mission Trail, Montana Ciderworks, Old Swede, One Tree, Pear UP, Pierre Huet, review, Seattle Cider, Swift, Washington Cider Week, Washington Gold cider, cider event, cider festival, cider review, cider summit, cider tasting, cider tasting event, hard cider, seattle, tasting notes

This is post 2/2 on Cider Summit Seattle 2017, with tasting notes on 21 ciders. Post 1/2 covered the event (see here).

The Tasting Notes

Alpenfire (Port Townsend WA) – Although I had previously tried the three ciders they were pouring (see my previous reviews here), I’m including Alpenfire here as they were debuting their new branding and future new cider releases. They have a new logo, bottle labels, and website. The future new cider releases include a rosé Pommeau, “Tempest” New England style, 3 Pommes (apple/pear/quince), a new release of Smoke (my all time favorite cider, which hasn’t been out for a couple years), a Foxwhelp apple single varietal, and even a Pommeau with an apple grown in the bottle (which will only be for the initial members of their new cider club). Sounds like they have been busy!

Alpenfire did however have a cask-aged version of their Pirate’s Plank which I had a sip of. It seemed a tad sweeter (dry not bone dry) and a bit more oaky than I remembered previously.

Alter Ego (Portland OR) The Brute (6.5% ABV) – This was their first time at Cider Summit, although they were founded in 2014. The Brute is one of their two flagship ciders; the other is The Guardian Angel, a blueberry-pomegranate cider (see my tasting notes here). Semi-dry, slightly apple-forward, tart, crisp, and easy to drink, but overall a bit boring as the flavor intensity was low, as is common with a drier cider from dessert apple varieties (which is why most ciders from dessert apples are sweeter and/or flavored).

Anthem (Salem OR) Rye Barrel Aged Cider (8.5% ABV) – Anthem is part of Wandering Aengus. This is a draft-only release, aged in Rye whiskey barrels. Semi-dry to dry and sharp, with moderate whiskey flavor and a hint of oak.

Bad Granny (Chelan WA) Rainier Cherry – They launched a little over a year ago and are new to Cider Summit. Rainier Cherry is a draft-only release using local Rainier cherries, although they sell their Original green apple cider in cans. On the sweeter side of semi-dry (I was told 9 grams sugar / 12oz), fuller bodied, moderate intensity real cherry flavor.

Cider Riot (Portland OR) Everyday Semi-Dry (6.0% ABV) – I believe this was their first time at Cider Summit Seattle. This cider is also available in cans. Semi-dry to dry, with a hint of sourness, but very low flavor intensity and fairly blah.

d’s Wicked (Kennewick WA) Bare Naked (6.7% ABV) – This is a new release, and currently draft-only. It is a less sweet and non-spiced version of their flagship Baked Apple cider. Semi-dry and flavorful, with unfiltered apple juice notes and a hint of honey flavor.

Eden Specialty Ciders (Newport VT) Heirloom Blend Ice Cider (10.0% ABV) – I have tried this special treat previously, but my husband ended up getting a couple pours, burning the rest of his tickets, as it is amazing and a great value to get pours of at an event. Ice cider is made using juice which has been frozen, concentrating the natural sugars and flavors, resulting in a sweet full-bodied intensely flavorful dessert cider. See my previous review here, and my review of the brandy barrel-aged version of this cider here (which is my all time favorite ice cider).

French Cider Inc. – I tried three French ciders imported by French Cider Inc. / Beauchamp Imports Inc. They are Seattle based and fairly new to the market (I hadn’t even heard of them before I was looking over the Cider Summit list!), and thus this was their first time at Cider Summit. French Cider’s focus is on importing French cidre (apple cider), poire (French perry, which is made from pears, not apples), and Calvados (French apple brandy). The owner Joan Harkins (who I chatted with) speaks French and lives French culture. She has hand-selected each variety in their collection after meeting with the cidermakers. I hadn’t previously been aware of any of their selection being available in the U.S. I found all three selections to likely be friendly to an unfamiliar palette, as they were all clean or fairly clean (no to low funk) and no sourness, lining up more with the style of the Brittany France ciders I’ve had more than the Normany France ciders I’ve had (although it appears all three were made in or near Normandy). French Cider’s primary focus is on supplying shops and restaurants, but they also offer local pickup (appointment only) in Seattle, and soon, will ship. Their website is amazingly informative, and they had a helpful handout for each of the three ciders (see below). They are posting a photo blog featuring the French apple harvest season, which is currently underway (see their Facebook page). Also, here is a recent article on the company from Seattle Dining.

La Chouette (Mont-Saint-Michel Bay France) Cidre Demi-Sec (4.5% ABV) – This cider was produced in an area in between the Normandy and Brittany regions in France, from cider apples. Semi-sweet to semi-dry. Lower carbonation and tannins than the other two I tried. Clean (no funk). Retails for $5-6 / 330ml bottle.

Lefevre (Berville Normandy France) Cidre Brut (5.9% ABV) – This cider was produced just outside of Paris, by a 5th generation cidermaker, with cider apples. The scent was the most complex of the three I tried. Semi-dry. Citrus in addition to apple notes, and more. A hint of funk. Low to moderate tannins. French Cider’s website has an interview with the cidermaker, Eric Lefevre. Retails for $5-6 / 330ml bottle.

Pierre Huet (Cambremer Normandy France) Cidre Bouche Brut (4.5% ABV) – This cider underwent secondary fermentation in the bottle and was made with 7 or 8 varieties of cider apples by a 5th generation cidermaker. Semi-dry to semi-sweet. Clean (no funk). Low tannins. Flavorful, apple forward, and easy to drink. French Cider’s website has an article on their visit to Pierre Huet as well as an interview with the cidermaker, François-Xavier Huet. Retails for $13-18 / 750ml bottle.

Liberty Cider (Spokane WA) Spokane Scrumpy (6.4% ABV) – This cider was released in the Spring, and made with community harvested apples (of mostly unknown types, from dessert apples to crab apples) and wild yeast fermented. $1 of each bottle sale goes to the Spokane Second Harvest food bank. See this article. On the sweeter side of semi-dry (probably their sweetest cider), buttery, and complex. I couldn’t really put my finger on the flavor profile with the sample size and time frame, so I’d be interested in giving a full bottle a try.

Louis Raison (Le Theil-sur-Huisne France) Organic Dry (4.5% ABV) – This cidery is brand new to the U.S., and first launched here in Seattle. They will have this cider on draft to start in Washington and Oregon, and eventually increase up to three bottled varieties in 2018 (adding Rouge Delice – made from red fleshed apples, and Original Crisp). See here for more info on their launch. Organic Dry is made in France from certified Organic bittersweet cider apples grown on co-op farms. On the sweeter side of semi-dry. Apple and yeast forward and easy to drink. I look forward to this being available in bottles as it sounds like it’ll be fairly affordable to keep around as an everyday cider.

Mission Trail (Bradley CA) Plum Jerkum (6.5% ABV) – They have been around since 2014, but are new to the Seattle market and Cider Summit. Although Mission Trail makes ciders and perries, they are best known for their other fruit wines, and specifically, jerkum (which is fermented stone fruit juice; the term originated just for plums, but has more recently been used to encompass all stone fruits). They were actually only pouring jerkums at this cider event. In this case it was 100% plum juice from 14 red-fleshed varieties. The Plum Jerkum was semi-sweet to semi-dry, tart, with a moderately intense fruity berry flavor (I didn’t really pick up the prune/plum).

