Convergent, Divergent, Delicious
Over the years, the Convergence Series of beverage-food pairing events at Seattle’s Watershed Pub & Kitchen has hosted 128 monthly installments, almost all of which have centered on beer. “Almost” is doing some heavy lifting in that sentence, though, because this month’s edition breaks the mold. The event on Wednesday, August 26th, is a slight diversion.
The name fits the format. The Oxford English Dictionary defines convergence as several people or things coming together from different directions so as eventually to meet — and that’s exactly what happens each month at Watershed, where pub staff team up with a notable Northwest brewery to build a food-and-beer pairing menu. This month’s Convergence Series event, though, takes a slight diversion and swaps beer for cider.
“On Wednesday, August 26, we’re featuring cideries for only the second time out of 128 monthly Convergence events,” explains Ben Curran, one of the Watershed Pub & Kitchen’s owners/operators. “We’ll be pouring ciders from Republic of Cider, Woodinville Ciderworks, Empyrical Cidery & Orchard, and Finnriver Farm & Cidery, all benefiting City Fruit.”
A Seattle-based nonprofit, City Fruit promotes sustainable urban agriculture by stewarding and harvesting fruit from local trees to provide equitable food access. A number of local cideries use fruit from City Fruit to create ciders, mostly as part of fundraising efforts for the cause.
Ben Curran explains that this month’s Convergence Series event also has another purpose. “In addition to that, we’re taking the opportunity to help get the word out about exciting changes at Republic of Cider.”
What is Republic of Cider? It is a cidery in Seattle, founded in 2018 by George and Emily Ptasinsk, who created the company and its tasting room with a mission to bring greater diversity and cultural representation to the cider industry.
Same Direction, Just a Slight Change of Course
“We’re going through a brand refresh,” explains George Ptasinsk. “Republic of Cider (ROC) will become the brand for the producers’ cooperative where Empyrical, St. Lo, Jotunn, and others craft their ciders. The ROC ciders will become George’s Washington Cider, and Woodinville will recede and just become a “black label” under George’s.”
George explains: “The Pacific Northwest has seen a boom in craft beverage producers. But as diverse as the region may be, many communities have not been part of the craft beverage movement. Republic of Cider was born out of the idea to bring diversity and new ideas to the industry, and Washington State, synonymous with apples, is a natural for a flourishing cider industry. By offering ciders with flavors pulled from diverse cultures prominent on the Pacific Coast, we are built on bridging communities.”
“Now in 2026, we are realigning our brands to reflect what we have become,” the statement continues. “Back in 2021, we began working with local orchardists and cider makers to allow them to craft their ideas and ambitions into their own identities.”
“Republic of Cider will continue as our incubator program, where we will work with aspiring beverage producers to help them take their first steps. Our modern ciders will all fall under George’s Washington Cider, where we will produce dry and flavored ciders from Washington apples for everyday cider enthusiasts. The Woodinville name, however, will be replaced by a black label version of George’s Washington Cider. While we did participate in the founding of the original Woodinville Ciderworks, and lead its transformation into heirloom fine ciders, we were never able to get it reestablished back in Woodinville. So, while we will continue to produce craft ciders from heritage apples, these limited releases will reside under the George’s brand.”
“Today, our current Partners include Empyrical Cidery & Orchard, St. Lo Cider, Jotunn Ciderhouse (in planning), The Lazy Bee Meadery, Mr. Lee’s Formosa Fizz (non-alcoholic), & SoDoSecco (Sparkling Chardonnay). Come have a drink with us.”
And that is what you can do at Watershed Pub on Wednesday. Join them for the 128th installment of the Convergence Series. Get more details here.
Visit our events page and calendar to learn about all sorts of other upcoming beer events. To submit an event for inclusion on our events calendar, use our event submission form. Got more details to share, reach out to us.
