Son of Man Cider and pFriem Family Brewers release Etxeko House Cider

Two native brands of the Oregon side of the Columbia River Gorge have come together on a rare collaboration between brewery and cidery.

Son of Man Cidery and pFriem Family Brewers are excited to announce the release of their newest Etxeko House Cider, a collaboration that began nine months ago in an Oregon apple orchard. Now on tap and available to-go by the bottle in pFriem’s Hood River and Milwaukie taprooms. Etxeko represents a new standard for how deep a craft collaboration can go.

This release underscores the two brands’ commitment to authentic, honest craft and an obsessive dedication to using the best raw material available. In late July, the teams behind Son of Man and pFriem Family Brewers converged on the verdant rows of apple trees at EZ Orchards just outside of Salem in the Willamette Valley. The group walked the farm, learning about the varieties being grown and their nuanced roles in making delicious ciders. These cider-specific apple varieties offer a wide array of flavors, aromas and texture, in exactly the same way that different hops or malt can completely change a beer’s profile, no gimmicky adjuncts necessary. In the end, and over a delicious lunch, the crew decided on an extraordinary blend of apples to harvest and ferment into a cider exclusively for pFriem. The cider will sit proudly alongside their award winning assortment of beer at the Hood River and Milwaukie taprooms, available on draft and in 750ml bottles to-go.

The collaboration is also a validation of eight years of work by Son of Man to build a market for harvest-based, low-intervention ciders that showcase Oregon-grown apples. 

“So much of the cider available is made with juice concentrate or low quality juice from eating apples - the equivalent of using second rate malt or bottom-of-the-barrel hops to make beer” says Son of Man Co-Founder Jasper Smith. “Making cider the way we do is not only drastically more expensive, because of the quality of the raw material, but also takes significantly more time. We're talking six months from harvest to bottle instead of 2 to 3 weeks. We couldn't be more proud and honored that the folks at pFriem see the value in what we're doing. They understand craftsmanship and our commitment to working seasonally with the absolute best quality apples available anywhere in the US.”

A House Cider Tradition, Reborn in the Gorge

Etxeko is a Basque word that translates to “of the house.” At the ciderhouses clustered around San Sebastian the names of restaurants, bars and gastronomic societies are scrawled across the faces of the massive (20,000 liter) wooden barrels. Representatives from those restaurants and bars have tasted through all of the different tanks at the ciderhouse, and landed on a favorite - their house blend for the year. Son of Man was inspired by this tradition, and began collaborating annually with Josh Pfriem and his team three years ago to create a cider blend just for the brewery. The scale of the collaboration has grown every year, a testament to the brands’ value-alignment.

From the Orchard Up: Why This Collaboration Is Different

With this release, Son of Man and pFriem took things a step further. Rather than tasting finished ferments and blending in the winter, the pFriem team joined Son of Man earlier in the process at EZ Orchards in late July to hand select apples to harvest and use in the collaborative cider. The group tasted apples and talked with Kevin Zielinksi of EZ Orchards about each variety's unique characteristics. Eventually, decisions were made that checked all the boxes for both teams. The result? A cider built around Roxbury Russet, the oldest known North American apple with roots dating back to the 1600s in Roxbury, Massachusetts, and Marie Menard, a traditional tannic apple used in the production of cider and Calvados in Brittany. The Roxbury offers up juicy flavors of pineapple and spicy apricot, balanced by the Marie Menard’s tannic structure, and rich yellow apple aromatics. Smith says, “The cider is totally dry, but there is so much fruity complexity that it can trick your brain into thinking there’s a subtle sweetness. It is an absolutely crushable cider, while having enough going on to stand up to an awesome meal. Not too different from the pFriem beers we love to drink. Think of them as second cousins.”

“Son of Man’s approach to working with growers on heirloom apple varieties, taking the Basque cider approach, while respecting time and tradition results in ciders full of complexity, intrigue, while being very drinkable. The mix of tart and tannic apples, dynamic fermentation, extended aging really highlights what a cider can be and how much nuance it can have,” says Josh Pfriem, Co-founder/Brewmaster of pFriem Family Brewers. “It has been easy to work with the Son of Man team on this project as we both respect tradition, love searching for flavor, but really appreciate when it all comes together in a beautiful beverage that is very drinkable. We are very proud to have this year's Etxeko on tap and in bottle in both our Hood River and Milwaukie Tasting Rooms.”

The Blend

This year’s Etxeko House Cider is a blend of four Oregon-grown cider apple varieties, pressed at Son of Man's Cascade Locks facility during the fall harvest and aged for six months before release:

40% Roxbury Russet → Juicy pineapple, apricot and orange flavors

30% Marie Menard → Spicy aromatics, structure and bitterness

20% Karmijn da Sonnaville → Bright acidity, fresh citrus and red apple

10% Jonathan →  Classic apple backbone, light spice

Tasting Notes: Spicy Apricot, Roasted Pineapple, Yellow Apple. Bone dry, lightly carbonated, enjoyed with food, friends or both!

About Son of Man Cider

Son of Man makes natural cider in Oregon's Columbia River Gorge using 100% Oregon-grown cider apples. Working closely with four Oregon farms growing some of the finest cider apple varieties in the country, Son of Man presses during the fall harvest at their Cascade Locks facility. Their cider ferments and slowly ages for six months. They never use juice concentrate and never add artificial malic acid, flavor adjuncts or sugar. The ciders, inspired by Spanish Basque Country, are dry, tart, and alive and should be enjoyed alongside great food. Just apples and time.

About pFriem Family Brewers

pFriem Family Brewers (pronounced “freem”) is a Northwest and European-inspired brewery based in Hood River and Milwaukie, Oregon. Founded in 2012, pFriem has built a reputation for balance-driven, artisanal beers that honor classic European styles while reflecting the spirit of the Pacific Northwest. The brewery has earned widespread recognition for its consistency and quality, including multiple medals at the Great American Beer Festival, World Beer Cup, and international brewing competitions. pFriem distributes throughout Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and California and remains deeply rooted in its local community.

Availability

Son of Man × pFriem Etxeko House Cider 2026 is available now on draft at pFriem’s Hood River and Milwaukie taprooms, and available to-go by the bottle. Quantities are limited.