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Judge's Review: 81 Rating - La Mûre by 2 Towns Ciderhouse

November, 2019

La Mûre

La Mûre

Oregon
United States
La Mûre, 2 Towns Ciderhouse
Description 

Inspired by the historic lambic beers of Belgium, La Mûre embodies the Flemish styles of old. Northwest apples and Oregon grown Marion blackberries are fermented wild with Lactobacillus. Aged in Willamette Valley pinot noir barrels for one year, this unique cider is then removed from these dusty casks and bottle conditioned, revealing complex aromatics and a lactic tang that only time can unfold.

Beverage Profile
ABV: 
6.9%
Served at: 
40 - 45º F

 

 


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Judges Rating: 
81
Aroma: 
18 / 24
Appearance: 
5 / 6
Flavor: 
32 / 40
Mouthfeel: 
9 / 10
Overall Impression: 
17 / 20

La Mûre by 2 Towns Ciderhouse was judged as a Specialty Cider/Perry, BJCP Style C2F.

2 Towns Ciderhouse La Mûre Lambic-Style Cider pours a beautiful bright burgundy color. You can detect the lambic sourness in the nose, but not overwhelmingly so. The Marion Blackberries used in the cider are quite apparent in the aroma. This is a barrel-aged cider and you can definitely pick up on the oak in the aroma, but it does not overpower. My sample foamed up quickly and then the carbonation disappeared. My only ding here is I didn’t detect much “cider” character in the nose. Upon tasting, the berry flavor is the dominant flavor. The expected “lambic funk” was there, but perhaps not as intense as the aroma might lead one to expect. Oak flavor is pronounced, but not overwhelmingly so. There is just a hint of “cider” character blended in with the other components in the finish.  

Overall, I do like this beverage. If you wonder why my score doesn’t reflect a high opinion, it is simply because it simply doesn’t fit the guidelines for a “Specialty Cider.” There is, after all, very little “cider” character here. We have lots of berry flavor/aroma, lots of Belgian funky lambic flavor/aroma, and lots of oak barrel flavor/aroma. Just not much “cider.” The BJCP guidelines for "Specialty Cider" stipulate “The cider character must always be present, and must fit with added ingredients.” The cider component finished a distant fourth compared to the berry, lambic, and oak flavors. If this was simply a matter of “Pick a number between 0 and 100 to express how much you like the beverage,” I would probably pick a number closer to 90 or more.