Thursday, July 29, 2021 • ThE BullETIN
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GO! MaGaZINE • PAGE 11
rain. On the palate, the cider is semi-dry
with lightly tart apple flavor punctuated
by a kiss of orange juice and a dusting of
juniper berry—not enough to evoke gin,
but an herbal note that’s pleasant and well
balanced.
I also posed the food pairing question to
Roark.
“The Mandarin Juniper cider is super ver-
satile in pairing with food. Pisano’s Pizza has
had the Mandarin Juniper cider specifically
to pair with their pizzas. The acidity cut
through the cheese well.” She also suggested
pairing with seafood dishes.
TUMALO CIDER HUCKLEBERRY LEMON,
6.5% ABV
Bend Cider’s Mandarin Juniper celebrates a sense of place.
“That smell of juniper you get hiking Central Oregon, we wanted to get into a glass,”
said co-founder Tammy Roark. submitted photo
Continued from previous page
I picked up three popular ciders to pro-
file from the first three, and reached out to
the owners to find out more. (I hope to visit
Legend in person at some point to learn
more about its draft lineup.)
AVID CIDER WATERMELON RHUBARB, 6% ABV
Avid is the oldest cidery in the region,
focusing on creative blends with all natural
ingredients.
“We’re really known for being fruit for-
ward but still being off-dry,” said owner
Dan McCoy. Avid may be best known for
its Blackberry Currant, as well as Acai
Lemonade, Pineapple Mango and Water-
melon Rhubarb.
Watermelon Rhubarb began as a sea-
sonal, and its popularity spurred its release
year-round. I asked if there was a partic-
ular inspiration behind this combination
of fruits.
“We take the hard cider base, and we
just have fun with different blends,” Mc-
Coy said. “Ultimately we just want to have
fun.”
Watermelon and rhubarb might seem
like an odd combination, but the flavors
work well together. According to McCoy,
watermelon juice makes up about 25 per-
cent of the recipe, while the rhubarb varies
depending on availability; recent batches
have even omitted rhubarb entirely due to
market shortages.
The melon character is prominent, with
the aroma and flavor of freshly sliced wa-
termelon lending a semi-sweet character.
The rhubarb is subtle, if present in the
batch I tried, and evokes strawberry rhu-
barb pie. Overall, it’s a crisp, refreshing ci-
der that has a great balance.
I asked what food would pair well with
Watermelon Rhubarb.
“I love it the most with spicy foods, you
get that fruit flavor that cuts the spice,”
said McCoy. Lauranne Crooks, Avid’s sales
representative and tap room manager, sug-
gested carne asada tacos and beet salad.
Tumalo Cider opened its doors five years
ago with a focus on balanced, dry ciders that
often marry well with fruit.
“We really like the apples to play a central
role in our ciders and the additional flavors
are just there to support that,” said owner
Jeff Bennett via email.
Dry Cider anchors the lineup, and popu-
lar varieties include Raspberry, Huckleberry
Lemon, and Prickly Passion. I asked Bennett
about Huckleberry Lemon.
“I really love the combination of flavors
that sweet berries and tart citrus produce,”
Bennett said. “I wanted something that was
unique to the Northwest so huckleberries
were a natural choice. The lemon rounds
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out the cider and gives it a hint of refresh-
ment.”
Opening the can, I found a deep pink-
gold colored cider that smells a bit like tangy
lemonade with a bright berry chaser. The
flavor is earthy and semi-dry, with light
lemon zest and pith and some tart berry
notes, and a savory element. I find it a little
reminiscent of fruit bitters, which sends it in
a bit of a culinary direction.
Bennett answered my food pairing ques-
tion as well.
“It really can work like a white wine when
you are considering what foods to pair it
with,” he said.
“Berries and meats like lamb and pork are
classic combinations so that would work re-
ally well. Any seafood would also be a nice
complement like salmon.”
e
Jon Abernathy is a beer writer and blogger and launched
The Brew Site (https://www.thebrewsite.com) in 2004. He
can be reached at jon@thebrewsite.com.
BEND CIDER MANDARIN JUNIPER, 6.9% ABV
Husband and wife team Kelly and
Tammy Roark opened Bend Cider in late
2019, taking a botanical approach to craft-
ing cider.
“Being a botanically focused cider com-
pany, it stretches our mind and palates to
explore new and creative flavor combina-
tions,” said Tammy Roark via email.
With a lineup including Huckleberry
Ginger, Acai Berry Spearmint and Manda-
rin Juniper, that approach shines through.
Mandarin Juniper in particular celebrates
a sense of place.
“We wanted to dive into the botanicals
in Central Oregon and create something
reminiscent of walks through the forest
and hiking here,” Roark said. “That smell
of juniper you get hiking Central Oregon,
we wanted to get into a glass.” The berries
are harvested from their property.
The juniper is handled with a light
touch and complements the sweet orange;
there’s just enough in the aroma to give
the impression of the high desert after a
LES NEWMAN’S
QUALITY OUTDOOR WEAR
On NE Franklin Avenue across from Les Schwab
541-318-4868