Hop Scotch Spring Beer & Scotch Festival

At this year's Hop Scotch Spring Beer & Scotch Festival, I only tried cider and whiskey! I passed on beer as I wanted some new experiences in my overly satisfied palate from IPAs and Ales. So I tried all Ciders starting from the new Stella Cider made from the well-known Belgian beer company. The cider was crisp and refreshing made from hand-picked apples. Very pleasant to drink and definitely a good start for the cider drinking. 

I then tried the Crisp Apple Cider from the Angry Orchard Hard Cider. This very apple-y cider had sweet notes but finished with a balanced taste. Fresh Fuji apple aromas added to the ripe flavor.

Seattle Cider’s Gin Botanical was very different and proved to be my favorite. As its name witnesses, it was fermented with gin botanicals and was semi-dry featuring lemon, juniper and orange. Yes, it was very complex but all the same refreshing.

Crispin Cidery’s Foxbarrel Blackberry Pear Cider had strong pear aromas and flavors as it was fermented using 100% pear juice. It was also infused with natural blackberry juice and indeed was a very unique cider.

Strongbow’s Strongbow Golden Cider was light and surprisingly sweet made with a blend of bittersweet cider and culinary apples. Well-balanced and easy to drink and naturally gluten-free!

The BlackThorn cider from BlackThorn Cider is one of the UK’s best known and widely drunk ciders. It was dry, crispy, refreshing, balanced and very British indeed.

The Dark and Dry cider from Spire Mountain Draft Cider was actually a dark cider with a pleasant tart flavor and hits of caramel and brown sugar.

The Vermont Hard Cider Company offered the Limited Release Summer cider that was slightly tart with a nice apple aroma and sweetness.

I also sat at the Northwest Whiskeys Flight. That was interesting to see a new whiskey industry being born in the region.