WA Cider Week 2020 Tasting Notes – Virtual Edition

Its that time of year – Washington Cider Week, the 10th annual, September 10-20th 2020. Usually Northwest Cider invites me and other media folks to an awesome exclusive preview tasting event. This year things are different. WA Cider Week is still on, but most events will be virtual, or for local pickup – check out the event calendar here. For me, this means a virtual private tasting, so here are my notes on 4 new cider releases to kick things off.

>>This is a review of sample bottles/cans provided to Cider Says by Greenwood, Spin, Locust, and Tieton. 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.<<

Some info on Spin Cider, as this is my first review of their cider – This is a Kitsap county cidery started last year by two cyclists. They are doing a virtual re-opening for WA Cider Week. Stay tuned as I’ll soon be reviewing 2 other releases from them, ‘Sammamish River Trail’ and ‘Tour de Lopez’. Their ciders are currently available online and for local pickup, but they plan to increase as the Covid situation improves in 2021.

Spin Cider (Olalla WA) An Apple for a Teacher (7.2%): This cider is dedicated to educators, as Cathie & Mark work in teaching & training so can understand the tough time they are having right now. The cidery is even offering special discounts to teachers as this blend rolls out. Mild apple scent, on the sweeter side of semi-dry, some tartness & carbonation, apple-forward with a bit of complexity reminiscent of heirloom apples, but super friendly and sessionable.

Tieton Cider (Yakima WA) Huckleberry 6.9%): This is a new seasonal release using Northwest huckleberries. See my previous Tieton reviews here. Smells of berry, on the sweeter side of semi-dry, low tartness, super juicy, moderate blackberry flavor with a hint of cranberry.

Locust Cider (Woodinville WA) Peach Ginger (6.0%): This is a new release for WA cider week, with peach juice and a hint of ginger, sold in a four pack of 16oz cans. See my previous Locust reviews here . Mild scent, on the sweeter side of semi-dry, mild stone fruit flavor with some citrus and a hint of ginger bite on the finish. It seems like most cideries go way overboard on ginger, but this was nice, as it was so subtle, and didn’t ruin my palette.

Greenwood Cider (Seattle WA) Whiskey Barrel Heirloom (9.0%): This is a new release, made from more than 13 varieties of heirloom, bittersweet, & bittersharp cider apples and aged for 6 months in Westland whiskey barrels. See my previous Greenwood reviews here. Smells of aged spirits, lovely darkened hue from the barrel, on the drier side of semi-dry, complex apple & whiskey flavor, and oak finish with a hint of bitterness.

Closing Notes: I enjoyed all four ciders. Its been awhile since I’ve had a tasting flight, and I had missed the experience. It was fun to have an excuse to open four different ciders too! Remember to check out the WA Cider Week calendar.

Woodinville Cider Tasting 4 at Locust Cider

November 17, 2017November 11, 2017 cidersays Locust, review cider, cider flight, cider review, cider tasting, hard cider, Locust, Locust Cider, tasting notes, tasting room, Woodinville

I spent some time in Woodinville Washington recently, including cider tasting at the Locust Cider tap room (and lunch at one of my favorite spots, a burger place called Tipsy Cow). See my notes from visit 1, visit 2, and visit 3. My husband and a friend joined me, and we shared a flight of five ciders.

Hibiscus Wine: This was labeled as being a guest tap with a wine which finished like a cider. That was a bit confusing though as it was still labeled as 6% (which would be very low for a grape wine) and it didn’t say from where it was from. Semi-dry with floral and berry notes and a hint of oak. I couldn’t really tell if it was from grapes or apples, as it was very mild.

Dark Cherry: My husband’s favorite. Semi-dry with real cherry flavor but a bitter aftertaste. Also sold in cans.

Aged Apple: My favorite (see my full review here), but I wish it was drier. Sweet to semi-sweet. Very apple forward with hints of oak. Also sold in cans.

Pineapple: My friend’s favorite. This may have been a one-off / tasting room only release, as it wasn’t their Chili Pineapple. Semi-sweet. Not as intense of a pineapple flavor as I expected, and it also had some citrus notes.

Honey Pear: This one was very different than when I tried it before (see here), as this time it was on the sweeter side of semi-sweet instead of on the drier side of semi-dry. Way more honey and pear flavor due to the increase in sweetness. Also sold in cans.

