Old Time Cider

Ivar's Salmon House 2nd Annual Fall Cider Celebration

Ivar’s Salmon House and the Northwest Cider Society are co-sponsoring the 2nd Annual Fall Cider Celebration. I didn’t make it last year but I sure hope to go this year. They have a terrific line up of ciders this which seems to be expanding to accommodate our growing Northwest cider selection.

Here is the event info from the Facebook event page. Remember you have to RSVP and pre-purchase tickets from Brown Paper Tickets. Do it before they run out this will be a big event.

Thursday, November 12, 2009
5:30pm – 8:30pm
Ivar’s Salmon House
401 NE Northlake Way
Seattle, WA

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Ivar’s Salmon House invites you! Join us for a special event in celebration of the harvest season. Sample from a refreshing selection of regional and international hard ciders accompanied by an array of hors d’oeuvres prepared by Chef Jason Bray. More than 25 varietals of ciders will be poured during the evening.

New this year – vote and select a “People’s Choice” awarded for best cider.

Whether you like sweet, dry or semi-dry or are new to the world of hard cider, there’s something for everyone!

Featured ciders include:
Aspall Cider | Blue Mountain Cider | Crispin Cider | Domaine Dupont | Eaglemount Cider | J.K. Scrumpy | Red Barn Cider | Samuel Smith’s Organic Cider | Spire Mountain Cider | Wandering Aengus Cider | Westcott Bay Cider | Wildfire Cider — and more!

Sample hors d’oeuvres menu*:
* Seared large scallop; Granny Smith apple compote
* Shucked oyster; hard cider Mignonette
* Alder grilled salmon, apple brandy glaze
* Cider braised pork belly; apple gastrique
* Pork sliders, apple chutney
* Domestic and imported cheeses
* Mixed seasonal vegetables
* Cider braised chicken
* Imported and domestic cured meats
* Cider glazed shrimp

Cost: $30

*Co-sponsored by NW Cider Society
**Advance tickets only, no evening walk-ins please.

To RSVP visit: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/85665

NOTE: No one under 21 years old will be admitted.

1st annual Artisan Cider Festival @ Portland Nursery’s Annual Apple Tasting
October 10th – 11th and 17th-18th
10am to 5pm

Portland Nursery
5050 SE Stark St
Portland, OR 97215-1791
(503) 231-5050
Map Link

Two weekends of Artisan Cider tasting and heirloom apple fun. Some of the highlights look to be tastings of 20 or so Traditional Ciders from around the country, Cidermaking demonstrations, as well as heirloom cider apple and fresh pressed juice tasting.

This should be good and an excellent intro to craft/artisan/traditional cider. Participating ciders are suppose to be “Artisan Ciders” which they have defined as producers that start with whole apples. You are sure to see some of the best of the best from around the country and can even purchase and take home cider distributed in Oregon.

On October 3rd 2009 go check out one of Washington’s newest cider makers Tieton Ciderworks @ the Fresh Hop Festival in Yakima.

I’ll be writing more on Tieton Ciderworks very soon! Until then check their website and blog.

Blog: Tieton Cider Works
Link: http://tietonciderworks.blogspot.com/2009/09/come-visit-us-tieton-cider-works-will.html

I got an email and event notification from Mike at Uncle John’s Cider Mill in St. Johns Michigan. They will be holding their 2nd annual Great Lakes Cider & Perry Festival the weekend of September 12th and 13th 2009. Looks like they have a really great even lined up this year. Cider and Perry tastings, antique apple variety tastings, cider and cheese pairings. Man!

Among other festivities they have wrangled Ben Watson to host some of their event and do a “meet the author”. Ben Watson is the author of Cider, Hard and Sweet: History, Traditions, and Making Your Own, which I have to say is one of the finest, most informative books on cider you’ll find today. If you are at all even a little bit interested in learning some of cider’s history, not to mention some great instruction on making it, buy it, buy it, buy it!!! I’ve been planning a post on it since the release of the second edition.

Thanks for the heads up Mike! If there are any cider drinkers and enthusiasts out near Michigan I strongly suggest you plan on making this event. If I weren’t half way across the country I would be going. Below you’ll find the official event weekend schedule as was sent to me.

2nd Annual Great Lakes Cider & Perry Festival – SEPTEMBER 12 & 13 Uncle John’s Cider Mill

Uncle John’s Cider via Google Maps

SATURDAY September 12:

11-6: SAMPLE CIDERS & PERRYS from the Great Lakes Regions. $10/includes souvenir glass. (first 250 ppl.) and 10 pours.

SUNDAY September 13:

11-12: ANTIQUE APPLE TASTING Ben Watson will work with growers and sample varieties from the past. $10/limited to 50 ppl.

12:30-1:30: CIDER & CHEESE PAIRING
Ben Watson will carry you through a sampling of cheeses from the Great Lakes paired with Cider & Perry. $10/limited to 50 ppl.

AFTERNOON: BEST OF THE NON-PROFESSIONALS. Bring your own cider or Perry for admittance.

