Top Shelf Tasting Opportunity; Great Lakes Cider & Perry Festival September 8th 2012

Is it seriously time to start announcing end of the Summer cider festivals? Hard to believe but here I am.

Planning for the 5th Annual Great Lakes Cider & Perry Festival are officially underway. The festival is once again being held at Uncle John’s Cider Mill in St. John’s, Michigan, and continues to be one of the premier places to taste a cultivated selection of North America's BEST craft ciders.

With orchards, fresh pressed juice, doughnuts, wholesome activities, and a down home atmosphere Uncle John's Cider Mill is an Autumn tradition to many a Michigan family... From the humble beginnings of fruit and juice Uncle John's has diversified into fermentinga selection of some of the best American ciders, and also offers winery selections, and more recently award winning apple spirits. If you enjoy cider, fresh or fermented, or even distilled Uncle John's should be on YOUR to-do list and what better excuse to visit that for the Great Lakes Cider & Perry Festival.

When: Saturday, September-8th 2012 (Noon til 6pm)
Why: To promote & showcase the wide range of ciders made in this region and beyond.
Where: Uncle John's Cider Mill

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Mike Beck and crew do a first rate job at procuring some of the finest ciders from around the country. If you are a cidermaker and are interested in having your cider featured check out the attached PDF.

5th Annual Great Lakes Cider & Perry Festival Call for Ciders

Exciting news for recent startup Reverend Nat's Hard Cider

Friend, fellow cidermaker Reverend Nat contacted me earlier today with some exciting news for his new cider business. The Rev Nat recently signed a deal with Columbia Distributing to distribute his cider througout both Oregon and Washington.

Nat is one of Oregon's newest cidermakers and Columbia is the largest distributor in the Northwest. This move gives Nat some pretty broad reach very early on. Good luck man! You are gonna be a pretty busy dude I think.

Reverend Nat's pouring his wares at Cider Summit NW in Portland.

Here is the press release from the Reverend Nat camp:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Reverend Nat's Hard Cider Contact: Nat West
Email: Nat@reverendnats.com

Reverend Nat's Hard Cider Signs with Columbia Distributing

Portland, OR 07/10/12 – Just a few months into its first sales, and effective immediately, Reverend Nat's Hard Cider has signed a deal with Columbia Distributing to distribute all products in the Oregon and Washington markets.

The quickly-growing cidery was begun as a hobby six years ago and is located in the Reverend's basement in the historic Woodlawn neighborhood of NE Portland. Current market offerings include the flagship Revival Dry and the popular Deliverance Ginger. The first new offering under Columbia Distributing will be the celebrated Hallelujah Hopricot, followed closely by Sacrilege Sour Cherry, Providence Traditional New England and the limited-release Revelation single-variety series.

Columbia Distributing boasts the longest history of cider distributorship in the Pacific Northwest with many well-known cider brands. The large distributor also plays well with the locals, recently adding local beer scene favorite Hopworks Urban Brewery to its lineup. Reverend Nat's produced almost 4,000 gallons this year and expects to expand significantly under partnership with Columbia Distributing. The Reverend says, “I can drink my cider. Portland can drink my cider. Now more people can drink my cider.”

Summertime is Cider Time Second Annual Summer Cider Day Set for July 7

From the Northwest Cider Association:

Fancy yourself on the cutting edge of beverage trends? Forget about barrel-aged cocktails and artisanal bitters—it’s the resurgence of traditional hard cider that’s making headlines around the country. These ciders are naturally gluten-free and commonly feature unusual heirloom apple varieties; they can be as bubbly as Champagne, as tart as a lemon, and as bursting with pure fruit flavor as the best apple pie you’ve ever tasted. Celebrate and discover the delicious diversity of Pacific Northwest craft hard ciders at the Northwest Cider Association's second annual Summer Cider Day in Port Townsend, Washington. Summer Cider Day is the Northwest Cider Association's biggest event of the year and has helped establish the Northwest as a nationally recognized cider region. This year, it takes place on Saturday, July 7th, at the Port Townsend Maritime Center.

