When I first heard of hard cider, I was at a brewery in Albuquerque and saw it on the menu. I thought it was for people who did not drink beer. The thought of going to a brewery and not ordering beer seemed ludicrous and I understand that not everyone likes beer so I figured it was a “sweet” alternative. It wasn’t until last year that I tried a hard cider and was not only amazed by the flavor but by the alcohol content. I had ignorantly thought that hard cider was purposely made to be lower in alcohol and just had added artificial flavoring so make it extra sweet. But just like beer, not all ciders are the same and since last summer I have tried hundreds of ciders and have made about four batches at home with my partner. Since I am far from well-versed in the cider world, my flavor profiles are lacking. However, my goal in the quest for great cider is to learn how to better describe what I am tasting. I may say, “It tastes like a barn.” But that is not necessarily a bad thing. I can officially say now that cider is not just for non-beer drinkers and on many occasions I will order cider if it is on tap.
While tasting and taking mental notes, I decided that one of my favorite cider makers so far is Finnriver Farm and Cidery. Finnriver just so happens to be in Chicacum, Washington, which is less that two hours away. Since our beer tour last fall, we decided last month that a cider tour was in order and Finnriver was the obvious place to start.
While researching the area, we realized that two other cider farms were nearby. We initially planned the trip around the re-opening of Alpenfire, who said they were opening on March 6th. We decided to make it a camping trip because, why not? We invited some friends in Seattle to meet us in Port Townsend, which is a cute small town just North of the cider farms. On a sunny Friday afternoon we drove off the ferry into Port Townsend and decided that first thing’s first: beer. Port Townsend brewing company is less than ten minutes from the Port Townsend ferry has a great porter and stout but the India Pale Ale was the favorite. After our beer tasting we met up with our friends on the side of the road just on the border of the Olympic National Forest. The camping was great as usual but let’s get back to the cider.
The next day, on Saturday, our first stop was Alpenfire. Since we heard they were reopening on that weekend we presumed that was actually the case. Alas, when we arrived there as our first stop, they were still closed. So our first real stop was Finnriver. (On a side note, Finnriver thought that Alpenfire would be open as well and we never found out of they did re-open.)
Finnriver is moving to a larger location soon but we stopped at the original farm in Chicacum and had a great tasting. Among the many we tried, the Fire Barrel cider aged in bourbon barrels and the Solstice Saffron were the favorites. The rich flavors of Finnriver’s ciders are so different and our tasting ended with the purchase of a case that looked like a giant box of crayons, each cider having its own amazing color and distinct label. Although I had tried several of their ciders prior to my arrival, learning the history and being on the farm to learn about the process made the trip amazing. Our case also included Cranberry Rosehip, which is quite sour but delicious, Black Currant, which was the first Finnriver cider I tried and got me hooked and Habanero, because I like spice and the combination of sweet and pepper flavors reminds me on New Mexico.
The next and final stop was Eaglemount Wine and Cider. What I love the most about Eaglemount is that they make cider and wine. Their wines, particularly the Osprey, is a favorite but the Cyser and Quince. Cyser is a sweet cider, with hints of honey. The Quince cider is not as sour as its namesake but combined with apples has an amazing sweet and sour flavor. I imagined juicing a quince and an apple while tasting and I just had to take some home.
Although our trip was short and we only made it to two out of three cider farms, we did get to try some great beer and made our last stop at Pourhouse, a small tap house in Port Townsend with a beautiful outdoor patio right on the water and a great variety of local beers and ciders.
Owls and Figs 