Cider Summit PDX is celebrating the fall season with an encore of its popular Festival To-Go Tasting Kits, offering three different levels this time around: Modern Cider, Bottled Classics and Artisanal Imports. The Festival To-Go Tasting Kits were developed earlier this year as a response to COVID-19 as Cider Summit NW pivoted from a physical festival held in four different cities––including Portland––to a curated tasting experience enjoyed in the safety of one’s own home.
Each Cider Summit Festival To Go Tasting Kit includes a selection of ciders; two Cider Summit tasting glasses; apple and pear shaped stress balls; swag from participating cidermakers; and access to the Northwest Cider Association’s “Cider Festival in a (Zoom) Box” on Saturday, Oct. 17 from 6pm to 7:30pm, offering 90 minutes of live music alongside vignettes by several cidermakers. Festival To-Go Tasting Kits are available for pre-purchase now at CiderSummit.com.
“We originally created the tasting kits as a way to stay engaged with our attendees during the pandemic,” said Alan Shapiro, Cider Summit founder and producer. “We were thrilled with the response, which was a complete sell out. This time, we’re excited to include even more cidermakers and offer the kits to a greater number of consumers around Oregon and across the country.”
The Modern Cider Tasting Kit features products from 2 Towns Ciderhouse, 12 Bridge Ciderworks, La Familia Cider, Jester & Judge, New West Cider, Reverend Nat’s Hard Cider, Tumalo Cider, and Salut!, a collaboration between Virtue Cider and the Cider Summit Festival. The Bottled Classics Tasting Kit includes products from Apple Outlaw, Bauman’s Cider Co., Bull Run Cider, EZ Orchards, WildCraft Cider Works, and a bottle of Salut! The Artisanal Imports package offers hard-to-find ciders from Aspall Cyder (England), Viuda de Angelon (Spain), Manoir du Parc (France), and Sea Cider Farm & Ciderhouse (British Columbia). Tasting Kit prices range from $39 to $62 (plus fees). Guests can also add on the Moonstruck Chocolate Craft Cider Collection, featuring nine truffles made with three cider flavors from 2 Towns Ciderhouse.
Cider Summit Tasting Kit orders must be placed by 11:59pm on Sunday, October 4. Pre-purchased kits will be available for pickup in Portland at a pop-up, contactless drive-through on Saturday, October 17, from 12pm to 4pm at the Memorial Coliseum Benton Lot at the corner of North Broadway and North Benton. Bicycles and walk-ups will also be accommodated with appropriate social distancing measures.
Home delivery to select zip codes in Portland and up and down the I-5 corridor is available for an additional $8, with shipping to the greater Oregon area for $18. National orders may be placed for delivery to every state but Utah (shipping costs may vary).
Cider Summit PDX’s Festival To-Go Tasting Kits are presented by First Tech Federal Credit Union, a not-for-profit, member-owned credit union that is excited to come together with partner organizations to toast the Pacific Northwest community. Other sponsors include Reverend Nat’s Hard Cider, 2 Town Ciderhouse, Moonstruck Chocolate, Portland Mercury and Cidercraft Magazine. Tasting kits benefit the Cascade Blues Assn. and the Northwest Cider Assn.
Purchase packages and learn more at CiderSummit.com and engage with @CiderSummit on social media, hashtag #CiderSummitPDX and #CiderSummitToGo.
Terry Bunch