Skip to main content

How One Cidermaker Is Innovating to Stay Competitive in the Hard Seltzer Era

Seems like cider can’t catch a break. First, it went up against wine and beer, competing for aisle attention with a fraction of the marketing muscle and media coverage. Then came White Claw and a tsunami of hard seltzer and mixers. And this to say nothing of the lower-alcohol and zero-proof trend, another potential nuisance if you’re trying to sling hard apple juice.

Portland Cider Company has been at it since 2013. That’s not a long time, but in the trend-heavy drinks realm, it’s a healthy stretch. The English-inspired cider house continues to push forward, but not without what seems like more and more effort. Cofounder Jeff Parrish says it’s all about innovation and making the best product you can. The latter, to a certain extent, comes with the territory. Based in the Pacific Northwest, where cider consumption is well above the national average, there’s both access to great local apples and a relatively savvy customer base.

Portland Cider Company Kinda Dry
Portland Cider Company

“Our customer base knows what craft is and wants to drink craft,” Parrish says. That doesn’t necessarily equate to barrel-aged heirloom blends bottled in wax-dipped bottles. Portland Cider Company’s number one seller is its Kinda Dry Cider, made in the mold of a traditional British cider — light, refreshing, crushable. But, as he mentioned, you must keep creating to stay afloat. One good cider isn’t enough in an era swimming in fruit beers, hard kombucha, canned cocktails, and five flavors and counting of The Claw.

Recommended Videos

Enter riffs like a cider sangria and a generously hopped cider. Portland Cider Company also does some seasonal offerings, like a peach berry and a passion fruit. Parrish says he and his staff have weekly meetings on innovation alone (“I have 30 mason jars right now full of tinctures of tea and all kinds of other flavors we’re working with,” he remarked).

“We have to remember how young cider is in this country … It’s like a teenager who doesn’t know who it wants to be. It will evolve and settle in over time.”

Part of the challenge, of course, is market leverage. The companies behind the hard seltzer push are so large that they’re practically in their own scale tier. They can afford to crowd out the little guys because they have the capital, the production volume, and the pre-existing distribution networks already in place. White Claw is owned by Mark Anthony Brands, famous in a previous life for Mike’s Hard Lemonade.

As fickle as the drinks industry is, we’d like to think its palate is always getting better. It’s conceivable that some imbiber trying Angry Orchard for the first time, as relatively soulless as it may be, will gain a liking for cider and look for something more nuanced. It happens in wine but that’s because wine has broken through. Cider, at least outside of the Pacific Northwest, can be something of a foreign object. It’s going to take some collaboration and perhaps the slowing of a few current distracting trends to help that along.

Portland Cider Company Sorta Sweet
Portland Cider Company

Parrish says his brand continues to see growth, albeit in the single digits. But if it and other quality cider operations can weather yet another storm dealt by the chameleon otherwise known as Big Alcohol, who knows, maybe they may prove resilient enough to stay in for the long haul. “I certainly hope that the more traditional cider out there gains a firmer footing,” he adds. It didn’t happen with craft beer and terroir-driven wine overnight and it certainly will take some time for the cider crowd, too.

“We have to remember how young cider is in this country,” Parrish says. “It’s like a teenager who doesn’t know who it wants to be. It will evolve and settle in over time.”

Will Parrish and Co. hop on the hard seltzer train? Likely, but with some caveats. “We have no choice,” Parrish says. “But we’ll have our own angle.”

Mark Stock
Mark Stock is a writer from Portland, Oregon. He fell into wine during the Recession and has been fixated on the stuff since…
Can you microwave coffee? What you should know about proper reheating
Don't dump cold coffee just yet
Man drinking a cup of coffee

Imagine this: You've managed to make it out of bed, head downstairs, and patiently await a freshly brewed cup of coffee as you turn on your coffee maker. You take the first deliciously warm sip and place your mug down. Soon, your attention is quickly on the next thing on your to-do list, whether getting ready for work or unloading the dishwasher. Before you know it, an hour has passed, and you realize your warm cup of coffee is still sitting there, mostly full and cold. This common occurrence may leave you wondering: "Can you microwave coffee?"
Can you microwave coffee?

Instead of wasting a cup of cold coffee, you can reheat your room-temperature coffee in the microwave. However, if you've ever done this, you may notice that the coffee tastes different once reheated. Microwaving your coffee causes it to become more bitter, thanks to the natural acids within coffee. Chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, and quinic acid are all present when you initially brew your coffee. Yet, these compounds are released even more when you reheat your cup. In turn, you may be left with more bitter coffee than the original cup. If you can get past the slight changes in taste, your coffee is still safe to consume even after reheating.
How to reheat coffee in the microwave

Read more
Discover Rome’s best-kept secret with the Negroni Formidabile
A shot of Roman amaro adds an anise kick to the classic cocktail
Amaro Formidabile

On a recent trip to Rome, I discovered something wonderful. Not the stunning architecture or the beautiful art, or the incredible history of the Roman Forum -- though those are pretty great too -- but a new to me amaro called Amaro Formidabile. The amaro is handmade in Rome, using a long list of botanicals including cinchona, wormwood, gentian, kola nut, star anise, and more, and it has all the fruity sweetness of something like Montenegro, but with a solid bitter backbone more reminiscent of Fernet.

What I like best about it though is the strong punch of anise that rushes to the front, making it almost reminiscent of Ouzo, but without the harshness and with more fruity, floral flavors supporting in the background. The Romans love to drink this amaro simply: just chilled, or perhaps over ice, but sipped alone after a meal as a tasty digestif. It's a great way to see off a delicious, indulgent Roman meal of artichokes with pecorino romano, stuffed courgette flowers or fiori di zucca, then a big hearty bowl of cacio e pepe.

Read more
How to mix Mexico’s other spirit, Sotol, into fall cocktails
Learn how to use this Mexican spirit in fall-themed cocktails
sotol fall cocktails ez2a6539 scaled jpg

You know tequila, and in recent years if you're into drinks then you've likely come across mezcal too. But Mexico has more spirits to offer than just these two -- like Sotol, a distilled spirit made from succulent plants. Brands like Hacienda de Chihuahua Sotol are small family-owned operations which promote sustainability and biodiversity as part of the spirits-making process.

While Sotol is traditionally drunk neat, especially after a meal, it can also be used in cocktails and mixed drinks. While it is often used as an alternative to tequila in drinks like a margarita or as an alternative to white rum in drinks like a mojito, there are also cocktails designed to specifically complement its flavor profile.

Read more