Seattle Cider Co. has announced the release of Grapefruit Hard Cider into its seasonal lineup. More details from the cidery are below.

SEATTLE – Seattle Cider Company announces its launch of Grapefruit, a 6.5 percent ABV seasonal offering. The new flavor is an unapologetically juicy cider bursting with fresh grapefruit aroma. It’s slightly sweet with a subtle bite and a crisp, effervescent finish.

“Our cider team took our time getting the liquid just right,” said Scott Katsma, Director of Fermentation at Seattle Cider Company. “Ultimately, its everything we wanted in a grapefruit cider; we’re incredibly pleased with the result.”

Fermented on real grapefruit and white wine yeast, Seattle Cider Grapefruit comes in at 6.5 ABV and just 1.8 Brix. It’s a crisp, dry, and tart cider beautifully balanced with a touch of brown sugar.

Seattle Cider Grapefruit cans will be available in 16 oz. 4-packs. The Grapefruit seasonal cider is expected to hit shelves starting late January to mid-February everywhere Seattle Cider products are widely available. Additionally, Seattle Cider Grapefruit will also be available in 1/6- and 1/2-barrel kegs.

Seattle Cider Company is known for their uniquely dry, handcrafted ciders, made with real ingredients. Made with fresh pressed Washington apples, Seattle Cider offers award winning ciders that are naturally gluten free.

Finnriver Cidery has announced the return of Solstice Saffron Botanical Cider on a limited basis. More details on the release of this cider are below.

CHIMACUM, Wash. — Solstice Saffron Botanical Cider returns to Finnriver Cidery!

Finnriver is pleased to announce our new sourcing relationship with Portland-area saffron grower, Tanya Golden. Each year at the winter solstice, Finnriver begins the fermentation of our late winter botanical craft cider— Solstice Saffron. This bright seasonal release features organically grown apples infused with toasted fennel and organic anise pods and — new this year— saffron grown in Oregon. This lightly carbonated cider, one of five in Finnriver’s seasonal botanical series, is released in late winter and is generally available through March.

2 Towns Ciderhouse in Corvallis, Oregon has announced the seasonal release of Serious Scrump, an Imperial version of England's classic "scrumpy" style. The release from the brewery is below.

CORVALLIS, Ore. – 2 Towns Ciderhouse has released the 2019 vintage of its much loved Imperial Seasonal… SERIOUS SCRUMP! In quintessential 2 Towns fashion, Serious Scrump takes the traditional English ‘scrumpy’ style and gives it a Northwest twist.

Historically, scrumpy ciders are made with a blend of random apples leftover from the harvest (or stolen from orchards in some cases). The resulting cider is usually a strong, dry cider adored for its utilization of otherwise wasted apples.

2 Town’s modern twist takes a similarly eclectic blend of high acid Northwest apples, pressed before freezing the juice. Then, slowly over the course of several days, the intensified ‘ice juice’ is drained out, leaving a frozen slushy of water crystals behind. The resulting high sugar, deliciously rich ice juice provides a boost of apple character and the fuel needed for the English yeast to reach that “Serious” ABV!

Available now through May, this imperial cider is sure to keep you toasty all winter long. Available in 500ml bottles, 1/2 bbl & 1/6 bbl kegs to distributors throughout Oregon, Washington, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Chicago and parts of Minnesota & Montana.

ABOUT 2 TOWNS CIDERHOUSE:

Wild Kombucha in Baltimore, Maryland has announced the addition of new Yerba Mate teas to its line of kombucha and other beverages. More details are below.

BALTIMORE— Wild Kombucha, a rapidly growing Baltimore-based brewery, is launching a new product line with two blends in January 2020: Icaro Yerba Mate´ Original and Icaro Yerba Mate´ Hibiscus. These new blends expand their shelf offerings from kombucha into the tea category. Both shelf-stable Icaro Yerba Mate´ beverages will be available for purchase starting in January, with a nationwide rollout scheduled in April 2020.

Rowdy Mermaid Kombucha in Boulder, Colorado has expanded its national distribution. More details are below via press release.

