(PORTLAND, Ore. –– May 27, 2020) –– Cider Summit Portland, a popular artisanal hard cider tasting festival, was scheduled to celebrate its 10th annual event this June at The Fields Park in the Pearl District. With the need to maintain social distancing in the face of COVID-19, Cider Summit is instead bringing cider to the people with a Festival To-Go Tasting Kit, available now through June 16.
The Cider Summit Festival To-Go Tasting Kit includes eight curated ciders in a range of sizes; two Cider Summit brandy snifter style tasting glasses; a Cider Summit bar towel; and several small gifts from participating cidermakers, such as pins, coasters, stickers, brochures, and coupons. Tasting kits are available for pre-purchase now for $35.00 (plus fees) at CiderSummit.com; the purchase of each kit includes a $5 discount per ticket on up to two tickets to the Cider Summit Portland 2021 Festival.
“We didn’t want our 10-year milestone to pass by unnoticed,” explained Alan Shapiro, Cider Summit founder and producer. “Creating a tasting kit was a way to stay engaged with our attendees during the pandemic. The cideries we selected for this package are all long-term partners of the festival, with some dating back to year one.”
The Festival To-Go Tasting Kit includes ciders from the following makers (subject to availability): Prickly Pearadise from 2 Towns Ciderhouse; Guardian Angel from Alter Ego Cider; Break Cider Tea from Anthem Cider; Black Apple from Avid Cider Co.; Peach Berry from Portland Cider Co.; Tepache Cider Radler from Reverend Nat’s Hard Cider; Oregon Marionberry from Swift Cider; and Virtue Salut!, a 2020 collaboration between the Cider Summit Festival and Virtue Cider.
Orders must be placed by 2pm on Tuesday, June 16. Pre-purchased kits will be available for pickup up at a pop-up contactless drive-through on Saturday, June 20, from 12pm to 5pm at the Memorial Coliseum Benton Lot at the corner of North Broadway and North Benton. Bicycles and walk-ups will also be accommodated with appropriate social distancing measures. Home delivery to select zip codes is available for an additional $8; packages will be delivered on Thursday, June 18 or Friday, June 19, and an adult must be available to receive the package.
Additional add-ons are available for purchase, including a ticket to the Northwest Cider Association’s “Cider Festival in a (Zoom) Box” virtual party on Saturday, June 20 from 6pm to 7:30pm. The virtual event, held in honor of the ninth annual Oregon Cider Week, will offer 90 minutes of entertainment by several of the 2020 Cider Summit Portland makers who will go beyond the tasting notes to deliver their best jokes, juggling and songs in an effort to make people smile. The event will include a pop-up concert by Cider Summit favorite and local blues legend Norman “Boogie Cat” Sylvester. Tickets to the Cider Festival in a (Zoom) Box costs $8, with the fee allowing the Northwest Cider Association to assist cideries around the region that have been hard hit during the pandemic.
Cider Summit Portland’s Festival To-Go Tasting Kit is sponsored by First Tech Federal Credit Union, a not-for-profit, member-owned credit union that is excited to come together with partner organizations to toast the Pacific Northwest community. Tasting kits benefit the Cascade Blues Association and the Northwest Cider Association. Purchase packages and learn more at CiderSummit.com and engage with @CiderSummit on social media, using hashtags #CiderSummitPDX and #CiderSummitToGo.
