With Halloween coming to a close and Thanksgiving fast approaching fast, we are at the beginning of the holiday season and good drink tidings we bring. Embracing the season of sugar and spice, cideries feature seasonal blends highlighting the piquant holiday blends we’ve all come to know and love. Stock up on your favorites before the end of January as these seven Pacific Northwest-made spiced ciders have high popularity during this tasty season.
Schilling Hard Cider | Chaider
In collaboration with Dragonfly Chai from Portland, Oregon, the Chaider is available November through January each holiday season. Completely GMO-free, vegan and locally sourced without any added sugars, the Chaider reveals a clean, yellow pour that has hints of brown sugar and a huge cinnamon nose. The finish is a light, soft palate that enhances the crisp apple flavors.
2 Towns Ciderhouse | Naughty and Nice
Seasonally fermented in Corvallis, Oregon, the Naughty and Nice is crammed full of whole cinnamon, nutmeg, clove and a dash of honey. Festive and warm, this cider has a medium-bodied flavor that impacts the mouth with baked apples set in a tart, dry finish. This cider packs a punch with 10.5 percent ABV, putting the naughty in your nice throughout this winter season
Spire Mountain Cider | Spiced Cider
A perfect toast to the mouthwatering flavors of autumn. Made with zesty apples picked from Washington State, this cider is infused with cinnamon, allspice and cloves to accentuate an apple pie essence that has hints of Gala apples throughout. The complexity of this cider is sure to keep your palate alive and ready for more.
Eaglemount Wine and Cider | Ginger Cider
A consistent favorite among the Eaglemount Cider customers, the idea first came to mind when owner Trudy Davis wanted to combine spicy ginger and sweet apple to produce a semi-sweet hard cider — the first of its kind. This cider has an intricate flavor palate that emphasizes the organic ginger root without overbearing the ripe, fermented apples. Now sold year round, the Ginger Cider pairs perfectly with sushi or spicy Thai food.
Carlton Cyderworks | Sugar & Spice
Made in McMinnville, Oregon, by this family-owned micro-cidery, the Sugar & Spice combines classic pie spice flavors and juicy apples into a single bottle. The spices used for this blend are a kept secret among the cidery crew, making it an extra special seasonal cider. Available from October to January, the Sugar & Spice is bright and flavorful with an incredibly smooth finish. It’s everything American’s love about apple pie without mess of baking.
Locust Cider | Thai Ginger
Blended with Southeast Asian ginger root and a blend of Granny Smith and Gala apples, the Thai Ginger is a woody, earthy, semi-sweet cider that is perfect for the holidays. Made in-house in Woodinville, Washington, this simple and juicy cider is available year-round. Pouring a clear blonde, the aroma brings out heavy notes of apple skins and subtle ginger that avoids overwhelming the palate. Sip on this while watching holiday movies by the fire.
Sea Cider Farm & Ciderhouse | Wassail
Cellared for four years off the Vancouver Island coast, Sea Cider’s Wassail is made with spiced orange peels and clove to highlight classic English wassailing traditions. The naturally sweet cider sports a crisp palate with mild heat and fruity apple juice flavors — the heaps of spices are supplemented with a flavor palate similar to mead but definitely kept on the lighter side. Try pairing with pecan pie to complement each other’s spice profiles.