Mission Trail (Bradley CA) Goldmine Nectarine (6.0% ABV) – This is another jerkum, with 100% nectarine juice, barrel aged. Semi-dry, quite tart, with pure nectarine flavor. I didn’t pick up any barrel influence, but often it isn’t obvious. I also recently tried their Peach Coast (see here), a peach wine / jerkum, which was my favorite of the three.

Montana Ciderworks (Darby MT) Small Batch Dolgo (5.5% ABV) – This is a single varietal from the Dolgo crabapple, oak aged, part of their Small Batch series. Semi-sweet, tangy, fruity, and apple-forward.

Random note: I got some insight into labeling special releases. In this case, “Dolgo” was stamped on, making it look handwritten with less effort. Very cool. However, many small batch special releases do have actual handwritten labels, like this one. Getting a label approved by the TTB is a time consuming process, so often cideries have a general label they use for multiple small batches.

Ole Swede (Tonasket WA) Mulberry & Friends – It was the cidery’s first time at Cider Summit, and they were founded last year. This is a new cider release made with eight different types of berries and currants (mulberry, blackberry, raspberry, elderberry, blueberry, gooseberry, black currant, and golden currant). On the sweeter side of semi-dry, smooth, low tartness & acidity, with a light real berry flavor.

One Tree (Spokane WA) Pina Colada – This is a new draft-only release, part of the fruit cider challenge (and it turned out to be the winner – 2nd year in a row for One Tree – congrats!). Sweet, very full flavored, with a bit more coconut than pineapple. I loved the flavor of this (it reminded me a bit of Pear Up’s Pearjito Colada with the coconut, which hasn’t been used much in cider), but it would be a bit sweet to have much of.

Pear Up (Wenatchee WA) Pineapple Pear – This was their fruit cider challenge entry, a one-off draft only release. On the sweeter side of semi-dry, low flavor intensity, with the flavor balanced between pear & pineapple. They weren’t serving it through the pineapple, but it was a cool photo op nonetheless.

Seattle Cider (Seattle WA) New England Style (9.5% ABV) – This is a seasonal release which appears to have not been released for a few years, possibly draft-only. It was made in the New England style, typically characterized as a high ABV cider with brown sugar and raisins added. Semi-sweet to semi-dry, sharp & acidic, with caramel notes and a boozy finish.

Seattle Cider (Seattle WA) 2015 Washington Heirloom (7.0% ABV) – This is part of their Harvest series, made with heirloom apple varieties, and also available in bottles. Semi-dry, herbal scent, sharp, with citrus, floral, and herbal notes.

Swift (Portland OR) Pineapple Hop (6.7% ABV) – They have been around since 2014, but it was their first time at Cider Summit Seattle. Semi-dry, balanced flavor between the pineapple & hops with only hints of bitterness, but overall the flavor intensity was low.

Washington Gold (Chelan WA) Northwest Raspberry (5.5% ABV) – This is a brand new small batch canned release. Semi-sweet to sweet, with intense real raspberry flavor.

It was impossible to taste all the ciders at the event (or even one from each producer), so I’d also like to share previous tasting notes and reviews on some of the producers I didn’t get to highlight: 101 Cider House, 2 Towns, Aspall, Atlas, Bull Run, Chatter Creek, Double Mountain, Dragon’s Head, Dunkertons, Eaglemount, E.Z. Orchards, Finnriver, Greenwood, Hi-Wheel, Incline, Jester & Judge, J. Seeds, Le Brun, Locust, Maeloc, Manoir du Parc, Methow Valley, Moonlight Meadery, New West, North Idaho, Number 6 Cider, Reverend Nat’s, Portland, Rambling Route, Samuel Smiths, Schilling, Sea Cider, Snowdrift, Sonoma, Spire Mountain, Steelhead, Summit, Tieton, Ulee’s, Wandering Aengus, WildCraft, and Worley’s

In Summary

My Favorite Ciders – Of the ones I tasted at the event, my favorites were the 4 French ciders, some of the sweeter ciders that were very flavorful (such as One Tree’s Pina Colada and WA Gold Cider’s Raspberry), Montana Cider’s Dolgo, and Liberty’s Spokane Scrumpy.

Other Interesting Selections – There were also some interesting beverages I didn’t try, such as Schilling’s guava barrel-aged sour, a cocktail from Incline with gin and their Compass Rose cider, apple whiskey from J. Seeds, a Cider Summit themed cider from Finnriver which has been available at all four Cider Summit events this year (see here), 101 Ciderhouse’s Black Dog with activated charcoal (see here), and Reverend Nat’s Sacrilege Sour Cherry with ghost peppers (see here).

Tasting Notes from NW Cider’s Preview of WA Cider Week 2017

August 16, 2017October 21, 2017 cidersays Alpenfire, Bad Granny, Capitol Cider, Dragon's Head, event, Finnriver, Liberty, Locust, Pear UP, review, Schilling, Seattle Cider, Snowdrift, Tieton, Washington Cider Week Capitol Cider, cider, cider review, cider tasting, Cider Week, hard cider, Schilling Cider House, tasting notes, wa cider week, Washington Cider Week

I was recently invited to a Washington Cider Week preview for media and buyers. The 7th annual Washington Cider Week is September 7th-17th 2017, and will include numerous cider events, with Cider Summit Seattle being a main highlight. This preview event was hosted by the NW Cider Association, and held midday on a Tuesday at Capitol Cider in Seattle.

It was a pretty sweet invite-only event, and I enjoyed the excuse to take a half day off work! My husband even joined me; it was nice to have a driver, as there were eleven PNW cidery representatives pouring samples. Even though there weren’t many new-to-me ciders, it was a great opportunity to get some face time with the pourers, which often isn’t possible at the larger events.

Alpenfire Cider (Port Townsend WA): I’ve tried most of their lineup, which includes many favorites, but my husband requested a sample of Glow. It is one of their sweeter options, made from rare red-fleshed apples. It was a good choice as they rarely pour it at events. Awesome as always, semi-sweet, and crazy fruity flavorful without any additives.

Bad Granny (Chelan WA): This was my first time seeing them at an event (the cidery is less than a year old). I learned that they are associated with Karma Vineyards, one of the few producers of Methode Champenoise wine in the state. The cidery is a combination of their MC wine experience and their apple orchard family roots. I had tried their flagship Green Apple cider on draft previously (it is also sold in cans), which is a great simple semi-sweet cider option. They also brought their currently draft-only black currant cider, which I found to have only a very mild flavor, but overall was easy to drink, semi-dry to semi-sweet, with a fuller body than expected. I learned of their plans to release some specialty ciders in large format bottles, such as one from red-fleshed apples and one from Dabinett traditional cider apples.

Dragon’s Head (Vashon Island WA): They just released this year’s vintage of Kingston Black single varietal cider (which I tried last year). However, I decided to go for the Traditional cider, which is my favorite from them – a semi-dry cider with complex rich bittersweet cider apple flavor. I also sampled the Perry, as I wanted to compare it to the Methode Champenoise version I tried recently; I enjoyed this regular version better as it was sweeter (almost semi-sweet), and more flavorful / fruitier. Sometimes I find that a very high carbonation can impede a cider tasting for me as it makes a cider seem every drier and more acidic than it really is.

