Schilling Cider House Will Re-Open on SE Division in Portland

Exterior of the new Schilling Cider House in Portland, Oregon. — Photo credit: Schilling Cider House

Back in June 2024, a Bridgetown Bites tipster sent me a note that they spotted a liquor license application posted at a building on SE 28th Avenue and Division for Schilling Cider House PDX. I looked into it, and over time and multiple emails I learned that Schilling is indeed moving to a new spot there on Division, with the aim to open this April.

I had a chance to speak with Colin Schilling about the new cider house, and here is what I learned.

Schilling Cider

In 2014, friends Colin Schilling and Mark Kornei opened their first Schilling Cider tasting room in the Fremont neighborhood in Seattle. You may also know the Schilling name as part of the famous spice company, which was opened by Colin’s great-grandfather August Schilling in 1881 (later it was acquired by McCormick & Company). Colin grew up around cider (he and his parents made it on their farm) and continued making it as a homebrewer in college.

Beverage Master sums up the start of the Schilling-Kornei partnership pretty well, so I’ll include it here: “Then, after a five-month stint with Microsoft, [Schilling] noticed how Angry Orchard kept trending in a direction that pointed to a growing interest in ciders. In Schilling’s estimation, his cider tasted better than other ciders on the market. So he convinced his friend, Mark Kornei, to join him on a new venture. They both quit their corporate jobs and launched the cidery, with Colin taking on the title of CEO and master cidermaker and Mark assuming the role of CFO.” Definitely check out the article, as it has a lot of interesting details in it.

They expanded to Portland in 2018 with another taproom that was located in the Goat Blocks. That location closed in December 2024.

Why Move, Anyway?

The answer is actually pretty basic: Their lease was up.

But even before that, they had been looking around for a new space. The original locations in Seattle and Portland had given them a lot—in fact, Colin and Mark essentially built the spaces themselves by hand on weekends. But they wanted something more.

“We really wanted to build a new space that would bring the brand a different vibe to it,” Colin explained.

Plus, they really like the idea of being on SE Division. “Division is an amazing area of town with a great sense of community,” he said. “It’s such an awesome street to be on. We were also looking to be part of a community like that.”

The Building, Space, and Vibe

The building itself is a historic one—built in 1925 means it’s 100 years old now. It also has a local landlord/local ownership, which Colin prefers over a corporate one. He says the owners were easy to work with and helped bring the space to life.

They look forward to offering folks something similar to the previous place, yet bigger and bolder and more energetic—something nicer and a little more elevated. They want to make sure that customer service and the experience is absolutely top notch, too.

“We want it to be comfortable to hang out in for extended periods of time, whether you’re having dinner or a couple drinks with your friends, or maybe playing a board game or something like that,” he added. “The goal is for it to be very inviting and inclusive with a fun vibe.”

An Open Configuration

As far as seating and sitting, they decided to opt out of doing a bunch of big community tables in exchange for more flexible seating—the kind that can be mixed and matched to really fit the the size of the party that you’re with. So, you’ll find high tops, low tops, couches, and benches.

Under construction at the new Schilling Cider House in Portland, Oregon. — Photo credit: Schilling Cider House.

The building also has roll-up doors (two big garage doors), which they will open in the summer, with the benefit of opening up the space and creating a lot of airflow. Outdoor seating will come later in the warmer months, too.

Cider … and More

Although Schilling Cider sells cider (obviously), they wanted to be more inclusive at this new location—even more than before. They will still have a massive cider focus, of course, but also look for well drinks and high-end batch cocktails on draft. “We bought some really high-end Micro Matic equipment that’s specific for keg cocktails, which is super cool,” he said. “We’re excited about trying it out!”

And with this expanded drink selection, they are playing around with their new options. “Right now, we’re doing a drink that’s like a pickleback-inspired cider (that’s at Fremont),” said Colin. “It’s really fun. And because we’ll have well whiskey, you could get that in a whiskey—a take on a whiskey shot with a pickleback.”

They also will have a selection of craft beers that will be in can only with a big warning sign on it that says, “HEY, GLUTEN CONTAINED IN THIS.” And their glassware will not be involved. “It’s the only thing that will have gluten in it in the entire place,” added Colin. “The entire tap system is completely gluten-free.”

Drinking at the Schilling Cider House

Schilling Cider glasses. — Photo credit: Schilling Cider House.

This new cider house will have some offerings you can’t get anywhere else outside their places. “We’ve actually had a really big focus on having a lot of unique things that you can only get at the cider houses,” said Colin. “So we’ve got actually a new set of tanks here at HQ: 10-barrel tanks and one-barrel tanks. And so the team’s been really fired up about doing lots of one-offs.” They’ve been doing a bit of a bigger 750ml cork and cage bottle program, as well.

He adds that they look forward to regularly innovate and try out new things, rotating through the ones that work out. “It’s really fun because each different member of the team can throw in ideas and we make them,” he said. “And if they taste good we put them out there.”

You’ll be able to buy and take home these limited-release products, too. And they’ll have their other drinks in six and 12-packs, including their lemonades and their different ciders, as well as other drinks. Just reach into the cooler doors, pull out what you’re looking for, and you’re set.

And if You Don’t Like Cider

While the Schilling Cider folks recognize that Portland is a huge cider place, they also know that some groups will have someone in it that really isn’t into cider but still wants to hang with their friends. Hence the well drinks, craft beer, cocktails, and NA options.

