Okay, so this was my first ciderhouse taproom experience and it blew my mind. When I visited in the summer of 2016, I had been a cider drinker for a few years, but like most Americans in the early 2010s I was usually just excited to see one cider on tap at a bar. When my best friend (and now Dean of Cider Professor) told me they had this crazy good bar in Portland that served nothing but cider, I was a bit surprised and eager to go. The excitement grew when I saw a dozen options on the menu with flavors I had never seen before. Some were quite shocking! What were they doing putting habanero chiles in cider? I was so amazed I took picture of the menu (below) to remember this weird and wonderful establishment by. I quickly ordered a flight, tucked into a booth with my dear friends, and for the next couple of hours they watched on as, giddy with delight, I went through and tasted as many creations as I could.

Even though the taproom is more or less in the geographical heart of Portland (two blocks from Broadway and I-5) it feels slightly secluded on a shady street just on the edge of a residential neighborhood. The space is warm, wooded and a bit industrial with a number of seats in the front of the building and their fermenting vats and workspace behind the counter. The staff were super cool and laid back and it was a pleasant experience all around. Of course now I know that Nat West is something of a darling in the American cider scene. With his mantra "to handcraft the most unusual ciders no one else will make," he has really pushed the limits of imagination when it comes to what cider is capable of. Many of his drinks are fantastic and at the close of the decade his creations are now being found outside of the Pacific Northwest. I have since been back and will certainly go again in the future as this establishment has a special place in my heart because it was here that I was first convinced that cider in America was not just some fringe drink, but that it was bold, creative, successful, and has begun to develop its own culture and following in parts of the US. In many ways the success of Rev. Nat’s has been a major victory in the American cider revolution. I hope one day they put one of those little brass plaques on this building marking its historical significance to the history of cider in America.