Cider Summit Seattle 2019 Post 1/2 – The Event

September 9, 2019September 7, 2019 cidersays Cider Summit, event, review cider, cider event, cider summit, cider summit seattle, cider tasting, cider tasting event, hard cider, seattle

Epic! This was my fifth year attending (see here for previous posts), but was the 10th annual Cider Summit in Seattle Washington. It took place on Friday & Saturday September 6th & 7th. This is post 1/2, covering the event. Post 2/2 will have tasting notes on all the ciders I tried.

Info

See my preview here. I attended Friday afternoon, which is awesome as it isn’t too crowded yet, especially the VIP hour (2pm-3pm). See here for the full event info and here for the full list of cideries (~54) and ciders (~150-200). There were some substitutions and even 1 cidery no-show, but there were plenty of options, even for someone like me who had tried most of the lineup from most of the cideries. There was even ice cider, Pommeau, Calvados and other spirits, and cider cocktails.

Although most ciders were from the PNW, there were a good number of national and international ones as well. Also, the selections were primarily on the craft (vs. commercial) end. Like last year, they had smaller pour sizes and more tickets for pours, so it was easier to try more selections.

Entry included a tasting glass, drink tickets, and wristband. A cool feature of this event is that in addition to in & out privileges, one entry fee gets you in both days (and you can even skip the line on the second day), just keep your wristband on and bring your glass. This year they were at a new venue, Lake Union Park outside of the MOHAI, instead of at South Lake Union Discovery Center across from Whole Foods. It was still an outdoor event, and < 1 mile from the old site. I liked this venue a bit better, as there seemed to be more space. The only traffic jam area was around the heritage cider tent.

However, parking was a bit trickier. Previously we’d always just park in the Whole Foods garage. MOHAI has very little parking, and their main lot was marked permit only when we checked. We ended up parking about a 5 minute walk away, at Chander’s Cove next to Daniels, where it was $20 for up to 10 hours, and a nice paved lot (vs. rocks); however, it was a pain to pay (needed to download an app and create an account). The Amazon lots can be a great option if you are attending Friday night or anytime Saturday, but at 1:30pm on Friday we didn’t even try.

This event is very well organized, by far the best I have attended. It is also very consistent year-to-year. Everything from detailed pre-event information online (even a full cider list) to signage at the event to thinking of the little things like having rinse water available and a shaded seating area. Its crazy to think about how much work goes into an event of this magnitude…renting a space, tables, canopies, and even fencing…finding volunteers, hiring staff for liquor enforcement and safety (at emergency exits), having extra ice and cider available, etc.

Another thing about this event that I really like is that the folks pouring the cider are associated with the cidery (cidery employees, sometimes even the cidermakers, or the distributor), so you can ask about the cidery and cider. Plus, all the canned/bottled ciders are available in the shop (too bad there are so many great special releases they only had on draft). The crowd was really varied, but had a lot of cider enthusiasts like myself. There were also lots of vendors trying ciders, as it is common for a cidery to bring multiple people and swap out pouring. A number of people brought their dogs too.

Layout

Besides the main attraction of cider booths, they had an event store (with can/bottles and t-shirts and such), a stage where they switched between interviews with some of the cidery reps and live music, food for sale (hot dogs, tamales, and pretzels – which were tasty but festival priced). There were also cider related vendors (such as the Northwest Cider Association, CiderCraft & Sip Northwest magazines, and Press Then Press – a new online cider shop; see my reviews here) and some non-cider and non-food vendors. The amenities were also above average for an outdoor event, with multiple food options for sale, concrete planter box edges to sit on, covered tables & chairs, clean port-a-potties with outdoor sinks, and free water (although this year it wasn’t cold like in years past…).

My Tips

Friday is typically much less busy than Saturday, especially earlier in the afternoon and the VIP hour. My game plan this year involved sleeping in, having a big lunch, getting to the event early to figure out parking, visiting all the cidery booths which are new to me during the VIP hour, taking a snack break, trying more ciders, then leaving and eating dinner with my husband.

I recommend good walking shoes, as you are on your feet for most of these types of events, and there are uneven dirt and patches of grass at outdoor sites like this. Also, pants with pockets, to put your tasting tickets and cell phone and such in. There are less grab & go food options within easy walking distance of this site, mostly sit down restaurants (like Daniel’s, whose bar we ate dinner at), but 3 food options on-site. I bring my own snacks and water bottle though.

Other must-haves for me are a hat, sunblock, bug repellent, sunglasses, notebook & pencil, and a plastic baggie to put the tasting glasses in afterwards when they are sticky. Its nice having a bag to put all that stuff in, as well as any free swag you want to collect. ID is required to get in, and cash never hurts, although some places (like the Summit store) take cards.

A great way to get free admission is to volunteer; they had several shift options each day, and I heard that if you work closing on Saturday you may even get leftover bottled/ canned cider. For the best ticket price, buy in advance, although there are taxes & fees for online sales. Although VIP tickets are online sales only, if you want the best price on a regular ticket, you can go to Capitol Cider to avoid the fees. The event didn’t sell out as far as I know, but the ticket price was higher at the door. Designated driver tickets ($5) were only available at the door.

Closing Notes

In addition to Seattle, there are Cider Summits in Chicago IL (February), San Francisco CA (April), and Portland OR (June).

