A Brief History of Cider
Cider has a long and storied history, with origins dating back thousands of years. Apple trees first emerged in Central Asia and spread to Europe and beyond. Fermented apple beverages quickly became popular across cider-apple growing regions.
In medieval times, cider was more widely consumed than wine or beer in parts of Europe like France and England. American colonists brought apple seeds and cider-making traditions with them to the new world.
Today, there is a cider revival underway. New craft cideries are popping up and experimenting with innovative flavors and production methods to meet growing consumer demand. The global cider market is predicted to reach $12 billion by 2026.
How Cider is Made
Cider is made by pressing apples to extract the juice, then fermenting that apple juice using yeast. This fermentation process converts natural apple sugars into alcohol.
The ingredients are simple – just apples, yeast, and sometimes added sugar. But the variety of apples, yeast strains, and fermentation methods lead to an incredibly diverse range of flavors and styles.
Most mass market ciders use apple juice concentrate or flavorings. But craft cider makers emphasize fresh-pressed juice from cider apples and heirloom apple varieties to develop complex, aromatic ciders.
Cider Varieties and Flavor Profiles
There are several major styles of cider to know:
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Sweet cider – unfiltered, unsweetened fresh apple juice. Sweetness depends on apple variety.
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Dry cider – fermented to complete dryness. Crisp and light bodied with subtle apple flavor. Often carbonated.
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Semi-sweet cider – blended to balance sweetness and acidity. Approachable and apple-forward.
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Fruit ciders – fermented with added fruit like berries, peach, cherry, etc. for Floral aromas.
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Hopped cider – dry cider with floral hop bitterness to balance sweetness.
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Spiced cider – fermented or blended with spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla. Popular in winter.
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Cider styles also range from still to sparkling, and standard to high alcohol content depending on fermentation.
The richness, sweetness, acidity, tannins, oak influences, and more all factor into a cider‘s final flavor. Sweet dessert apples lead to a very different product than sharp, bitter cider apples – part of the fun is exploring all the varieties!
Cider and Food Pairings
One of the best parts of cider’s rising popularity is all the new food pairing possibilities!
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Sharp, dry ciders nicely complement salty cheeses and rich fatty meats like pork or duck. The acid cuts through fat and contrasts with umami.
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Light, fruity ciders pair well with chicken, turkey, and creamy pasta or risotto dishes.
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Spiced ciders are perfect for roasted fall vegetables and Asian-inspired noodles or stir fries.
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Sweet, dessert-style ciders make an excellent partner for apple pie, cheesecake, or caramel desserts. The similar flavors complement without competing.
Don’t be afraid to experiment with cider plus food combinations to enhance flavors of both!
Health Benefits of Cider
Beyond just tasting great, cider offers a number of potential health perks:
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Source of antioxidants. Polyphenols and vitamins in apples support immunity and heart health.
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Contains probiotics. Natural fermentation fosters gut-healthy bacteria.
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Boosts bone density. The acids in apples promote calcium absorption.
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Anti-inflammatory properties. Quercetin in apples reduces inflammation involved in diseases.
Of course, cider still contains alcohol so moderation is key. But the antioxidants, probiotics, vitamins, and minerals in cider can make it a nutritious beverage choice.
Sustainable and Ethical Cider Production
Environmental sustainability and ethical labor practices have become pressing issues facing the modern cider industry.
Many mainstream cider makers unfortunately fail on these fronts – using concentrate instead of fresh-pressed juice or exploiting agricultural laborers.
However, the craft cider movement prioritizes sustainability through initiatives like:
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Organic farming techniques to nurture soil health and ecological diversity of orchards.
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Reforestation projects to limit deforestation associated with apple farming.
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Renewable energy infrastructure like solar panels and regenerative agriculture to achieve carbon neutral or even negative emissions.
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Fair wages, good working conditions, and collective bargaining rights for agricultural workers.
When it comes to judging the ethics of various cider brands, examining their commitments to sustainability helps distinguish responsible cideries from exploitative industrial operations. Supporting eco-conscious craft producers benefits both human rights and environmental conservation efforts.
Popular Cider Brand Reviews
Let’s explore some of the most common mass market and craft cider brands available:
Angry Orchard
With fun flavors like peach, elderflower, and cherry apple, Angry Orchard ciders always pack vibrant fruitiness. They use a mix of real juice and concentrate to balance quality and accessibility. While not as complex as craft ciders for cider purists, Angry Orchard’s bubbly sweet ciders provide a very drinkable introduction to the category for new cider drinkers.
Woodchuck Hard Cider
One of America’s cider pioneers, Woodchuck offers an array of creative flavors from hopped to spiced varieties. Their balance of semi-sweetness and bright acidity makes these ciders instantly likeable rather than polarizing for most palates. Woodchuck focuses more on fruit-forward drinkability over cider apple complexity. Their Fall and Winter seasonal additions like Ginger and Maple ciders make especially fun seasonal sips.
Tilted Shed Ciderworks
This small Sonoma cidery creates some of the most terroir-expressive West Coast ciders. They hand-select heirloom cider apples from Washington and Oregon to blend into bone dry and naturally sparkling ciders. The Funkadelic Foeder Soured cider provides a tart lambic-like experience aged in oak barrels. And the Lost Tropic hopped cider adds floral citrus hoppiness not often seen. Tilted Shed ciders change seasonally based on harvests for true farmhouse style beverages.
Eden Ice Cider Co.
Vermont’s Eden Ice Cider specializes in ice cider – a sweet nectar made from frozen apple juice concentrated through cold temperatures. Rich and smooth with layered baking spice flavors, Eden’s ice ciders pair wonderfully with cheese plates or apple desserts. As a bonus, Eden operates a zero waste facility powered completely by renewable energy. Their sustainability efforts earned them B-Corp environmental certification.
There are thousands more craft cider producers to explore with unique stories and flavor innovations. Part of cider’s appeal comes from that sense of discovery in sampling so many small batch creations.
The Future of Cider
Consumer excitement for creative new ciders coupled with expanding production shows cider’s potential as the next big drink trend.
Market researchers predict steady growth for the global cider market over the next five years. This means more mainstream retail availability and menu placements at bars and restaurants to drive trial.
At the same time, the number of craft cideries continues multiplying rapidly. These small producers will bring an influx of innovative flavors and styles to stand out. Funky wild-fermented ciders, tropical fruited varieties, and mixed culture beverages offer so much room for experimentation.
Environmental sustainability will also become an increasingly important conversation within cider production. Look for more ciders to earn regenerative agriculture or B-Corp certifications for their green initiatives around renewable energy, ethical labor practices, and tree planting programs.
The future looks very bright for cider to assume a major role in the overall beer, wine, seltzer alcoholic beverage landscape. Cider provides a light, fruit-forward experience compared to beer, more body and flavor complexity versus seltzers, and a lower alcohol content and price point than most wines.
With so much momentum propelling cider forward and fascinating new developments on the horizon, cider lovers have lots to get excited about!
