I am seeing apple trees in bloom around the county. Spring is on the way. Or, at least we think and hope it is.
There is one particular tree in Lewis County that has quite a history. She is a piece of family history, and she has a very unique story to tell.
Joshua Hail is part of her story.
His family lived in Morton when he was young. In 1978, they sold a cow named “Blossom” and bought an apple tree from Rain Tree Nursery. That tree was named “Blossom,” and she has been transplanted, moving with the family three times.
They moved to Winlock and then, in 1994, relocated to Silver Creek. Each time the family moved, they dug “Blossom” up and took her with them.
Quite an adventurous life for an apple tree.
Trees usually put down roots and stay put — they are not normally known as travelers. But “Blossom” is part of the family, part of their heritage and moved with them. She is still active in their life today.
After completing high school at W.F. West in Chehalis, Hail went to the University of Idaho and studied landscape architecture along with studying viticulture at Washington State University. In 2015, he moved to Poughkeepsie, New York, and worked with Angry Orchards in Walden, New York.
Part of what he did for Angry Orchards was design the rock work and stairs for the tree houses they built. Hail says the Hudson Valley looks a lot like the foothills of the Cascades. He got homesick, so, in 2019, he returned to Lewis County.
He now operates 3 Dog Cider and Brewstillery on U.S. Highway 12 between Ethel and Salkum. Hail knows his apple trees. He works with a lot of heritage (many nearly lost and forgotten) and has 88 varieties in his own orchards with 300 trees on the family’s property in Silver Creek and 200 trees in Ethel.
He is planting more trees, putting trees on a 10-foot center to maximize production on the ground. He works to maintain healthy soil that will sustain his orchards. He does not use commercial fertilizers.
Hail uses his own apples (including apples from “Blossom”) and apples he gleans around Lewis County to make up about half of the apples he turns into cider each year. The other half he gets from an orchard in Sunnyside. He processes about 80 bins of apples from other people and about 40 bins of his own, totaling 84,000 pounds, to produce 7,600 gallons of cider.
He said that his ciders store well. He has some up to two and a half years old. His different ciders are blends of various apples. Each apple has its own characteristics and gives different effects.
Granny Smith, for example, takes seven bins to produce 275 gallons of juice and is highly acidic, yielding about 5% alcohol. Cosmic Crisp produces the same 275 gallons of juice from only four bins and will give a 6 to 6.5% alcohol. Apples are classified as bitter sweet, bitter sharp (the best for cider with a nice “mouthfeel”), sweet (best for eating and pies) and semisweet.
3 Dog is also producing other fruit ciders using locally produced blackberries, cranberries and blueberries. Hail believes in using native and close-to-home products. He believes in supporting local farmers, sourcing ingredients within a 50-mile radius and keeping his costs down as he provides a quality product for people.
He is also now growing his own hops to add to his list of products. He could use flavorings, as some cider producers do, but prefers using real fruits. He uses wild yeast, which in Lewis County is known as Terroir, to produce a wild, fermented hard cider.
3 Dog Cider employs one person part time in the winter and three part-timers in the summer. The majority of sales are done at the cidery, open Friday, Saturday and Sunday during the winter and Thursday through Sunday in the summer. They also sell at farmers markets in Chehalis, Kelso and Vancouver as well as at festivals. Those locations give him more exposure, reaching a broader clientele.
Hail has a right to be proud of what he produces. He makes top-quality ciders and has received several accolades. Some of his 2025 winnings include first place at the prestigious Whidbey Island Cider Festival and third place at the Cider Swig in Tacoma.
If you want to wow your tastebuds, stop by 3 Dog Cider and Brewstillery for fresh cider or hard cider.
I think you will be glad you did.
Contact Hail at 210-896-1873 or 3dogbrewstillery@gmail.com, or drive out to 2040 U.S. Highway 12, Ethel.
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Maureen Harkcom grew up on a Lewis County dairy and operated a beef and native hay operation and developed an equine competition facility. She can be reached by email at maureen.harkcom@gmail.com.
