Read an Excerpt
“Once you cross over into the wonderful world of cider, it’s hard to come back from it.”
I tried every single one of the nearly 100 ciders mentioned in this book, along with hundreds more. While that number represents just a fraction of what’s available across the country on any given day, the sheer span of styles, techniques, and approaches presented here proves cider has the ability to occupy a more prominent place in American consumption.
I reached out to hundreds of cideries throughout the research and sampling process. Some declined to send samples. Some ignored me. Some essentially told me to buzz off and quit contributing to the “beerification” of cider. (While their numbers are relatively few, cider trolls do exist!) Some couldn’t ship to California at all or without the cost becoming prohibitively expensive. Many explained they were too small, or their products could only be acquired on-site at their rural farm. Even some producers intentionally making beer-inspired cider rotate their offerings so much that it wouldn’t make sense to recommend anything that may never be made again.
This book’s goal is to give drinkers a clearer glimpse of the modern American cider scene. I caution you not to consider this a “best of” list of my personal favorites, although I’d happily drink any one of these again. After years of tasting and objectively analyzing standard beer styles, this is merely a collection of ciders I believe exemplify opportunities for beer drinkers to discover familiar flavors in a brand-new beverage and are at least relatively accessible, either by retail distribution or direct-to-consumer shipping. This book should act as a guide to start, not finish, your own cider journey. In fact, I sincerely hope that beer and cider drinkers alike find new producers and products to seek out and try on their own. Once you cross over into the wonderful world of cider, it’s hard to come back from it.
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Cider is not beer.
In fact, there are probably more differences between the two than similarities. From the ingredients to how each is made, size of market share, and ways they’re officially (and unofficially) categorized by both regulators and consumers, cider is most decidedly not beer and beer is definitely not cider.
The very notion of comparing beer and cider to one another tends to aggravate traditionalists in both camps. It’s not even an apples to oranges comparison—it’s apples to water, barley, yeast, and hops. The very best ciders preserve the essence of each raindrop, every sunbeam, and every pollinator that’s ever landed on the fruit, which continues to evolve each and every day. Conversely, the very best beers tend to glorify the vision of their makers rather than solely focusing on the ingredients used.
Ingredients still matter immensely in beer—the best brewer is only as good as their materials—but cider’s profound connection with the earth leaves it open to embrace unpredictability over consistency. If you use good apples, there’s a very high chance you’ll end up with good cider, or at least not bad cider. Many of the best ciders are largely left to their own devices and the whims of nature. When it comes to brewing beer, one must follow a recipe and utilize heat and mechanics. Cider making is more coaxed into existence than created or planned, as apples are plucked from trees, pressed to extract the fresh juice, left to ferment either with wild yeasts or inoculated with specific strains, and finally racked into packaging for us to drink and enjoy. In this way, cider is wine. It just uses apples rather than grapes.
Despite wine and cider’s more numerous similarities, connections do exist between the beer and cider worlds. If wine and cider are siblings, beer and cider are more like second cousins once removed. These bridges between the beverages—some obvious, some more abstract—mean those accustomed to reaching for a cold beer may be shocked to develop a newfound appreciation for cider. From recognizable flavors and a laid-back culture to a diversity of styles, mouthfeel, and food pairings, cider isn’t just an alternative to those tired of drinking beer or who seek a gluten-free alcohol option. It’s a class in itself, worthy of appreciation and exploration. But considering how small cider is today in the United States, it hasn’t yet crossed many people’s minds to even try cider or know where to start.
Beer isn’t better than cider, it’s just a lot bigger. It’s also way, way easier to find, from grocery store shelves to the approximately 9,500 breweries and taprooms across the United States. Comparatively, as of 2023, there are an estimated 1,700 cider producers, with just a handful of cider-centric bars left in the entire country. The nation’s top beer producers churn out millions of barrels of beer annually, while one company dominates around half of the entire American cider market: Angry Orchard. Angry Orchard falls under the Boston Beer Company family of brands, which also includes Samuel Adams, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Truly Hard Seltzer, and Twisted Tea. Big Cider literally exists because of beer.
