Hood River’s Double Mountain Brewery revamped the look for its line of ciders this year, one that is inspired by matchbook designs from the 1940s and 1950s according to the press release. Along with the new designs, the brewery slated six ciders for release this year, and sent me three to review. Let’s just get right to it.

Rosé Red Flesh Cider

This is the lightest of the three ciders that Double Mountain sent me, with 5.9% alcohol by volume and 0.3% residual sugar (an interesting metric I don’t know that I’ve commonly seen elsewhere). The description says:

Perceived sweetness rounds out the mouthfeel of this lightly tart cider, with delicate aromas of grapefruit and strawberry. Red-fleshed Mountain Rose and Pink Pearl apples from Hood River Valley that create an alluring pink hue.

My notes:

Appearance: Delicate pink with a bit of gold, decent clarity, active carbonation (fizzy).

Smell: Light and spritzy, delicate apple character with a hint of funk or sulfur. Nice fruit character of ripe apples, reminds me of fresh-picked whole apples (in a bin or basket, where the aroma builds up).

Taste: Semi-dry with that “perceived sweetness” as described that goes a bit tart and tannic with some earthiness in the back. A touch malic (acidity), maybe a bare note of lactic character. Apple skin.

Mouthfeel: Active with a semi-dry, partially tannic finish.

Overall: Good flavors with some nice complexity and structure.

Estate Heirloom Cider

This Estate is particularly interesting because the apples are grown at founder Matt Swihart’s own Swihart Orchards. The description says:

Delicate aromas of spring apple blossoms accompanied by complex citrus notes and an earthy finish. Our Estate cider is crafted with old world cider apples grown at our Double Mountain home- Swihart Orchards in Hood River.

Estate is 6.9% ABV, with only 0.09% residual sugar.

Appearance: Deep golden color, nice and bright. Crystal clear and active.

Smell: Tart and tannic apples—like crab apples or similar, with a super light funky note a bit like yeasty apple skin. At the same time, a fresh-pressed quality with some bright acidity. Floral? Not sure, it’s more earthy to me.

Taste: Lightly tart and semi dry with a hint of barnyard or orchard, bright apple spritzy notes with a kiss of lemon zest, malic acid. It’s slightly earthy and has a crisp apple character. Really nice flavor throughout with good balance.

Mouthfeel: Semi dry, crisp, lightly tart, and semi/mostly active.

Overall: It’s a good cider with a really nice balance; enjoyable.

Kingston Cider

Kingston is the most complex cider of these three, crafted from Kingston Black apples originally from England but growing locally. Like the Estate cider, this has 6.9% ABV with 0.09% residual sugar. The description says:

Native to the United Kingdom, the Kingston Black apple has a deep purple red skin and an amazing balance of tannins, acid and sugar. Grown in the Hood River Valley, this cider is tart and dry, with just a touch of ‘UK funk’.

Appearance: Deep golden color, slight haze, semi-active fizz.

Smell: Rich apple with a yeasty phenolic character that’s got a touch of funk, hint of spice; some barnyard/compost-y funkiness. Apple skin.

Taste: Semi dry with some candy apple sweetness, a pop of citrus, and that slight compost-like funkiness I detected in the aroma. A bit tannic, like an under ripe apple, while still nicely fruity.

Mouthfeel: Semi-dry with a crisp edge. A bit of carbonization prickling the tongue.

Overall: This is a nice and complex cider, with good flavors.