Floral, honey-sweet and sporting a beguiling juicy texture, plums are such a wondrous stone fruit. In summertime, we like to snack on them by them by the pound and search farmers markets for heirloom varieties, like Jubilee and Black Ruby. In the winter, we’ll happily take our plums baked into a dense cake or sliced on a cheese board. And all year long, we love seeing plums featured in fruited ciders; their delicate flavor and lifting acidity an ideal complement to apples and other adjuncts.
If you want to try plum cider, or add something new to your cider rotation, take one of these fine specimens for a spin:
19 Acres Cider Co. Yuzu Plum Cider: In addition to its three flagship cider flavors (Honeycrisp, Marionberry and Imperial), this Oregon-based cidery has a long lineup of seasonal draft pours. One of these is Yuzu Plum, a bright, zesty combo of the Asian citrus prized for its sweet-tart intensity and the subtle sweetness of red plums. Stop by 19 Acres’ tasting room in Sherwood, OR, and maybe you’ll get lucky and find it on tap!
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City Orchard Cider Fresca Plum: This fall release from City Orchard celebrates the harvest with a blend of plum and apples from its own Texas Orchards. It drinks semi-dry, and, like all of the releases in its Cider Frescas line, keeps apples in the spotlight while also highlighting the best attributes of adjunct fruit and botanicals. Order online or find it at City Orchard’s taproom in Houston, TX.
Finnriver Cider Plum Cyser: This sour cider offering from Finnriver starts with a select blend of organic Washington apples, fermented with wild harvested and organic plums from Tonnemaker Hill Farms in Yakima, WA, local plums from Quilcene and a touch of honey from nearby Sequim Bee Farm. The result is a springy, tart, nuanced sipper with a gently bitter finish. To find it, visit one of Finnriver’s locations or shop online.
Hale & True Cider The Professor: This Philadelphia-based cidery has been pouring The Professor, one of its core cider options, since opening its doors in 2018. This cheeky Clue-referencing cider is an apple-plum co-ferment conditioned on more fresh plums for a uniquely dry, tart and slightly funky cider. Find it at Hale & True’s taproom.
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Revel Cider Waves: This beautifully hued cider doubles down on the stone fruit punch vibes with the addition of red and blue plums, as well as Montmorency cherries, to apple-based cider. On the nose of this rose cider, find chamomile, nutmeg and sweet plum, with a balanced palate, including light acidity and salinity, with floral notes and just a touch of tannin. Order online for shipping across Canada, the US and the EU.
Snow Capped Cider Plum Lemongrass: Located in a fertile fruit-growing region at the base of the Grand Mesa on Colorado’s Western Slope, Snow Capped has access to a lot of incredible fruit. In this semi-sweet cider, it combines mellow Jonathan apples with tart plum, herbal lemongrass and a hint of ginger, for a smooth and easy-drinking cider. Shop online.
Wildcraft Cider Your Fruit Your Cider: Every year since 2014, Wildcraft has produced a community cider made from bartered apples, pears and plums from its community apple drive program. Each fruit is fermented separately and blended to create a dry and fruity cider reflecting both the land and the community surrounding the cidery! Order online or find it at Wildcraft’s tasting room in Eugene, OR.
- Feature photo: Snow Capped Cider
- All other photos: Courtesy of their respective cideries