Release Your Inner Judge: It’s Cider Awards Season!
While Hollywood’s awards season has ended for the year, cider awards season is just getting started. In fact, last week Portland Cider’s most-awarded cider, Original Gold, earned its 12th gold medal—this time at the prestigious International Cider Awards in Manchester, England. Additionally, our English Pub Cider won a silver medal, which feels especially cool considering where the competition was held.
As our co-founder Jeff Parrish points out, “This award is given by cider makers TO cider makers, which is a huge honor. And we’re so happy to see Oregon ciders taking a number of the top spots this year. Since we started making cider 11 years ago, we’ve watched the industry grow and thrive—especially in the Pacific Northwest. We used to be one of the only places you could order cider in Portland, and now our region is world-renowned for its amazing cideries! We’re proud to be a part of it.”
It means a lot to us to know that our fellow cidermakers deemed Original Gold and English Pub Cider to be among the most exceptional ciders in the world! But don’t take our word for it—why not host your own cider tasting with friends, and choose your own favorites?
Hosting a tasting event is a great excuse to get your friends together, whether they’re seasoned cider enthusiasts or just interested in trying something new. It’s also a great reason to grab our new Cidermaker’s Flight variety pack, add some Original Gold and English Pub Cider, and let your taste buds pick a favorite.
Get Ready
Invite your friends to join you for a judging party. You can go the extra mile and create official badges for each judge, or just keep it casual. (Either way, who doesn’t love to be a little judgey now and then?)
Pick up a Cidermaker’s Flight, which has four of our fan-favorite ciders, and add a few others that you’d like to try. You can use our handy-dandy Cider Finder to locate a convenient retailer (or just swing by our taproom!).
For the most unbiased tasting, wrap each can in paper before the guests arrive. People are often surprised to learn how their perceptions match up (or not) with the cider description!
Print out our cider tasting wheel to enhance the experience. Encourage your guests to take notes and explore the nuances of each cider.
Don't forget the snacks! Providing finger foods is essential to cleanse the palate and put a little space between each taster.
Make sure you have plenty of smallish tasting glasses ready to go. Clear glasses are the best, so you can evaluate the ciders’ colors. You can provide each guest with a little rinsing water to freshen their glass between each pour.
Let’s Go!
Pour 2-3 ounces of each cider per guest. Make sure you’ve stocked up enough so everyone can have a second taste, if they need it!
Pouring one type of cider for the entire group can lead to some lively conversations and debates as you taste together. Wait until everyone has made their notes before moving on to the next one.
Encourage guests to take small sips and swirl the cider around, allowing the cider to aerate and reveal its full range of flavors. Note the texture, mouthfeel, acidity, sweetness, tannins and fruit flavors.
Refer to the tasting wheel to identify and discuss the unique flavors and aromas of each cider.
Keep track of personal favorites and revisit them throughout the tasting session.
Compile the scores, reveal the winners, and have another sample of your favorites!
Our Cider Club boxes are a great way to keep this tradition alive, with quarterly deliveries of new, limited and top-rated ciders to taste. Be sure to tag @portlandcider in your tasting party pics, and let us know your top picks!