Featuring nearly a dozen cidermakers from the Pacific Northwest, the festival will offer at least 30 different varieties of hard cider, including a few created by cidermakers from other regions of the United States. Summer Cider Day offers the experienced cider enthusiast and the newly cider-curious a chance to sample a complete range of styles and flavors. Come enjoy a weekend in Port Townsend as you talk with your local cidermakers, taste delicious cheese from nearby Mt Townsend creamery, enjoy a bit of live music from Matt Sircely & The New Forge, and celebrate the fermented apple in its many fine forms.

Ticket prices are $25/person or $20 for NWCA members. Event ticket price includes admission, 10 tasting tickets, and a keepsake Northwest Cider Association glass. Ticket prices for under 21 or for designated drivers are $5 at the door; these tickets do not include tasting tickets or the keepsake glass. Additional tasting tickets will be available for purchase, and a cider shop will be on the premises so you can purchase many of the regional ciders. Hours for the festival are 12pm to 6pm.

The Northwest Cider Association is a trade organization formed by cider producers throughout the Pacific Northwest in order to promote awareness of regional artisanal ciders among the public. You’ll find member cideries in Oregon, Washington, Montana and Canada. Memberships are also available to individual cider fans, as well as retail shops, restaurants and beverage distributors. For more information, including complete membership details, visit http://nwcider.com. Direct any media inquiries to info@nwcider.com.

While you are out and about in Port Townsend take a tour along the Port Townsend Cider Route.

Orchard Management: Cider Fruit Production - 2 Alternate Dates: June 23rd and July 28th.

Both sections will be held at WSU NWREC, 16650 State Route 536, Mount Vernon, WA 98273 from 9:00am - 4:30pm

Registration Fee: $75 per person

This one day class offers the basics of tree fruit production with emphasis on cider and dessert apple varieties. Expert orchardist Gary Moulton will discuss topics on rootstock, nutrient management, pest management, irrigation, orchard layout planting, pruning, and harvest techniques. The class coincides with Cider Production: Principles & Practices but is open to anyone interested in learning about the essentials of orchard management. The format of the class will be a lecture and discussion followed by an optional tour of nearby Red Barn Cider and orchard.
 
Registration fee to attend the class is $75/person. The fee includes snacks, light lunch, and all lecture materials. Fee is waived for participants attending the Cider Production: P&P course.
 
Instructor Gary Moulton started in 1980 with the Fruit Horticulture department at the WSU Research Station in Mt. Vernon. In 1991, he took over management, direction, and leadership of the program. He holds a Master’s from WSU in Plant Pathology specializing in fruit diseases, and a Bachelor’s in Pomology/Fruit Science from Cal-Poly San Luis Obispo. He has authored several WSU Extension publications and produced a widely regarded video on pruning fruit trees.

To register visit the NABC website.

Cider Making - Principles and Practices 06/25/12 - 06/30/12

Mount Vernon, WA
Registration open to the public

The Northwest Agriculture Business Center is bringing internationally recognized cider production expert Peter Mitchell back to the Skagit Valley to lead another of his popular and intensive week-long classes in cider and perry production. Mitchell has over 26 years of practical experience in hard cider production. He is a certified UK and USA cider competition judge and an award-winning producer in his own right. If you have wanted to develop your skills in hard cider and perry making, this is the course to attend. "Cider Making-Principles and Practices" will be held at the WSU Northwest Research and Extension Center in Mount Vernon, WA.

The course will run 8:00am - 5:00pm daily, June 25 - 29, 2012. Mitchell will cover technical industry foundations such as the cider market, business opportunity, orcharding, production methods and management, and quality control. The class will provide practical processing and laboratory work along with lectures. The week will also be filled with cider making workshops and a field-trip visit to a commercial cider house.

The format and content of the class is suitable for beginners, new businesses and existing producers (large & small-scale) alike. In addition to the week long program is an optional Certificate in Cider and Perry Appreciation by the National Association of Cider Makers'. This certification is designed for individuals who wish to gain a recognized formal industry qualification, the only one of its kind.

Registration is open. http://www.agbizcenter.org/node/58