Cider Riot


Cider Riot was a cidery or cider house in the Kerns neighborhood in Northeast Portland, Oregon, United States that was in business from 2016 until November 2019.
The Oregonian has described the bar as "a Couch Street gathering place for antifascists, anarchists and other leftists."

History

The company was founded by Abram Goldman-Armstrong, and opened a taproom in 2016. Cider Riot earned two bronze medals at Bath & West International Cider Championships in 2017, and two additional awards in 2019. 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.

Incidents

In May 2019, a brawl between far-right protesters and patrons attending a Rose City Antifa event took place outside Cider Riot, resulting in the company filing a $1 million lawsuit. Six participants, including political activist Joey Gibson, were indicted in August. Five of the men are connected to the group Patriot Prayer. 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."
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.
In October 2019, the driver of an SUV struck and killed an anti-fascist activist with the vehicle near Cider Riot, shortly after he left the bar. 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. 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. Willamette Week reported on October 15 that "his slaying remains unsolved." The motive has not been established by the police. In December 2019, The Oregonian's Andrew Theen commented that this incident is "perhaps the city’s most prominent traffic-related death". As of December 2019, this incident remains under investigation with no arrests made.
Cider Riot was put up for sale for $875,000 in September 2019. Goldman-Armstrong said he hoped the buyer would "share view on human rights". 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". Cider Riot closed on November 10, 2019.