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About Capital press. (Salem, OR) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (April 13, 2018)
April 13, 2018 CapitalPress.com 23 Experimental orchard crafting cider success By GAIL OBERST For the Capital Press CORVALLIS, Ore. — Sometimes, an apple orchard is just what it appears: A place where the owner grows apples, sells them for fruit or juice in the fall, and then repeats the process the following year. But now and then, an apple orchard is a les- son. What began for 2 Towns Ciderhouse own- ers as a way to produce the hard-to-find “old world” craft cider apples in their own Corvallis orchard, instead became their 3-acre learning laboratory. Although 2 Towns’ orchard, plant- ed in 2012, produces some fruit for its “Tradi- tions” line of ciders, its most valuable fruit is education, according to Dave Takush, orchard manager and one of the three partners who founded the cidery in 2010. Takush and his partners planted the orchard hoping to supply craft apples for their own ciders. They quickly outgrew that idea. Today, instead of counting on production from their own orchard, 2 Towns’ owners have contracted with local orchardists. Their own orchard serves as a place to learn first-hand about challenges to old world apples: the small fruit, the biennial bearing, the new world re- quirements of trees native to France, England and other old world soils and climates. Growing these transplanted varieties in the Northwest is so new that there is little back- ground on which to draw, outside recent experi- ence. Oregon State University and Washington State University have established test orchards, but much of the knowledge is collecting in small commercial ventures contracted to grow craft ap- ples for cideries like 2 Towns. The French-style “Cidre Bouche,” for example, uses old world bit- tersweet cider varieties like Kingston Black, Mi- ABOVE: 2 Towns Ciderhouse owners, from left, are Lee Larsen, Aaron Sarnoff-Wood and Dave Takush. 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It’s bal- anced, not overly sweet, fruit-forward and easy drinking, Takush said. “It’s all sourced exclusively from the North- west,” he said. Currently, the Northwest is home to about a quarter of the nation’s cider makers, according to Nik Wiman and Aaron Heinrich, OSU orchards specialists. Two years ago, OSU planted about 50 varieties of cider apples in its test orchard. Once it starts producing, the university’s fermentation science students will begin studying the tastes and aromas particular to Oregon craft apples. Washington State University’s test orchards span 200 acres over three sites, some of which is de- voted to testing old world cider apples. 2017 PIONEER 700 M2 NW AG SOLUTIONS Field Layout Dripline Plowing Dragging Sucker Spraying Mowing chelin, Reine des Pommes, Dabinett and Muscat de Lense, all grown in Oregon. The 2 Towns Ciderhouse has been a head-rushing success for the Oregon State Uni- versity and University of Oregon alums who founded it: Takush, Lee Larsen and Aaron Sar- noff-Wood. Their cidery produced just 18,000 gallons in its first full year. In 2018, it is expect- ed to produce over 1 million gallons. “It’s gone beyond our wildest dreams,” Takush said of their ciders, now distributed in eight western states. It will take about 12 mil- lion pounds of apples to produce 2 Towns’ ci- ders this year. About a dozen varieties can be found on tap at the Corvallis tasting room and cidery, or on store shelves. Most of 2 Town’s ciders are not made with old world varieties, apples with high tan- (503) 981-1813 • 800-981-1813 • www.taylormotorcycles.com ONV18-3/109 honda.com PIONEER IS ONLY FOR DRIVERS 16 YEARS AND OLDER. MULTI-PURPOSE UTILITY VEHICLES CAN BE HAZARDOUS TO OPERATE. FOR YOUR SAFETY, BE RESPONSIBLE. ALWAYS WEAR A HELMET, EYE PROTECTION AND APPROPRIATE CLOTHING. 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