They also had Original Dry, Cilantro Jalapeno, and Spiced Pumpkin. I was surprised with how sweet all the options were. The driest were their Original Dry and the Dark Cherry. Its ironic as Locust started out only making dry ciders (the Dark Cherry used to be their sweetest). I imagine the market wants sweeter ciders though. Sweeter ciders tend to be more flavorful than drier ciders when using dessert apples.

Locust Cider Tasting Notes #4

August 2, 2017August 2, 2017 cidersays Locust, review apricot cider, cherry cider, cider, cider review, cider tasting, hard cider, Locust, Locust Cider, tasting notes, Watermelon cider

After lunch at Tipsy Cow in Woodinville WA, my husband and I stopped by Locust Cider. See my notes here from visit 1, here from visit 2, and here from visit 3.

<Cherry, Apricot, and Watermelon ciders>

Sweet Dark Cherry: I’ve tried this previously (see here), and it is also available in cans. Semi-dry. Light bodied. Low tartness and acidity. Light simple cherry flavor. Quick finish. My husband really liked it, but for me its pretty average.

Apricot: This is a draft-only release. I tried an apricot cider from them awhile back (see here), but it was quite different. Semi-sweet to sweet. Medium to full bodied. Low tartness and acidity. Syrupy tropical and apricot flavor. Quick finish. This was too sweet for both of us, but had a nice flavor. I prefer the apricot ciders from Atlas and Summit.

Watermelon: This is a new draft-only release. Semi-sweet to semi-dry. Hazy hue. Light to medium bodied. Low tartness. Moderate acidity. Moderate watermelon juice flavor. Quick finish. I really enjoyed it (I’m a huge watermelon fan), but my husband didn’t like it for whatever reason. It reminded me of NV Cider Watermelon Perry.

Summary: My favorite was the Watermelon, and my husband’s favorite was the Cherry. Overall, my favorite Locust ciders are the Bittersweet Reserve (one-time special release?), Aged Apple, and a 50-50 mix of Smoked Blueberry & Vanilla Bean, as they are all super flavorful, but also rather sweet (not something I’d drink often).

Locust is a nice place to hang out and drink cider (they even have an outdoor patio and some games), and they often have varieties which don’t even leave their tasting room. However, I noticed the small pours are expensive, at $3 / 3oz, so a flight of five (close to a pint) is $15 + tax. Of course its much cheaper to get a pint ($6-7?), but the vast majority of folks opt for the variety of a flight. Also, they only have 9 taps of their own ciders.

Locust is more convenient for me to get to, so I visit semi regularly. However, I much prefer the Schilling Cider House, as they have cheaper flights ($2 / 3oz), more variety with 32 taps (often a few are the more artisanal varieties made from cider apples vs. the more commonly found flavored ciders from dessert apples), and hundreds of bottles too.

Locust Honey Pear

July 26, 2017July 22, 2017 cidersays Locust, review cider, cider review, cider tasting, hard cider, Honey Pear, Locust, Locust Cider, tasting notes, washington, Woodinville

Review of Locust’s Honey Pear cider. It is my first time trying this cider, but I’ve previously had their Original Dry, Green Tea Infused, Sweet Dark Cherry, Washington Dessert Apple, Bittersweet Reserve, Pumpkin, Thai Ginger, Bourbon Barrel Aged, Winesap, Alder Smoked Apple, Mango, Elder & Oak, Wabi Sabi, Apricot, Sweet Aged Apple, Berry Session, Smoked Blueberry, Vanilla Bean, Winter Banana, Chili Pineapple, Seckel Perry, and Hibiscus.

Cider: Honey Pear
Cidery: Locust Cider
Cidery Location: Woodinville WA
ABV: 6.0%
How Supplied: draft only
Style: American craft cider from dessert apples, with honey and pear juice

Availability: Likely only in bars & restaurants in the Seattle area (including Locust’s tap room), although in general their ciders are sold in CA, ID, OR, TX, and WA.

Cider Description: none given

Cidery Description: My brother Patrick and I founded Locust Cider in March 2015 with the mission of making outstanding hard cider using the fruit that is most available in Washington- the eating apple. Washington growers produce 60% of the apples in the United States, and cider-specific varieties are in a major shortage, so we set out to put innovative spins on classic cider-making methods to bring out the best in the everyday apple.

