In 2008, Craig Campbell and his wife, Sharon, began experimenting with making cider from dessert apples grown in their 400-acre commercial fruit orchards in Yakima, Washington. Despite naysayers who warned that cider apples required a maritime climate, Craig also planted a two-acre test orchard with 25 varieties of cider apples. Today, their two-acre experiment expanded into Cider View, a 30-acre “high-density” cider orchard. In their commercial cidery, Tieton Cider Works, their head cidermaker/operations manager of nearly 12 years Marcus Robert blends American heritage, English and French cider varietals with dessert apples to capture the best of what each variety brings to the cider: sweetness, acidity, tannin, and aroma. To mark the last day of the 11-day long 2021 Washington Cider Week, Peaks & Pints presents a to-go flight of Tieton cider — a flight we call Peaks and Pints 2021 Washington Cider Week: Tieton.
Peaks and Pints 2021 Washington Cider Week: Tieton
Tieton Bone Dry
6.9% ABV
Simply put, bone dry ciders are bone dry because they contain a lot less sugar allowing apple flavors and aromas take a front seat. Beyond less sugar, dry ciders also leave more room for other characteristics to shine, like the complexity of tannins and acidity. Apples from Yakima Valley farms are pretty much the ingredient of Tieton’s Bone Dry. They just finish this one drier, which brings out more refreshing acid. The flavor of the apples really shines through. If you love cider but cringe at the sugary stuff, this will quickly become a favorite.
Tieton Hazy Strawberry
6.9% ABV
Unfiltered, cloudy-looking ciders are much like the hazy-style IPAs that have been taking the beverage scene by storm. When the step of the cidermaking process that filters these sediments out is yielded, it results in the clouded appearance of an unfiltered cider, fuller mouthfeel, and a richer flavor. Tieton naturally unfilters this strawberry cider with a ruby blush color. Sweet strawberry blends with fresh pressed tart cider for a balanced summer sipper.
Tieton Bourbon Barrel Peach
6.9% ABV
Tieton blends American heritage, English and French cider varietals with dessert apples to capture the best of what each variety brings to the bottle: sweetness, acidity, tannin and aroma. Their popular Bourbon Barrel Peach cider was aged in previously used Dry Fly bourbon barrels. Aging in bourbon barrels gives the cider deep, rich notes of vanilla and spice.
Tieton Huckleberry
6.9% ABV
Huckleberries are one of the Northwest’s great wild crops. The Cascade and Olympic ranges provide this reddish-purple berry top those who are willing to seek it out. Huckleberries are the summer ripened relative of the raspberry and blackberry, with a rich juicy flavor that fall somewhere between the two. Tieton’s Huckleberry is a blend of pressed Northwest berries blended with Washington state apples for a balance between tart and sweet.
LINK: Peaks & Pints cooler inventory
