In late 2010, Corvallis homebrewers Aaron Sarnoff-Wood and Lee Larsen filled a gap in the college town’s drinking scene — cider. The duo opened 2 Towns Ciderhouse crafting unique ciders brewed with the traditional English and French-style’s tannic apples, Oregon grown, of course. Named after the cities of Corvallis and Eugene (Larsen’s a Beaver; Sarnoff-Wood a Duck), their childhood friend, Dave Takush, joined the company and his master’s degree in fermentation science at Oregon State University helped him eventually become 2 Towns head cidermaker. Now the number one independent cidery in the country, 2 Towns has more than 100 employees and is dedicated to producing quality craft cider from 100-percent fresh-pressed Pacific NW apples. While 2 Towns Ciderhouse sources many of its cider apples from the Yakima area, some varieties are grown at Takush’s family orchard. Today, 2 Towns is our Monday cider flight — a flight we call Peaks and Pints Monday Cider Flight: 2 Towns, 5 Ciders.
Peaks and Pints Monday Cider Flight: 2 Towns Cider
2 Towns Made Marion
6% ABV
The Marion blackberry was originally bred for Marion County, Oregon farmers. Tangy and full of ripe, rich berry notes that shine in 2 Towns’ Made Marion, even after blended with Northwest apples. The nose is expressive dark berry and cherry, with apple and sweetness. The taste follows suit — blackberry-like, tart, and tangy with a medium bodied and low effervescence with a subtly dry finish.
2 Towns RiverBreaker Dry
6.9% ABV
2 Towns made Peaks & Pints’ 2023-24 house cider, a McIntosh apple-based dry cider we call RiverBreaker as a salute to the Willamette River, an integral part of the valley that shares its name and flows through Corvallis. RiverBreaker is rich and complex, reflecting the balanced sweetness and acidity of the McIntosh apple with its distinct white flesh and vinous flavor.
2 Towns Cosmic Crisp
8% ABV, can
Cosmic Crisp apple is the work of 20 years of study and research by Washington State University, resulting in a classically bred hybrid of Enterprise and Honeycrisp apples that’s large, round, crisp, and super juicy apple. “When fermented, the aromatics that are released from the Cosmic Crisp apples are truly unique,” said Dave Takush, 2 Towns head cidermaker in a press release. “Strong notes of white currant and pineapple blossom off a platinum-colored cider that is as crisp and sparkling as you could imagine. People can make all the interstellar puns they want, but this is truly a unique and beautiful cider.” 2 Towns was the first cidery to produce a cider crafted from this exceptional new apple. Crafted from a resplendent blend of fresh-pressed juice from its namesake, Cosmic Crisp, and other Northwest apples, 2 Towns Ciderhouse’s Cosmic Crisp cider shines with strong notes of white currant and pineapple blossom off a platinum-colored cider that is as crisp and sparkling.
2 Towns The Baddie
8% ABV
A collaboration with Proprietary Variety Management, who markets the Pink Lady brand apple, and the Pink Boots Society, a national non-profit organization supporting women in the fermentation industry, 2 Towns embraced the spirit of empowerment and women’s history month with the release of The Baddie last month. Floral and refreshing, The Baddie is crafted with Pink Lady apples, hibiscus, rose, chamomile, and jasmine. A portion of the proceeds from The Baddie will be donated to the Pink Boots Society.
2 Towns Ciderhouse Super Bad Apple
12.5% ABV
As mentions above, The Bad Apple is an imperial style cider, fermented with Willamette Valley meadowfoam honey and aged on Oregon white oak. The result is a semi-dry, apple-forward cider with rich apple, honey, vanilla, oak notes, and a long finish with lingering tartness and acidity. Their Super Bad Apple is a two-point bump on the ABV scale giving this imperial cider a stronger apple character with hints of oak.
LINK: Peaks & Pints beer and cider cooler inventory