Finnriver (Chimacum WA): I tried their newish Cider Summit collaboration cider (poured at all four Cider Summit events in 2017 – Chicago, San Francisco, Portland, and next, Seattle), called “Summit Saison”. It is made with organic apples, Saison yeast, dried fruit such as apricots, and spices (which oddly enough included peppercorns). I found it hazy, semi-dry to semi-sweet, with citrus & stone fruit notes with a hint of peppercorn on the finish. I’m not a fan of pepper, even in food, so I wasn’t really sure what to make of it. My husband however was a fan.

Liberty Ciderworks (Spokane WA): This was a great opportunity to have a side-by-side tasting of their English-Style and Stonewall (barrel aged) ciders, which I’ve previously found very similar but hadn’t tried together. I preferred the Stonewall, as it was a bit smoother, with less acidic bite, and the added whiskey & oak notes. I also tried Turncoat, their hopped cider, which had nice herbal flavor without bitterness, which was my husband’s favorite.

Locust Cider (Woodinville WA): At this stop, as I said I had tried all of the regular line up (which was being poured from their new cans), I was treated to a sample of their limited release Bourbon Barrel Aged cider. It was semi-dry, and very mild at first (especially for 14% ABV), then all of a sudden Bam!, an intense bourbon finish. I thought I hadn’t tried it previously, but I actually had, over a year ago at their tap room (good thing for my Cider List!). I liked it better this time because it was served cold, but despite enjoying the flavor, its not something I would drink too often.

Pear UP – formerly Neigel Vintners / NV Cider (East Wenatchee WA): I had a chance to have a longish chat with the always energetic co-founder Kevin. He shared about the recent NW Cider trip where 10 PNW cidermakers traveled to France & England to learn about keeving (see this article). I also learned about the cidery’s packaging changes, such as new 12oz instead of 16.9oz green Aluminum bottles (with a digital wrap instead of labels), and four packs of 12oz clear glass bottles (which enables that SKU to be at a lower price point). I also learned about some new products they have released, including an interesting new partnership with a distillery, a brewery, and a label artist, resulting in Centre Ring, with an initial release of a cider and a perry, at a nice price point of $11.99 / 750ml bottle. Interestingly enough, Centre Ring doesn’t only focus on cider/perry, but craft beverages and food in general.

I started with the new Centre Ring Reserve Pear, which reminded me of a slightly drier and slightly more complex version of their flagship Pear Essentials, as it was semi-dry, medium bodied, and pear-forward with some citrus notes. Next I tried another new-to-me release (draft and bottles), Pearjito Colada; I didn’t pick up any mint, but the coconut was a fun bold flavor in the tasty semi-sweet perry. Lastly, my husband wanted to try the Pearfect Pie, which I had never tried either; it was a bit odd to drink in summer, but is a semi-sweet perry with a hint of pie spice.

Schilling Cider (Auburn WA): I tried the Grapefruit & Chill, which I learned was a different recipe than a grapefruit cider I had previously tried which was flavored with SodaJerk grapefruit soda syrup and I wasn’t a fan of; this time it was a surprisingly pleasant citrus-forward and higher carbonation semi-dry cider. I also re-tried the Pineapple Passion, which is one of my favorite Schilling varieties, with some strong tropical flavor, but it is definitely on the sweeter end (semi-sweet to sweet). My favorite from them is the King’s Schilling.

Seattle Cider (Seattle WA): I tried two new draft-only releases. First – Lavender Lemon, a semi-dry cider with the as-advertised flavor notes. Second – Cucumber Hibiscus, which was semi-dry to dry, and started with cucumber on the nose, primarily hibiscus (fruity/floral) in the flavor, and a cucumber finish. They were both more flavorful than most of the ciders I’ve previously had from them. I found both pretty average – plenty drinkable, but not something I would seek out.

Snowdrift Cider (East Wenatchee WA): No new ciders to try, but I tried the cider I had tried the least of and is the most rare – the Cidermaker’s Reserve. I learned it was made under Methode Champenoise with apples from their 2014 harvest, including bittersweet varieties, and aged 3! years. It is a highly carbonated cider with an awesome texture, on the sweeter side of semi-dry, with a very unique flavor profile – fruity with pomegranate notes, and almost grape champagne-like. I was surprised to hear it had bittersweet cider apples, as it definitely didn’t have the typical profile I’d expect. A fun and unique cider and an excellent value too, at $19 / 750ml (this was my husband’s favorite cider of the event, and he insisted we pick some up afterwards).

Tieton Cider Works (Yakima WA): No new to me ciders here either, so I re-tried the Sparkling Perry. I re-learned that this is made by keeving and is wild yeast fermented (neither of which I would have guessed nor remembered from my taste nearly two years ago). I’d describe it as a semi-sweet to semi-dry pear-forward perry with fruity citrus notes.

They had some nice swag too – tote bags, brochures, postcards, and stickers.

I did some serious cider shopping that day, about 12 bottles between Capitol Cider, the Schilling Cider House, and QFC. My coolest finds were at Capitol Cider, as I don’t get there often: EZ Orchards “Pomme” (Pommeau, a mix of apple brandy & cider), last year’s release of Finnriver Fire Barrel (which I liked better than this year’s batch), and two different single varietals from Liberty (that I only thought were available in their tasting room and online). The Schilling Cider House also had a couple new to me releases, a peach wine from Mission Trail and Gasping Goose from Newton’s Court in England. I also picked up a re-supply of Dunkertons Black Fox, my current go-to English cider, and a couple others favorites from Aspall and EZ Orchards.

Stay tuned for more posts on Washington Cider Week 2017, especially Cider Summit Seattle.

Schilling Cider House Visit 22 Tasting Notes

November 18, 2016November 18, 2016 cidersays Cockrell, Pomarina, Schilling, Seattle Cider, Snowdrift cider, cider bar, cider review, cider tasting, hard cider, Schilling Cider House, seattle, tasting notes

Tasting notes from my 22nd visit to the Schilling Cider House in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle WA. Check out my past posts with tasting notes here.

I was there on a random Thursday. I started with a flight.

Cockrell Brewing (Puyallup WA) Jonastar (6.9% ABV): This is a single varietal from Jonastar apples, and is likely draft-only. Slightly hazy medium straw yellow hue. Semi-dry to semi-sweet. Moderate tartness. High acidity. Hints of bitterness and sourness. No funk or tannins. Notes of lemon, grapefruit, floral, and green apple. Low apple flavor. Low complexity. Low flavor intensity. High sessionability. I thought it was pretty average.

Schilling Cider (Auburn WA) Blueberry Cobbler (6.6% ABV): This is a spiced blueberry cider, barrel aged 12 months, primarily available in bottles at Bartell Drugs (a collaboration; see here). Cherry hue. Semi-sweet. Medium bodied. Low tartness. Moderate acidity. No bitterness, sourness, tannins, or funk. Notes of blueberry, pie spices, and a hint of vanilla. No apple flavor. Moderate sessionability. Moderate flavor intensity. Low complexity. I didn’t pick up any barrel influence, but I imagine the other flavors could have overwhelmed them. This cider was a bit weird for my tastes.

Seattle Cider (Seattle WA) Washington Heirloom (7.0% ABV): This is a special release made from heirloom and cider apple varieties, also available in bottles. Higher carbonation. Medium straw yellow hue. Semi-dry to dry. Moderate tartness. High acidity. No bitterness, sourness, tannins, or funk. Notes of lemon, lime, floral, and herbal. Low flavor intensity. Low to moderate complexity. Low apple flavor. Moderate sessionability. I thought it was pretty average. There was more heirloom than cider apple flavor.

