Ciders from Washington State

About

Washington State is rather famously the "Apple Capital of the World". Washington grows more than 65% of the 10.5 billion pounds of apples grown annually in the United States. With more than 1/3 of the apples grown in Washington exported out of the U.S., it's common to find one of the iconic red "Washington Apple" stickers on a red delicious apple at markets around the world. But what about Washington cider? The Washington cider scene is amongst the most prolific in the U.S. with more than 50 cideries across the state. More apples are grown in Washington State than anywhere else in the country, and the state features some of the best cider in the world. But the cider culture in Washington State features a variety of cider styles being produced that is often misunderstood, at least relative to the "Apple Capital" legacy of the state. Some of that has to do with geography (and thus terroir), and much of it has to do with a challenge facing the cider industry more broadly - a challenge of identity or lack of clear style guidelines, at least as it's known to the broader consumer market. A brief history lesson on cider: For 100s of years, cider was traditionally made almost exclusively with bittersweet (high tannin, low acid) bittersharp (high tannin, high acid) and sharp (low tannin, high acid) apple varieties. The presence of tannins and or acid and the characteristics of the individual apple varieties result in a delicious and interesting or complex flavor profile. These traditions (and these apple varieties) were brought to the U.S. from Europe, and prior to prohibition, American cider was made in the traditional methods and more popular than beer or wine. American Cider nearly died all together during prohibition. Commercial apple production ever since has favored sweet apple varieties. These watery, sweet apples are low in both tannins and acid and make for a rather uninteresting cider. Many modern cidermakers use sweet apples (often buying bulk juice) to make relat

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