Schilling’s ciderhouses boast having "the largest selection of draft ciders in the nation" and any group that uses a complicated excel spreadsheet to organize their ciders, are my kind of people. Indeed, narrowing down which ciders to try from the big board and constructing your flight can be a daunting experience. Luckily, I did my research in advance and came in with a game plan.

The location in the Portland Goat Blocks is great as there are tons of restaurants and other drinking holes within a six-block walking radius on Belmont and Hawthorne. The building itself is a mix of modern and brick industrial and sits on a prominent spot with a killer balcony that looks out towards the Willamette and the West Hills. If the weather is cool, they have a great fire pit out on the balcony to keep you toasty.

I was really excited to try this taproom because I think Schilling consistently makes great ciders and the ability to sample everything they had to offer along with all the other unique ciders was a special opportunity. As a side note, I love how most American cidermakers are not ultra-competitive or territorial and are happy to promote their favorite drinks from other producers. So, I grabbed the Dean of Cider Professor and we took the afternoon to try as many as we could responsibly. We tested out both the balcony and their great indoor space with long communal tables. We also tried their kitchen, and let’s just say they should stick to cider and not tacos. Shredded lettuce on tacos!?! [shakes his head in disdain] Regardless, we had a great time, enjoyed some incredible ciders, and raided their impressive bottle fridge for rare ciders to take home and try at a later date. The people working the bar were great, too, chill but warm and easy to chat with. If you’re in either Portland or Seattle, you have to stop by one of the Schilling Cider Houses as there are not many experiences that can compare for cider lovers.