Snowdrift Cider (East Wenatchee, WA) Seckel Perry (8.6% ABV): This is a single-varietal perry (no apples, only pears) made from Seckel pears, also available in bottles. Slightly hazy light straw yellow. Semi-dry to semi-sweet. Medium bodied. Low tartness. Moderate acidity. Hints of bitterness, tannins, and sourness. No funk. Notes of pear, citrus, green apple, and floral. Moderate sessionability. Moderate pear flavor. Moderate flavor intensity. Moderate complexity. I enjoyed it (more than their regular Perry, which I found had a lot of bitterness).

Sarah also shared a bottle pour with me of a Spanish Sidra which is new to the U.S.

Pomarina (Asturias Spain, 7.0% ABV): This Spanish Sidra was made in the style of methode champenoise (to naturally carbonate it). Semi-dry. Light bodied, frothy texture (although it had been open awhile so it didn’t have much carbonation left). Moderate tartness. High acidity. Low sourness. Hints of bitterness. No tannins or funk. Notes of citrus and green apple. Moderate length finish. Moderate sessionability. Low apple flavor. Low flavor intensity. Low complexity. I found this more approachable than most Sidra, as it was less sour. I’m not a fan of sourness though, so I didn’t care for it.

The Snowdrift Seckel Perry was my favorite.

Stay tuned for more Schilling Cider House tasting notes here at Cider Says! Have you had any good draft cider / cider flights recently?

Cider Summit Seattle 2016 Post 2/2 – Tasting Notes

September 14, 2016April 16, 2017 cidersays 2 Towns, Apple Outlaw, Aspall, Cider Summit, Coquerel Calvados, D's Wicked, Double Mountain, Dragon's Head, event, Finnriver, Incline, J. Seeds, local, Maeloc, Montana Ciderworks, Moonlight Meadery, Nectar Creek, Number Six, NV Cider, Rev Nat's, review, Sea Cider, Seattle Cider, Steelhead, Summit Cider cider, cider event, cider review, cider summit, cider tasting, hard cider, seattle, tasting notes

This is post 2/2 on Cider Summit Seattle 2016, covering tasting notes. Post 1/2 (see here) covered the event.

2 Towns (Corvallis Oregon) Hollow Jack (6.4% ABV) – This fall seasonal pumpkin cider was just released. They added caramelized pumpkin, sweet potato, honey, and spices. Semi-dry. Light bodied. Low tartness, acidity, and bitterness. Notes of pumpkin, squash, and cinnamon. It was very lightly flavored, unlike many other pumpkin (and more frequently found, “pumpkin” spice ciders, which actually don’t have any pumpkin) which are overwhelming.

Apple Outlaw (Applegate Oregon) Chocolate Raspberry (unknown ABV) – This was their fruit cider challenge entry. The chocolate was added by soaking cacao bean husks in the raspberry cider. These husks would otherwise be discarded in the chocolate making process. Smells delicious, purely chocolate and raspberry. Semi-dry. The flavor is almost all raspberry, but hints of dark chocolate shone through in the slightly bitter and tannic finish. Moderate tartness and acidity. This was a bit of a novelty, but nice.

Aspall (Suffolk England) Perronelle’s Blush (4% ABV) – Semi-dry to semi-sweet. Moderate tartness and acidity. Light to medium bodied. Lovely fruitiness with moderate blackberry flavor plus hints of cranberry and blueberry. This is a nice sessionable summer sipper without forgoing flavor. I’ve never been disappointed by Aspall.

Boonville (Boonville CA) Bite Hard Semi-Sweet (6.9% ABV) – Their semi-sweet flagship cider is a follow up to their Dry Bite Hard variety. I found it as advertised, semi-sweet. Medium bodied. Fruity, with notes of tropical fruit like pineapple, plus green apple (all from the apples). I prefer this semi-sweet cider to their drier variety, which was more wine-like (which corresponds to their wine making background and methods).

Bull Run (Forest Grove Oregon) Mango (unknown ABV) – This was their fruit cider challenge entry. This hazy cider looked like mango juice. Semi-sweet. Medium bodied. Very juice-like and moderate mango flavor intensity. Moderate tartness and acidity. Simple but tasty.

Carlton Cyderworks (McMinnville Oregon) Impearial Asian Pear Hard Cider (5.8% ABV) – This is a pear cider (apples + Asian pears + Hood River Oregon pears). Semi-dry. Light bodied. Light sourness. Mildly flavored with notes of pear, pineapple, lemon, green apple, and mineral. I prefer more flavor, but this would pair well with food.

Coquerel (Victot-Pontfol, Normandy, France) Calvodos Fine VSOP (40% ABV) – This was my first time trying straight Calvados, an aged apple brandy (I’ve only had it with cider, as Pommeau). Semi-dry. Definitely boozy, with a very long warming finish. It surprisingly had only a mild apple flavor, although its possible my palate was a bit overwhelmed by the alcohol. I’m not really into straight alcohol (especially when served room temperature). I think I’ll stick to Pommeau.

d’s Wicked (Kennewick WA) Cranny Granny (6.9% ABV) – This is a granny smith apple cider with cranberry juice. Hazy pink hue. Semi-sweet. Medium bodied. Simple with only notes of moderately tart granny smith apples and cranberry. If you like tartness and cranberry, you’ll like this cider.

Dragon’s Head (Vashon WA) Columbia Crabapple Cider (6.7% ABV) – A single varietal cider made from Columbia crabapples. Semi-dry to semi-sweet. Light bodied. Moderate tartness and acidity with hints of bitterness and tannins. Sharp flavor with notes of mineral, green apple, honey, white blossom, and lemon. Wine-like and nuanced with low flavor intensity. This is the sweetest variety I’ve tried from them. Their Kingston Black or Traditional is probably my favorite though.

Double Mountain Brewery – I’ll add a bit about them as they aren’t yet distributed in Washington, only Oregon. They have brewed beer for 9 years, but just started making cider, and have one introductory variety.

Double Mountain (Hood River Oregon) Jumpin Jack Heirloom Cider (7.3% ABV) – Fully dry. Mild sourness. Moderate tartness and acidity. Mild bitterness and tannins. Notes of green apple and a hint of hops (not sure if they were added, or there might have been some tap line contamination). I didn’t pick up the richness of any of the cider apple varieties they added, but there was definitely sharp heirloom apple flavor. I thought it was ok.

Finnriver (Chimanum WA) Apple Abbey (6.5% ABV) – A Belgian-inspired cider made from dessert apples. Foamy and hazy. Smells of sourness and citrus. Semi-sweet. Medium bodied. Yeast-forward. Notes of citrus and green apple. Hints of sourness. Moderate tartness and acidity. I liked it.

Finnriver (Chimanum WA) Pomona’s Nectar (6.5% ABV) – This is a new Crew Selection sour nectarine cider. Smells like Spanish Sidra. Semi dry. Mild to moderate sourness. Notes of lemon, yeast, and mineral (I didn’t pick up any stone fruit). I’m still trying to acquire the taste for sour ciders, but I found this one pretty tolerable; its a bit more approachable than the average Sidra.

Incline Cider (Auburn WA) Scout (6.5%) – A hopped marionberry cider. Semi-dry. Light bodied. Light marrionberry and moderate hops flavor. I think I prefer their plain Explorer hopped cider variety.

