In the Spirit: Get Hard... With Cider

Halloween is almost upon, but instead of bobbing for apples, consider a more adult approach: hard cider.

Americans have been drinking the result of fermented apples practically since the arrival of the English settlers on the Mayflower. Apple seeds were brought to New England and grew easily in the soils with less work than the grains needed to make another popular beverage: beer. Cider was more popular than beer at the time; even children drank "Ciderkin," which was a watered down version of hard cider.

The 20th century saw a decrease in cider interest as beer quality elevated and more immigrants with a penchant for lager, ale and stout landed on American shores. The arrival of Prohibition really put the kibosh on cider production. Many farmers that were specifically growing cider apples burned down their trees and re-planted with non-cider apples such as the cooking and eating varieties. In cider production, it is important that the apple has a high-level of sugar and acid so that fermentation comes easily, resulting in alcohol production. These cider apples were not suited for eating because they were too sweet and/or too acidic.

Modern times have seen a burst of new orchards around the world (especially in the U.S.) that focus on apples for hard cider production. CNBC reported earlier this year that the sales of hard cider were $172 million in 2013, compared with about $35 million in 2009 (research conducted by IRI, a Chicago-based market research firm.)

Cider has branched out beyond apples to other fruits as well and Americans are falling in love again with the beverage. It's a great alternative for beer drinkers that want something a little different. Ciders also appeal to the white wine drinker that enjoys a fresh fruit palate. Hard cider has a variety of styles; sometimes dry, sometimes a sweet taste depending on the type of apple and cider making.

While 666 may be the call of the Devil, we'd rather consider it the opportunity to showcase our favorite six hard ciders for Halloween or any time of year. There are no bad apples here!

Stella Artois Cidre

Many are familiar with this Belgian beer brew, but now they have cored the U.S. market with a drier European style of cider, in this case Cidre (pronounced "see-era"), using handpicked apples from wine growing regions in North and South America. This cider is on the drier side with a pleasing crispness and is great for pairing with cheddar cheese and spicy fare.
Stella Artois Cidre

Doc's Draft Hard Apple Cider
From the orchards in Warwick, New York, this apple cider has a slightly sweet taste with vivacious bubbles. The winery and orchard has a terrific tasting room where you can pick apples right on premise. However, the 2014 crop was small, so hopefully that won't affect next year's cider.

If you happen to be in New York City or the Hudson Valley October 18-27, there is an entire week dedicated to cider featuring Doc's, among others. Check out ciderweeknyc.com for details.
Doc's Draft Hard Cider

Bantam Cider

This Boston-based, family-made cider takes a modern spin on this very traditional beverage while giving focus to all natural, local fruits and ingredients. Directly from their cidery in Sommerville, try the La Grande cider, which is a blend of local apples aged in bourbon and rum barrels for four months. It is a dark amber, unfiltered cider with considerable flavors of oak and caramel... which, let's face it, is super with apples.
Bantam Cider

Angry Orchard
You can't miss the TV commercial for Angry Orchard, which touts the 100-year-old orchard and angry looking proprietor. Their apples come from France, Italy as well as the Pacific Northwest and the Northeast of the USA. Bottled in Cincinnati, Angry Orchard is an American success story in getting cider to the masses. The crisp apple is just as it says, crisp with a riper, slightly sweeter fruit finish.
Angry Orchard

Bellwether Hard Cider

The Finger Lakes region in New York is known for great wines like Riesling, but is also full of crops other than wine grapes. Apples happen to be one crop that does extremely well in this climate. Bellwether uses traditional wine making methods, only using apples instead of grapes. Try the Lord Scudamore - Made from New York's own Northern Spy apples, this very dry, hard cider is reminiscent of a premium sparkling wine. Super great acidity, fine bubbles and a bready, yeasty quality will make your mouth water.
Bellwether Hard Cider

ACE Hard Ciders
Made in Sonoma County in California, you'd think that there would be only fermented grapes from this famous wine region, but then you'd miss out on these terrific ciders from ACE. This apple cider is a blend of six different apples and has a taste profile that is compared to the wine grape Sauvignon Blanc. It has an apple-ly nose with a clean, dry finish. They also offer other flavored ciders such as their berry cider which is apple cider with added blackberry and raspberry juice.
Ace Hard Ciders