bringing communities together; one apple at a time... 

Archetype12's community-driven crowd-sourced cider efforts came to life within the 2019 vintage based on a simple premise:
What if neighbors were willing to share the bounty of their land for no reason other than they could? What if something as simple as apples could bring a community together. We found a group of neighbors - a collective if you will - who gave freely of their time, energy, presence, and apples, and the Metzger Melange, Tigard Tango, and PDX Press hard cider series are the fruits of such unity...
In building upon this premise and wanting to both deepen the connections it forged with those families who contributed as well as forge new ones, Archetype12 is once again calling upon its local community - defined as anyone within the Portland metro area - to share any unwanted or extra fruit.

Any fruit shared from you and your - what A12 has taken to calling - "urban micro-orchard" is then crafted into the next vintage's community-driven crowd-sourced hard apple cider. Upon release, A12 brings by several bottles as a small gesture of appreciation and because all good drinks should be shared between neighbors! Don't have apples planted on your property? No problem! A12 welcomes all backyard fruits & berries. While most ciders will always have an apple base, pears, cherries, and other fruits only offer more exciting flavors and directions for us all to explore. 

This effort, much like A12 itself, is nothing without the community it relies on. However, rather than count on you to harvest and deliver any fruit, A12 is willing to come out, meet you and your family, get a sense of place, and actually harvest whatever fruit you want... This enables us to build those vital connections and bring people together!

If you've got fruit trees or bushes on your property and either typically have more fruit than you can use or would simply prefer they magically turn into hard cider, reach out to us as soon as possible (hopefully at least two weeks before the fruit will be at its "prime") to either set up a time for A12 to come harvest or else have you drop off any fruit you wish to share!

it's a community process...

If you'd like to get your hands dirty, let us know! Whether you contribute fruit from your urban micro-orchard, we're happy to have you join us in the first step of any cider project; the crush, the forthcoming second step: the press, or even the bottling!

Crush occurs between November & January, press between December & February, and bottling when the cider is deemed ready. 

Warning: the fine art of cider crafting is 90% cleaning...

previous vintages

V.2020 Terroir Incognito libations

A series of crowdsourced experiments crafted in V.2020, including Dirksen Drops Hard Floral Sour Cider, Dirksen Drops Piquettes and Pearquettes, Niagara Sparkling Wine, Piquette, and Still Wine, Seltzers, and Experiments including Hard Kombucha, Cacao Wine, and Turmeric Ginger Coconut Hard Seltzer! Also available in Mixpacks!
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Total production: 400"ish" 500ml bottles​

V.2020 Dirksen nature park wild ginger effervescent Perry

An experiment in crowdsourcing, this limited-edition site-specific effervescent perry hard cider comes exclusively from a heritage wild pear tree within Dirksen Nature Park in Tigard, Oregon. A true representation from this 48-acre preserve, the natural terroir from these pears and place was complemented with fresh Madagascar vanilla and ginger, and then bottle-conditioned with reserve juice to introduce slight effervescence. Crafted September - November 2020. 8.3% ABV. 500ml bottle.
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Total production: 16 500ml bottles​

V.2019 Metzger Melange crowd-sourced hopped cider

An experiment in crowdsourcing, after a public call to the neighborhood to let A12 turn their fruit to hard cider rather than let it simply go to waste, 4 amazing families with heritage micro-urban orchards - often 1-4 trees - joined this communal effort. After picking fruit with each family, learning their stories and ties to Metzger, A12 imbued their tales into this unique hard cider.

This cider's entire primary fermentation included extended skin-contact. It was then dry-hopped all through secondary fermentation, then given a méthode champenoise tirage of Applejack brandy and apple sugar for complexity.
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Total production: fifty-five 750ml bottles​

Get in touch at [email protected]

Archetype12 Wines - 4855 SE 18th Avenue, Portland, OR. 97202​ - 503.501.9422
Fermenting away since 2016...
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All designs by Polar&Co.