BOTH DAYS:

MEET THE AUTHORS:
CIDER HARD & SWEET by Ben Watson, 2nd Edition
FROM THE VINE: Discovering Michigan Wineries by Sharon Kegerreis and Lorri Hathaway.

UNCLE JOHN’S ACTIVITIES:
9-6: Gift Shop, Bakery & Cider MIll Open
11-6: Wagon & Train Rides, Kids Corral,
1-4: Corn Maze & Winery Open. Lunch. (Live Music Sunday)

MORE INFO:
www.greatlakescider.com
www.fruithousewinery.com

Well it isn’t thought out cohesive time line type history more or a mention in this interesting website on the History of Alcohol in America… Obviously I’m linking to the cider page direct. http://www.2020site.org/drinks/cider.html

There doesn’t seem to be any contact information and I have no clue where some of this information is coming from or how reputable the sources are. If anyone finds a contact in there let me know.

A couple lines did stick out on the Cider page and I wanted to comment on them.

Bam. Right off the bat, the very first line…

“In New England drinking habits soon underwent a marked and speedy change. English grains did not thrive well those first years of settlement, and were costly to import, so New Englanders soon drifted from beer-drinking to cider-drinking.”

Hmmm. Nice… I have to say that I love how they speculate that beer was the first choice of drink for early American settlers. People have been drinking cider for a long long time, longer than beer some say. Is it at all possible they brought the preference for cider over beer with them? Why does them drinking cider have to be some sign of settlers “roughing it”? Eh. “The Winners Write The History“

Elmer Eugene Van Olinda with apple tree, Vashon Island, 1916 ~ This lucky fellow kept his trees past 1915 ~

At the end of the second paragraph I was really surprised to see that there was an interesting line referring to Washington State.

“The apple crop was so wholly devoted to the manufacture of cider that in the days of temperance reform at the beginning of this century, Washingtonian zealots cut down great orchards of full-bearing trees, not conceiving any adequate use of the fruit for any purpose save cider-making.”

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve looked for information on cider in Washington. I’ve been told that pre-irrigation and pre-Red Delicious, Western Washington was THE apple growing region of the State and hundreds and hundreds of acres were once the home to many an apple orchard.

I’ve always wondered why we didn’t have more cider history… It all makes sense and sadly what I feared had happened

Fact… Washington entered it’s own alcohol prohibition in 1915, 5 years earlier than the rest of the Nation did in 1920. More or less before Eastern Washington’s rise to apple fame too. Logically cider should have been and probably was produced in Western Washington and as most cider was back then… on small farms.

While alcohol reportedly was mostly ignored or tolerated in the “big” cities like Seattle and Tacoma, farmers who grew the apples and made the cider in the rural areas of Western Washington would have surely been subject to a more “Godly” point of view not to mention folks of a more zealatory persuasion. Sadly whatever brief cider history and culture we may have had was probably obliterated some 90+ years ago.

On a positive note I’ve found more than a few old apple trees and orchards in my area not to mention some vintage pears. I’ve tasted fruit from just about all trees of interest and some of these fruits could not have been for table fruit. Some of the trees could likely be “wild” apples. Some planted for Baking I’m sure. Canning, maybe. Cider??? I think there is a good chance of that which will keep me looking for and tasting apples or pears from any old tree I can find.

The following is taken from the pdf for which I’ll give a link. Considering the instructor the class should be a very worth while day of cider learning.

- – - – - – - – - – - – - -
http://snohomish.wsu.edu/ag/workshops/hardcider09.pdf

Learn just what goes into a bottle of good hard fruit cider, a rapidly-growing boutique small farm product niche. WSU Tree Fruit Specialist Gary Moulton will present an overview of the topic from apple to glass including varietal selection, growing and harvest information, as well as an informal look at the production steps from raw fruit to finished bottle.

Date: Saturday, August 22, 2009 10am-2pm
Where: Ed’s Apples, 13420 339th Ave SE, Sultan (just off SR2)
Cost: $65 per person (early bird registration is $55/person before August 12).
Pre-registration required Includes box lunch.

2009 CiderFest on Vashon

When: Saturday, October 10, 2009

Where: Vashon Farmers’ Market, at the Village Green, Vashon Town center ,Vashon Island.

The date is set, so set the date, the events are in the works, bigger and better!

Featuring Ciders from: Blue Mountain, Red Barn, Irvine’s Vintage Cider, Westcott Bay Ciders, Eaglemount Winery and Cidery and more.

Sponsored by the Vashon Island Rotary Foundation & NW Cider Society

So a while back I started a North American Cider Group upon Flickr. If any of you all out there in the cyber-orchard would like to take a look I invite you to check it out. I’d also invite those who use Flickr (or are willing to use Flickr) to become a member and help post new photos of our North American Cider culture.

These images can be but do not have to be of commercial licensed cider operations. Orchard, blossom and apple pictures are welcome if they fall under the cider umbrella. Pressing process photos are welcome provided the juice is to become cider… Fermenting processes and equipment are welcome too of course.

I would rather keep the table apples and apple juice pictures out if possible. As some of you out there already know anywhere else other than North America cider isn’t cider unless it is fermented and I intend on honoring craft cider tradition.