Cheers to the Champions!
Seventeen Northwest Cideries Earn Awards In Portland International Cider Cup Competition
PORTLAND (July 29, 2016) – The results are in! Seven Pacific Northwest cideries took home gold medals after the Northwest Cider Association’s 4th Annual Portland International Cider Competition (PICC) Awards Party last night. Montana Ciderworks took home the competition’s highest honor — the Best In Show Award.
The competition celebrates ciders crafted in the Pacific Northwest, the largest cider market in the US for consumption as well as having a quarter of the country’s cidermakers. This year, the competition entries almost doubled, growing to over 100 ciders from British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana, and featured 32 experienced industry judges.
Within the 13 categories sampled, judges found ciders in seven categories worthy of gold medals:
- 2 Towns Ciderhouse, Oregon – Riverwood 2013 (Modern Dry Cider)
- Bull Run Cider, Oregon – Strawberry Fields (Fruit Cider)
- Cider Riot!, Oregon – 1763 (English Dry Cider)
- Elk Horn Brewery and Cider House, Oregon – Bourbon Barrel Wild Cider (Wood/Oaked Cider)
- Finnriver Farm and Cidery, Washington – Perry (Modern Perry)
- Montana Ciderworks, Montana – Darby Pub Cider (Modern Sweet Cider)
- Square Mile Cider, Oregon – Spur and Vine (Hopped Cider)
These seven ciders went on to compete in the Best of Show round, in which the head judges from each table found the Darby Pub to be the best of the best.
“It’s an honor for our cider to be selected from among so many excellent ciders made here in the northwest. I make cider in a small town in Montana. I’m grateful to be part of the Northwest Cider Association and be part of the larger cider community,” said Lee McAlpine of Montana Ciderworks.
The cup’s runner up, Abram Goldman-Armstrong from Cider Riot! said, “We’re very proud to see our 1763 recognized in this strong competition. We pick and press every apple that goes into this cider, from the fragrant Yarlington Mills, to the bitter Dabinetts. 1763 is our tribute to the West Country ciders in England which prompted the populous to rise up in the cider riots of 1763. Viva la cider revolution!”
Awards were also given to 2 Towns Ciderhouse in Corvallis, OR and Apple Outlaw in Applegate, OR respectively as Large and Small Cideries of the year. Visit nwcider.com for the full list of medalists and past cup winners. The party was generously hosted by Square Mile Cider at Widmer Brothers Brewing.
“We’re so excited to grow the competition this year and give northwest ciders a chance to be judged by well-trained, knowledgeable judges, who not only rank what they are tasting, but give valuable feedback to cidermakers in the notes. Next time you’re in the grocery store, try one of the medalists!” says Emily Ritchie, Executive Director of the Northwest Cider Association.
Silver medals were awarded to:
^5 Cider, OR – Strawbasauras Hop (Hopped Cider)
2 Towns Ciderhouse, OR – 2 Thorns (Fruit Cider)
Apple Outlaw, OR – Ginger Bite (Spiced/Herbed Cider)
Apple Outlaw, OR – Heritage Rye Barrel Aged (Wood/Oaked Cider)
Apple Outlaw, OR – Wickson (Heritage Dry Cider)
Hopworks Urban Cidery, OR – HUB Hard Cider (Modern Dry Cider)
Snowdrift Cider, WA – Seckel Perry (Modern Perry)
Twisted Hills Craft Cider, BC – Kingston’s Twist (Heritage Sweet Cider)
Bronze medals were awarded to:
Carlton Cyderworks, OR – Citizen (English Sweet)
Faustino Estate, BC – Faustino Apple Plum (Fruit Cider)
Faustino Estate, BC – Faustino Dry Apple (Modern Dry Cider)
Finnriver Cidery, WA – Oak and Apple (Wood/Oaked Cider)
Hopworks Urban Cidery, OR – Professor Plum (Spiced/Herbed Cider)
Liberty Ciderworks, WA – Porter’s Perfection Single Varietal (English Dry Cider)
Montana Ciderworks, MT – North Fork Traditional (Heritage Sweet Cider)
Snowdrift Cider, WA – Red (Modern Sweet)
Twisted Hills Craft Cider, BC – Calville’s Winter (Modern Sweet)
Wandering Aengus Ciderworks, OR – Wandering Aengus Golden Russet (Heritage Dry)
WildCraft Cider Works, OR – Elderberry Perry (Modern Perry)
Past cup winners include:
2015 – Left Field Cider’s Pear Cider (Logan Lake, BC)
2014 – Apple Bandit, now Apple Outlaw, for their Original Cider (Applegate, OR)
2013 – Merridale Ciderworks for their Cyser (Cobble Hill, BC)
To learn more about the PICC and the Awards Party, contact Carolyn Winkler, PICC Chief Competition Coordinator (carolyn@revnats.com). To learn more about the NWCA, contact Emily Ritchie, NWCA Executive Director (emily@nwcider.com).
