Double Mountain Brewery is one of those breweries that, to me, consistently brews solid, drinkable beers almost without exception (you can see my past reviews for example), and this extends to the ciders that Double Mountain produces as well. I happen to be on a media list in which I receive samples of the brewery’s beers and ciders semi-regularly, which gives me a chance to try and review a number of the packaged releases, such as these two that I received early this summer.

Grower 397 West Coast IPA

This seasonal IPA was brewed in collaboration with Perrault Farms of the Yakima Valley, and features HBC 586, HBC 638, and HBC 1019 hops—notably, all in development without “official” names yet. This west coast style IPA is 6% ABV with 55 IBUs, and you can read about the details here.

Appearance: Golden yellow-orange with crisp and lacy white head.

Smell: Fruity and dank, reminding me of passion fruit and tangerine, specifically tangerine peel. There’s a touch of cattiness, a hint of crushed lamb’s quarter. Light malt note.

Taste: Great showcase for these hops—it’s got an herbal-tonic bitterness along with a bit of milk thistle and a bit of spicy greens that could go mustard, could go watercress. Good light Cream of Wheat-y malt that’s a good foil for the hops.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied, smooth, with a lightly linger “green” note (maybe chlorophyll?).

Overall: Another well-brewed IPA from Double Mountain, with good hop character, and enjoyable.

Harrison Hard Cider

I’d received this cider as part of the announcement and rollout of this year’s seasonal ciders from Double Mountain, and Harrison was a good overall representation of the seven ciders in the brewery’s slated release schedule. It has 8% ABV, with 0.09% residual sugar. In general, I highly recommend anyone interesting in trying complex, dry ciders to check out the ones from Double Mountain.

Appearance: Bright gold, almost a brass color. Crystal clear with active bubbles.

Smell: Sweet floral aroma that I would agree as orange blossom, with luscious apple juiciness—really kind of essence of apple—and a rustic note, not quite barnyard but maybe cow pasture. Hints of melon, citrus.

Taste: Dry cider with a pop of tart green apple. Some tannins (apple skin, crab apple) and a hint of malic acid give some nice structure, and it has a really nice apple flavor, somewhat mild, with a small residual amount of sweetness; reads “heirloom” vs. sweet apple variety to me. Good balance of dry and tannic with acid and apple.

Mouthfeel: Crisp, dry, active carbonation but not as much as a sparkling wine.

Overall: Quite nice, good showcase of a single varietal with hallmarks of an experienced cider maker.