Tag Archives: 500mL

2 Towns Ciderhouse – Nice & Naughty

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2 Towns "Nice & Naughty"

visual puns are my weakness / that “snow” cap really is the best

(to the tune of “O Tannenbaum”)

Nice & Naughty, Nice & Naughty,
How lovely your aroma!
Rich with cloves and cinnamon spice,
Clear gold in hue, with bubbles light,
Nice & Naughty, Nice & Naughty
How lovely your aroma!

Nice & Naughty, Nice & Naughty,
Your label is quite charming!
2 Towns’ black tree, snow-capped in white,
The bottle, too, to my delight,
Nice & Naughty, Nice & Naughty,
Your label is quite charming!

Nice & Naughty, Nice & Naughty,
You’re 10.5% ABV!
Though pumpkin spice still dwells in minds,
Your flavor’s mulled and less pie-like,
Nice & Naughty, Nice & Naughty,
You’re 10.5% ABV!

 

Troy – MMCXIII

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Troy MCMXIII

I’m not saying I didn’t see it coming from the pretentious “MCMXIII” labeling, but…

When I was at my local liquor store looking for something I haven’t yet tried and reviewed, the beer & cider buyer happened to be there, chatting to some other customers, and upon his very strong recommendation (produced in its turn by the strong recommendation of others that he try it) I picked up a bottle of Troy.

They’re apparently only on their second year of cider — the first year they took what they could get from around the accessible outside of an old fruit orchard and this past year they were able to get in and reach the interior.

The cider is barrel aged and wild fermented, and I noticed a considerable amount of sedimentary sludge in the bottle of the bottle.

My first whiff was sharp and acidic, almost vinegary. The cider is a light yellow, more or less cloudy depending on how much of the sediment you rustle up. I leaned toward trying not to disturb it.

Little did I know that that whiff of vinegar was only the prelude to a much stronger sourness and acidity in the taste of the cider. This stuff is aggressive.

It’s so strong that it’s hard for me to pick out any individual notes in this — it’s a different sort of cider to be sure, and I don’t know how much of that comes from its heirloom apple/pear/quince composition and how much comes from the wild fermentation.

To be honest, I flat out cannot recommend this cider. I suppose if someone was already a fan of drinking actual vinegar, they might like this cider, but other than that, pass.

Maybe I just got a bad bottle? I checked out some other reviews and they give quite a different impression of this cider. If you’d like to take a gamble, or you are one of those people who likes drinking vinegar, you can keep an eye out, but if you ask me? Just don’t.

2 Towns Ciderhouse – Cidre Muscato

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2 Towns Cidre Muscato

2 Towns Cidre Muscato

My love of muscat goes at least back to college, when I discovered Kasugai fruit gummies and ate a copious amount of them, especially the muscat and melon flavored ones. As I eventually developed a taste for wine, at first I leaned toward sweet wines such as muscats, and now that I’ve tried 2 Towns’ Cidre Muscato it’s not a surprise that I enjoy it as well.

It’s a clear, pale yellow, almost a tiny bit greenish even, and has a definite recognizable muscat aroma, light and sweet and sharp.

It’s definitely sweet — like a muscat wine would be, not syrupy. It really does taste rather like a muscat wine profile is sort of overlaying the cider. There’s an immediate hit of sweetness in the taste, and some acid, but then it dries out and develops into something more complex before fading and leaving an echo of grapes lingering in your mouth.

Overall, this cider seems lighter than a comparable muscat wine would be — understandable, since muscat wines tend to be 10% and up in ABV while this is only 6.9%. As far as I’m concerned, it’s another hit from 2 Towns. Locate some for yourself here!

2 Towns Ciderhouse – ‘Cot in the Act

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2 Towns Ciderhouse "Cot in the Act"

2 Towns Ciderhouse “Cot in the Act”

I’ve been on a bit of a pumpkin spice mean streak so I wanted to mix things up and review something that’s not at all autumn-themed. My local Bartell’s was happy to oblige with some limited-release 2 Towns ciders such as this “‘Cot in the Act” apricot cider.

True to the name, it has a light apricot aroma; it’s a light, clear yellow with medium fizz and 6% ABV.

Though the apricot also comes out in the taste, it’s not terribly sweet overall and has some nice tartness backing it up. A bit sharp and acidic, but not too much.

As we already know, I’m not the world’s best guesser, but this definitely tastes to me like it’s got a definite portion of bittersweet and/or cider apples rather than just a straight dessert apple blend.

I wasn’t able to find info about this limited release on 2 Towns’ website, but the bottle copy does say it’s “just for the dog days of summer,” so you may be out of luck finding it locally yourself now that we’re well into October.

Best of luck, though — I feel like I’m starting to recognize the general taste profile of 2 Towns, and I enjoy it.