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Introductory Ciders
Alternatives to Pilsners, Kölsches, American Light Lagers, Cream Ales, and Other Easy-Drinking Beers
The first beer I remember ever trying was Miller Lite, which is probably the same first beer for 92.4736 percent of Americans. As a longtime craft beer drinker and journalist, there’s a lot to criticize about macro Lagers and the global conglomerates that make them. But as an observer recording the fermented beverage industry’s operations, the ability to consistently churn out gobsmacking volumes of liquid that tastes virtually identical to every other batch before it is astounding. (And let’s be honest, even the most hardcore believers in “craft” pick up a twelve-pack of the mass-produced stuff every once in a while.)
With cider, consistency is not the point, but ease of enjoyment is. A single scrambled egg prepared perfectly can be as masterful as the trickiest soufflé, and when it comes to introductory beers as well as ciders, there’s little for the maker to hide behind. In future chapters, we’ll dive into ciders that take a different approach to complexity—not better or worse, just different.
All but one of these ciders come in cans rather than glass bottles, which is less coincidental as it is inevitable when marketing to beer drinkers. Exposure to ultraviolet light can affect flavor, but over time, so can aluminum. Some cider makers avoid cans altogether, while others embrace it for its versatility and convenience. For the beginning cider drinker, I recommend focusing less on the packaging and more on the product within.
The beginning and end of longtime fermented beverage consumers’ preferences tend to look similar: accessible, approachable, easygoing beverages that aim to satisfy rather than challenge. When getting into a new segment, people generally reach first for what they can afford and what they can easily find before deciding to wait in line for a hype release or blow a bonus check on a single bottle. Extreme beer geeks linger at the crest of the curve, getting deep into trading, planning trips solely to visit breweries, and actively using check-in apps and message boards as craft beer continues to dominate their entire lives. However, the pendulum always swings back, and with a maturation of a craft beer palate comes a taste for simplicity, opting for a well-made Cream Ale rather than a Quadruple India Pale Ale (IPA) with a laundry list of adjuncts.
The ciders in this chapter are easy and unassuming—an ideal place for the cider novice to start building a foundation of appreciation. These are to accompany you while gardening, or to put in the communal cooler at the neighborhood barbecue. These can be the first drink after working out. These are the ciders you can drink without thinking too hard about, but should you decide to pay attention, you are very likely to be rewarded with delight.
Shacksbury // Classic
Vergennes, Vermont
5.2%
Shacksbury has arguably done more than any other small American cider producer to bring craft cider into the beer world. Others have certainly done their fair share—Greg Hall at Virtue Cider in Fennville, Michigan, and Nat West from Reverend Nat’s Hard Cider in Portland, Oregon, come to mind—but Shacksbury’s mix of eye-catching branding, brewery collaborations, and generally approachable styles distributed across the United States make it an ideal place for the cider-curious to start.
Classic is less of a replacement for light-bodied and well-attenuated beers like Czech Lagers and Kölsches and more of an alternative in terms of crispness, moderate carbonation, and understated flavor characteristics. Shacksbury calls Classic “the gold standard for a classic dry cider,” and it would be pretentious if it weren’t true. Thanks to it being in a can, you can bring it to most places. You can count on it tasting very similar, if not the same, from batch to batch. Its round mouthfeel, soft finish, light body, and balanced flavor provide a fairly easy bridge for anyone looking to leap from beer to cider. Stash a few in the communal cooler at your next cookout and see who you (pleasantly) surprise.
Food Pairings
Classic provides a subtle palette for your palate without any fuss and frills to distract from what’s on your plate. From burgers and potato salad to chips and dip, hot dogs, fried chicken, and other classic cookout fare, this extraordinarily accessible cider is a great addition to any meal, but especially ones shared with friends.
