Cider Riot

Cider Riot (stylized as Cider Riot!) was a cidery or cider house in the Kerns neighborhood in Northeast Portland, Oregon, United States[1] that was in business from 2016[2] until November 2019.[3]

Cider Riot!
The cider house's exterior in 2019
Restaurant information
Established2016 (2016)
ClosedNovember 10, 2019 (2019-11-10)
Street address807 NE Couch Street
CityPortland
CountyMultnomah
StateOregon
Postal/ZIP Code97232
CountryUnited States
Websiteciderriot.com

The Oregonian has described the bar as "a Couch Street gathering place for antifascists, anarchists and other leftists."[4]

History

The company was founded by Abram Goldman-Armstrong, and opened a taproom in 2016.[2] Cider Riot earned two bronze medals at Bath & West International Cider Championships in 2017, and two additional awards in 2019.[5] Plaid Pantry previously carried Cider Riot's cider in a six pack, but Plaid Pantry's CEO says it did not sell well and was put on clearance to clear shelves for hard seltzer.[6]

Incidents

In May 2019, a brawl between far-right protesters and patrons attending a Rose City Antifa event took place outside Cider Riot,[7][8] resulting in the company filing a $1 million lawsuit.[9][10] Six participants, including political activist Joey Gibson,[11] were indicted in August. Five of the men are connected to the group Patriot Prayer.[12] Responding to an interview question by a beer and cider news New School Beer regarding the status and the effect of the lawsuit, Goldman-Armstrong said that if Cider Riot were to be awarded the asking damages, they planned on using the money to "stay open, invest in a bigger glycol chiller, more sales and marketing folks, etc."[13]

An investigation by Oregon regulators alleges Goldman-Armstrong "knowingly allowed his patrons to use 'illegal weapons' against right-wing agitators during a May Day brawl and refused to remove unruly customers from his property". He and a security guard working the day of the brawl are "accused of providing misleading statements to state authorities during the investigation". These allegations are in a report by a safety inspector for the state agency Oregon Liquor Control Commission.[14][15]

In October 2019, the driver of an SUV struck and killed an anti-fascist activist with the vehicle near Cider Riot,[16][17][18] shortly after he left the bar.[19] The owner of Cider Riot told KPTV that the deceased, Sean Kealiher, an outspoken activist involved in Portland protests, was at his business on the night of the incident.[20] SUV involved had been shot at by Hyatt Eshelman, a friend of the deceased and it was found abandoned with bullet holes at the Democratic Party of Oregon two blocks away from Cider Riot.[21][19] Willamette Week reported on October 15 that "his slaying remains unsolved."[21] The motive has not been established by the police.[22] In December 2019, The Oregonian's Andrew Theen commented that this incident is "perhaps the city’s most prominent traffic-related death".[23] As of December 2019, this incident remains under investigation with no arrests made.[23]

Cider Riot was put up for sale for $875,000 in September 2019. Goldman-Armstrong said he hoped the buyer would "share [his] view on human rights".[24] In an interview with The Oregonian in September 2019, Goldman-Armstrong said his decision to sell the business was not related to the "clash outside Cider Riot, and the months of headlines it's generated".[25] Cider Riot closed on November 10, 2019.[3]

References
  1. "Drank: Burncider (Cider Riot)". Willamette Week.
  2. "Portland's Best Cider Finally Has a Home Pub". Willamette Week.
  3. Staff, FOX 12. "NE Portland's Cider Riot! closes its doors Sunday". KPTV.com. Retrieved 2019-11-11.
  4. Goodykoontz, Emily; Kavanaugh, Shane Dixon; Ryan, Jim (2019-10-12). "Activist dies after being hit by SUV near Cider Riot, Portland left-wing hangout". oregonlive. Retrieved 2019-10-13.
  5. "Cider Riot! Wins Big at World's Biggest Cider Competition While Alter Ego Opens Its First Taproom". Willamette Week.
  6. Davidson, Kate. "Northwest Cider Battles Hard Seltzer For The Beer Case". www.opb.org. Retrieved 2020-01-07.
  7. Ramakrishnan, Jayati (2019-05-02). "Scores of antifa, far-right group members clash outside NE Portland bar". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2019-10-02.
  8. Sparling, Zane (May 1, 2019). "Antifa, Patriot Prayer brawl outside Cider Riot". Portland Tribune.
  9. Ramakrishnan, Jayati (2019-05-04). "Owner of Cider Riot sues Patriot Prayer, Joey Gibson for $1 million after May Day clash outside Portland bar". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2019-10-02.
  10. Zielinski, Alex (Aug 22, 2019). "New Evidence Shows Joey Gibson's Role in Planning May Day Attack at Cider Riot". Portland Mercury.
  11. Ryan, Jim; Theen, Andrew; Kavanaugh, Shane Dixon (2019-08-15). "Joey Gibson faces felony charge in fight at NE Portland's Cider Riot, preparing to turn self in". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2019-10-02.
  12. Ellis, Rebecca. "6 Men Indicted For May's Cider Riot! Brawl In Portland". OPB. Retrieved 2019-10-02.
  13. Johnson-Greenough, Ezra (September 20, 2019). "Cider Riot is For Sale, Abram Goldman-Armstrong Tells Us Why". New School Beer. Archived from the original on September 23, 2019. Retrieved 2019-10-16.
  14. Kavanaugh, Shane Dixon (2019-09-21). "Patriot Prayer-antifa clash lands Cider Riot in state regulator's crosshairs". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2019-10-02.
  15. Stimson, Brie (September 21, 2019). "Owner of Antifa-friendly Portland bar let patrons use 'illegal weapons' against conservative activists, state probe says". Fox News.
  16. Ellis, Rebecca. "Portland Anti-Fascist Activist Killed In Hit And Run Outside Cider Riot". www.opb.org.
  17. "A Patron Was Hit and Killed By an SUV Last Night Near Cider Riot". Willamette Week.
  18. Henriksen, Erik; Zielinski, Alex (Oct 14, 2019). "UPDATE: Portland Activist Killed After SUV Collision Near Cider Riot". Portland Mercury.
  19. Kavanaugh, Shane Dixon (2019-10-29). "Fatal clash near Portland left-wing hangout followed random argument, not political attack, lawyers say". oregonlive. Retrieved 2019-11-11.
  20. Kelly, Brenna (October 14, 2019). "Graffiti covers Democratic Party of Oregon office in NE Portland where known activist was killed". KPTV.com. Retrieved 2019-10-19.
  21. "Three Nights Later, Questions Still Swirl Around a Portland Antifascist's Killing". Willamette Week. Retrieved 2019-10-19.
  22. Thomas, Keaton (2019-10-26). "Crowd gathers to remember Sean Kealiher, activist who died after crash and gunfire". KATU. Retrieved 2019-11-11.
  23. Theen, Andrew (December 20, 2019). "Vision Zero: Portland saw most traffic deaths since 1997, many 'out of our control'". The Oregonian. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  24. "Owner of Antifascist Cidery Cider Riot Hopes to Sell to Someone Who Shares His "View on Human Rights"". Willamette Week.
  25. Kavanaugh, Shane Dixon (2019-09-19). "Cider Riot, scene of Patriot Prayer-antifa clash, for sale in NE Portland". oregonlive. Retrieved 2019-10-16.

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