“We thought about how to create a third space for people to hang out in for an extended period of time.” he said. “And what that really means is is providing things for that one person or two people in the group that just may not want to drink a bunch of cider.”

For the NA Drinking Crowd

Of course, I asked if there will be options for those who do not drink alcohol. The good news is, yes! Yes, there will be NA beverages. And part of incorporating more of that is that they will be kid-friendly until 8pm. So, expanding their selection of good NA drinks makes sense.

This includes Vida Maté, a slightly sparkly GF yerba maté product. Schilling makes Ground Control, a 0% ABV cider (never fermented) that contains vinegar, so it’s kind of like a shrub. They’ll also carry a German-inspired NA cider by Baumann’s—it’s a mix between cider and soda water (makes me think of a less-sweet Radler).

They also think they’ll have some CBD sodas and things of that nature. So, with that, they’ll be rotating through a variety of NA options.

The Food at Schilling Cider House

Colin says at this new location they will have a bigger focus on food—in fact they just hired their new chef and recently met with some potential food vendors. They have been in menu development, so he hasn’t tried anything specifically on the new menu, as of the writing of this piece. However, he did mention they will offer their GF corn dog, which he’s looking forward to (and which will always be on the menu).

They also look to have seasonal, rotating specials. “We’ve got a big focus on high end charcuterie boards, which is going to be really fun,” he added. “And in line with our sustainability ethos, we’re working working with a local Portland artisan to build all of our tasting boards and charcuterie boards out of reclaimed wood.”

As for who will provide the meats, he indicated that they are “local high end producers,” which will be gluten-free. But nothing is set in stone right now.

And About That Gluten-Free Part

I also asked why they decided to keep a gluten-free kitchen—and one that is also safe for celiacs. He responded, “Cider is naturally gluten free, and what we found is that a lot of people that gravitate towards cider want to be gluten-free or have to be gluten-free.” It’s also part of their goal to be inclusive of dining needs.

“So you can come in and eat our food and do not have to worry about it if you’re a celiac,” he said. “And if you do if you don’t mind eating gluten, you won’t notice the difference.”

Events in the Schilling Cider House Space

They are looking forward to hosting events like trivia, drag bingo, pub talks, and watch parties for various sporting events that they sponsor (e.g., Portland Pickles, Seattle Mariners). But they plan to tweak and refine their event/social offerings over time to reflect what the community wants. One thing they don’t see themselves doing is a kind of DJ/dance kind of vibe. But a small band playing live music one night a week is something they’d like to do.

They are also happy that they can offer a variety of spaces for different wants and needs. There’s the main interior space, which is quite a bit larger than the previous location in the Goat Blocks. There’s also outdoor seating for the warmer months. And there’s a third space in the back of the building, behind the kitchen.

More on that back space: “There’s a whole another space in the back there that’s really low key,” explained Colin. “For example, if there is a sporting game on in the main space, you could potentially hold a more low key event in this other space with really nice tables and chairs.” You can have your food and drink back there, too.

Note: They are also available to rent their space for private events, too.

Keep It Wild Month and Sustainability

One thing I learned that was completely off my radar before this interview was Schilling Cider’s dedication to sustainability. April is their “Keep it Wild” month, which is a campaign they do every year—it’s a fundraiser to support keeping wild spaces wild. They give 5% of sales of top-selling cans and drafts to non-profits. Sustainability and the outdoors is deeply important to the folks at Schilling Cider.

In Oregon, they give to Oregon Wild. Last year, they donated over $80,000 to them.

Even More Efforts Toward Sustainability

And this year they are doubling down on their sustainability efforts. “You know, Schilling continues to put [sustainability] at the very top. In the current environment, it’s more important than ever that folks vote with their dollar and support companies that support their values.”

He continued, “We launched the very first climate-neutral number-one seller, Excelsior Imperial Apple 12 ounce. We’ve also been doing our own voluntary carbon assessments of our entire company since 2021. We know exactly what our carbon footprint is, and we’ve been making huge reductions every year.

“But now we are working with a company where we buy credits to offset the remainder that we can’t. And Schilling is now down to about 15% of our total carbon footprint being our direct influence. The rest is all upstream and downstream. So it’s really cool because we are actually putting our money where our mouth is in sustainability.

“We really do want to make as big of an impact as possible, and leave as little trace as possible. And, you know, that’s part of Keep It Wild. We’re hoping to raise $100,000 this year to keep wild spaces wild. And we always want that to go up every year.”

Schilling Cider House: Community Not Competition

I appreciated hearing Colin’s thoughts on what is known in Portland among some business owners as “community not competition.” They exemplify this by selling “guest ciders.” These are “cool, fun, rare, and hard to find.”

“Schilling Cider is a big believer in building up the category of cider and supporting all of our other cider friends,” Colin explained. “We don’t see other fantastic cider makers as competition. We see them as collaborators to help grow an industry. And that’s always the ethos that we’ve taken as a business.”

He continued, “We really love and enjoy the vibrancy of the cider community and all the other cool things folks make. So you could drink a flight with six ciders—three could be Schilling and three could be from different cider makers. You could take home six packs and a bottle or two from a couple other really cool cider makers where there might only be a handful of places to even buy those bottles.

“I would say that I truly believe that business done well can be a force for good. I think it can be more fun. I think you can make massive impact, like our Keep Ot Wild campaign and also supporting small cideries. They’re just making different ciders than we’re ever going to make.

“There’s no reason to put up walls when we could be building bridges.”