Pear Lovers, Take Heart: The Rise of Perry in North Central Washington

With the rise of the hard apple cider industry in the UnitedStates, there’s a new fermented fruit juice option that’s taking hold: perry.Perry is similar to an apple cider, but made with fermented pear juice instead.In the agricultural farmlands of North Central Washington, this alcoholicbeverage is gaining ground after several entrepreneurial souls have decided totake on its production using local pears.

Even if its production is relatively new in the UnitedStates, perry has long roots in Europe, especially in England and France.There’s currently a contentious debate about the difference between pear ciderand perry: to purists, pear cider is a made with an apple cider base with pearjuice added later for flavor. This is different from traditional perry, madewith 100% fermented pear juice as its base.

Although perry is similar to hard apple cider, there aresubtle differences. Pears contain sorbitol, a sweetener that cannot befermented away. Apple juice, on the other hand, can be fermented to the pointof creating a completely dry cider with no apple undertones at all. As aresult, perries always have a touch of the sweet undertones of pear in them,regardless of how much they’ve been fermented.

Perry makers in North Central Washington fall into severalcamps. Some are completely focused on making perry as their sole product.Others have added perry to their already well-established lineups of hard appleciders.

Here are some to look for and try out:

Bad Granny Cider, apopular hard apple cider producer, is an offshoot of Karma Vineyards in Chelan.Bad Granny recently began producing “Nice Pear,” a perry made using the Méthode Champenoise that has informedall their ciders and the wines that came first.

Independent Cider in Dryden began its production of perry in the end of 2017 and has already found a loyal following of drinkers. Their flagship product is Snow Gem, an easy-to-drink straightforward perry that leaves plenty of room to taste the pears that give the drink its name. They also have an aromatic lavender perry and a Bartlett Perry. Their philosophy is minimal intervention, letting the flavors and pears speak for themselves.

The Hard Cider Shed in Cashmere has a perry in the mix, in addition to their other hard apple ciders. Their perry is made with heirloom variety pears and prepared using an English dry technique, creating a European style perry.

Pear UP is owned by two brothers using pears on the family orchard, planted by their grandfather after World War II. In addition to a straightforward perry, flavor options include Hoppin’ Pear, made with hops, watermelon and ginger pear.

Rootwood Cider in Manson took their vast knowledge of local fruits as 5th generation orchardists and added perry to their lineup of modern hard apple ciders. Their perry is made with Washington-grown pears and reflects their natural sweetness and flavor.

Snowdrift Cider in Wenatchee features a perry reserve in addition to its lineup of hard apple ciders. Their perry is made using Méthode Champenoise and old-world pear varieties to create an effervescent beverage with hints of woody tannins to accompany the dried and fresh pear flavor.