J. Seeds (Fairfield CA) Apple Cider Whiskey (35% ABV) – Whiskey made including apple cider. Semi-sweet. Apple forward and quite tasty, although I don’t have anything to compare it to as I’m not a whiskey drinker (I’ve previously found it too harsh). However, I’m not into straight booze, so I think I’d prefer it watered down or mixed. It looks to be available locally and is quite affordable. I wouldn’t mind trying this again. Being sweeter, it reminds me of what flavored sweetened vodka is to plain vodka.

Maeloc Cider (Galithia Spain) Dry (4.8% ABV) – This is a commercial Spanish Sidra. Semi-dry to semi-sweet (despite the “Dry” name). Medium bodied. Mild sourness and funk. Notes of citrus and green apple. It is a more approachable Sidra, a style I’m still learning to acquire a taste for. I learned they use apples from within 50 miles of the cidery, grown in a damp climate similar to the PNW, and use wild yeast fermentation for all their ciders. Overall it was ok.

Montana CiderWorks (Darby MT) Spartan Dry-Style (5.5% ABV) – This is a small batch oak aged single varietal made with Montana-grown Spartan apples, in the style of Northern Italy’s Sauvignon Blanc. Dry. Light bodied. Nuanced and wine-like, with high acidity, and sharp green apple, herbal, and baked apple notes. It was nice, but I prefer their fuller flavored Darby Pub cider. This is a wine-lovers cider.

Moonlight Meadery (Londonderry NH) Crimes of Passion (4.1% ABV) – A black currant seasonal cider. Semi-dry. Light sourness. Moderate tartness and acidity. Mild to moderate black currant flavor intensity. I enjoyed it, although without the sourness I would have enjoyed it more. I was excited to learn they will soon be offering their How Do You Like Them Little Apples cider in cans (currently all their ciders are draft-only), starting in October/November, including in the Seattle area.

Nectar Creek (Corvallis Oregon) Honeycone (6.9% ABV) – This is a hopped mead (no apples, just honey and water). The smell is all hops, no honey. Semi-dry. Mild flavor intensity with more hops than honey. I found this sessionable lightly carbonated mead to be lacking the full flavor I enjoy in the higher ABV sweeter meads.

Number Six Cider (Seattle WA) Peach Fuzz (6.5% ABV) – This was their fruit cider challenge entry, a spiced peach cider. Semi-dry. Very full bodied (chunky and smoothie-like). Low peach flavor and moderate to high spice intensity. It was a bit too strange for my liking as it was so full bodied, and overly spiced.

NV Cider (East Wenatchee WA) Watermelon Raspberry (unknown ABV) – This perry (no apples) with watermelon and raspberry was their fruit cider challenge entry, and was served through a watermelon. Semi-sweet. Light bodied. Moderately flavorful, but with more raspberry than watermelon notes, and no pear. I prefer their watermelon perry without the raspberry. Both however are refreshing options.

Reverend Nat’s (Portland Oregon) Sour Cherry (7.2% ABV) – This cider was made from granny smith apples, with pie cherry juice which was soured, pear juice, and “hint” of ghost chili peppers. Semi-dry. Moderate cherry flavor. Low sourness. Low to moderate heat/spiciness from the ghost chili peppers. I liked the cherry portion of the cider, but spicy ciders aren’t my thing (and a bit of a palate killer too). I’d love to see this without the spiciness (which I believe was new for this year).

Reverend Nat’s (Portland Oregon) The Passion (6.9% ABV) – Cider with passion fruit juice, coconut, and vanilla. Semi-dry to semi-sweet. Medium bodied. Mild sourness. Moderate tartness and acidity. Hints of bitterness and tannins. Strong passion fruit flavor with hints of vanilla, pineapple, and coconut. I really enjoyed it. I liked how fruity it was without being too sweet. I had heard this was very sour so I hadn’t got around to trying it, but I wish I had sooner! I wonder if they did away with the sour aspect this year, as I really didn’t pick up any. I’ll have to try this again to see if my sour taste buds were busted when I tried it.

Reverend Nat’s (Portland Oregon) Whiskey Barrel Aged Golden Russet with Black Currant (9.5% ABV) – This is Wandering Aengus’ Golden Russet cider with black currant puree from Oregon Fruit Products, aged for 6 months in whiskey barrels. It was made for the Portland and Seattle Cider Summits, but will be a Tent Show cider club release in October. Semi-dry. Moderate tartness and acidity. Mild tannins and bitterness. Moderate barrel and spirit influence. Awesome! I really loved this cider. I usually find berry ciders to be boring, but when barrel aged, they can be amazing. This reminded me of Alpenfire Calypso and Apocalypso, except more boozy, and whiskey not rum barrel aged. Too bad they weren’t selling bottles of this at the event, as I would have picked some up.

Sea Cider (Saanichton, B.C., Canada) Ruby Rose (9.9% ABV) – This summer seasonal is made with rhubarb and rose hips. Semi-dry to semi-sweet. Medium bodied. Mild to moderate tartness and acidity. Hints of bitterness and tannins. Intensely fruity, with floral, rhubarb, strawberry, and watermelon notes. I really liked it! Oddly enough I didn’t find it too boozy, despite being 9.9% ABV.

Sea Cider (Saanichton, B.C., Canada) Witch’s Broom (9.9% ABV) – I got a taste from the first bottle poured in the U.S. of this fall seasonal. It was described as a “bouquet of pumpkin patch spices”. Semi-sweet. Medium bodied. It was moderately spiced with notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, and baked apple. Mild tannins, bitterness, tartness, and acidity. Cinnamon was the most present, both in the nose and the finish. One of my favorite spiced ciders, but I’m not usually a huge fan of them.

Both of these ciders from Sea Cider are part of their Canadian Invasion Series, meant to draw attention to invasive species and their threat to farms and natural areas.

Seattle Cider (Seattle Washington) City Fruit (6.3% ABV) – This is a special release cider only sold at Whole Foods, made using apples collected in the Seattle community by the non-profit City Fruit. Dry to semi-dry. Wine-like and acid forward. Notes of red grape and mineral. Overall very mild flavor intensity. This is a wine-lovers cider, and would pair well with food.

Steelhead Cider (Manson WA) Chimera Cherry Apple (5.5% ABV) – This is a newer cidery who just started distributing (at least kegs) in the Seattle area. I previously tried their Peargatory. Semi-sweet. Medium bodied. Moderate to strong real cherry flavor. It was sweeter than I prefer, but I liked the intense cherry flavor.

Summit Cider – I’ll add a bit about them as they aren’t yet distributed in Western Washington (only Idaho and Eastern Washington). This cidery was started in 2014, making them the first in Idaho, and the only in Coeur d’Alene. Their bestseller is Apricot, although of late their Hibiscus cider has been popular with wine drinkers. They have a tap room in Coeur d’Alene. I met co-founder Davon Sjostrom, who has a background in Botany, which I imagine brings something new to cidermaking.

Summit Cider (Coeur d’Alene Idaho) Apple (6.5% ABV) – Semi-dry. Low tartness and acidity. Low to moderate apple flavor. Rather plain, but likeable.

Summit Cider (Coeur d’Alene Idaho) Apricot (6.5% ABV) – Semi-dry. Lots of (true) apricot flavor for the level of dryness (typically drier ciders have a less intense flavor than sweeter ciders). I really enjoyed it. Davon described testing out many varieties of apricots to find the one whose flavor came across best in cider.

