• Today we honor Martin Luther King Jr. who left a vital legacy, inspiring and creating real change through nonviolent activism in the Civil Rights Movement. As we honor Martin Luther King Jr. and reflect on how far we have come (and how far we have still to go!) we can appreciate the events and experiences that shape and change us. We have all been changed in some ways from the year that just passed. Our community of cidermakers, orchardists, educators and passionate advocates can take inspiration knowing that each person's action does make an impact and create a ripple. We are called to help create change in this pivotal moment, as Martin Luther King Jr. did in his time. Together, in action we can keep marching forward to make the progress necessary for social justice and equity. In 2019 (last time we counted), our members donated $205,000 in cash, cider and in-kind and 882 hours of time to philanthropic causes. Let's see what we can do together in 2021. #mlkday #createchange #nwcider #community #inthistogether 📷 @watchallblk
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    Today we honor Martin Luther King Jr. who left a vital legacy, inspiring and creating real change through nonviolent activism in the Civil Rights Movement. As we honor Martin Luther King Jr. and reflect on how far we have come (and how far we have still to go!) we can appreciate the events and experiences that shape and change us. We have all been changed in some ways from the year that just passed. Our community of cidermakers, orchardists, educators and passionate advocates can take inspiration knowing that each person's action does make an impact and create a ripple. We are called to help create change in this pivotal moment, as Martin Luther King Jr. did in his time. Together, in action we can keep marching forward to make the progress necessary for social justice and equity. In 2019 (last time we counted), our members donated $205,000 in cash, cider and in-kind and 882 hours of time to philanthropic causes. Let's see what we can do together in 2021. #mlkday #createchange #nwcider #community #inthistogether 📷 @watchallblk
  • What happens when a musically gifted cidery (founded by Primus’s drummer Tim “Herb” Alexander) creates something unique for Cider Club members? A Symphony 🎶 ☺️ Herb’s Cider’s not-yet-released new Symphony Blend is the first custom crafted cider we have been lucky enough to debut and we are over the moon excited! 🙌🏽 This limited release, from @herbscider in Bellingham, begins with Honeycrisp and Granny Smith apples, blended with a mixture of Foxwhelp bittersharp and Yarlington Mill bittersweets— resulting in an off-dry, apple focused cider with a well rounded character and lively effervescence. Floral, honeysuckle and pear blossom aromatics invite you into sips of crisp, tart, green apple flavors on the front palate, giving way to a light and balanced astringency. Notes of honey and wild thimbleberries linger delicately on the finish. NW Cider Discover Club Members will be the first to enjoy this Symphony in their quarterly March Box! Don’t miss out, become a member today (link in profile). #collaboration #symphonycider #nwcider #nwciderclub #drinkwashington
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    What happens when a musically gifted cidery (founded by Primus’s drummer Tim “Herb” Alexander) creates something unique for Cider Club members? A Symphony 🎶 ☺️ Herb’s Cider’s not-yet-released new Symphony Blend is the first custom crafted cider we have been lucky enough to debut and we are over the moon excited! 🙌🏽 This limited release, from @herbscider in Bellingham, begins with Honeycrisp and Granny Smith apples, blended with a mixture of Foxwhelp bittersharp and Yarlington Mill bittersweets— resulting in an off-dry, apple focused cider with a well rounded character and lively effervescence. Floral, honeysuckle and pear blossom aromatics invite you into sips of crisp, tart, green apple flavors on the front palate, giving way to a light and balanced astringency. Notes of honey and wild thimbleberries linger delicately on the finish. NW Cider Discover Club Members will be the first to enjoy this Symphony in their quarterly March Box! Don’t miss out, become a member today (link in profile). #collaboration #symphonycider #nwcider #nwciderclub #drinkwashington
  • The Pacific Northwest weekend forecast calls for refreshment 😊 Rain or shine, these January days are bringing more daylight and a tantalizing promise of spring... Seattle Cider gets it. Their seasonal release of Grapefruit welcomes the light with an unapologetically juicy profile, bursting with fresh grapefruit aroma. This crisp, dry, and tart cider is beautifully balanced. We couldn’t resist including @seattleciderco Grapefruit in the next NW Cider Club Discover Box. Sign up now (link in profile). Plan your springtime adventures and thank us later. #pacificnorthwest #nwcider #nwciderclub #seattle #grapefruit #refreshing #fridayvibes
