There comes a point every Memorial Day weekend when the gas pump quietly talks you out of leaving town, and honestly, Tacoma makes a pretty convincing counteroffer. Instead of brake lights stretching toward the mountains and overpriced fuel disappearing into the tank somewhere south of Olympia, maybe the smarter play is staying close to home — cold cider in hand, mountain air drifting through the neighborhood, Point Ruston glowing at sunset, parks humming with backyard energy, and Proctor moving at exactly the right speed for a long weekend that doesn’t need an itinerary to feel complete. Turns out “staying in town” starts sounding a lot less like compromise once the apples begin sparkling properly.

Newtopia Cyder comes out of San Diego with exactly the kind of restless fruit creativity that makes traditionalists sigh dramatically into their tasting glasses. Founded by brothers Kris and John Pico, the cidery built its reputation by treating apples less like rules and more like launchpads — blending West Coast cider structure with tropical fruit, spice, tea, candy-bright citrus, agua fresca inspiration, cocktail energy, and the occasional full-volume flavor detour that somehow still lands balanced. Their five-apple blend forms the backbone, but from there the operation happily wanders into blueberry-Meyer lemon territory, cherry-passionfruit-limeade explosions, watermelon coolers, and chai-spiced orchard oddities that feel custom-built for sunny afternoons and playlists with excellent basslines.

So this Memorial Day Weekend Friday Cyder Flight leans fully into that mood: playful, fruit-forward, just weird enough to stay interesting, and anchored at the end by Finnriver’s beautifully crisp Dry cider to pull everything back to orchard earth. Think of it as the long weekend in liquid form — bright flavors, zero urgency, and enough range to carry you from sunny afternoon patio hangs straight into Tacoma twilight without ever once checking freeway traffic.

Peaks & Pints Memorial Day Weekend Friday Cyder Flight

Newtopia Cyder Chai Me A River

5.8% ABV | Spiced Hard Cyder | San Diego, California

Cinnamon and chamomile drift through this pour with the calm confidence of a candlelit kitchen after the rain, while chrysanthemum and crisp apple keep everything lifted and bright, the whole thing landing somewhere between orchard freshness and tea-shop daydream without ever tipping into dessert overload.

Newtopia Cyder Bludacris

6% ABV | Blueberry Meyer Lemon Hard Cyder 

Juicy blueberry settles in first, dark and ripe, before Meyer lemon cuts a graceful citrus arc across the palate, soft floral edges and bright apple sparkle keeping the whole experience lively — like berry lemonade discovering better music and significantly better company.

Newtopia Cyder Fiesta Watermelon

6.5% ABV | Agua Fresca-Style Hard Cyder 

Think cold watermelon at peak backyard-party perfection, all refreshing sweetness and easygoing charm, while crisp apple and champagne-like effervescence keep it agile enough to avoid sinking into sugary poolside cliché, finishing clean, playful, and dangerously easy to revisit.

Newtopia Cyder Flava Flex

8% ABV | Imperial Fruit Cider 

This one arrives with full neon-fruit confidence — cherry flashing bright, passionfruit laying down tropical depth, limeade kicking the whole thing sideways with a tart citrus snap — somehow balancing candy-shop exuberance and imperial heft without collapsing under its own swagger.

Finnriver Farm & Cidery Dry Cider

6.5% ABV | Dry Hard Cider 

Then comes the reset button: pure orchard clarity, bright acidity, and a subtle vinous edge moving through the glass like cool evening air off the Peninsula, stripping away all the fruit fireworks and bringing everything quietly, beautifully back to apple.

LINK: Peaks and Pints beer and cider cooler inventory