This Saturday, March 10, the Leftbank Annex in Portland is hosting the fifth annual Cider Rite of Spring—the Northwest Cider Association’s celebration of Pacific Northwest cider. With over 100 ciders pouring from some three dozen cider makers and reps, making it one of the largest cider fests that I am aware of.

And, there will be two Bend, Oregon-based cidermakers present and pouring this weekend: Red Tank Cider, pouring its Dry Raspberry and Roughneck ciders, and Tumalo Cider Company, pouring its Heirloom Blend and Apricot Plum.

Here are additional details from the press release:

Cider Rite of Spring showcases ciders that are either made for the event, aren’t available locally, or are limited run, giving attendees the chance to taste ciders they wouldn’t normally be able to access.

This year’s participating cidermakers include 12 Bridge Ciderworks, 1859 Cider Co., 2 Towns Ciderhouse, Alter Ego Cider, Art + Science, Bad Granny, Bandon Rain, Bauman’s Cider, Cartlon Cyderworks, Dragon’s Head Cider, Finnriver Farm & Cidery, La Familia Cider, Locust Cider, Lucky Lab Applegate, McMenamins Edgefield, New West Cider, Oregon Mead & Cider Co., Pear UP, Portland Cider Co., Queen Orchard, Red Tank Cider Co., Reveille Ciderworks, Runcible Cider Co., Seattle Cider Co., Spire Mountain Ciders/Fish Brewing, Square Mile Cider, Steelhead Cider, Stone Circle Cider, Swift Cider, Tieton Ciderworks, Tumalo CIder Co., Whole Foods Market, Wildcraft Ciderworks and Woodbox Cider. Each cidermaker brings two to three ciders apiece.

General admission tickets cost $30, which includes a commemorative tasting glass and eight drink tickets. VIP tickets cost $50 and include a commemorative tasting glass, 12 drink tickets, one hour early admission (12pm to 1pm), specialty VIP only ciders, snacks, and access to the exclusive VIP Lounge presented by Square Mile Cider. Most ciders cost one ticket per three-ounce taste, although some may cost more. Additional tasting tickets are available onsite for $1 apiece. Two food carts will be selling food, and a pop-up retail store will allow attendees to buy bottles and cans of their favorite ciders to take home. The event is for ages 21 and up.

Tickets are available online here; while I will say $30 is a bit steep for a typical brewfest, I do think that the number and varieties of cider available set this fest apart from the typical beer-type event and it may well be worth the price. (I’ve never attended, so I can’t speak from personal experience here.)

If you’re a cider fan, this is a great opportunity to be able to survey the industry as it stands here in the Pacific Northwest and sample a significant number of ciders.