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    The Pacific Northwest weekend forecast calls for refreshment 😊 Rain or shine, these January days are bringing more daylight and a tantalizing promise of spring... Seattle Cider gets it. Their seasonal release of Grapefruit welcomes the light with an unapologetically juicy profile, bursting with fresh grapefruit aroma. This crisp, dry, and tart cider is beautifully balanced. We couldn’t resist including @seattleciderco Grapefruit in the next NW Cider Club Discover Box. Sign up now (link in profile). Plan your springtime adventures and thank us later. #pacificnorthwest #nwcider #nwciderclub #seattle #grapefruit #refreshing #fridayvibes
  • This throwback Thursday, we’re marveling at pear orchards that have been part of the Washington landscape for over 100 years. In the foothills of the Wenatchee mountains, climate and soil converge to grow some of the best pears in the world! The original ‘Sno Gem’ crate label originally used in the 1950s, is still recognized today and pictured here on the next offering from our NW Cider Club Discover Washington Box, @independentcider Sno Gem Perry. This flagship selection from Independent, offers a crisp, clean, citrusy taste of 100% estate D’Anjou pears in a convenient go-anywhere can at an easy-drinking 5.5% abv. We love the marriage of old and new in celebration of Northwest pears. Discover Club members will enjoy this perry in their early March box! #throwbackthursday #pearorchards #wenatchee #discoverwashington #nwcider #nwperry #nwciderclub
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    This throwback Thursday, we’re marveling at pear orchards that have been part of the Washington landscape for over 100 years. In the foothills of the Wenatchee mountains, climate and soil converge to grow some of the best pears in the world! The original ‘Sno Gem’ crate label originally used in the 1950s, is still recognized today and pictured here on the next offering from our NW Cider Club Discover Washington Box, @independentcider Sno Gem Perry. This flagship selection from Independent, offers a crisp, clean, citrusy taste of 100% estate D’Anjou pears in a convenient go-anywhere can at an easy-drinking 5.5% abv. We love the marriage of old and new in celebration of Northwest pears. Discover Club members will enjoy this perry in their early March box! #throwbackthursday #pearorchards #wenatchee #discoverwashington #nwcider #nwperry #nwciderclub
  • We’re smitten on red fleshed apples and love the way they show up in @unionhillciderco’s Pinkheart Cider. Inspired by beautiful pink spring blossoms (we can’t wait!) with unique rose coloring and intense strawberry and rhubarb flavor profiles. 🌸💗🍓 This beauty will be a true gem to enjoy in our NW Cider Club Discover Washington Box spring release, arriving at doorsteps in early March when you order by 2/10 (link in profile). If you’ve been getting geeky on apples with us for awhile, you may already know a wealth of apples originate from Kazakhstan, including a variety of red fleshed apples— red from skin to core, offering cidermakers a making a stunning, gem toned, almost cherry like juice. Red fleshed ciders can feature any number of apples blended or on their own... there’s much to explore! A few other NW red fleshed ciders we recommend are from @peaklightcider @snowdriftciderco @alpenfirecider @doublemountain #redfleshedapple #nwciderclub #nwcider #discovercider #discoverclub
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    We’re smitten on red fleshed apples and love the way they show up in @unionhillciderco’s Pinkheart Cider. Inspired by beautiful pink spring blossoms (we can’t wait!) with unique rose coloring and intense strawberry and rhubarb flavor profiles. 🌸💗🍓 This beauty will be a true gem to enjoy in our NW Cider Club Discover Washington Box spring release, arriving at doorsteps in early March when you order by 2/10 (link in profile). If you’ve been getting geeky on apples with us for awhile, you may already know a wealth of apples originate from Kazakhstan, including a variety of red fleshed apples— red from skin to core, offering cidermakers a making a stunning, gem toned, almost cherry like juice. Red fleshed ciders can feature any number of apples blended or on their own... there’s much to explore! A few other NW red fleshed ciders we recommend are from @peaklightcider @snowdriftciderco @alpenfirecider @doublemountain #redfleshedapple #nwciderclub #nwcider #discovercider #discoverclub
  • This month we will be talking about how cider can fit into a healthy, balanced lifestyle. We get the Dry January intention but we also think drinking the good stuff in moderation can be good for the soul and part of a healthy and balanced diet, and might be a resolution easier to keep, longer. Continuing on with highlighting the six ciders in this quarter’s NW Cider Club Discover Washington box, meet @raggedandrightciderproject up in Mt Vernon, WA. We are featuring their First Pick Gravenstein single varietal cider. They are the sister company of @farmstrongbrewing and specialize in handcrafted, fresh pressed, delicious siders out of Washington‘s Skagit Valley. Head cidermaker Jacob Mitchell is a celebrated part of the team bringing a decade of cidermaking experience, having worked at @eaglemountwinecider and @elementalhardcider. The First Pick series explores unique characteristics and pays tribute to specific apple varietals, highlighting their nuanced flavors. This Gravenstein cider is effervescent and has quintessentially bright, green apple notes. Wassail/Good Health
