Gorge Wild: a Natural Wild-Fermented Cider Tasting

Hood River Common House taproom and bottle shop lounge to host curated tasting featuring wild ciders made in the Gorge.

One of Oregon’s best new taprooms the Hood River Common House is presenting a showcase of wild-fermented “natural” ciders called Gorge Wild. The tasting event explores the growing list of local producers making wild yeast driven European-style funky ciders that blur the line between tart and funky farmhouse ales and hard cider. The event takes place Saturday, April 30, 2022, from 4 to 9 pm, featuring wild-fermented ciders from Hiyu Wine Farm, Son of Man, and Dwinell Country Ales, and coincides with the Hood River Hard-Pressed Cider Fest.

This market-style takeover event will offer guests the opportunity to discover a wide-range of naturally-fermented ciders, curated and poured by the producers themselves. All three featured cider makers, while uniquely distinct, craft “wild” fermentations, without the addition of lab-grown yeast or sulfites. 

Hiyu Wine Farm (Hood River, OR), in collaboration with Mt. Hood Organic Farms, produces a European-style, traditional method, Biodynamic cider under the label Floréal. Its ciders are composed of nearly 50 different apple cultivars, which are blended, pressed, and then fermented in oak barrels for a year. A small portion of actively-fermenting cider from the following year’s pressing is then added to the cider to produce a natural carbonation. Hiyu will also feature a unique, solera-method, mixed-fruit fermentation at this event. 

Son of Man (Cascade Locks, OR), a cidery focused exclusively on making spontaneously fermented, Basque-style cider with apples from Oregon, will feature a trio of new ferments. “We are thrilled with the quality of our 2021 Basque style ciders,” says Son of Man co-founder Jasper Smith. “This event is an awesome opportunity to share these great products with our community in the Gorge.” Guests can expect to be dazzled by long pours of Son of Man’s latest vintage of “Sagardo,” a classic Basque cider; the crushable, sunny weather sipper “Beti;” and “Basajaun,” an exclusive collaboration with Basque cider makers Maite Ojanguren and Haritz Urrestarazu.

Dwinell Country Ales (Goldendale, WA), the only Gorge brewery dedicated exclusively to wild and mixed-culture fermentations, will release its three new cider blends from the 2021 harvest. “We are excited to showcase and share our new ciders alongside such talented and admired producers,” says Dwinell Country Ales co-owner Justin Leigh. All of the ciders made by Dwinell Country Ales are fermented for upwards of 100 days in stainless steel tanks from apples grown by E.Z. Orchards in Salem, OR. Dwinell will showcase pét-nat cans of “Forrest,” a dry, high-acid blend, “Almira,” a French-style bittersweet, and “Robin,” a French-style “poire” or pear cider. 

For those traveling to Hood River that same day for the Hood River Hard-Pressed Cider Festival, “Gorge Wild” will offer guests the ability to intimately experience some of the most innovative and intentional cider production in the region. “We have so much amazing talent out here taking advantage of the local agriculture and climate,” says Hood River Common House co-owner Josh Kitts. “We opened our bar to highlight this talent and this event is really showcasing some of the very best.” 

“Gorge Wild: A Natural Cider Tasting” is a non-ticketed event. Tastings will be offered on a first come, first serve basis. Guests can purchase tastings à la carte, grab a sausage with kraut hot off the grill, and, as always, enjoy a wide variety of beer, cider, and wine from the Hood River Common House’s selection of draft and packaged goods. Minors are permitted if accompanied by an adult. 

Located at 110 5th Street in downtown Hood River, the Hood River Common House is a bottle shop, lounge, and event space with a curated selection of locally produced beer, cider, and wine.