The beers at our local brewery, Ola Brew, have been improving steadily since they opened a year and a half ago, but their ciders are still superior. Usually some combination of the following, all using local fruits (but I presume not local apples): white pineapple, Kona gold pineapple, ginger, tangelo, pineapple ginger, mango, dragonfruit lychee, and rambutan jaboticaba. The ciders themselves are nothing fancy, but the fruits make them very good IMO.
I still usually opt for beer, but my wife frequents the ciders, ginger in particular.
What sweetness level are those?
My summer slammer has been Rhubarbarian from some cidery out of Portland. If Orange and Brew stops carrying it I will be beside myself.
Fuck.Rhubarbarian - 2 Towns Ciderhouse
Tangy & wild, Rhubarbarian is crafted with locally grown Crimson Red Rhubarb that we whole-press and ferment with Northwest apples. A sour cider not for the faint of heart—this ain't no pie, we ain't your mom!2townsciderhouse.com
And apparently it's "currently not in season" so if you'd like more for the moment now is the time to purchase it appears.
Went to The Northman in Chicago for the first time a few weeks back after doing a blind fruited lambic tasting with the Chicago Beer Society at Dovetail, and came away super impressed both with the place and selection of various cider styles / producers.
Notice the draft line at the top of the bar where they do long pours of Spanish style cider that was one of the most lambic like beverages I've ever had.
After shooting the shit with the staff, the GM poured us another glass done in a more traditional long pour style. Apparently it's trying to recreate the traditional pours that would come from a large foudre that shoot out under a fair amount of pressure to create some liveliness in an otherwise still beverage.
As it's only a block or so away from the original Half Acre location I'll definitely be back when I'm next in the area.