Two Metre Tall – Huon Farmhouse Dry

Two Metre Tall – Huon Farmhouse Dry

The boys from 2MT have really captured the essence of Tasmania and the Tasmanian apples in this cider. The label is beautiful on the 500mL bottle, and was a real joy to read. I absolutely loved the label over the top of the bottle. It gives you an insight into the variety used, how they made it, the vintage, fill dates and even bottle number. It really lets you get personal with the product and get excited to consume it. All of it is super clever and it shows these guys are truly passionate about where they come from and what they do. I believe they have also built a new brewery/cidery which is very exciting for them I bet!

This cider is all about being 'hands off', and let nature do its thang! No sulphur, unfiltered and bottle conditioned – which explains the 7.5% alcohol.  The variety they used is sturmer pippin which is a fairly heavy bearing variety, a really good eating apple and often used in cider making, seen picutred below.

The carbonation as previously mentioned, is created by methode champenoise where the fizz is produced in the bottle. There really isn’t much carbonation to speak of when it’s poured into the glass. It claims an “exceptional fine bead”, but I failed to see that. There was some spritz on the palate, but as the bottle says – “expect bottle varitation", so I’ll let that one slide. I like how its cloudy and unfiltered, throwing off a golden straw colour.
The nose shows lots of ethyl acetate (nail polish remover) and acetic acid (vinegar), or volitile acidity (VA). Searching underneath that you can find freshly picked apples and a citrusy lemon character. The nose was a tiny bit subdued, but you can pick up on some yeast complexity. This is really a traditional farmhouse cider, so you can applaud the 2MT boys on that. To me, the nose smells a lot like you‘ve left your homebrew sit too long in the shed over summer at 40C, and it's become a little stale.

Palate wise, she’s super dooper dry. I’d say almost under 1.000 specific gravity! It took till almost a quarter into the bottle to adjust to the dryness. Being so dry and tart, the 7.5% alcohol produced from the bottle conditioning becomes over apparent and you’re left with a very warm sensation on the back palate. True to the extended tank maturation, there is added complexity and texture from the yeast and solid less. The freshly picked apple character does follow through to the palate to make a cameo appearance and the light fizz helps excited the feel.

Really this cider is boarding on too dry. I’m thinking EC1118 yeast was used in the fermentation of this cider. This yeast ferments sugars very efficiently to complete dryness with neutral attributes to the nose and flavour. I’d love to see some residual sweetness in this style and let the sturmer pippin apples lift this cider to a new level. Keeping with the farmhouse style with no filtration, no sulphur and bottle conditioning, pasteurization could be the answer. That’s just my recommendation. The tartness and dryness may not be to everyone’s liking, but on a hot day this cider would be sexy on some ice. If you’re game, go find this cider and see what Tasmania is all about!

Producer: Two Metre Tall Company Pty Ltd
Country: Australia (Huon Valley, Tasmania)
Alcohol: 7.5%

Rating: 6.5 out of 10

Cheers!