Summit Cider (Coeur d’Alene Idaho) Hibiscus (6.9% ABV) – Semi-dry with nuanced light floral and herbal notes. I can see why this would be a wine-lovers cider.

Summit Cider (Coeur d’Alene Idaho) Blackberry (unknown ABV) – This was their fruit cider challenge entry. I found it semi-dry and very mild in flavor. I think with some barrel aging it would have been nice though.

In Summary

My Favorite Cider – Reverend Nat’s Whiskey Barrel Aged Black Currant

Other Favorite Ciders – Reverend Nat’s The Passion, Summer Cider Apricot, Sea Cider Ruby Rose, and Steelhead Cherry

Most Interesting Cider – One Tree’s PB&J cider, a raspberry cider with peanut butter whipped cream (I didn’t try it, but a photo is available here – more dessert than cider).

Other Interesting Ciders – Reverend Nat’s Sour Cherry, due to the use of ghost chili peppers. Schilling’s Grumpy Bear, due to the use of coffee and a Nitro can (my tasting notes here). Schilling’s Sour Raspberry Smoothie, due to its high viscosity (apparently for some of their ciders with high fruit content, they have a keg or two per batch which are smoothie-like). Apple Outlaw’s Chocolate Raspberry, due to the use of chocolate in a cider (I’ve only heard of Woodchuck doing this previously). 1o1 Ciderhouse Black Dog, due to the use of activated charcoal (poured last year, with my tasting notes here).

Schilling Cider House Visit 20 Tasting Notes

September 9, 2016October 8, 2017 cidersays Christian Drouin, Greenwood, Red Tank, Rev Nat's, review, Schilling, Seattle Cider, Steelhead cider, cider bar, cider review, cider tasting, hard cider, Schilling Cider House, seattle, tasting notes

Tasting notes from my 20th visit to the Schilling Cider House in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle WA. Check out my past posts with tasting notes here.

<can’t beat 32 cider taps!>

I was there on Labor Day for a random visit, since I had the day off work. I started with a flight.

Steelhead (Manson WA) Peargatory (Vanilla Pear), 5.5%: This is from a brand new cidery, and available in bottles as well. Semi-sweet. Medium bodied. Pear-forward, with green apple, pineapple, and mineral notes. I didn’t notice the vanilla, but I didn’t know about it until I looked it up later either. Low to moderate tartness. Moderate acidity. No bitterness, sourness, funk, or tannins. High sessionability. High pear flavor. Low complexity. Moderate flavor intensity. Pretty good (I definitely preferred it over Red Tank’s as it was more flavorful).

Greenwood (Seattle WA) Lavender Blackberry, 7.4%: This is a draft-only release. Semi-dry. Light bodied. Moderate tartness and acidity. Low bitterness and tannins. No sourness or funk. Notes of lavender, blackberry, and a weird herbalness. Low flavor intensity. Low complexity. Moderate sessionability. No apple flavor. I didn’t care for this one.

Red Tank (Bend OR) Tropical, 5.8%: This appears to be a draft-only release. Semi-dry. Medium bodied. Low to moderate tartness. Moderate acidity. Hints of bitterness and tannins. No sourness or funk. Notes of pineapple and green apple. Low flavor intensity. Low complexity. Low apple flavor. Moderate sessionability. I thought this was ok, but needed more flavor.

Red Tank (Bend OR) Pear Bear, 5.8%: This appears to be a draft-only release. Semi-dry. Medium bodied. Moderate tartness and acidity. Hints of bitterness and tannins. No sourness or funk. Pear and pineapple notes. Long boozy finish. High sessionability. Low to moderate pear flavor. Moderate flavor intensity. Low complexity. The flavor was a bit weird on this one.

Seattle Cider (Seattle WA) Gin Botanical, 6.5%: This seasonal release is also available in bottles. Semi-dry. Medium bodied. Light herbal flavor from the gin botanicals. Low to moderate tartness and acidity. Hints of bitterness and tannins. No sourness or funk. Low flavor intensity. Moderate complexity. Low apple flavor. Moderate sessionability. Not bad; I can see why its popular.

Christian Drouin (Rouen Normandy France) Pays d’Auge, 4.5%: This is also available in bottles, made from cider apples, and wild yeast fermented. Smells rich and a bit funky. Semi-dry to semi-sweet. Light to medium bodied, frothy and foamy. Low tartness and acidity. Low sourness, funk, tannins, and bitterness. Notes of bittersweet apples, brown sugar, and orange. Moderate to high apple flavor. Moderate sessionability, flavor intensity, and complexity. Great! I was expecting more sourness and funk, but it was quite tolerable.

Reverend Nat’s Revival Dry: Although this shares the name with their popular sweeter Revival variety, its quite different…2/3 English & French bittersweet and 1/3 American heirloom varieties, partial wild fermentation, multiple yeast strains, and no piloncillo. Only in 750ml bottles. A friend shared some with me. Smells fruity. Dry. Light bodied. Mild sharp tropical flavor. Mild sourness, tannins, and funk. Moderate tartness, acidity, and bitterness. Low apple flavor. Low sessionability. Moderate complexity. Moderate flavor intensity. I prefer the regular version. This would probably appeal well to wine lovers.

The Christian Drouin Pays d’Auge was my favorite, which isn’t a surprise as it is the only one made from cider apple varieties.

Stay tuned for more Schilling Cider House tasting notes here at Cider Says! Have you had any good draft cider / cider flights recently?

Seattle Cider Dry

March 30, 2016March 27, 2016 cidersays review, Seattle Cider cider, cider review, cider tasting, dry, hard cider, seattle, Seattle Cider, washington

Review of Seattle Cider Company’s Dry cider. I’ve also tried their PNW Berry, Semi-Sweet, Olympic Honey, Plum Gose, Oaked Maple, Harvest Series Gravenstein Rosé, and Gose varieties.

Cider: Dry
Cidery: Seattle Cider Company
Cidery Location: Seattle WA
ABV: 6.5%
How Supplied: four pack of 16oz cans (and kegs)
Style: American craft sessionable canned cider made from dessert apple varieties

Availability: Year round, at least in AK, CA, CO, IL, MN, OR, TX, WA, and WI. Their website includes lists of stores by state & city.

Cider Description: One of the driest ciders on the market. The golden orange glow of this unique unfiltered cider lends way to notes of lilac, blood orange and green apple on the nose. Dry and pleasantly acidic, flavors of nectarine, under ripe peach and tart cherry hit the palate with no residual sweetness.

Made from Granny Smith, Gala, Fuji, Red Delicious, and Golden Delicious apples.

Cidery Description: Seattle Cider Company is Seattle’s first cidery since Prohibition, bringing true craft cider back to Seattle and across the country. Bridging the gap between wine and beer with flavorful, small-batch cider, Seattle Cider’s initial offerings – Dry and Semi-Sweet – break the mold of overly sweet cider, bringing the natural flavors of Washington apples to the forefront.

They have a tasting room (The Woods, shared with Two Beers Brewing) in Seattle WA, which I visited last year (see here).

Price: ~$3 for a single can (runs $11-$13 for a four pack)
Where Bought: Total Wine
Where Drank: home
How Found: I’ve always known about this cider, but wasn’t really into drier ciders, so put off trying it.

First Impression: Light straw yellow. Low carbonation upon pouring. Smells clean & crisp, very mild, of green apples, citrus, and yeast.

