McDonald’s Races Starbucks to the Bottom of the Pumpkin Spice Latte Trend (and More Updates)

Welcome back to Eater News, a semi-regular round-up of mini news bites. Have info to share? Send intel to seattle@eater.com.

• As New Belgium Brewing’s first wholesale partner, Seattle Cider Company will be distributed in the greater Fort Collins, Colorado, area beginning August 21. It’s not the first time the companies have collaborated: They released a beer-cider hybrid in 2014.
• McDonald’s is getting a head start on the pumpkin spice latte game this year, essentially hoping to drink Starbucks’ milkshake by releasing the seasonal abomination weeks before the coffee giant.
• Given the above, how long until employees of McDonald’s need to form their own online support groups to deal with PSL PTSD?
• Amazon’s Alexa could help home cooks limit food waste with tips on storage and thoughts on how to tell if an item is still safe to eat.
• First Hill’s posh Hotel Sorrento is one of the recommended spots to watch the solar eclipse on Monday, what with complimentary coffee, tea, juice, and croissants in the garden — it’s BYO glasses, though.
• Speaking of eclipse eats, one of vegan superstar Frankie and Jo’s current seasonal flavors is called eclipse, and features Theo 85-percent dark chocolate and cocoa powder creeping across a lighter base ice cream. It’s not quite as jaw-dropping as Wiz Bang Bar’s otherworldly offering in Portland, a black charcoal waffle cone rimmed with edible gold, filled with spiced marshmallow fluff, golden yellow coconut, and turmeric soft serve ice cream, and topped with a black sesame shell and pop-rock “craters.”