By Erin James
Five generations of descendants have worked on the family orchard since German immigrant August Paasch first planted apple trees in Oregon’s Hood River. With a tradition of cidermaking dating back to Paasch’s day, Bob Fox and his brothers Randy and David farm their great-great-grandfather’s land and press the fruit today under the name of Fox-Tail Cider. Cidermaker Justin Cardwell was on-board from the 2009 start and in 2013, a taproom opened in the center of the Hood River Valley.
One of the flagship ciders of this burgeoning cidery in idyllic cider country is also available throughout the Northwest on tap and in 22-ounce bottles. Presumably titled as a shout-out to Sir Isaac Newton’s law of gravity courtesy of an apple to the head, this is a semi-sweet cider that comes at the palate with the same force. Fermented with wine yeast and leaning toward the drier side of semi-sweet, Sir Isaac is a palate-pleaser for the novice and the conventionalist, balanced in its tannic texture, juicy fruit and zippy acid.
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