Admit it, you clicked on the link. Which means that you know what this story is about. Which means you’d rather this writer didn’t monologue. Nope, I’m gonna go ahead and do it anyway. Because a Cider maker is being promoted at Brouwer’s Cafe.

Located in Auburn (Washington) and named after co-founder Colin Schilling’s Great-Great-Grandfather, Schilling Cider is one of a barrelful of Cider makers in Washington state. Like many cider houses they are in a market with heavy competition, but nothing on the scale of craft beer. One could say that they are where beer was 30 years ago, providing something different from wine, spirits, or beer.

We won’t produce an autobiography about the boys from Auburn. Instead we are here to let you know that Brouwer’s Cafe is hosting them Thursday April 25th.

Current commitment by Brouwer’s Cafe General Manager Nat Pellman is looking like 5 from the following list.

• Cherry Ginger. Semi-dry, very crisp, strong ginger taste similar to a ginger beer with an apple finish.
• Cherry Cranberry Apple. Semi-dry, rather tart with a refreshing finish and elegant in a beautiful pink-purple color.
• Dry Hopped Cider (DHC). Very smooth with strong citrus notes, clean finish with the slightest hint of hop induced bitterness.
• Double DHC. The IPA of ciders – it’s very hoppy with a smooth bitterness and yet retaining a nuanced apple flavor.
• Dessert Cider. Made with a special spiced ingredient that leaves nearly half the natural sugars unfermented. It ages well up to five years and finishes with a taste similar to a sparkling non-alcoholic cider despite carrying a 6.5% ABV punch.
• Super Sparkling Cider. A giddy Champagne-like carbonation, dry, crisp and the perfect ending to any type of meal. Unfortunately, the way we are taxed in the cider industry, this product costs significantly more to make and sell.
• Lite Cider. Hard cider contains less calories than beer or wine. We make a cider at 4% ABV that only has under 100 calories per can.

Like all things this list is subject to change or re-clarification. Instead of guessing what Schilling Cider is bringing to Brouwer’s why not just show up, starting at 6pm.

Thursday April 25th, 2013 6pm
Schilling Ciders at Brouwer’s Cafe
400 N. 35th Street Seattle WA 98103

Cheers

More on Schilling Cider

In addition to great cider, our company is committed to sustainability. With my Master’s in Sustainable Management in hand, I want to carefully build a business that not only avoids environmental degradation, but also supports equality and local economies.

Schilling Cider believes in putting actions behind our words. We source 100% of our apple juice from Washington and all of our inputs, including cans, tanks, and services, from the northwest. Speaking of cans, did you know they are not only more convenient but also much more sustainable than glass packaging?

The vast majority of our product will come to you in cans which are made in our state capital and bottled for us by a fellow start-up, NW Canning. We may see some or our product in glass eventually as it is needed for high carbonation, but we will do our best to source local glass to minimize the carbon foot print associated with glass packaging. Another visible aspect of our business is the environmentally friendly can holder. While the traditional plastic loop style 6 pack can holders have been known to cause harm to wildlife, ours is made from 100% recycled plastic and is designed wildlife safe.

We are committed to doing honest business and bringing you delicious hard cider that is ethically produced from farmer to drinker. We focus on reducing waste in all our processes and keeping other aspects of the business simple and down to earth which allows us to use higher quality local ingredients while keeping the price you pay as low as possible.

Why all the extra effort? We are passionate about hard cider and want to see it restored to its rightful, pre-prohibition place as an American drink of choice. Hard cider, apple jack, and apple brandy were the drinks of choice for many of America’s founders, including George Washington. During prohibition many of the cider orchards were hastily cut down and never replanted.

So what do you say? Help us restore hard cider to its rightful place in American beverage culture while enjoying the most delicious and fun craft cider drinks available!