Spring really is the best time to enjoy cider. The trees that produce the fruit that make Northwest ciders so fresh and quenching are just starting to flower, and the appearance of those first blossoms of the season hint at ciders to come.
With the help of the good folks at Seattle-based Teku Tavern, we’ve rounded up seven ciders to try as spring has finally sprung.
Bauman’s Cider – Guava Grapefruit | Gervais, Oregon
This sweet cider, with its pronounced tropical fruit notes and hint of citrus tartness, will evoke dreams of sun-splashed days by the beach or lazy evenings in the backyard. Easy drinking with a fruit-forward finish, this cider has something for everyone.
6.4% ABV
2 Towns Ciderhouse – Pristine Peach | Corvallis, Oregon
A recent addition to the 2 Towns lineup, this clean, fruit-forward cider mixes a base of apple with heaps of smooth peach. That combination is complemented on the sweet side by a dash of honey and on the sour side with some tart apricot. The result is a bright, sunny concoction perfect for a day in the spring sunshine.
6.9% ABV
Yonder Cider Co. – Sunnyslope | Wenatchee, Washington
Inspired by the Greyhound cocktail, a pre-prohibition era favorite, this punchy cider is not for the faint of heart. Assertive notes of grapefruit and lemon verbena announce their presence with authority in this tart, floral offering, which has a pleasing pale pink hue of freshly squeezed grapefruit.
6.5% ABV
Tieton Cider Works – Lavender Honey | Yakima, Washington
A creative concoction from the always reliable folks at Tieton, this semi-sweet cider was Sip’s Double Gold selection in the 2018 “Best of the Northwest” competition and has earned considerable acclaim in the subsequent years. With just three ingredients — fermented apples, lavender and honey — this balanced and nuanced cider has just the right proportions of all three for a pleasing alternative to more fruit-forward ciders.
6.9% ABV
Liberty Ciderworks – Garratza | Spokane, Washington
A sophisticated cider with Old World roots, Garratza is inspired by traditional sidra of the Basque region and is made with Dolgo crabapples, a tiny-but-powerful variety that brings substantial tartness to the proceedings. That sharpness is tempered by a process of wild yeast fermentation and the addition of native bacteria that introduces some funky notes.
7.5% ABV
Finnriver Farm & Cidery – Honey Meadow | Chimacum, Washington
Inspired by the spring flora of Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, this herbaceous and earthy selection is sweet, light and crisp. The additions of organic burdock root, which has been used medicinally for centuries, as well as dandelion root, lemon balm, chamomile blossom and both blackberry and wild honey make this a very unique and pleasing springtime beverage.
6.5% ABV
Channel Marker Cider – Kiwi | Seattle
Kiwi is often described as having the flavor of strawberry, banana and pineapple, with a hint of citrus sharpness — which makes it ideal for cidermaking. This fresh sipper from the small team at Channel Marker screams warm weather and good times. And that color!
6.5% ABV
