The Puget Sound is Washington’s largest saltwater inlet and is connected to the Pacific Ocean via the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Admiralty Inlet. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration defines “Northern Puget Sound” as bounded to the north by the international boundary with Canada, and Mukilteo to the south. Peaks & Pints points out these boundaries to define our Monday in-house flight of Northern Puget Sound ciders, which includes Bellingham Cider and Lost Giants Cider Co. in Bellingham, Garden Path in Burlington, and Elemental Hard Cider in Arlington. Drop by Peaks & Pints craft cider and beer bar, bottle shop and restaurant 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and enjoy the day’s in-house cider flight, Peaks and Pints Monday Cider Flight: Northern Puget Sound.
Peaks and Pints Monday Cider Flight: Northern Puget Sound
Elemental Strawberry Rhubarb
6% ABV
In December 2014, husband-and-wife team Brian and Christina Callahan, the Woodinville, Washington couple behind the Callahan Cellars winery, launched Elemental Hard Cider, focused on hard ciders made with Northwest apples, cold-fermented with minimal filtering and devoted to expressing the atmospheric components. In the summer of 2019, Elemental moved their production and taproom to Arlington. Sweet, tart, and delicious if you adore Strawberry and Rhubarb then this is your cider.
Garden Path The Local Harvest: Blueberry Cider
6% ABV
Garden Path Fermentation’s owners Amber Watts and Ron Extract come from the famous Jester King Brewery in Texas — and the ciders, meads, and beers they’ve been producing since opening in 2018 have not been a disappointment. They incorporate only ingredients they can get locally, whether it’s the native yeast, the Skagit malt, the hops they can find locally. This cider is made from locally harvested cider apples, fermented with native yeast, refermented on blueberries, and conditioned with honey.
Bellingham Cider P.O.G. Juice
6.7% ABV
Bryce Hamilton and Joshua Serface hashed out their Bellingham Cider Company while working together as emergency paramedics. Serface was passionate about cidermaking and hoped to start his own craft beverage company, while Hamilton and his wife dreamed of opening a restaurant and bar in Bellingham, where they went to college. In 2015, their dreams finally converged when they created the business license for Bellingham Cider Company. Inspired by a Hawaiian vacation and Bellingham Cider’s longing to feel as if they were still there, their P.O.G. Juice cider is a thirst-quenching refresher that takes them back to the relaxing days on the beach with passionfruit and guava forward juices and a light citrus on the back end to tie it all together for a smooth finish.
Lost Giants Elderberry Cider
7.3% ABV
In 2018, Chris Noskoff, Abraham Ebert and Brad Wilske founded Lost Giants Cider Company in Bellingham, Washington, focusing on handcrafted modern and traditional ciders that showcase the agricultural abundance in the state. Their Elderberry Cider is ruby red, semi-dry cider made with regional Elderberries and a blend of traditional dessert and cider apples. The tartness of the elderberry is balanced with sweet Washington apples giving us a subtle sharpness, delicate mouthfeel, and a semi-dry finish. Aroma brings out fresh elderberries upfront, with light apple acidity. On the tongue, expect fresh elderberry character upfront, with tart fruit skins, and crisp apple acidity. It’s nicely balanced, with a good expression on the berries.
Bellingham Cider Imperial Pineapple
8.5% ABV
Bellingham Cider, located on Prospect Street in downtown Bellingham, offers a world-class view, a spacious interior, and an unbeatable patio. The 700-square-foot basement, known as “The Fermentorium,” serves as a testing lab for new ciders — two tanks produce more than 12,000 gallons of small batch cider every year. Their Imperial pineapple offers rich pineapple flavor with an extra kick to take you on a ride to the tropics.
LINK: Peaks & Pints cooler inventory
