Near Odell, above Hood River, where Mount Hood looms to the south and Mount Adams rises to the north, sits an orchard with one of the finest views in the Pacific Northwest. When Matt Swihart purchased the property in 1999, the landscape practically named itself. Double Mountain. Two volcanoes, one valley, acres of apples and pears soaking up Gorge sunshine beneath a sky that always seems a little larger than necessary. Long before cider became a crowded cooler category, the orchard was already there, quietly producing the fruit that would eventually inspire a brewery, and later, one of the Northwest’s most compelling cider programs.
For Peaks & Pints, the connection runs almost all the way back to the beginning. In December 2016, barely a month after Basecamp Proctor opened its doors, Double Mountain Dry Cider made its South Sound debut right here in Tacoma. Local legend — and around here we prefer legend whenever possible — holds that Swihart flew his own plane north for the release party, because some stories deserve a little altitude. What began as a single dry cider has since blossomed into a full orchard expression, drawing on heirloom apples, traditional perry pears, red-fleshed cider fruit, berries, and generations of Columbia Gorge growing knowledge. The guiding philosophy remains beautifully straightforward: start with remarkable fruit and resist the urge to get in its way.
Today’s flight traces that evolution through five distinct pours. Little Martha opens with old-world perry elegance and floral restraint. Irene Rosé glows with red-fleshed apple charm and berry-kissed brightness. Dry Cider strips everything back to pure orchard truth. Adeline Blackberry wanders into brambly territory without sacrificing balance. Eleanor closes the journey with Golden Russet depth, structure, and quiet authority. Five glasses, one cidery, and a reminder that the most interesting cider stories begin long before fermentation, out where the trees are doing all the hard work.
Peaks & Pints Monday Double Mountain Cider Flight
Double Mountain Little Martha
6.3% ABV | Old World Perry | Hood River, Oregon
Not all pears are interested in being lovable. The traditional perry pears behind this pour are stubborn, tannic little creatures that spend most of their lives refusing to become dessert fruit. Fermented, however, they transform into something unexpectedly graceful — floral, lightly tart, touched by citrus blossom and fresh wood, with a dry finish that lands somewhere between old-world refinement and Columbia Gorge mischief.
Double Mountain Irene Rosé Cider
5.9% ABV | Red-Fleshed Apple Cider
The color alone feels like a small act of theater. Red-fleshed apples lend a rosy glow while notes of berry skin, honeysuckle, and citrus move across the palate with an airy confidence, creating something that drinks less like a sweet rosé impersonation and more like apples discovering they have a romantic side after all.
Double Mountain Dry Cider
6.7% ABV | Dry Hard Cider
Here’s the cider equivalent of opening the windows. Green apple, pear, and bright acidity arrive without distraction or ornament, carrying a crispness that feels almost architectural. No fruit additions. No barrel tricks. Just beautifully grown apples standing on their own two feet and proving that’s more than enough.
Double Mountain Adeline Blackberry Cider
6.5% ABV | Blackberry Cider
Some blackberry ciders head straight for jam jar territory. This one takes the scenic route. Co-fermented berries bring deep color and brambly character, but the fruit never overwhelms the cider beneath it. Tart edges, flashes of citrus peel, and a dry backbone keep everything nimble, like wandering through a blackberry patch without emerging covered in scratches.
Double Mountain Eleanor
8.2% ABV | Single-Varietal Golden Russet Cider
Then comes the closer. Built entirely around Golden Russet apples, Eleanor unfolds in layers — melon, orange peel, honeyed richness, firm tannin, and a structure that feels almost wine-like. This is the cider that makes people stop talking for a moment and look back into the glass, wondering how a single apple variety managed to hide this much character in plain sight.
LINK: Peaks & Pints beer and cider cooler inventory
