Sip Northwest, Fall 2018

PERRY D O U B L E G O L D Seattle Cider Co Seattle Both sweet aromatic culinary pears and traditional perry pears are fermented and blended to produce this limited run perry from Seattles first cidery since Prohibition True to perrys ethereal reputation once dubbed as angel tears by a British cider writer this sip is delicate floral and earthy with Meyer lemon skirting the mid palate and full pear fl avor in the fi nish 14 22oz seattlecidercompany com G O L D Portland Cider Co Pearfect 6 22oz S I L V E R Dragons Head Cider 18 750ml B R O N Z E Tieton Cider Works Sparkling 10 500ml JUDGES PICKS Nashi Orchards Chojuro Blend 15 375ml E Z Orchards Poire 9 500ml Snowdrift Cider Co 2014 Seckel 10 500ml SINGLE VARIETAL D O U B L E G O L D Alpenfire Cider Foxwhelp Port Townsend WA Focusing on a very old English bittersharp apple variety rarely seen round these parts this family run estate cidery recently released this bottling for the fi rst time Apples om the 2016 harvest were fermented with Champagne yeast and left to mature for a full year resulting in an aromatic luxurious full bodied and complex cider ringing true to the variety used 18 750ml alpenfi recider com G O L D Bad Granny Hard Cider In the Flesh 13 22oz S I L V E R T I E Seattle Cider Co Winesap Rosé 12 22oz Alpenfi re Cider Cinders 35 750ml B R O N Z E Seattle Cider Co Gravenstein Rosé 12 22oz JUDGES PICKS Dragons Head Cider Pippin 18 750ml Thompson Creek Cider Macintosh 15 750ml Blue Mountain Cider Co Estate Gravenstein 4 22oz FOR CIDER GROW FERMENT Northwest Cultivated Cider Apples to Know Dabinett An impressively versatile bittersweet apple found in the early 1900s in Somerset England by William Dabinett this variety produces annually and is well suited to the Northwest climate and relatively friendly to farmers The dark reddish fruit is striking as part of a cider blend or on its own as a full bodied singlevarietal Taste the apple among other traditional cider apples in WESTCOTT BAY CIDERs Traditional Dry from San Juan Island Washington Yarlington Mill Another variety originating in Somerset England this mild bittersweet named for the town of Yarlington isnt widely used but grows well in the region producing heavily and adding a pleasant character to any cider its blended with Its not necessarily well rounded enough to stand on its own but it plays well with tannic cider blends or expands the fl avor profi le of a lighter bodied cider Try this apple in the Shaken Tree from Portlands CIDER RIOT Newtown Pippin New Yorks only famous apple variety a favorite of Thomas Jeffersons and Queen Victorias Newtown Pippin is now more commonly grown outside the state in places like Virginia under the moniker Albemarle Pippin and Oregon The light green apples gentle tannins tropical sweetness and lemony zip are prized by Northwest cidermakers who frequently show Pippin off in beautiful single varietal ciders Sample the variety in WHITEWOOD CIDER CO s Newtown Pippin Jonagold A now ubiquitous cross of Golden Delicious and an old American variety Jonathan Jonagold was developed in the 1950s in New York but is another contribution to the Northwest from research scientist Robert Norton Jonagold is prized by commercial growers for its size texture honeyed aroma and sweet tart fl avor when eaten fresh but its all purpose which means it also shows up in plenty of light bright hard ciders throughout North America Give it a go with British Columbia grown apples in WILLIAM TELL FAMILY ESTATEs Apple Sauce S I P N O R T H W E S T C O M 75