BOULDER, Colo.– Rowdy Mermaid Kombucha, a beverage company producing crisp and refreshing, function-forward kombucha today announced a national partnership with Green Spoon Sales. Green Spoon Sales is a Boulder-based brokerage firm with a national footprint, representing the most disruptive and emerging consumer packaged goods in the natural food and beverage industry. This expanded partnership will accelerate growth to virtually every region in the U.S., including the Pacific Northwest, Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions, allowing the team to keep pace with a growing demand for the full lineup of Rowdy Mermaid Kombucha products.

This announcement comes alongside an expanded distribution launch with UNFI, a leader in premier wholesale food and beverage distribution, to include nine distribution centers to support key retailers like Natural Grocers, The Fresh Market and Market of Choice.  Rowdy Mermaid has also begun distribution with the KeHE network on the West Coast, opening doors to thousands of new accounts in additional focus geographies.

GT's Living Foods in Los Angeles, California has announced the release of a limited-edition Kombucha in honor of its 25th anniversary. Full details are below via press release.

LOS ANGELES– GT’s Living Foods, the most loved and #1 selling Kombucha brand in the U.S., enters the new year in celebration of its 25th anniversary and its continued mission to share the gift of Kombucha with the world. In honor of the brand’s history and the ancient tradition of Kombucha that dates back to 221 B.C. GT’s Living Foods will introduce Sacred Life, a special and limited-edition Kombucha that will only be available during GT’s Living Foods 25th anniversary year.

Founder and CEO, GT Dave pioneered the Kombucha category in 1995 bringing the traditional Eastern drink to the U.S. market. The journey began when GT and his family were gifted a Kombucha SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast) and experienced first-hand the positive impact Kombucha had on his mother’s battle with breast cancer at the time. What started out of his home kitchen is now the largest producer of Kombucha in the world, leading what is expected to become a multi-billion-dollar category by 2025.

Ficklewood Ciderworks has announced its grand opening in Long Beach, California. More details are below via press release.

LONG BEACH, Calif. — Ficklewood Ciderworks is excited to announce the grand opening of Long Beach’s first and only cidery, on Saturday, January 25, at 11 a.m. The newest addition to the East Village, formerly known as a Department of Motor Vehicles in Long Beach during the 1930-40s, has undergone an extensive transformation and is soon to be a town favorite known as Ficklewood Ciderworks.

At Ficklewood, guests will find a diverse collection of dry ciders brought together by two Long Beach families, carefully sourced ingredients, and mouthwatering collaborations. Long Beach residents and best friends, Stefano Enjem and Joe Farrier, have dreamed of this moment since the two began climbing the ladder that bridges their backyards almost every night geeking out over the perfect cider creation. The opening weekend flavors will consist of Soft Opening crowd favorites and new, never before seen flavors that won’t be revealed until the 25th.

World-famous rapper Flo Rida has announced the launch of his own Vodka line with local entrepreneur Victor Harvey called VG Vodka. More details are below.

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL – VICTOR GEORGE SPIRITS announced today international music star FLO RIDA (Tramar Dillard) will partner with Victor G. Harvey Sr to create South Florida’s largest craft vodka – Victor George Vodka (VG Vodka). The two will also build a 13,000-square foot facility to house a 4,500-square foot distillery on historic Sistrunk Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale along with a cigar bar, wine bar, lounge and restaurant.

VG an ultra-premium, gluten free vodka, quickly becoming one of the most popular and most requested vodkas in South Florida, will debut this newly formed partnership through a series of events throughout Super Bowl week. Flo Rida is not just a celebrity endorser; he is also an equity partner in VG Vodka and the distillery coming in late 2020 or early 2021.

“Super excited to join the VG Family as an equity owner and brand ambassador,” said Flo Rida. “I have known Mr. Harvey for years and I’ve seen his grind, hard work and enthusiasm in building his brand. I look forward to introducing VG Vodka to the world, developing new products through the construction of a distillery in historic Sistrunk and empowering the community.”