Our delicious ciders begin with great fruit- we primarily use “cull” apples- those that are not pretty enough or are too small or large to make it to grocery stores, diverting these from destruction because their juice is still great! Our unique process then transforms them into great cider- methodical yeast selection, meticulous temperature control, slow aging, and creative and deliberate blending.

We are now made up a great small team: Chelsea, head cidermaker, Ryan, cellar manager, Shenna, tap room manager, Spring, events manager, and Chris, sales manager. We are a “family” passionate about cider, and we thank you for visiting our tasting room, and being part of our family! -Jason Spears, founder of locust cider

Their Woodinville cidery has a tap room.

Price: $6.50 / pint
Where Bought & Drank: Tipsy Cow in Woodinville WA (an awesome burger restaurant)
How Found: This was one of two ciders on draft at the restaurant (they also had D’s Baked Apple).

First Impression: Light straw yellow hue. Low to moderate carbonation. Smells very mild, slightly of tart apple juice.

Tasting Notes: Semi-dry. Light bodied. Moderate to high tartness. Moderate acidity. Hints of bitterness. No tannins, sourness, or funk. Notes of green apple, pear, honey, and citrus. Quick finish. Low complexity. Moderate apple flavor. Low flavor intensity. High sessionability.

My Opinion: I thought this was very average. I liked that it wasn’t very sweet (which most of Locust’s recent releases have been, and is common with draft cider at restaurants & bars in my area as it sells well). However, I actually think the dryness was too much for this cider, as it was very tart and not very flavorful. Also, both pear and honey ciders are typically sweeter, so that would be expected.

Most Similar to: Longdrop Tanager Pear Cider

Closing Notes: I always like finding local cider on tap to go with a nice meal, even if the offering isn’t a favorite of mine.

Have you tried Locust Honey Pear? What did you think?

Locust Cider Vanilla Bean & Smoked Blueberry

May 17, 2017May 6, 2017 cidersays Locust, review cider, cider review, cider tasting, hard cider, Locust Cider, Smoked Blueberry, tasting notes, Vanilla Bean, washington, Woodinville

Review of Locust Cider’s Hootenanny series Vanilla Bean and Smoked Blueberry ciders. This is a two for one review as I enjoy these ciders mixed together. Its not my first time trying these, but I hadn’t yet bought bottles / done a full review. I’ve also tried a lot of other ciders from Locust: Original Dry, Green Tea Infused, Sweet Dark Cherry, Washington Dessert Apple, Bittersweet Reserve, Pumpkin, Thai Ginger, Bourbon Barrel Aged, Winesap, Alder Smoked Apple, Mango, Elder & Oak, Wabi Sabi, Apricot, Sweet Aged Apple, Berry Session, Winter Banana, Chili Pineapple, Seckel Perry, and Hibiscus.

Cider: Vanilla Bean & Smoked Blueberry
Cidery: Locust Cider
Cidery Location: Woodinville WA
ABV: 5.0% & 5.0%
How Supplied: 22oz bottles (and kegs)
Style: American craft cider infused with Madagascar vanilla (Vanilla Bean) or alder smoked apples and blueberries (Smoked Blueberry)

Availability: Year round in CA, ID, OR, TX, and WA

Vanilla Bean Description: Washington apples meet real Madagascar vanilla, creating what is best described as an adult’s all natural cream soda. you don’t like sweet ciders??? Ok sure, try this.

Smoked Blueberry Description: Some people do not like smoked foods and drinks. Ok fine, stop reading. for those who do, this is comfort in a drink, blending apples, smoked over alder wood, with real blueberries, this is unexpected but amazing.

Their Woodinville cidery has a tap room.

Price: $7 each
Where Bought: Schilling Cider House in Seattle WA
Where Drank: home
How Found: I tried these individually at Locust’s tap room awhile back, then at a tasting event I decided to try them mixed.

First Impression: Both nearly still (very low carbonation). The Vanilla Bean is a light straw yellow hue and the Smoked Blueberry is a bright purple-blue hue. The Vanilla Bean smells rather mild, just slightly sweet and of vanilla. The Smoked Blueberry is a bit more fragrant, smelling of blueberry with a hint of smoke.

Vanilla Bean Tasting Notes: Semi-sweet to semi-dry. Medium bodied. Low tartness. Low to moderate acidity. No bitterness, sourness, funk, or tannins. Notes of vanilla, cream, and hints of citrus (reminiscent of cream soda). Quick to moderate length finish. Low apple flavor. Low to moderate complexity. Moderate flavor intensity. High sessionability.