Tasting Notes: Dry. Moderate to high acidity. Light bodied. Low carbonation. Low tartness. Hints of bitterness and tannins. No sourness or funk. Notes of green apples, citrus, yeast, mineral, and floral. Moderate length finish. Low apple influence. Moderate to high sessionability.

My Opinion: This was a pretty standard canned dry cider from dessert apples. I didn’t really pick up the fruity notes the description eluded to. I prefer a bit more sweetness and flavor, so as far as their flagship ciders, I like Semi-Sweet more than Dry. My favorite from them so far is Olympic Honey. However, overall, Seattle Cider Company’s cider style isn’t really to my liking.

Most Similar to: Ace Joker, and especially, Original Sin Extra Dry. I liked the Original Sin best of the three, as I found it to be the most complex.

Closing Notes: This isn’t really a style of cider I enjoy, but it was nice to try.

Have you tried Seattle Cider Dry? What did you think?

Schilling Cider House Visit 9 Tasting Notes

January 7, 2016January 7, 2016 cidersays Blue Mountain, E.Z. Orchards, Finnriver, Grizzly Ciderworks, J.K.'s Scrumpy, Locust, review, Schilling, Sea Cider, Seattle Cider cider, cider review, cider tasting, hard cider, hard cider review, hard cider tasting, Schilling Cider House, seattle, washington

Tasting notes from my ninth visit to the Schilling Cider House in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle WA. Check out my past posts here. I hadn’t thought I’d have time for another visit in December, but managed to fit it into my schedule.

I was there for a Finnriver Bingo event, although I didn’t have much interest in the actual game & prizes, just used it as an excuse to go. The event was a packed house! There were six Finnriver ciders on tap: Habanero, Black Currant, Barrel in the Forest, Cranberry Rosehip, Fresh Hopped, and Pear (all of which I’ve had except Fresh Hopped).

I started with a flight of six ciders.

Blue Mountain Estate Winesap, 6.75% ABV, Milton-Freewater OR: This is a single varietal made with Winesap apples which Blue Mountain sells year round. Nearly clear. Tart, dry, and slightly funky smell. Dry to semi-dry. Moderate tartness and acidity. Mild bitterness. Very mild tannins. Hint of funk. Slight floral and oak notes. Light bodied. Moderate to long finish. I thought this was a basic dry & tart cider, and pretty low on flavor.

Seattle Cider Oaked Maple, 6.9% ABV, Seattle WA: This is one of Seattle Cider’s winter seasonals (they also did a Cranberry cider this year). I couldn’t remember if I had tried this before, but I’m leaning towards yes. Dark straw yellow hue. Smells of sweet maple and oak. Semi-dry. Moderate acidity. Mild tartness. Light bodied. Very light oak and light maple flavor. Quick finish. I thought this was pretty good, but I would have liked more flavor.

Finnriver Barrel in the Forest, 6.5% ABV, Chimacum WA: This is a limited release of a barrel aged version of Finnriver’s Forest Ginger cider (which I haven’t tried). I usually don’t like ginger, but this sounded interesting. Smells of sweet ginger. Semi-sweet. Light oak notes. Very mild ginger notes, much less than most ginger ciders (which usually seem to hit me at the back of the throat and linger). Low acidity, tartness, and bitterness. Light bodied. Moderate length finish. The ginger flavor however increased as it warmed up. This paired well with the Thai food I had for dinner. Overall I didn’t mind this one, despite the ginger, but probably wouldn’t get it again.

Locust Ciderworks Pumpkin, 5.0% ABV, Woodinville WA: This is a seasonal release from Locust, apparently draft-only. Hazy pumpkin orange-yellow hue. Smells of sweet pumpkin spice. Very sweet. Mild pumpkin and spice flavors, but overall very full flavored. Low acidity and tartness. Full bodied. Moderate length finish. I really liked this (even though I usually don’t go for pumpkin or spice), except it was too sweet for my liking, so not something I could have a pint of.

E.Z. Orchards Semi-Dry, 6.9% ABV, Salem OR: This is a regular release cider from E.Z. Orchards which uses French bittersweet apples. After ordering this I remembered I had tried it before, at Cider Summit Seattle 2015. Light amber. Smells slightly rich. Semi-dry. Herbal notes. Very light boded. Low tannins and tartness. Low to moderate acidity. Quick finish. Overall mildly flavored. It tasted a bit off, and I wondered if the tap line could have used more flushing. I also liked it much better at Cider Summit. Different batches can turn out much differently.

Grizzly Ciderworks Pomnivore on Nitro, 6.7% ABV, Woodinville WA: This is a tap-only release from Grizzly. Light ruby red. On the drier side of semi-sweet. Low acidity and tartness. Moderately flavored. Quick finish. I liked the pomegranate flavor without too much tartness like many pomegranate ciders have.

I met Nathan from Cider Chronicles (we just happened to sit next to each other at the bar!), who was awesome enough to share bottle pours of a couple ciders with me. He said Sea Cider Wassail, J.K.’s Scrumpy Winterruption, and Elemental Seasonal Spiced Apple were his three favorite seasonal ciders, although Reverend Nat’s Winter Abbey Spiced may be replacing J.K.’s Scrumpy Winterruption in his cue. I haven’t seen Rev Nat’s Winter Abbey, but picked up a bottle of Elemental Spiced, and tried the other two.

Sea Cider Wassail, 14% ABV, Saanichton BC Canada: This is Sea Cider’s winter seasonal. Rich amber-orange hue. Smells like orange and holiday spices. Semi-dry. Well-hidden ABV! Low acidity, tartness, and bitterness. The orange and spice notes continued into the flavor. Rich and full-flavored. Medium bodied. Moderate length finish with lots of heat. I liked this a bit more as it warmed up from fridge temperature. Overall this was enjoyable, but I like their Prohibition best.

J.K.’s Scrumpy Cuvee Winterruption, 6.9% ABV, Flushing MI: This is J.K. Scrumpy’s winter seasonal. Very sweet. Honey, orange, and mild spice notes. Mild acidity and tartness. Moderate to full bodied. Apparently this cider usually has much more spice. It was very easy drinking, between the sweetness and low ABV. Overall I found it ok.

Stay tuned for more Schilling Cider House tasting notes here at Cider Says! Have you had any good draft cider / cider flights recently?

Washington Cider Week Kickoff at Seattle Cider

September 14, 2015August 10, 2017 cidersays Cider Summit, Cockrell, event, Grizzly Ciderworks, Liberty, local, review, Seattle Cider, Washington Cider Week cider, cider review, cider summit, cider summit seattle, cider tasting, Cider Week, hard cider, Seattle Cider, Washington Cider Week

Thursday night was a great kickoff to Washington Cider Week! I started the evening at Seattle Cider (opening ceremonies, although I left before that), then moved on to the Burgundian Bar (East Meets West, An Evening with Eden and Alpenfire Ciders). This post will cover Seattle Cider and another will cover the Burgundian (plus many posts to come on Cider Summit and other Washington Cider Week events!). I mostly chose to stop by Seattle Cider as it was a Washington Cider Week event to fill the time between when I got off work and the event at the Burgundian started at 5pm, as the events were located between work and home. Plus I hadn’t ever been to their tasting room, The Woods (which they share with their sister brewery, 2 Beers Brewing Company).

