What is cider?
By Cider Radar · Updated
Cider is an alcoholic drink made by fermenting apple juice; perry is made the same way from pears. Cider can be still or sparkling, dry or sweet, clear or cloudy. In the United States and Canada the fermented drink is usually called hard cider, because “cider” there often means unfermented apple juice.
How is cider made?
Apples are milled into a pulp and pressed. The juice is fermented by yeast — either the wild yeasts that come in on the fruit and live in the cider house, or a cultured yeast added by the maker — which turns the fruit sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide.
After fermentation the cider may be matured, blended, filtered or left unfiltered, sweetened and bottled. The bubbles can come from added carbon dioxide, from a second fermentation in the bottle (the traditional method), or from bottling before the first fermentation has finished (the ancestral method, also called pét-nat).
Which apples are used for cider?
Cider can be made from eating and cooking apples, from wild apples, or from cider apples — varieties grown for cider that are often high in tannin or acidity and unpleasant to eat. In England cider apples are traditionally grouped as sweet, sharp, bittersweet and bittersharp by their acidity and tannin.
Many makers blend varieties for balance; others make single-varietal ciders that show one apple.
What is cider called in other countries?
The drink has many local names: cidre in France, sidra in Spain, Apfelwein in Hesse in Germany, and Most in Austria and parts of Switzerland and southern Germany. In the United States and Canada it is hard cider. Each tradition has its own typical styles — see types of cider.
How strong is cider?
Strength varies a lot between styles and makers, from light, low-alcohol ciders to strong ones and to sweet ice cider. The label shows the alcohol content; rules on what may be sold as cider also differ from country to country.
Where can I try cider?
Visit a cider maker, a cider bar, a cider shop or a cider festival. The Cider Radar map lists cider makers and places country by country; see also how to find cider near you.