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    This month we will be talking about how cider can fit into a healthy, balanced lifestyle. We get the Dry January intention but we also think drinking the good stuff in moderation can be good for the soul and part of a healthy and balanced diet, and might be a resolution easier to keep, longer. Continuing on with highlighting the six ciders in this quarter’s NW Cider Club Discover Washington box, meet @raggedandrightciderproject up in Mt Vernon, WA. We are featuring their First Pick Gravenstein single varietal cider. They are the sister company of @farmstrongbrewing and specialize in handcrafted, fresh pressed, delicious siders out of Washington‘s Skagit Valley. Head cidermaker Jacob Mitchell is a celebrated part of the team bringing a decade of cidermaking experience, having worked at @eaglemountwinecider and @elementalhardcider. The First Pick series explores unique characteristics and pays tribute to specific apple varietals, highlighting their nuanced flavors. This Gravenstein cider is effervescent and has quintessentially bright, green apple notes. Wassail/Good Health
  • Our cider experts selected the next 6 ciders to go into our NW Cider Club, in the first quarter, 2021 box! The theme is Discover Washington ciders and we wanted to tell you a little about each cider in this season’s discovery. Sign up now and expect this delivered to your door in early March. First up, a new project of @finnriver —Social Justice Cider (Black Currant) is their best-selling contemporary cider, relabeled and released as part of a project to generate awareness and fund support for social justice. Bright apple fruit is balanced by currant complexity; sweet and sour notes, with a light sparkle and a purple blush. Find out more about the causes you’ll be supporting on the Finnriver Farm website and sign up to be a NW Cider Club member at NWciderclub.com. Wassail/Good Health
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    Our cider experts selected the next 6 ciders to go into our NW Cider Club, in the first quarter, 2021 box! The theme is Discover Washington ciders and we wanted to tell you a little about each cider in this season’s discovery. Sign up now and expect this delivered to your door in early March. First up, a new project of @finnriver —Social Justice Cider (Black Currant) is their best-selling contemporary cider, relabeled and released as part of a project to generate awareness and fund support for social justice. Bright apple fruit is balanced by currant complexity; sweet and sour notes, with a light sparkle and a purple blush. Find out more about the causes you’ll be supporting on the Finnriver Farm website and sign up to be a NW Cider Club member at NWciderclub.com. Wassail/Good Health
  • Sneak preview announcement of our next NW Cider Club Discover Box! You’re hearing it here first! This quarter we are featuring diverse and innovative ciders from Washington! Cider, pressed and fermented from apples, can be as diverse and complex as wine; crafted from a variety of apples, across different growing regions with different cidermaking techniques. Say hello to these six from @seattleciderco @raggedandrightciderproject @unionhillciderco @finnriver @herbscider and @independentcider . We are putting the finishing touches on our nwciderclub.com website with tasting notes and more so subscribe to be one of the first to get this box.
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    Sneak preview announcement of our next NW Cider Club Discover Box! You’re hearing it here first! This quarter we are featuring diverse and innovative ciders from Washington! Cider, pressed and fermented from apples, can be as diverse and complex as wine; crafted from a variety of apples, across different growing regions with different cidermaking techniques. Say hello to these six from @seattleciderco @raggedandrightciderproject @unionhillciderco @finnriver @herbscider and @independentcider . We are putting the finishing touches on our nwciderclub.com website with tasting notes and more so subscribe to be one of the first to get this box.
  • Dry Cider January recommendations continue for some gorgeous apple forward ciders with no residual sugar. ❄️ @runciblecider has many dry ciders but their quince is especially fun. ❄️Find the Spanish style wild fermented Sidra from @finnriver ❄️ @libertycider @dragonsheadcider and @alpenfirecider make also all their ciders dry so you can’t go wrong picking up bottles that at 100% about the apple and the way the Cidermaker decided to ferment, usually slowly! ❄️ @queenorchardcider has an aptly named Royal Dryness 🤔😊 ❄️ @12bridgecider Burlington Boxcar Dry rounds out this list today but there are plenty more out there!
