The Finnriver Experience

By Maria A. Montalvo

Planning a day trip from south Snohomish County is difficult because there are so many fantastic choices. Less than an hour on I-5 takes us to beautiful tulip fields and bountiful farmland, and quaint downtown strolls can be found in towns in every direction. Perhaps most remarkable, with just a short ferry ride from Mukilteo, Edmonds, and Mill Creek, we can enjoy fresh seafood on an island or on the Olympic Peninsula.    

For a one-day trip, consider a ride on the Edmonds-Kingston Ferry for a quick 25-minute crossing and scenery-rich 45-minute drive to
Chimacum, just past Port Ludlow.

The Olympic Peninsula is home to a truly unique, family-friendly experience that could not feel more “PNW” from real PNW people – and we can take it all in and be home in time for sunset. Finnriver Farm & Cidery is an organic farm, orchard, and craft cidery along a salmon stream in the Chimacum Valley, and it offers much more than apples.

After a graciously traffic-free crossing of the gorgeous Hood Canal Bridge, we entered the charming farm town of Chimacum. Signs for farm stands and orchards and all things different from our days on this side of the Puget Sound. Pulling into the parking lot, Finnriver welcomes you, many times, with gracious messages of greeting and inclusion, and the setting within gorgeous fields of flowers and orchards of apples makes you feel like you are in a different world, a very, very happy one.

Finnriver created a Cider Garden, where folks can gather year-round for cider on draft, tours and tastings, live music, local food, seasonal events, and local crafts and art. Dozens of tables are filled with patrons enjoying glasses of cider, platters of oysters, and plates of pizza. The buzz of conversation layered over the sound of kids running around in the field beyond the Cider Garden and the band tuning up on stage.

The Finnriver employee working in the bottleshop described it perfectly: “It is a beautiful and magical community, and there is always so much going on.”

The 50-acre historic farm and orchard had been looking for a new owner when the Kisler family came upon it nearly 20 years ago. Keith and Crystie Kisler and Eric Jorgensen co-founded Finnriver Cidery in 2008. Andrew Byers came on as head cidermaker in 2013 and joined the ownership in 2018. The name came by combining the children’s names of original farm partners, Kate Dean and Will O’Donnell, and the Kislers (Finn and River).

The Kislers, along with Jorsensen and Byers, have continued to expand the company’s offerings and its commitment to community. The Finnriver Orchard and Cider Garden is on a historic former dairy just south of the Chimacum crossroads. The farm grows apples and pears for the cidery to ferment into hard ciders and fruit wines. Their associated Chimacum Valley Grainery produces local flours, pastas, and baked goods, and the farm stand, Stellar J Farms, grows and sells organic fruits and veggies. Today, the Jefferson Land Trust protects Finnriver as a farm.

Finnriver, a regular at the Edmonds Summer Market, takes its cider seriously. “Cidermaking is a way to take a snapshot of time; this orchard, that season, these people, those barrels,” says co-owner Byers. “It is intimate both in the creative aspect and in the way we aim to share it.” They know the history, the science, the ingredients, and the interconnections necessary to make each sip of cider delicious. When you first look at the ciders on tap, the variety and categories can seem overwhelming, but there is a method to the madness (and it’s not actually madness).

Byers is a “scientist (botany and fungal ecology), chef, and cider maker,” or pommelier. He’s a scientist who understands how important the process of invention is. Finnriver gives its cider makers the creative freedom to create new recipes each year, known as the Cidermaker Series. Depending on the ingredients available or chosen, one weekend visit to Finnriver could mean a small batch of a crabapple cider or the Peach Pepper Cyser.

The Cidery makes what they call Core Ciders – the Finnriver interpretations of world cider traditions, but that is just the beginning. They also offer modern ciders, which are distinct from contemporary options, as well as seasonal ciders or botanical ciders. Oh, and not to be outshone are the Orchard and the aforementioned Cidermaker series. My favorite of the day was the Farmstead cider, an all-apple cider made from damaged and overripe fruit that Finnriver buys from orchards around the state.

They also have Fortified Fruit Brandywines (from distilled apple brandy) and the Pommeaus and Spirited Wines (port-style wines fortified with custom-distilled apple or pear brandy). So much to choose from. But don’t think of it as overwhelming; see it as an opportunity to taste.

And don’t forget about the food! Finnriver features an amazing array of local food trucks and has its own kitchen. It hosts a range of guest food vendors throughout the season, including Sushi by Chef Wyatt, Dented Buoy Pizza, Friendly Nettle, Moonlight Oysters, Fiddlehead Creamery, and more.

If that is not enough of a draw, be sure to check out their packed events calendar. Visitors can join a Cheese & Cider Tasting or Paint & Sip; try line dancing; sit in on a seminar; try your knowledge at the Marine Science Trivia Night (in cooperation with the Port Townsend Marine Science Center); be creative as part of a Crushed Glass Art Party; take the kids to storytelling groups; and of course, listen to some great bands on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays (voted best live music and dance venue on the Peninsula three years in a row). Seriously, all right there among the orchards.

The company is proud of its established heritage as a leader in the Pacific Northwest hard-cider revival. Finnriver is also committed to being a part of a sustainable regional community food system and attempts to honor the traditional and contemporary territories of the S’Klallam and the Chemakum. The farm is certified organic and salmon safe, and the cidery is a Certified B Corporation. They live their mission “to celebrate the beauty and bounty of the earth, to reconnect people to the land that sustains us, and to grow community.”

It’s inspiring, in this day and age, to find a business partnership rooted in friendship, literally and figuratively. These people care about each other and the world around them. As they put it, “Crew members, investors, community partners, and visitors have contributed to the shape and flow of Finnriver. With several thousand cider trees in the ground, multiple land partners, and over 50 members of the Cidery crew, organic farming, craft fermenting, and community building continue side by side here.”  

Finnriver is a special place, a business committed to its community, to sustainability, to its team members, and to the natural world we share. It definitely has a vibe, and it is one you do not want to miss – the perfect spot for a day trip.

Finnriver Farm & Cidery is open Wednesday to Sunday, from noon until 7:30 or 8:30 p.m. Depending on the day, visitors can relax in a stunning outdoor setting and enjoy 14-plus hard ciders on draft, two beer taps, and a range of specialty ciders, cocktails, seasonal hot drinks, and non-alcoholic offerings. Canine friends are welcome in the Bark Yard. Check out their website (www.finnriver.com) for more information.