rev. nat
THE CIDER PASTOR of Portland, oregon
Back behind Broadway Toyota in the neighborhood of Eliot lies a hidden paradise for cider connoisseurs. The Pastor over this paradise is named Nat West, or Reverend Nat, as he is sometimes called, and God Almighty, Hallelujah, can he brew some great cider! Can I get a cheers!... I mean, Amen!
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WORDS AND PHOTOS BY JONAS LARSSON
he June sun is at its most dehydrating mood here at Portland’s Cider Festival. We go in and out of the tents that are pouring up ciders with every imaginable taste. Hydration, yes. Delicious, most certainly. Dizzying—okay so it isn’t just the sun here that’s making me dizzy, it becomes apparent quite quickly that these ciders pack a punch. Like a kid buying booze for the first time I ask, “What’s like the average percentage of alcohol in cider?” I mean, I am genuinely curious, I really want to know, partly because I am getting enchanted by these
elixirs and their taste profiles, but also cause I gotta focus on work here too. – Well it all depends, but probably around 9%, the answer coming from Abram Goldman Armstrong, a leading profile in Portland’s cider world. Armstrong looks more like a Scottish soccer Hooligan then the typical American West Coast guy. He is the driving force behind Cider Riot (now closed down), an anti-fascist bar and cidery Cider Riot feels familiar to me, reminiscent of a classic English style cider. A lot of the ciders are flavored with different types of fruits and or berries, resulting in a glass of pure deliciousness, albeit dangerous in large quantities. I begin to just take small sips and samples—must stay 94
AMERICAN TRAILS SUMMER | 2021