My 2nd Cider Summit Seattle 2019 post with tasting notes will be out soon!

Cider Summit Seattle 2019 Preview

July 23, 2019August 8, 2019 cidersays Cider Summit, event cider, cider event, cider summit, cider summit seattle, cider tasting, cider tasting event, hard cider, seattle

The epic 10th annual Cider Summit is returning to Seattle Washington in 2019 on Friday September 6th (3-8pm) and Saturday September 7th (noon-5pm), except this time moving (from the South Lake Union Discovery Center Lawn) to Lake Union park at the MOHAI. Check out my previous posts on Cider Summit from 2015 thru 2018 here, with a preview, event review, and cider tasting notes from each year.

See here for the full event info and here for the lists of cideries and ciders. Last year over 50 cideries (or distributors) poured over 200 ciders, cysers, meads, fruit wines, Pommeaux, apple brandies, cider whiskies, and cider cocktails. So, there are plenty of options for all tastes, and even folks like me who have tried most local selections will have multiple new ciders to try. They of course skew towards the NW, but there are cideries from all over the country and world represented too, such as France and Spain.

Regular tickets are sold in advance online ($30 or $35 + fees), or at the door ($45), and includes a tasting glass + 16 drink tickets. VIP tickets are sold in advance online only ($40 or $45 + fees), and get you in an hour early on Friday (2pm instead of 3pm), and include a tasting glass + 20 drink tickets. Additional drink tickets are sold at the event, ~ $2 / 2oz. Designated driver tickets are available at the door for $5.

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This outdoor event is 21+ but dog friendly. They usually have covered seating, stand up tables, cold water on tap, live music, a merchandise shop, bottle shop, food for sale, and a dog lounge. Another special feature is the Fruit Cider Challenge; many cideries bring a special fruity cider, and attendees vote for their favorite. Most booths have folks from the cidery (sometimes even the cidermaker) pouring ciders, either from a keg or bottle/can. They may also still be accepting volunteers to help run the event (includes free admission after your shift and 50% off wearables).

The event has in & out privileges (if you keep your wristband and glass), so you can leave to grab food, or even return the next day. On Friday it usually doesn’t get too busy until closer to 5pm, but it is pretty busy from then on. However, Cider Summit events are so well laid out and organized, there tend to be fewer & shorter lines and less crowds than smaller events.

Cider Summit Seattle is part of Washington Cider Week (Sept 5-15). Stay tuned for more posts here at Cider Says on Cider Summit and Washington Cider Week 2019 events.

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!

Cider Summit Seattle 2018 Preview

August 8, 2018August 6, 2018 cidersays Cider Summit, event, preview cider, cider event, cider summit, cider summit seattle, cider tasting, cider tasting event, hard cider, seattle

The epic 9th annual Cider Summit is returning for 2018 to Seattle Washington on Friday September 7th (3-8pm) and Saturday September 8th (noon-5pm), at the South Lake Union Discovery Center Lawn. Check out my previous posts on Cider Summit from 2015 thru 2017 here, with a preview, event review, and cider tasting notes from each year.

See here for the full event info and here for the lists of cideries and ciders. The plan is for 52 cideries (or in some cases, distributors) to be represented, pouring 3-6 selections each. That is over 200 ciders, cysers, meads, fruit wines, Pommeaux, apple brandies, cider whiskies, cider cocktails, etc. So, there are plenty of options for all tastes, and even folks like me will have multiple new ciders to try. They of course skew towards the NW, but there are cideries from all over the country and world represented too.

Regular tickets are sold in advance online ($43.60 including fees), at Capitol Cider, or at the door ($45), and includes a tasting glass + 16 drink tickets. VIP tickets are sold in advance online ($55.76 including fees) only, and get you in an hour early on Friday (2pm instead of 3pm), and includes a tasting glass + 24 drink tickets. Note that this is double the number of drink tickets as last year, as they have reduced the pour size from 4oz to 2oz, so you can try twice as many ciders – very cool. Additional drink tickets are sold at the event. Designated driver tickets are available at the door for $5.

This outdoor event is 21+ but dog friendly. They have covered seating, stand up tables, cold water on tap, and port-a-potties. The event also includes a merchandise shop, bottle shop, food sales, and a dog lounge. Plus, new for this year, paired bites from Capitol Cider and other local producers. Another special feature is the Fruit Cider Challenge; many cideries are bringing a special fruity cider, and attendees can vote for their favorite. Most booths have folks from the cidery (sometimes even the cidermaker) pouring ciders, a mix of keg and bottle pours. They may also still be accepting volunteers (includes free admission after your shift and 50% off wearables).

The event has in & out privileges (if you keep your wristband and glass), so you can leave to grab food (such as from the Whole Foods just down the street), or even return the next day. On Friday it usually doesn’t get too busy until closer to 5pm, but it is pretty busy from then on (line down the street when they open on Saturday, which you can skip by the way if you already have a wristband & glass). However, the event is so well laid out and there is enough space, so there are fewer & shorter lines and less crowds than the smaller events.

Cider Summit Seattle is part of Washington Cider Week (Sept 6-16). Stay tuned for more posts here at Cider Says on Cider Summit and Washington Cider Week 2018 events.

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).

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