I don’t particularly like beer, but I’ve discovered (since moving to the Pacific Northwest) that I really, really like cider. On a trip to Europe in May 2019, I discovered that there are some beers that I enjoy, too, but those are mostly of the Kolsch-style and not too common these days. (For the record, I cannot stand the IPAs that are so popular; why someone would want to lick a pine tree is beyond me).
(Note: I started this as a simple text file, but I’ll try to add links to the brewers over time.)
Ratings:
- Don’t do this again
- Probably not, but it’s unusual so I might be in the mood for it
- Just ok
- Very nice; definitely put this in the rotation
- Absolutely superb
Cider
- 5 - 1066 by St-Lô Cider, 7.5%, absolutely fabulous, but really difficult to find.
- 4 - Snowdrift Forefather, 7.5% (ABV), very nice! Sweeter than I expected. Pale gold color.
- 5 - Snowdrift Red, 7.5%, ooh lovely. Pink, not too sweet, but very tasty.
- 1 - Snowdrift Dry, 7.4%, very very dry, tough to drink. Don’t do this again
- 3 - Tieton, dry. Very nice. Smoother than the Seattle dry.
- 2 - Finnriver Apple Abbey, 6.5%, unusual aftertaste but not bad at all. Almost smoky but not quite. Would try again but probably not at the top of my list.
- 4 - Washington Golden Delicious, 5.5%, bright and sweet. Very tasty.
- 3 - Core Hero Dry, %, lovely and dry
- 3 - Seattle Semi-sweet, 6.5%, very nice
- 3 - Stella Cidre, 4.5%, not bad at all
- 2 - Wheel Line Haystack, cask aged, smooth and dry
- 5 - Ole Swede, mint tree & crabapple, wow! Superb! Citrusy
- 4 - Soundbite, Yup That’s Dry, definitely dry but very nice finish. Nice if you want a dry cider.
- 3 - 10 Barrel Soft Core, 6.5%, Semi-sweet to dry, nice flavor, not too tart
- 2 - Finnriver Apple Abbey, 6.5%, wow tart! Funky aftertaste
- 4 - Washington Gold, 5.5%, replacement for Crispin at Henry’s, nice sweet, not tangy
- 3 - Schilling Rose Vacay, xx, really nice, definitely medium dry, not too sweet
- 4 - Bad Granny Honeycrisp, 6.9% semi sweet, refreshing, might be really good — excellent
- 4 - Tieton Bourbon Peach, 6.9%, very nice, flavorful, not too sweet
- 3 - Bad Granny Lime & Ginger, %, sweet, smooth, nice lime, hard to pick up the ginger, good flavors
- 3 - One Tree Huckleberry, 6.8%, really sweet but actually a lovely taste
- 3 - Portland Concord Grape, 5.5%, sweet, almost (but not quite) tastes like Ribena. Not too bad, but nothing I’d want to drink on a regular basis
- 4 - Sea Cider Bittersweet, 9.1%, not bad. Rather dry, even though it’s classified semi-sweet
- 3 - Finnriver Oaken Haben, 6.5%, habanero cider. Nice taste, bit of a bite.
- 4 - Dragon’s Head Heritage, 7.3%, dry but punchy, bright amber color, very British
- 4 - Tieton Lavender Honey, 6.9%, smooth but not too sweet. Definite lavender notes but not too overwhelming.
- 5 - 2 Towns Outcider, 5%, ooh lovely very nice, smooth, semisweet, unfiltered Jonas Gold
- 4 - 2 Towns Cosmic Crisp, 6.4%, tart, not too sweet, cloudy pale appearance but pretty nice.
Beer
- 3 - Diamond Knot Kolsch Style Ale, 4.9%, pretty bitter.
- 4 - 10barrel Pub Beer, 5.1%, lager, smooth and not too bitter. Nice.