Reverend Nat’s Hard Cider, a pioneering cider company based in Portland celebrated for its innovative approach to American cider fermentation, will permanently close its doors on September 24, marking the end of a 12-year journey. Founder Nat West attributes the closure to the ongoing challenges of post-pandemic recovery, leaving a significant legacy within Portland’s beverage scene, both in terms of its unique cider-making techniques and its commitment to activism.
News of Reverend Nat’s impending closure was reported by Beervana on September 5, and a farewell gathering is scheduled at Reverend Nat’s Southeast Division Street taproom on Saturday, September 23. Nat West shared with Jeff Alworth, the founder of Beervana and the author of “Cider Made Simple,” that the cidery’s sales had not yet rebounded to pre-COVID levels. Earlier in March, Reverend Nat’s taproom had moved to Division Street, reducing the cidery’s size by 75 percent.
Nat West, an award-winning experimental cider maker, cultivated a devoted following by challenging the traditional boundaries of American cider production. He initiated Reverend Nat’s while being a stay-at-home dad in 2011, building on his cider-brewing experiences dating back to 2004. The original and long-standing Reverend Nat’s taproom opened in 2013, with Kickstarter support. At its peak, Reverend Nat’s products were available in grocery and liquor stores across 10 states and four countries, while still offering local weekly home delivery to Portland customers.
Nat West was known for pushing the envelope with fermented ingredients and processes, creating limited edition, small-batch ciders. He often employed nontraditional yeasts, including wild and sake or beer-specific strains. The flagship blend, Hallelujah Hopricot, straddled the line between cider, beer, and wine, while the unique “fire cider” style resulted from an 18-hour boiling process of apple juice. The cidery’s tent show series featured sought-after one-offs with ingredients spanning rum, bourbon, wine, cola, kiwi, dragonfruit, and ghost chili. Collaborative brews, often for charitable causes, were also a hallmark of Reverend Nat’s, including the 2018 release of Electric Red Coffee Sour Cherry Cider, which supported the Café Femenino Foundation.
Beyond cider production, Nat West was actively involved in the 2020 protest movement, where he and his daughter were among those injured during protests against police brutality and systemic racism. Reverend Nat’s released protest-inspired ciders as part of the 2021 Tent Series, with many named by protest medic Chris Wise. West remains a vocal critic of Mayor Ted Wheeler.
The cidery will bid farewell with one last tent series featuring Nat West’s take on a torch song, aptly named “The Swan Song” – Reverend Nat’s final fire cider. West’s experimental approach to cider and his creative flavor combinations have left an indelible mark on the craft beverage industry.
In a statement on Reverend Nat’s website, Nat West reflected on his journey, saying, “After making cider for nearly a decade, I concluded that, while apple-only ciders define cider for most of my fellow countrymen, my passion was in creative flavor combinations making cider in the spirit of craft beer geeks.”
