Hard Cider 101 🍎
Hard Cider 101: What to Know Before You Grab a Six-Pack
Hard Cider 101: What to Know Before You Grab a Six-Pack
Hard cider tends to get overlooked. People walk right past it on their way to the beer cooler, or they assume it’s going to taste like sweet apple juice with a little alcohol in it. Some of it does. But cider has come a long way, and there’s a lot more variety on the shelf than most people realize.
At its simplest, hard cider is just fermented apple juice. Yeast eats the natural sugar in the apples and turns it into alcohol, the same basic idea as beer or wine. Most ciders land somewhere between about 4.5% and 7% ABV, so they drink a lot like a beer in terms of strength.
One big reason people reach for cider is that it’s naturally gluten-free. If you can’t do beer, cider is one of the easiest swaps out there. Just double check the label on flavored ciders to be safe.
The most important thing to know when picking one out is where it falls on the sweet to dry scale. Sweet ciders are fruity, easy to drink, and closer to what most people expect. Semi-dry ciders still have some fruit but with a crisper finish. Dry ciders have very little sugar left and can taste tart, almost like a sparkling white wine. If you’ve tried cider before and thought it was too sweet, a dry cider might change your mind.
You’ll also see a lot of flavored ciders these days. Pear, cherry, blackberry, ginger, hibiscus, and even hopped ciders that borrow a little from the IPA world. Speaking of pears, you might also see something called perry. That’s cider made from pears instead of apples, and it’s usually softer and a little more delicate.
Colorado has a growing cider scene too, which makes sense since the Western Slope grows a lot of the state’s fruit. Local ciders are a fun way to try something new and support producers close to home.
Cider is also really easy to pair with food. Dry ciders go great with pork, chicken, sharp cheddar, and salty snacks. Sweeter ciders work well with spicy food and anything with a little heat. And if you’re doing a fall dinner, a bottle of cider on the table is a nice change of pace from the usual wine.
A few serving tips. Cider is best served cold but not ice cold, so pull it out of the fridge a few minutes before you pour. Larger bottles of dry cider can be poured into a wine glass, which helps you pick up more of the aroma. And if you want something warm, regular cider heated on the stove with a splash of bourbon is hard to beat on a chilly night.
If you’re new to cider, try picking up a mixed pack or a few singles across the sweetness range. It’s the fastest way to figure out what you like.
Stop by Boone’s Wine & Spirits and check out our cider selection. We’ll help you find something crisp, something fruity, or something you never would’ve thought to try.