Seattle Cider ended up a bit disappointing of a stop as they only opened at 3pm, and nothing was actually going on for the Washington Cider Week kickoff yet. There were plenty of folks there though, lots of growler fills, etc. They were only setting up while I was there, but they did however have 16 ciders on tap (6 of their own and 10 from 10 other cideries), some free cider swag, and a hot dog cart. Also, I got to meet fellow cider blogger Ron from DrinkingCider.com! He had reached out that he would be in town for Cider Summit, and I let him know my schedule. We ended up meeting up at Seattle Cider, the Burgundian, and Cider Summit, which was pretty awesome. He even brought me some cider from Tod Creek in Victoria BC which I look forward to trying; very cool. Too bad he couldn’t take cider back to CT.

We even got a mini tour from their tasting room manager. They were in production so we couldn’t walk through the cidermaking area (although they have an opening you can look through to see it), but we got to see a few areas. I learned that Seattle Cider currently only uses apples from Washington (all dessert varieties except their Harvest series). It was also interesting to hear about and see their current construction project, a kitchen! Probably a very welcome addition…more tasting room need to offer food, even if its only chips, crackers, pretzels, whatever.

<taps, bar area, and fridges of canned/bottled beer/cider for purchase>

I ended up sampling five ciders at The Woods / Seattle Cider. Unfortunately they didn’t have a sampler, but would pour tastes. I really think a sampler is the best way to go anywhere which has multiple cider choices on tap. So, I had a couple tastes, got a glass of one, then had a few more tastes.

Seattle Cider Olympic Honey. This cider is a special release (August 2015) Seattle Cider did with the Fairmont Olympic Hotel, and only available at Seattle Cider and the restaurant/bar at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel. This used honey from the rooftop apiary at the hotel. I had really wanted to try this after seeing a segment they did on King 5 local news on Facebook, so I was pleased they still had some. Retail is $9 for a 22oz bottle, but I had a 13oz tap pour for $6. 6.9% ABV. Semi dry. I picked up only hints of honey, but it was refreshing, and probably my favorite Seattle Cider variety so far (I’m not a huge fan of their ciders, although they have a large local following). Moderate acidity and and mild tartness.

Seattle Cider Plum Gose. This is Seattle Cider’s twist on gose (a unique style of German beer which includes coriander and salt). It includes Jacobsen sea salt (from Portland OR), coriander, and plums, and was made using Chardonnay yeast and added malic acid. 6.9% ABV. Semi-dry. Very unique but mild flavor from the ingredient additions. Lovely light berry hue from the plums, but my taster was too small to get a clear photo of the cider’s color. Higher carbonation. A touch of saltiness. Apparently they previously had a full Gose cider, and would often get requests to mix it with their PNW Berry, so they decided to make something similar with plums.

Liberty Ciderworks Crabenstein. Made using Dolgo crabapples and Gravenstein apples with wild yeast fermentation. 7.3% ABV. Dry. Tart and mouth-puckering with a touch of funk, but the flavor profile is pretty mild. I like Liberty’s Manchurian Crabapple single varietal better as it is bolder, but they are completely different styles of cider (for example, the Manchurian is 12.5% ABV).

Cockrell Valley Red. Cider with Puyallip WA raspberries. This is the first time I’ve tried a cider from Cockrell. 6.2% ABV. Semi-dry. Lovely fruity nose and red hue (again, no photo; sorry), acidic, and tart. I didn’t pick up raspberries (nor did I know that was the fruit they used until I researched this cider), but for me it was more of a general tart berry than a specific flavor. It reminded me some of Snowdrift Red (which I prefer).

Grizzly Ciderworks Woodlander Wit-Style. They modeled this cider after Belgian wit-style beer (they used that variety of beer yeast). I’ve previously tried their Ridge. 6.7% ABV. Semi-dry. Smells slightly woody. I didn’t pick up any of the orange peel or coriander they included in this cider, but again, it was a pretty small taste. I found it very similar to their Ridge, but slightly more sweet, tart, and complex, and slightly less flavorful. I prefer the Ridge, which I found to have more of the woody & earthy notes I enjoy.

This is just the start of my Washington Cider Week posts, so stay tuned for posts on Thursday night part 2 (Burgundian with Eden & Alpenfire ciders), Cider Summit, and events I’ll be attending next week at Capitol Cider and the Schilling Cider House! Subscribe to Cider Says using the sidebar (on the right or at the bottom of the page on mobile devices) and like us on Facebook to ensure you don’t miss out!

Seattle Cider Semi-Sweet

August 28, 2015August 21, 2015 cidersays review, Seattle Cider brix, cider, cider review, happy hour, hard cider, hard cider review, Hop Jacks, keg, seattle, Seattle Cider, Seattle Cider Semi-Sweet, Semi-Sweet

Review of Seattle Cider’s Semi-Sweet variety, their most popular flagship / year round variety (which also includes Dry, and recently, Citrus). I’ve had this a few times, but this is the first time since starting Cider Says. Seattle Cider also offers some seasonal, limited release, and harvest series ciders in 22 oz bottles.

Cider: Semi-Sweet
Cidery: Seattle Cider Company
Cidery Location: Seattle WA (duh!)
ABV: 6.5%
Brix: 2.6
How Supplied: 16oz cans (four pack), kegs

Availability: Year round, in WA, OR, CA, HI, TX, MN, WI, & IL

Cider Description: A light, crisp cider with just a touch of sweetness. Honey in color with notes of bergamot orange, lemon, and apple, this refreshing cider reveals hints of citrus and cinnamon on the palate. Made from Granny Smith, Fuji, Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, and Gala apples from Eastern Washington.

White wine yeast and pure cane sugar added for fermentation. Filtered for clarification before tank aging for at least two weeks. Fermented dry. Some cane sugar is added to back sweeten.

My pint came from this keg:
(visible through the window at the restaurant)

Where Drank: Hop Jacks, a bar/restaurant (“neighborhood gathering place”) in Lynnwood WA
Price: $4.25 / pint (Happy Hour)
How Found: I’ve known about Seattle Cider pretty much since they started up in 2013. They built a very quick following, and seems to be the most commonly found craft cider on tap around here, plus can be located almost everywhere that sells bottled/canned cider. Seattle Cider is currently the only cider on tap at Hop Jacks (they also offer bottles of Angry Orchard).

First Impression: Medium amber, and actually has some head to it, even after the trip from the bar to our table. I don’t pick up any distinctive smell besides mild apple. Interestingly enough there are several reviewers who say this cider smells bad? I’ve definitely smelled worse ciders….

Opinion: More semi-dry than semi-sweet to me. Crisp apple flavor. I don’t really pick up any other notes, such as the citrus or cinnamon they mention. A bit tart & bitter on the finish, but quick. Uncomplicated but refreshing. I also find it better on tap than canned. I like it better when very cold. There is little carbonation in the mouth. I had this cider with fish & chips, which is a great combination as this is a simple cider which isn’t sweet and won’t compete with the meal.

Most Similar to: Anthem’s original cider, which is slightly more tart & complex

Closing Notes: This is a very basic cider which is definitely drinkable (and easy to drink), but not something I’d typically buy when given a large selection. Its better than Angry Orchard though, and a good deal at $4.25 / pint Happy Hour prices.

Their Ciders: I’ve tried a few other selections from Seattle Cider and haven’t really been impressed with any of them, plus they generally tend to be a bit drier than I prefer. They have a Berry cider for example which I barely picked up any berry flavor and was pretty dry for a fruity cider, 1.8 compared to 2.6 Brix for this one. I like that they publish Brix, if only to compare the sweetness levels of their varieties to each other.

Have you tried Seattle Cider? What did you think?

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