What are the styles of IPA cider?
IPA cider is a marketing name for hopped cider that borrows IPA aroma ideas — citrus, pine or tropical hop notes over an apple base. BJCP treats hop-forward bottles as specialty cider rather than a separate legal grade. Dry-hopping versus kettle hops changes aroma intensity more than the apple variety alone.
Updated
Key facts
- Specialty cider. Hop aroma on an apple ferment — BJCP specialty territory. [1]
- Not one recipe. West Coast pine, hazy citrus and other hop bills all appear.
- Label cue. “Hopped”, “IPA-style” or named hop varieties.
What styles show up on shelves?
Expect dry, aromatic hopped ciders and sweeter fruited hop hybrids. Research on dry-hopped cider aroma shows hop variety drives the nose. [2] Home technique: how to dry hop cider. Buying: where to buy hopped cider.
How should I taste hopped cider?
Chill lightly, smell for hop oils before the apple, then note whether bitterness lingers. Some bottles are bone dry; others keep fruit sweetness under the hops. Buying channels and label cues: where to buy hopped cider. Technique if you ferment at home: how to dry hop cider.
Related answers: how to dry hop cider · where to buy hopped cider
Related on Cider Radar
- Read hop or bitterness cues on bottle cards.
- Guide: craft 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
Does hop character mean the drink is no longer cider?
No — it remains an apple ferment with hop aroma. Sensory compare: does hard cider taste like beer.