This weekend, I finally saw the sun in February. What an amazing restorative. Each chance for a walk in bright light feels like a stolen treasure. Relish them. When we don’t have the golden orb blessing us, there are bit of brightness that can come from other directions. I’m happy to enjoy those too. I was so happy to get 2 Towns’ Apricot Cosmic Crisp review samples recently.
2 Towns is named for Corvallis and Portland, Oregon where the cidery is based. I’ve been fond of this adventurous cidery since I first tasted them in 2014! I can’t believe it has been 10 years! You can find lots more background about the cidery in these previous blog posts.
Here’s a rundown of my earlier reviews for 2 Towns!
The Baddie: https://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2023/03/cider-review-two-towns-ciderhouses.html
Crimson Bliss: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2022/10/cider-review-2-towns-ciderhouses.html
Hollow Jack’d: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2022/09/cider-review-2-towns-ciderhouses-hollow.html
Two Berry Dream: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2022/08/cider-review-2-towns-ciderhouses-two.html
10th Anniversary Cider Pacific Northwest Heirloom Blend: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2021/01/cider-review-2-towns-ciderhouse-10th.html
Good Limes Roll: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2020/07/cider-reviews-two-towns-cider-house.html
Cosmic Currant: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2019/12/cider-review-two-towns-cosmic-currant.html
Hollow Jack’d: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2019/10/cider-review-two-towns-ciderhouse.html
Afton Field: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2019/06/cider-review-2-towns-ciderhouse-afton.html
La Mûre: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2019/02/cider-review-albemarle-ciderworks.html
Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/12/cider-review-eden-ciders-siren-song-and.html
Cidre Bouche: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2017/11/cider-review-2-towns-ciderhouses-cidre.html
Pearadise: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/05/very-perry-may-2-towns-ciderhouses.html
Pineapple: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/02/cider-review-portland-cider-company.html
Bright Cider: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2016/07/cider-review-roundup-common-cider-co.html
Hop and Stalk: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2014/12/cider-review-2-towns-ciderhouse-hop-and.html
I recommend visiting 2 Towns’ Ciderhouse has a website to find out about the cidery’s releases and events: https://2townsciderhouse.com/
Here’s how 2 Towns describes the Apricot Cosmic Crisp on the website.
Score your first intergalactic ace when you approach with this apricot adaptation of Cosmic Crisp. Crafted with Northwest apples & apricots, this sweet & zingy cosmic-apricot combo is guaranteed to break some chains. Careful now, too much hyzer and you’ll end up out of this world. 9% ABV.
I’m super curious to taste how the 9% ABV comes across.
Appearance: pale warm straw, brilliant, bubbly
All of 2 Towns’s ciders are lovely. That’s not a surprise, but I really wasn’t sure what to expect from an apricot cider. I associate apricots with a mellow opaque orange color, so this elegant pale straw was a fun surprise.
Aromas: Peach, lemon, minerals,
The Apricot Cosmic Crisp smells intensely peachy! It’s enticing and reminds me of fruity candies with citric acid, but also of stones and lemons.
Sweetness/dryness: Sweet
Flavors and drinking experience: High acid, apricot, peach bubbly, boozy
I have to start by acknowledging that this cider is doing a lot with sweetness and high acidity. It tastes very much like dried apricots; it’s more vivid and bold than fresh ones would be. I do wish I could taste the specificity of the Crimson Crisp apple, since it’s named here.
The higher ABV is apparent in some warming to the throat and stomach, but it’s remarkably smooth and full bodied. And since that 9% is coming in a full sized can, it’s a great size to share.
I found the Apricot Crimson Crisp Also very exciting as a sweet mixer- I used it with a barrel aged tequila and plain seltzer. For well balanced food pairings, the accompaniments should be similarly bold but not overly complex. I have had the pleasure of this cider twice. The first time was when I tasted it and experimented with using it as a mixer at a fabulous horror movie party. What a set of combinations!
The films we watched were Dolls (1987) and Eraserhead (1977). I can certainly recommend the whole experience thought it will be hard to reproduce without the fantastic company.
And the second time I tried this cider, I took notes and then finished my glass with vegetarian burritos with The Tall One and my absolute favorite new album of 2024. If anything manages to top this, I will be shocked.
https://open.spotify.com/album/1ycq58KRtWt3wFtbuIkvLn?si=QUfXDq4CRPaQMiAFTUhafA
Maximize your deliciousness however you like. A big cider like this deserves it.
