PNWCA Offers Cider Lovers Specialty, Limited-Release Ciders

Last month we told you about the first-ever Pacific Northwest Cider Awards – a cider awards program that also includes a public cider festival in Seattle. Below, we share information about both the competition and the festival.

The judging will take place on Thursday, June 5th. The cider festival follows: Friday, June 6 thru Sunday June 8 at The Woods Tasting Room in Seattle’s SoDo neighborhood.

The Festival

It is expected that at least 15 cideries will provide product for the three-day event. At any given time, as many as 25 different ciders will be available. This event gives Seattle-area cider lovers a chance to enjoy specialty and limited edition ciders from producers throughout Washington, Oregon, Montana and Canada.

---

sponsor

---

---

sponsor

---

---

sponsor

---

---

sponsor

---

---

sponsor

---

---

sponsor

---

---

sponsor

---

---

sponsor

---

---

sponsor

---

---

sponsor

---

---

sponsor

---

---

sponsor

---

---

sponsor

---

---

sponsor

---

---

sponsor

---

---

sponsor

---

---

sponsor

---

---

sponsor

---

---

sponsor

---

---

sponsor

---

Tastings flights and pints will be available. Representatives from participating cideries will be present at various times throughout the event. This is a 21+ event. This is not a ticketed event. Just show up and order some cider.

---

sponsor

---

---

sponsor

---

---

sponsor

---

---

sponsor

---

---

sponsor

---

---

sponsor

---

---

sponsor

---

Each cider or tasting flight purchased will be accompanied by a voting slip, allowing for one vote per purchase. The cider with the most votes at the end of the festival will be awarded the People Choice Award, to be announced Monday, June 9 on the PNWCA website and social media channels.

Hours:
Friday from 3-10pm
Saturday from 1-10pm
Sunday from 1-6pm

sponsor

sponsor

sponsor

sponsor

sponsor

sponsor

sponsor

sponsor

sponsor

sponsor

sponsor

sponsor

sponsor

sponsor

sponsor

sponsor

sponsor

Food:
Food will be available all three days from Where Ya at Matt, one of Seattle’s most popular food trucks.

The Awards

Registration is now closed and 25 cideries have signed up for the competition. The list includes all of the major players in the Northwest cider industry. The judging panel, comprised of cider experts from across the Northwest, expects to evaluate more than 90 ciders in 11 different categories. The winners will be announced on Friday, June 6th via the PNWCA website.

Joel Vandenbrink, owner of Seattle Cider Company and one of the PNWCA organizers, says that he is suitably impressed by the Northwest cider industry’s response to the PNWCA. “There are only 37 cideries in the Northwest Cider Association, so two-thirds signed up. This is a huge accomplishment.” He points out that many of the cideries that did not sign likely did not have product to dedicate to the competition.

The Categories and Number of Submisions

A- Modern Dry: 10 submissions

B – Modern Sweet: 10 submissions

C – New World Dry: 10 submissions

D – New World Sweet: 5 submissions

E – French: 2 submissions (this category will be absorbed into something else)

F – English: 9 submissions

G – Wild: 4 submissions

H – Wood Aged: 8 submissions

I – Fruit: 14 submissions

J – Hopped: 9 submissions

K – Specialty: 10 submissions

sponsor

sponsor

sponsor

sponsor

sponsor

sponsor

sponsor

sponsor

sponsor

sponsor