Seek Cider

Oregon Cider Week will kick off the summer from June 18 to 28, and it's huge, with 50 cideries pouring at Cider Summit PDX, plus a multitude of cider tap takeovers and cider pairing dinners. Here are some of our favorite events.

Cider Summit PDX

There will be a dizzying 190 ciders pouring, from 49 cider makers from around the world, and your eight drink tickets won't go far. So here are the must-have drinks: Look for a Cider Riot's cranberry Brett Bogmyrtle, which doesn't have a huge cranberry hit, but does have a beautiful, throat-clenching dryness from the Brett. Also? The excellent 2012 dry from Salem's EZ Orchards, oddities like a cacao brandywine from Finnriver, anything from hard-to-find Wildcraft, and the Blue Butterfly from tiny estate cidery Hedgerow. Among the imports, check out Manoir du Parc from France or Worley's from England, and Asturian ciders from Riestra and Fanjul. The Fields Neighborhood Park, Northwest 10th Avenue and Overton Street. 2-8 pm Friday, noon-6 pm Saturday, June 19-20. $30 advance, $35 day of event, includes tasting glass and eight drink tickets.

Reverend Nat's Summit After-Party

Starting at 4 pm both days of the Cider Summit, Reverend Nat's will host an after-party with $1 off all 12-ounce pours, with Summit wristband. Nat's Summit pours are all his most popular ciders, but at the taphouse you get rarities such as peach wine, ghost chili tepache and Mosaic-hopped perry, plus a Br'er Rabbit cider made with carrots. Reverend Nat's Hard Cider, 1813 NE 2nd Ave., 567-2221. 4-11 pm Friday-Saturday, June 19-20.

Wildcraft Tap Takeover at Portland Cider House

There is no conceivable way Wildcraft could actually take over the Portland Cider House's 24 taps. But if it rolls in with the 10 taps it has at its own cidery, consider yourself very lucky indeed. Eugene's Wildcraft—a maker of unpasteurized, unfiltered, wild-fermented, very dry ciders—can be irritatingly hard to find in Portland. Portland Cider House, 3638 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 206-6283. 5-7 pm Thursday, June 18.

Portland International Cider Cup

This is where the bragging rights are won. It's also guaranteed to house good cider, because the winners in the various categories—heritage dry, perry, hopped cider, whatever—will all be available on tap after 4 pm. Reverend Nat's Hard Cider, 1813 NE 2nd Ave., 567-2221. 4-7 pm Sunday, June 21.

Stripparaoke Featuring Schilling Cider

Just in case you didn't somehow make a thorough ass of yourself yet this weekend, here's one last chance. Schilling Cider will be hosting a tap takeover at strip club Devils Point's infamous Stripparaoke night, where you sing songs while the dancer does her thing on the stage right next to you. Don't get too carried away with the community spirit of cider week, however. No touching. Devils Point, 5305 SE Foster Road, 774-4513. 9 pm-midnight Sunday, June 21.

Cider Riot Dinner at Bushwhacker

Say what you want about the recent raft of beer dinners—cider might pair even better with food than beer. And so Bushwhacker will host the first in a planned series of cider dinners, with Cider Riot as guest cidery. Among the four courses, look forward to the 1763 cider, which will pair with grilled pork belly and polenta. Woodlawn Bushwhacker, 901 NE Oneonta St., 971-229-1663. 7-10 pm Tuesday, June 23. $50.

Trifecta Cidermaker's Dinner

The very fine Trifecta will host a five-course cider pairing meal with Reverend Nat's Cider—so sour cherry with duck, Deliverance ginger tonic with oysters, that sort of thing. Trifecta, 726 SE 6th Ave, 841-6675. 7-10 pm Tuesday, June 23. $75.

Cider Tasting 101 and NW Cider Brokers Tap TakeOver @ Plew's Brews

After the Summit and the Cider Cup, inexplicably, there will be a cider-tasting class by Aidan Currie of Swift Cider to teach you how you should have tasted the ciders you already had. Apple Outlaw, Red Tank and Swift ciders will be served. Plew's Brews, 8409 N Lombard St., 6-9 pm Tuesday, June 23.