Do Americans drink cider?
Yes — Americans drink both fresh sweet apple cider and fermented hard cider, and the craft hard-cider map has grown across many states. Per-capita habits still differ from cider regions in the UK or France. Hundreds of US makers repay a look beyond grocery brands.
Updated
Key facts
- Hard cider class. TTB regulates hard cider as a beverage-alcohol category in the US. [1] [2]
- Both drinks. Sweet cider (juice) and hard cider (alcoholic) share shelves in the US.
- Craft growth. Makers span coasts and Midwest orchard states. Where cider is made in the US.
- Style. Many US bottles are fruit-forward versus tannic English farmhouse.
Compare: English vs American cider. Guide: what is cider.
Where should a visitor start?
State hubs and the national choose page. Choose a cidery in the United States. Glossary: hard cider.
Is grocery hard cider the whole story?
No — orchard tasting rooms and specialist shops carry drier and farmhouse bottles. Strength: alcohol content of cider.
Hard cider sits beside beer and wine in many US craft shops, while grocery “apple cider” still means unfiltered juice in much of the country. Regional hubs in New York, Michigan, Washington and California account for many US makers. Style range now spans dry English-inspired bottles, sweet New England pours and fruited experimental cans.
Related on Cider Radar
- United States makers · shops
- Guide: what is cider
- Open the map: app.ciderradar.com · iPhone · Android
Cider, perry, calvados and pommeau are alcoholic drinks. Enjoy responsibly and follow the legal drinking age where you live.
Questions
Do Americans mean juice when they say cider?
Often yes for “apple cider” in season — hard cider is the alcoholic drink. Naming: what sweet cider is.
Sources
- Cider (TTB regulated commodity) — Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB)
- The rise of hard cider — Michigan State University Extension