Steve “Bear” Bishop is used to fights. But not just any fights. Bear fights fires professionally, which he has done all over the Northwest since 1976. He’s a focused and determined individual who clearly knows how to get things done. One look at his and wife Nancy’s “Alpenfire” organic cidery on Cape George near Discovery Bay and it’s clear. With rows and rows of perfectly pruned, trellised, and drip irrigated cider apple trees in the backyard of their home and newly finished tasting room, this cidery is a testament to determination……click here for the whole story from Chimacum Corner Farmstand

After 4 decades of involvement in wildland firefighting it never occurred to us that we would not be able to use the word Wildfire in our next business adventure.

But that is what has happened. It seems there is a restaurant chain that has trademark ownership of the word and we must re-name ourselves or head to court.

After a few months we realized that this wasn’t just a very bad joke and that our fledgling Port Townsend Cidery really was being seen as a threat.

Fight this fire? Contain and control this fire? No, it could only lead to a burn over with Wildfire cider as the tragic victim. We’ve emerged from our fire shelters, through the gray ash of frustration and are heading forward with a new name.

Alpenfire, we are happy to say is the people’s choice. Through this all we are still “Washington’s Only Organic hard cider”. Look for Alpenfire’s 2010 vintage ciders coming soon!