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    Dry Cider January recommendations continue for some gorgeous apple forward ciders with no residual sugar. ❄️ @runciblecider has many dry ciders but their quince is especially fun. ❄️Find the Spanish style wild fermented Sidra from @finnriver ❄️ @libertycider @dragonsheadcider and @alpenfirecider make also all their ciders dry so you can’t go wrong picking up bottles that at 100% about the apple and the way the Cidermaker decided to ferment, usually slowly! ❄️ @queenorchardcider has an aptly named Royal Dryness 🤔😊 ❄️ @12bridgecider Burlington Boxcar Dry rounds out this list today but there are plenty more out there!
  • Did anyone celebrate the 12th night of Christmas this week with a Wassail? It may be hard to think past yesterday but let’s give it a shot. Wassailing was practiced in times past in the English countryside, especially in cider producing regions. It is thought to be of Saxon origin and associated with the festival of Yule. Wassailing falls into two distinct categories: the house-visiting wassail and the orchard-visiting wassail. The house-visiting wassail is the practice of people going door-to-door, singing and offering a drink from the wassail bowl in exchange for gifts. The word 'wassail' comes from the Anglo-Saxon phrase 'waes hael', which means 'good health'. Originally, the wassail was a drink made of mulled ale, curdled cream, roasted apples, eggs, cloves, ginger, nutmeg and sugar. It was served from huge bowls, often made of silver or pewter. Wassailing was traditionally done on New Year's Eve and Twelfth Night. The orchard-visiting wassail refers to the ancient custom of visiting orchards, reciting incantations and singing to the trees to promote a good harvest for the coming year. The purpose of wassailing is to awake the cider apple trees and to scare away evil spirits to ensure a good harvest of fruit in the autumn. The ceremonies of each wassail varied from village to village, but they generally all have the same core elements. A wassail King and Queen lead the song and/or a processional tune to be played/sung from one orchard to the next, the wassail Queen will then be lifted up into the boughs of the tree where she will place toast soaked in Wassail from the cup as a gift to the tree. Then the assembled crowd will sing and shout and bang drums and pots & pans and generally make a terrible racket until the gunsmen give a great final volley through the branches to make sure the work is done. Notable traditional wassailing songs include “Here We Come a-Wassailing” and the “Gloucestershire Wassail”. Now you know! Thanks to Peter J Davies for the research, the period drawing and the song lyrics. First photo belongs to @seaciderhouse and last belongs to @westerncider at a past Wassail in Montana!
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    Did anyone celebrate the 12th night of Christmas this week with a Wassail? It may be hard to think past yesterday but let’s give it a shot. Wassailing was practiced in times past in the English countryside, especially in cider producing regions. It is thought to be of Saxon origin and associated with the festival of Yule. Wassailing falls into two distinct categories: the house-visiting wassail and the orchard-visiting wassail. The house-visiting wassail is the practice of people going door-to-door, singing and offering a drink from the wassail bowl in exchange for gifts. The word 'wassail' comes from the Anglo-Saxon phrase 'waes hael', which means 'good health'. Originally, the wassail was a drink made of mulled ale, curdled cream, roasted apples, eggs, cloves, ginger, nutmeg and sugar. It was served from huge bowls, often made of silver or pewter. Wassailing was traditionally done on New Year's Eve and Twelfth Night. The orchard-visiting wassail refers to the ancient custom of visiting orchards, reciting incantations and singing to the trees to promote a good harvest for the coming year. The purpose of wassailing is to awake the cider apple trees and to scare away evil spirits to ensure a good harvest of fruit in the autumn. The ceremonies of each wassail varied from village to village, but they generally all have the same core elements. A wassail King and Queen lead the song and/or a processional tune to be played/sung from one orchard to the next, the wassail Queen will then be lifted up into the boughs of the tree where she will place toast soaked in Wassail from the cup as a gift to the tree. Then the assembled crowd will sing and shout and bang drums and pots & pans and generally make a terrible racket until the gunsmen give a great final volley through the branches to make sure the work is done. Notable traditional wassailing songs include “Here We Come a-Wassailing” and the “Gloucestershire Wassail”. Now you know! Thanks to Peter J Davies for the research, the period drawing and the song lyrics. First photo belongs to @seaciderhouse and last belongs to @westerncider at a past Wassail in Montana!