Smoked Blueberry Tasting Notes: Sweet. Medium to full bodied. Low tartness. Low to moderate acidity. No bitterness, sourness, funk, or tannins. Notes of blueberry and grape with hints of smoke and alder wood. Quick finish. Low apple flavor. Low to moderate complexity. Moderate flavor intensity. High sessionability.

Mixed Tasting Notes: Semi-sweet. Both fruity and creamy.

My Opinion: On their own, although plenty good, I don’t find either of these too remarkable. The Vanilla Bean has a great flavor, but I find it a bit sweet to drink much of (although this batch is slightly less sweet than I’ve had before, but also slightly less flavorful). The Smoked Blueberry is nice, but pretty typical. However, mixed together, the result is a uniquely tasty.

Most Similar to: Not much else. I’ve had other smoked ciders, but they weren’t fruit-infused. For example, Locust Alder Smoked Apple, and the more intense Tilted Shed Smoked and Alpenfire Smoke. The closest I’ve had to the Vanilla Bean is probably Long Drop Vanilla Honey (but that has more honey than vanilla, with some awesome honeycomb notes).

Closing Notes: Combining ciders is a fun way to mix things up. I haven’t really got into cider cocktails, as to me, mixing cider with other beverages is something I would think of doing if I don’t like a cider (and have done actually).

Have you tried Locust Cider? What did you think?

Locust Cider Alder Smoked Apple

March 25, 2016March 19, 2016 cidersays Locust, review Alder Smoked Apple, cider, cider review, cider tasting, hard cider, Locust, Locust Cider, washington, Woodinville

This will be a short post, as I only tasted one new-to-me cider during my latest visit to Locust Cider in Woodinville WA. Check out my prior tasting notes and reviews of Locust ciders here. It was an impromptu visit. My husband and I met two friends for lunch at the Tipsy Cow in Redmond (which is an amazing burger place, and I don’t even like hamburgers…I get a veggie burger), and we decided to go to a few tasting rooms in Woodinville before heading home. The boys had some wine at a couple of the winery tasting rooms in the same stripmall as the Locust Cider tasting room, and us girls tried some cider.

Their tap list hadn’t changed much from my visit a few weeks ago…they swapped Chipotle for the Alder Smoked Apple. That worked great for me though, as it was the only one on the menu I hadn’t tried! Their “up next” list also looks really interesting, especially the red wine barrel aged and prickly pear ciders.

Alder Smoked Apple: 6.0% ABV. They get the smoke flavor from alder smoked apple rings added during fermentation, showed in this photo from their Instagram. This is a tap-only release, but has made it to a few other locations in the Seattle area.

Semi-sweet to sweet. Mild acidity. Mild tartness. No sourness, funk, or tannins. Full bodied. Notes of maple, honey, and hints of citrus and alder. I only picked up mild smoke flavor in the moderate length finish. Moderate to high apple flavor. High sessionability.

They said this was less smokey than previous batches. I enjoyed it, but I think with more smoke and less sweetness, it would have been awesome.

I also tried their Winesap cider again. I liked it better last time; this time it was missing that frothy texture I enjoyed, and was a bit more sour.

I also spotted their new bottle design. They are going from 750ml to 500ml bottles on their special release ciders, which I think is a good move. 500ml is my favorite bottle size.

I look forward to trying more from Locust Cider.

Locust Washington Dessert Apple Aged Hard Cider

September 17, 2015September 13, 2015 cidersays Locust, review Aged Hard Cider, barrel aged, cider, cider review, hard cider, hard cider review, Locust, Locust Cider, Washington Dessert Apple, Woodinville

Review of Washington Dessert Apple Aged Hard Cider from Locust Cider. This is their first limited release offering, and also the first to be packaged in a large bottle (instead of a multi pack of cans or bottles, or on tap only).

There is a bit of a funny story with this bottle of cider: Upon arriving home from the bottle shop with this cider I found it on its side in my car in my bottle tote in a small puddle of cider. Thank goodness for waterproof floor mats… The bottle was hissing slightly. I guess the cap hit something in my car when it rolled around a bit and the edge got lifted slightly. It definitely could have been worse though. After cleaning up the mess I decided I needed to finish opening the cap and put on the attached flip-top cap before putting it in the fridge. I hadn’t been planning to drink it that night, and it wasn’t cold anyways. The following night I opened the bottle and it proceeded to violently foam over! So, I had cleaned up after this cider twice before even drinking any… I definitely got a foamy bottle which went a bit overboard in bottle conditioning! Thankfully only a few ounces of cider was lost in those messes.

