Old-world Tradition Meets Northwest Apples in English Pub Cider
Every year, in honor of Portland Cider’s English roots, we celebrate with a toast to the community, the orchard,s and the season with our own NW version of a Wassail. Hot mulled cider and a new batch of our English Pub Cider are essential elements to the celebration, but there’s a lot more to it than just that.
In Somerset, England, where Portland Cider co-owner Lynda Parrish grew up, cider is a vital part of the economy and culture. That region is known as the birthplace of cider, where the people already were making cider from crabapples when the Romans arrived in 55 BCE. And at Portland Cider, those English roots are an important part of everything we do.
The pure ingredients, careful process, and small batches have a real impact on the quality of the cider we produce. By following the time-honored traditions that generations of cidermakers before have established, we’re carrying on a piece of history with every pint we pour. Of course, we make our cider from 100% Northwest-grown apples, giving Portland Cider its own unique, regional flavor.
The best example of this marriage between traditional West Country English-style cider and Pacific Northwest apples is our English Pub Cider. It’s a tannic, dry cider, bursting with the flavors of more than 30 traditional cider apple varieties grown in Oregon’s Yamhill County. It’s been aged for more than two years, resulting in a rich flavor and smooth finish. It also happens to be the favorite cider of our own cidermakers—and they have pretty great taste.
Typically, our English Pub Cider has only been available on tap in our own pubs. But we’re happy to share that it’s now available in 19.2-ounce “Proper Pint” cans at retailers all over the region!
A Somerset folk tale tells of the spirit of the oldest tree in the orchard, the Apple Tree Man. The community would gather in the orchard and sing songs of wassail to the trees, to wake them from their winter sleep and drive off any evil spirits. They would give the last mug of mulled cider to the Apple Tree Man as an offering, to ensure a good harvest in the year ahead.
How you honor the trees is between you and them, but you can’t go wrong with a can of English Pub Cider in hand. Use our Cider Finder to locate any of our ciders near you, or place your order to pick up at the Portland Cider House on Hawthorne or the Clackamas Pub, and you’ll be set to wassail in style all season long.
