Industry News: WA: Coming soon, this June, the Pacific Northwest Cider Awards

Ever walked into a brewery and asked to see their medals? Me neither. For some, the measurement of success is their ability to expand brewing capacity. While others it's the recognition from their fans (via websites like Beeradvocate, Ratebeer, or Untappd). Or it's the tangible recognition one receives via ‘the award’.Unfortunately hard cider, an upwardly trending segment of alcoholic beverage industry, does not have any awards - at least in the Pacific Northwest.

Joel VandenBrink, founder of Seattle Cider Company, believes that hard cider needs recognition, beyond just words. Which is probably why Seattle Cider Company - along with sponsors Washington Beer Blog and Capitol Cider - are celebrating hard cider with the Pacific Northwest Cider Awards.

Broken into three parts, the Pacific Northwest Cider Awards (PNWCA) are preceded by a private judging, followed by proclamation of winners, and finally a three-day festival.

Starting on June 5th, a tasting panel, composed of respected judges in the area of hard cider,  will judge over 10 categories. With categories developed by the PNWCA planning committee, each cider will be judged by: clarity, aroma, mouthfeel, and overall impression. Once the judging is completed, each category will be awarded medals, with each gold member moving onto the "Best in Show" judging round. Upon compilation of scores from the final judges, the results will be announced on Friday June 6th, via the PNWCA website and associated Social networks.

At the conclusion of the judging, The Woods (located at 4700 Ohio Avenue S.) will host a hard cider festival, which will showcase over 25 unique ciders. Like many festivals the event will showcase a variety of styles from throughout the United States and Canada. Unique to the festival, a People's Choice Award, will be announced. But the award can't happen unless you purchase a glass or flight of ciders during the event.

As of today the actual judges, participating cideries, and pricing has not been announced. We'll keep you posted on it's progress. Till then we ask that you mark this on your calendar as a can't miss event.

Cheers

About PNWCA

Pacific Northwest Cider Awards is comprised of a one-day private judging, followed by a three-day festival to be held at The Woods tasting room in Seattle’s SoDo neighborhood. With more than 20 cideries participating and nearly 25 ciders on tap, the PNWCA and its corresponding events were created with the intention of raising awareness for the amazing ciders being produced throughout Washington, Oregon, Montana and Canada. Through the PNWCA, we hope to continue to raise awareness for the unique and spectacular ciders being produced while helping to make them more accessible to the public. Cider lovers and producers are encouraged to learn more by visiting PNWCA.com, or following PNWCA on Facebook and Twitter.