Cider: Washington Dessert Apple Aged Hard Cider
Cidery:  Locust Cider
Cidery Location:  Woodinville WA (Northeast of Seattle)
ABV:  6.9%
How Supplied: 750ml clear flip-top bottle

Availability: Locust Cider is currently available in WA and ID. This is a limited release however so it may not be available everywhere that Locust Cider is sold.

Thanks to Jason Spears, co-founder of Locust Cider, for extra info on this cider!

Cider Description: Made from Golden Delicious, Fuji, Gala, Red Delicious, and Granny Smith dessert apples. Fermented with wild yeast (the yeast on the fruit itself, in contrast to most ciders which add new yeast). The outcome of a wild yeast fermentation is more unpredictable, and Locust described losing several batches of cider that didn’t turn out well. The cider is then tank aged for 6 months, where they allow a small amount of oxygen into the system to initiate malolactic fermentation. This is from secondary bacteria, as opposed to yeast, and changes the cider, reducing acidity and adding body & mouthfeel. This technique is not always desirable, but is what they were going for with this cider variety. Then the fermented cider is blended with fresh pressed juice and bottled ulfiltered, to allow for bottle conditioning.

Cidery Description: Real people making a cider for real people. They aim to make extremely drinkable ciders, with balanced flavors, not overly sweet or sour. All ciders are made from Pacific Northwest apples and fruit, with no artificial sweeteners, only apples and yeast. Founded by two brothers, Jason & Patrick Spears, from Texas, in early 2015. Their name is a reminder to embrace life without compromise, after Jason was calmed by a gentle orchestra of locusts in a field after a near death experience.

Their tap room is open Thursday thru Sunday in the Woodinville WA warehouse district.

Locust Cider currently offers Original Dry, Green Tea Infused, Sweet Dark Cherry (had been tap only but bottles are on their way to stores now), Summer Berry (tap only), Thai Ginger (tap room only), and Washington Dessert Apple Cider.

Price: ~$10
Where Bought: Full Throttle Bottles in Georgetown area of Seattle WA, where they were having a tasting of Locust Cider (Original Dry and Green Tea Infused) and Argus Fermentables (Ciderkin and Ginger Perry). Of those I only liked the Ciderkin, which I reviewed here previously.
Where Drank: home
How Found: Browsing. I hadn’t heard of this one before.

First Impression: Foam! Hazy/unfiltered honey hue. Smells of sweet unfiltered cider, honey, and a slight earthiness.

Opinion: Sweet but not very sweet. Taste is similar to unfermented sweet cider, except with that hard cider kick. High acidity. Moderate carbonation, high foam/fizz, and a bit of tang. No noticeable funk, but a bit of earthiness. Moderate finish length. No significant bitterness or astringency. Mild tartness. Medium bodied. Notes of honey and cooked apples. Moderate complexity. This cider is slightly booze-forward, and I probably would have guessed it to have an even higher ABV.

Most Similar to: Farmhouse style unfiltered ciders such as J.K.’s Scrumpy (from whom I’ve tried Orchard Gate and Northern Neighbor, which are a bit sweeter than this cider).

Closing Notes: Overall this cider is a solid unique selection. However, I’m curious how the taste was affected by the apparently aggressive bottle conditioning. I opened this cider on a Wednesday, had a small glass Thursday, a small glass Friday, and the rest on a Saturday, and even on Saturday it had plenty of fizz left and tried to overflow the glass upon pouring!

I’ve tried most of Locust Cider’s other offerings: their Sweet Dark Cherry on tap at Schilling Cider House and their Original Dry (canned) and Green Tea Infused (bottled) at the tasting at Full Throttle Bottles when I picked up this cider, all of which I found to be a bit lacking in flavor. The Washington Dessert Apple however is much different and much more full-flavored than the other three. I’ll definitely try any other limited release and/or full-flavored cider from Locust Cider, even though their current regular offerings don’t appeal to me.

Have you tried Locust Washington Dessert Apple Aged Hard Cider? What did you think?

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: