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Cider



 
 
Cider is an alcoholic beverage
Alcoholic beverage

An alcoholic beverage is a drink containing ethanol . Alcoholic beverages are divided into three general classes: beers, wines, and distilled beverage....
 usually made from the fermented
Fermentation (food)

Fermentation in food processing typically refers to the conversion of sugar to alcohol using yeast under anaerobic conditions. A more general definition of fermentation is the chemical conversion of carbohydrates into alcohols or acids....
 juice of apple
APPLE

This article is about the satellite APPLE. For the fruit apple, see Apple. For other uses see Apple .The Ariane Passenger PayLoad Experiment , was an experimental communication satellite with a C-Band transponder launched by Indian Space Research Organisation satellite on June 19, 1981 by Ariane 1, a launch vehicle of the European Spac...
s, although pear
Pear

The pear is an edible pome fruit produced by a tree of genus Pyrus . The pear is classified within Maloideae, a subfamily within Rosaceae. The apple , which it resembles in floral structure, is also a member of this subfamily....
s are also used.While any variety of apple may be used, certain cultivar
Cultivar

A cultivar is a cultivated plant that has been selected and given a unique name because of its decorative or useful characteristics; it is usually distinct from similar plants and when Plant propagation it retains those characteristics....
s are preferred in some regions, and these may be known as cider apple
Cider apple

Cider apples are a group of apple cultivars grown for their use in cider production. Cider apples are grouped into four main types according to the nature of their flavour components....
s.

In the United Kingdom
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
, pear cider which has no apple content is known as perry
Perry

Perry is an alcoholic beverage made of fermentation pear juice. It is similar to cider, in that it is made using a similar process and often has a similar ethanol content, up to 8.5% alcohol by volume....
. In the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 and parts of Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
, where the term cider refers almost exclusively to nonalcoholic apple cider
Apple cider

Apple cider is the name used in the United States and parts of Canada for an unfiltered, unsweetened, non-alcoholic beverage produced from apples....
, the term hard cider is used for alcoholic cider.

Cider varies in alcohol content from less than 3% ABV
Alcohol by volume

File:Absinthe ABV.jpgAlcohol by volume is a standard measure of how much alcohol is contained in an alcoholic beverage . The abv standard is used worldwide....
 in French cidre doux
Cider

Cider is an alcoholic beverage usually made from the fermentation juice of apples, although pears are also used.While any variety of apple may be used, certain cultivars are preferred in some regions, and these may be known as cider apples....
 to 8.5% ABV
ABV

ABV is a three-letter acronym that may refer to:* Alcohol by volume, a measure of the alcohol content of alcoholic drinks* Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, Nigeria, from its IATA airport code...
 or more in traditional English ciders.

Cider is very popular in the United Kingdom, especially in South West England
South West England

South West England is one of the regions of England. It is the largest such region in terms of area, and extends from Gloucestershire and Wiltshire to Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly....
.






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Encyclopedia


Cider is an alcoholic beverage
Alcoholic beverage

An alcoholic beverage is a drink containing ethanol . Alcoholic beverages are divided into three general classes: beers, wines, and distilled beverage....
 usually made from the fermented
Fermentation (food)

Fermentation in food processing typically refers to the conversion of sugar to alcohol using yeast under anaerobic conditions. A more general definition of fermentation is the chemical conversion of carbohydrates into alcohols or acids....
 juice of apple
APPLE

This article is about the satellite APPLE. For the fruit apple, see Apple. For other uses see Apple .The Ariane Passenger PayLoad Experiment , was an experimental communication satellite with a C-Band transponder launched by Indian Space Research Organisation satellite on June 19, 1981 by Ariane 1, a launch vehicle of the European Spac...
s, although pear
Pear

The pear is an edible pome fruit produced by a tree of genus Pyrus . The pear is classified within Maloideae, a subfamily within Rosaceae. The apple , which it resembles in floral structure, is also a member of this subfamily....
s are also used.While any variety of apple may be used, certain cultivar
Cultivar

A cultivar is a cultivated plant that has been selected and given a unique name because of its decorative or useful characteristics; it is usually distinct from similar plants and when Plant propagation it retains those characteristics....
s are preferred in some regions, and these may be known as cider apple
Cider apple

Cider apples are a group of apple cultivars grown for their use in cider production. Cider apples are grouped into four main types according to the nature of their flavour components....
s.

In the United Kingdom
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
, pear cider which has no apple content is known as perry
Perry

Perry is an alcoholic beverage made of fermentation pear juice. It is similar to cider, in that it is made using a similar process and often has a similar ethanol content, up to 8.5% alcohol by volume....
. In the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 and parts of Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
, where the term cider refers almost exclusively to nonalcoholic apple cider
Apple cider

Apple cider is the name used in the United States and parts of Canada for an unfiltered, unsweetened, non-alcoholic beverage produced from apples....
, the term hard cider is used for alcoholic cider.

Cider varies in alcohol content from less than 3% ABV
Alcohol by volume

File:Absinthe ABV.jpgAlcohol by volume is a standard measure of how much alcohol is contained in an alcoholic beverage . The abv standard is used worldwide....
 in French cidre doux
Cider

Cider is an alcoholic beverage usually made from the fermentation juice of apples, although pears are also used.While any variety of apple may be used, certain cultivars are preferred in some regions, and these may be known as cider apples....
 to 8.5% ABV
ABV

ABV is a three-letter acronym that may refer to:* Alcohol by volume, a measure of the alcohol content of alcoholic drinks* Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, Nigeria, from its IATA airport code...
 or more in traditional English ciders.

Cider is very popular in the United Kingdom, especially in South West England
South West England

South West England is one of the regions of England. It is the largest such region in terms of area, and extends from Gloucestershire and Wiltshire to Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly....
. The United Kingdom has the highest per capita consumption of cider, as well as the largest cider-producing companies in the world, including H.P. Bulmer, the largest. , the UK produces 600 million litres of cider each year (130 million imperial gallons).

The beverage is also popular and traditional in Ireland; in Brittany
Brittany

Brittany is a former independent Celtic nations monarchy and duchy, now incorporated into France. It is also, more generally, the name of the cultural area whose limits correspond to the historic province and independent duchy....
 (chistr) and Normandy
Normandy

Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is situated along the coast of France south of the English Channel between Brittany and Picardy and comprises territory in northern France and the Channel Islands....
 in France (cidre); in Asturias
Asturias

The Principality of Asturias is an autonomous communities of Spain within the kingdom of Spain, former Kingdom of Asturias in the Middle Ages....
 (sidra) (Spain); the (Viez or Apfelwein
Apfelwein

Apfelwein is a Germany variant of cider made out of apples. It is also regionally known as Ebbelwoi, ?ppler, St?ffsche, Apfelmost , Viez , and Saurer Most ....
) Rheinland-Pfalz and other regions of Germany
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
, and in the Basque country
Basque Country (historical territory)

The Basque Country as a cultural region is a European region in the western Pyrenees that spans the border between France and Spain, on the Atlantic Ocean coast....
 (sagardoa) of Spain and France.

Pear cider is popular in Sweden and in Basse-Normandie
Basse-Normandie

Basse-Normandie is an regions of France of France. It was created in 1956, when the Normandy region was divided into Basse-Normandie and Haute-Normandie ....
 (poiré) (France). It is currently becoming more popular in Europe and the United States.

Appearance and types of cider

The flavour of different ciders differs enormously. They can be classified in the first instance from dry to sweet. The appearance ranges from cloudy with sediment to completely clear. Colour ranges from light yellow through orange to brown. The variations in clarity and colour are mostly due to filtering between pressing and fermentation
Fermentation (food)

Fermentation in food processing typically refers to the conversion of sugar to alcohol using yeast under anaerobic conditions. A more general definition of fermentation is the chemical conversion of carbohydrates into alcohols or acids....
. Some apple varieties will produce a clear cider without any filtration. Sparkling and still ciders are made; sparkling is more common.

Modern, mass-produced ciders more closely resemble sparkling wine
Sparkling wine

Sparkling wine is a wine with significant levels of carbon dioxide in it making it fizzy. The carbon dioxide may result from natural fermentation , or as a result of carbonation....
 in appearance. More traditional brands tend to be darker and cloudier. They are often stronger than processed varieties and taste more strongly of apples. Almost colourless white cider is produced on a large scale. It is typically strong (7-8% ABV) and available very cheaply.

Some ciders produced in the UK
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 are sold under the alternative spelling cyder.

Cider production


Scratting and pressing

Cider Making Jersey
Apples grown for consumption are suitable for cider making, though some regional cider-makers prefer to use a mix of eating and cider apple
Cider apple

Cider apples are a group of apple cultivars grown for their use in cider production. Cider apples are grouped into four main types according to the nature of their flavour components....
s (as in Kent
Kent

Kent is a Counties of England in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the River Thames estuary....
, England
England

native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
), or exclusively cider apples (as in the West Country
West Country

The West Country is an informal term for the area of south western England roughly corresponding to the modern South West England government region....
, England). There are many hundreds of varieties of cultivars developed specifically for cider making.

Once the apples are gathered from trees in orchards they are scratted (ground down) into what is called pomace
Pomace

Pomace is the solid remains of grapes, olives, or other fruit after wine press for juice or oil. It contains the skins, pulp, seeds, and stems of the fruit....
 or pommage. Historically this was done using pressing stones with circular troughs, or by a cider mill. Cider mills were traditionally driven by the hand, water-mill, or horse-power. In modern times they are likely to be powered by electricity. The pulp is then transferred to the cider press and built up in layers known as cheeses into a block.

Traditionally the method for squeezing the juice from the cheese involves placing, sweet straw or hair cloths between the layers of pomace. This will alternate with slatted ash-wood racks, until there is a pile of ten or twelve layers. It is important to minimise the time that the pomace is exposed to air in order to keep oxidation to a minimum.

The set is then subjected to increasing degrees of pressure, until all the 'must' or juice is squeezed from the pomace. This juice, after being strained in a coarse hair-sieve, is then put into either open vats or closed casks. The pressed pulp is given to farm animals as winter feed, composted or discarded, or used to make liqueur
Liqueur

A liqueur is an alcoholic beverage that has been flavored with fruit, herbs, Nut , spices, flowers, or cream and bottled with added sugar. Liqueurs are typically quite sweet; they are usually not aged for long but may have resting periods during their production to allow flavors to marry....
s.

Fermentation

Fermentation is carried out at a temperature of 4–16 °C
Celsius

Celsius is a temperature scale that is named after the Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius , who developed a similar temperature scale two years before his death....
 (40–60 °F
Fahrenheit

Fahrenheit is a temperature scale named after the physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit , who proposed it in 1724. Today, the scale has largely been replaced by the Celsius scale; it is still in use for non-scientific purposes in the United States and a few other countries such as Belize....
). This is low for most kinds of fermentation, but is beneficial for cider as it leads to slower fermentation with less loss of delicate aromas.

Shortly before the fermentation consumes all the sugar, the liquor is racked (siphon
Siphon

A siphon is a continuous tube that allows liquid to drain from a reservoir through an intermediate point that is higher, or lower, than the reservoir, the flow being driven only by the difference in hydrostatic pressure without any need for pumping....
ed) into new vats. This leaves dead yeast cells and other undesirable material at the bottom of the old vat. At this point it becomes important to exclude airborne acetic bacteria, so vats are filled completely to exclude air. The fermenting of the remaining available sugar generates a small amount of carbon dioxide that forms a protective layer, reducing air contact. This final fermentation creates a small amount of carbonation
Carbonation

Carbonation occurs when carbon dioxide is solvation in water or an aqueous solution. This process yields the "fizz" to carbonated water and sparkling mineral water, the Beer head to beer, and the cork pop and bubbles to Champagne and sparkling wine....
. Extra sugar may be added specifically for this purpose. Racking is sometimes repeated if the liquor remains too cloudy.

Apple based juices with cranberry also make fine ciders; and many other fruit purées or flavourings can be used, such as grape, cherry, and raspberry.

The cider is ready to drink after a three month fermentation period, though more often it is matured in the vats for up to two or three years.

Blending and bottling

For larger-scale cider production, ciders from vats produced from different varieties of apple may be blended to accord with market taste. If the cider is to be bottled, usually some extra sugar is added for sparkle. Higher quality ciders can be made using the champagne method
Sparkling wine production

There are four main methods of sparkling wine production. The first is simple injection of carbon dioxide , the process used in soft drinks, but this produces big bubbles that dissipate quickly in the glass....
, but this is expensive in time and money and requires special corks, bottles, and other equipment. Some home brewers use beer bottles, which work perfectly well, and inexpensively. This allows the cider to become naturally carbonated.

Health

Conventional apple cider has a relatively high concentration of phenolics and antioxidants which may be helpful for preventing heart disease, cancer and other ailments. This is, in part, because apples themselves have a fairly high concentration of phenolics in them to begin with.

Cider festivals

A cider festival is an organised event promoting cider and usually perry
Perry

Perry is an alcoholic beverage made of fermentation pear juice. It is similar to cider, in that it is made using a similar process and often has a similar ethanol content, up to 8.5% alcohol by volume....
. A variety of ciders and perries will be available for tasting and buying. Festivals may be organised by cider-promoting private organizations, pubs or cider producers.

Uses of cider

A distilled spirit, apple brandy, is made from cider. Its best known forms are calvados
Calvados (spirit)

Calvados is an apple brandy from the French r?gion in France of Basse-Normandie or Lower Normandy. ...
 and applejack
Applejack (beverage)

Applejack is a strong alcoholic beverage produced from apples, originating from the American colonies period. It is made by concentrating hard cider, either by the traditional method of fractional freezing or by true evaporative distillation....
. In Calvados, Normandy, France calvados is made from cider by double distillation. In the first pass, the result is a liquid containing 28%–30% alcohol. In a second pass, the amount of alcohol is augmented to about 40%. Applejack is a strong alcoholic beverage made in North America by concentrating cider, either by the traditional method of freeze distillation, or by true evaporative distillation
Distillation

Distillation is a method of separation process mixtures based on differences in their Volatility in a boiling liquid mixture. Distillation is a unit operation, or a physical separation process, and not a chemical reaction....
. In traditional freeze distillation, a barrel of cider is left outside during the winter. When the temperature is low enough, the water in the cider starts to freeze. If the ice is removed, the (now more concentrated) alcoholic solution is left behind in the barrel. If the process is repeated often enough, and the temperature is low enough, the alcohol concentration is raised to 30–40% alcohol by volume. In freeze distillation, methanol
Methanol

Methanol, also known as methyl alcohol, carbinol, wood alcohol, wood naphtha or wood spirits, is a chemical compound with chemical formula carbonhydrogen3oxygenhydrogen ....
 and fusel oil, which are natural fermentation by-products, may reach harmful concentrations. These toxins can be separated when regular heat distillation is performed. Home production of applejack is illegal in most countries.

A popular aperitif
Aperitif

An ap?ritif is an Distilled beverage that is usually served to stimulate the appetite before a meal, as opposed to a digestif, which is said to come after the meal....
 in Normandy is pommeau
Pommeau

Pommeau is an alcoholic drink made in northern France by mixing apple juice with apple brandy .It is consumed as an ap?ritif, or as an accompaniment to melon or blue cheese....
 – a drink produced by blending unfermented apple juice and apple brandy in the barrel (the high alcoholic content of the spirit stops the fermentation process of the cider and the blend takes on the character of the aged barrel).

Cocktails may include cider. Besides kir and snakebite, an example is Black Velvet in a version of which cider may replace champagne, usually referred to as a "Poor Man's Black Velvet".

A few producers in Quebec
Quebec

Quebec , in French language, Qu?bec , is a Provinces and territories of Canada in the Central Canada and Eastern Canada regions of Canada....
 have developed ice cider
Ice cider

Ice cider—also apple icewine or cidre de glace in French language, sold as ice apple wine in the United States—is the cider equivalent of ice wine: a fermented beverage made from the frozen juice of apples....
 (French: cidre de glace), sometimes called "apple ice wine"), inspired from ice wine
Ice wine

Ice wine is a type of dessert wine produced from grapes that have been frozen while still on the vine. The sugars and other dissolved solids do not freeze, but the water does, allowing a more concentrated grape must to be pressed from the frozen grapes, resulting in a smaller amount of more concentrated, very sweet wine....
s, where the apples are naturally frozen either before or after harvest. The alcohol concentration of ice cider is 9–13%.

Related drinks

Other fruits can be used to make cider-like drinks. The most popular is perry
Perry

Perry is an alcoholic beverage made of fermentation pear juice. It is similar to cider, in that it is made using a similar process and often has a similar ethanol content, up to 8.5% alcohol by volume....
, known in France as poiré, produced mostly in Normandy, and is made from fermented pear
Pear

The pear is an edible pome fruit produced by a tree of genus Pyrus . The pear is classified within Maloideae, a subfamily within Rosaceae. The apple , which it resembles in floral structure, is also a member of this subfamily....
 juice. A branded sweet perry known as Babycham
Babycham

Babycham is the trade name of a light, sparkling perry invented by Francis Showering, a brewer in Shepton Mallet in Somerset, England; the name is now owned by Constellation Europe Limited....
, marketed principally as a women's drink and sold in miniature Champagne-style bottles, was once popular but has now become unfashionable. Another related drink is cyser
Mead

Mead is a typically alcoholic beverage beverage, made from honey and water via Fermentation with yeast. Its alcoholic content may range from that of a mild ale to that of a strong wine....
 – cider fermented with honey.

Although not widely made in modern times, various other pome
Pome

In botany, a pome is a type of fruit produced by flowering plants in the subfamily Maloideae of the family Rosaceae.A pome is an accessory fruit composed of five or more carpels in which the exocarp forms an inconspicuous layer....
 fruits can produce palatable drinks. Apicius
Apicius

Apicius is the title of a collection of Roman cookery recipes, usually thought to have been compiled in the late 4th or early 5th century AD and written in a language that is in many ways closer to Vulgar Latin than to Classical Latin....
, in Book II of De re coquinaria, includes a recipe calling for quince
Quince

The Quince , or Cydonia oblonga, is the sole member of the genus Cydonia and native to warm-temperate southwest Asia in the Caucasus region....
 cider.

Another similar drink is plum jerkum, made from fermented plum
Plum

A plum or gage is a drupe tree in the genus Prunus, subgenus Prunus. The subgenus is distinguished from other subgenera in the shoots having a terminal bud and the side buds solitary , the flowers being grouped 1-5 together on short stems, and the fruit having a groove running down one side, and a smooth stone....
s, traditional of Warwickshire
Warwickshire

Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton in the far north of the county....
 in the English Midlands. It is said that it "left the head clear while paralysing the legs". The Warwickshire Drooper plum from which it is traditionally brewed is now uncommon, which explains the rarity of the drink.

Cider by country

Before the development of rapid long distance transportation, regions of cider consumption generally coincided with regions of cider production: that is, areas with apple orchards. For example, R. A. Fletcher notes that in the Liber Sancti Jacobi, cider was said to be more common than wine in 12th century Galicia.

Argentina

In Argentina
Argentina

Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic , is a country in South America, constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city....
, cider, or sidra is by far the most popular alcoholic carbonated drink during the Christmas
Christmas

Christmas , also referred to as Christmas Day, is an annual holiday celebrated on December 25 that commemorates the birth of Jesus. The day marks the beginning of the larger season of Christmastide, which lasts Twelve Days of Christmas....
 and New Year holidays. It has traditionally been considered the choice of the middle and lower classes (along with ananá fizz, cider and pineapple juice), whereas the higher classes would rather go for champagne for their Christmas or New Year toast. Popular commercial brands of cider are Real, La Victoria, Del Valle, La Farruca and Rama Caída. It is usually marketed in 0.72 litre glass or plastic bottles.

Austria

In Austria cider is made in the south west of Lower Austria
Lower Austria

Lower Austria is one of the nine Bundesland or Bundesl?nder in Austria. The capital of Lower Austria is Sankt P?lten — the most recent capital town in Austria....
, the so called "Mostviertel
Mostviertel

Mostviertel is the southwestern quarter of the four quarters of Lower Austria. It is bordered on the north by the Danube and to the south and west by the state borders of Styria and Upper Austria respectively....
" and in Upper Austria
Upper Austria

Upper Austria is one of the nine States of Austria or Bundesl?nder of Austria. Its capital is Linz. Upper Austria borders on Germany and the Czech Republic, as well as on the other Austrian states of Lower Austria, Styria , and Salzburg ....
. Almost every farmer there has some apple or pear trees. Many of the farmers also have a kind of inn called "Mostheuriger". There they serve cider and also something to eat.

Australia

In Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
, 'cider' is considered an alcoholic beverage made from apples. The most popular brands of alcoholic cider in Australia are Strongbow, and Mercury Cider made at the Cascade Brewery
Cascade Brewery

Cascade Brewery is the oldest brewery in Australia. It is based in South Hobart, Tasmania, Tasmania. The brewery was founded in 1824 by Peter Degraves, an entrepreneur who emigrated from England....
 in Hobart, Tasmania. Cascade's 'Apple Isle' Sparkling Apple Juice
Apple juice

Apple juice is a fruit juice manufactured by the maceration and pressing of apples. The resulting expelled juice may be further treated by enzymatic and centrifugal clarification to remove the starch and pectin, which holds fine particulate in suspension, and then pasteurised for packaging in glass, metal or aseptic processing system contain...
 is the most popular selling brand of non-alcoholic cider in Australia. Alcoholic cider is sold in bottleshop
Liquor store

A liquor store is the United States and Canada name for a type of convenience store which specializes in the sale of alcoholic beverages in the countries where its consumption is strongly regulated....
s, while the non-alcoholic version is stocked in the soft-drink
Soft drink

A soft drink is a beverage that does not contain alcohol. Carbonated soft drinks are commonly known as soda, soda pop, pop, coke or tonic in various parts of the United States, pop in Canada, fizzy drinks in the United Kingdom and Australia and sometimes minerals in Ireland....
 aisles of supermarkets. Pipsqueak brewed by Little Creatures (brewery)
Little Creatures (brewery)

Little Creatures Brewing Pty Ltd is a brewing company based in Fremantle, Western Australia, Western Australia, originally established in 2000 by the original brewers of the Matilda Bay Brewing Company....
 in Fremantle, Western Australia is a new player in the Cider market but is now considered to be one of the "big three" of Australian ciders.

Belgium

Scottish & Newcastle
Scottish & Newcastle

Scottish & Newcastle plc was one of the world?s leading "long Alcoholic beverage" companies with strong positions in 15 countries, including leadership in the United Kingdom, France and Russia....
 own Belgium cider maker Stassen SA, who in addition to their own local brands such as Strassen X Cider also produce Strongbow Jacques, a 5.5% ABV cider with cherry, raspberry and blackcurrant flavours. Zonhoven based Konings NV specialises in private label ciders for European retailers and offers a wide variety of flavours and packaging options to the beverage industry.

Canada

In Quebec, cider is considered a traditional alcoholic beverage. Cider making was, however, forbidden from the early years of the British rule as it was in direct conflict with established British brewers' interests (most notably John Molson
John Molson

File:John Molson Sr.jpgJohn Molson was an Anglo-Quebecer who was a major brewer and entrepreneur in Canada, starting the Molson Brewing Company....
). In recent years, a unique variety has emerged on the market: ice cider
Ice cider

Ice cider—also apple icewine or cidre de glace in French language, sold as ice apple wine in the United States—is the cider equivalent of ice wine: a fermented beverage made from the frozen juice of apples....
. This type of cider is made from apples with a particularly high level of sugar caused by natural frost.

In Ontario
Ontario

Ontario is a Provinces and territories of Canada located in the Central Canada part of Canada, the largest by population and second largest, after Quebec, in total area....
, apple cider or apple hooch is often home-made. Cider is commercially produced in British Columbia
British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's Provinces and territories of Canada and is famed for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu ....
 (large and small producers), New Brunswick
New Brunswick

New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only Constitution of Canada bilingual province in the federation. The provincial capital is Fredericton....
 and Ontario, usually with a 7% alcohol content. It is sold in 341 ml glass bottles and 2 litre plastic bottles, and does not usually have added sugar.

Channel Islands

Along with Normandy, the Channel Islands
Channel Islands

The Channel Islands are a group of islands in the English Channel, off the France coast of Normandy. They include two separate bailiwicks: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey....
 had a strong cider-making tradition. Cider had been the ordinary drink of people of Jersey from the 16th century, when the commercial opportunities offered by cider exports spurred the transformation of feudal open-field agriculture to enclosure
Enclosure

Enclosure or inclosure is the process by which common land is taken into fully private ownership and use. Common land is land which is owned by one person, but over which other people have certain traditional rights, such as arable farming, mowing meadows for hay, or grazing livestock....
. Until the 19th century, it was the largest agricultural export with up to a quarter of the agricultural land given over to orchards. In 1839, for example, 268,199 gallons (1,219,257 litres) of cider were exported from Jersey
Jersey

The Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes the nearly uninhabited islands of the Minquiers, ?cr?hous, the Pierres de Lecq and other rocks and reefs....
 to England alone, and almost half a million gallons were exported from Guernsey
Guernsey

The Bailiwick of Guernsey is a British Isles Crown dependency in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy.As well as the island of Guernsey itself, it also includes Alderney, Sark, Herm, Jethou, Brecqhou, Burhou, Lihou and other islets....
 1834-1843, but by 1870 exports from Jersey had slumped to 4,632 gallons.

Beer had replaced cider as a fashionable drink in the main export markets, and even the home markets had switched to beer as the population became more urban. Potatoes overtook cider as the most important crop in Jersey in the 1840s, and in Guernsey glasshouse tomato production grew in importance. Small-scale cider production on farms for domestic consumption, particularly by seasonal workers from Brittany and mainland Normandy, was maintained, but by the mid-20th century production dwindled until only 8 farms were producing cider for their own consumption in 1983.

The number of orchards had been reduced to such a level that the destruction of trees in the Great Storm of 1987 demonstrated how close the Islands had come to losing many of its traditional cider apple varieties. A concerted effort was made to identify and preserve surviving varieties and new orchards were planted. As part of diversification, farmers have moved into commercial cider production, and the cider tradition is celebrated and marketed as a heritage experience. In Jersey, a strong (above 7%) variety is currently sold in shops and a bouché style is also marketed.

In Jersey, cider is used in the preparation of black butter (Jèrriais
Jèrriais

J?rriais is the form of the Norman language spoken in Jersey, in the Channel Islands, off the coast of France. It has been in decline over the past century as English language has increasingly become the language of education, commerce and administration....
: nièr beurre), a traditional preserve.

Chile

Cider has been made in Chile
Chile

Chile, officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long and narrow coastal strip wedged between the Andes mountains and the Pacific Ocean....
 since colonial times
Kingdom of Chile

The Kingdom of Chile or Realm of Chile , also known as the General Captaincy of Chile , was an administrative territory of the Viceroyalty of Peru in the Spanish Empire from 1541 to 1818, the year in which it declared itself independent, becoming the Republic of Chile....
. Southern Chile accounts for nearly all Cider production in the country. Cider is also often linked to the production of Chicha
Chicha

Chicha is a term used in some regions of Latin America for several varieties of fermentation, particularly those derived from maize, but which also describes similar non-alcoholic beverage beverages....
, a traditional alcoholic drink.

Denmark

Despite a strong apple tradition, Denmark
Denmark

Denmark is a Scandinavian country in northern Europe and the senior member of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries....
 has little cider production. Five places that produce cider in Denmark are Pomona (since 2003), Fejø Cider (since 2003), Dancider (since 2004), Ørbæk Bryggeri (since 2006) and Ciderprojektet (since 2008). All are inspired mainly by English and French cider styles. The assortment of imported ciders has grown significantly since 2000, prior to that only ciders from Sweden, primarily non-alcoholic, were generally available. On March 31 2008 Carlsberg launched an alcoholic cider in Denmark called Somersby Cider.

East Asia

Cider in Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
 and South Korea
South Korea

South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea , ), often referred to as Korea and the "names of Korea#Revival of the names", is a Semi-presidential system republic in East Asia, located in the southern half of the Korean Peninsula....
 refers to a soft drink
Soft drink

A soft drink is a beverage that does not contain alcohol. Carbonated soft drinks are commonly known as soda, soda pop, pop, coke or tonic in various parts of the United States, pop in Canada, fizzy drinks in the United Kingdom and Australia and sometimes minerals in Ireland....
 similar to Sprite
Sprite (soft drink)

Sprite is a transparent, lemon-lime flavored, caffeine free soft drink, produced by the Coca-Cola Company. It was introduced to the United States in 1961....
 or the UK definition of lemonade
Lemonade

File:Homemade Lemonade.jpgLemonade is a lemon-flavored soft drink. As the name suggests, lemonade is made from lemons. It is an ade. When combined with sugar, it gives a pleasant mixture of sour and sweet to produce a flavor very agreeable to the taste buds....
. The Chilsung Cider
Chilsung Cider

Chilsung Cider is a carbonated beverage marketed by South Korean firm Lotte Chilsung. It is not "cider" as the term is usually used in the English speaking world....
 brand dominates the Korean market.

Finland

In Finland
Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland , is a Nordic countries situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. It borders Sweden on the west, Russia on the east, and Norway on the north, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland....
 cider holds the position as one of the most common drinks after beer
Beer

Beer is the world's oldest and most widely consumed alcoholic beverage and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and Fermentation of starches, mainly derived from cereal?the most common of which is malted barley, although wheat, maize , and rice are widely used....
. The best-known brands are Golden Cap, Fizz and Upcider. They typically contain 4,5-4,7%vol of alcohol. Virtually all Finnish cider is produced from fermented apple (or pear) juice concentrate and comes in a variety of flavours ranging from forest berries to rhubarb and vanilla.

France

French
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
 cidre is an alcoholic drink produced predominantly in Normandy
Normandy

Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is situated along the coast of France south of the English Channel between Brittany and Picardy and comprises territory in northern France and the Channel Islands....
 and Brittany
Brittany

Brittany is a former independent Celtic nations monarchy and duchy, now incorporated into France. It is also, more generally, the name of the cultural area whose limits correspond to the historic province and independent duchy....
. It varies in strength from below 4% alcohol to considerably more. Cidre Doux is a sweet cider, usually up to 3% in strength. 'Demi-Sec' is 3–5% and Cidre Brut is a strong dry cider of 5% alcohol and above. Most French ciders are sparkling. Higher quality cider is sold in champagne-style bottles (cidre bouché). Many ciders are sold in corked bottles, but some screw-top bottles exist. Until the mid-20th century, cider was the second most-consumed drink in France (after wine) but an increase in the popularity of beer displaced cider's market share outside traditional cider-producing regions. In crêperies (pancakes restaurants) in Brittany, cider is generally served in traditional ceramic bowls (or wide cups) rather than glasses. A kir breton (or kir normand) is a cocktail apéritif
Aperitif

An ap?ritif is an Distilled beverage that is usually served to stimulate the appetite before a meal, as opposed to a digestif, which is said to come after the meal....
 made with cider and cassis
Crème de Cassis

Cr?me de Cassis is a blood-red, sweet, black currant-flavored liqueur, and is an ingredient of kir , an ap?ritif. The modern version of the drink first appeared in the Burgundy region in 1841, displacing "ratafia de cassis" from prior centuries....
, rather than white wine and cassis for the traditional kir
Kir

This article deals with the beverage named Kir. For the biblical town of Kir see Al Karak.Kir is a popular France cocktail made with a measure of cr?me de cassis topped up with white wine....
. The Domfrontais, in the Orne
Orne

Orne is a departments of France in the northwest of France, named after the Orne River....
 (Basse-Normandie), is famous for its pear cider (poiré). The calvados du Domfrontais is made of cider and poiré.

Some cider is also made in south western France, in the French portion of the Basque Country
Basque Country (historical territory)

The Basque Country as a cultural region is a European region in the western Pyrenees that spans the border between France and Spain, on the Atlantic Ocean coast....
. It is a traditional drink there and is making a recovery. Ciders produced here are generally of the style seen in Spanish part of the Basque country.

Calvados, Normandy, France; Calvados
Calvados (spirit)

Calvados is an apple brandy from the French r?gion in France of Basse-Normandie or Lower Normandy. ...
, the spirit is made of cider through a process called double distillation
Distillation

Distillation is a method of separation process mixtures based on differences in their Volatility in a boiling liquid mixture. Distillation is a unit operation, or a physical separation process, and not a chemical reaction....
. In the first pass, the result is a liquid containing 28%–30% alcohol. In a second pass, the amount of alcohol is augmented to about 40%.

Keeving Breton cider making employs the technique of keeving (from the French
French language

French is a Romance language spoken around the world by around 80 million people as first language, by 190 million as second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired tongue, with significant speakers in 54 countries....
 cuvée). In keeving, calcium chloride
Calcium chloride

Calcium chloride, CaCl2, is a common Salt . It behaves as a typical ionic halide, and is solid at room temperature. It has several common applications such as brine for refrigeration plants, ice and dust control on roads, and in concrete....
 and a special enzyme
Enzyme

Enzymes are biomolecules that catalysis chemical reactions. Almost all enzymes are proteins. In enzymatic reactions, the molecules at the beginning of the process are called Substrate , and the enzyme converts them into different molecules, the products....
 are added to the pressed apple juice, causing protein
Protein

Proteins are organic compounds made of amino acids arranged in a linear chain and joined together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of adjacent amino acid Residue ....
 in the juice to precipitate to the top for removal. This reduces the amount of protein available to the yeast, starving it and therefore causing the cider to finish fermenting while sugar is still available. The result is a sweeter drink at a lower alcohol level but still retaining the full flavour of the apples, without dilution.

Greece

In Greece
Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkans. It has borders with Albania, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the north, and Turkey to the east....
, cider is very unpopular and it can only be found imported in very few particular supermarkets.

Germany

German
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
 cider, usually called Apfelwein (apple wine), and regionally known as Apfelmost (apple must), Viez (from Latin
Latin

Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
 vice, the second or substitute wine), or Saurer Most (sour must), has an alcohol content of 5.5–7% and a tart, sour taste.

German cider is mainly produced and consumed in Hesse
Hesse

Hesse is a States of Germany of Germany with an area of 21,110 km? and just over six million inhabitants. The state capital is Wiesbaden. Hesse's largest city is nearby Frankfurt am Main....
, particularly in the Frankfurt, Wetterau
Wetterau

The Wetterau is a fertile undulating tract, watered by the Wetter , a tributary of the Nidda River, in the western German region of Hesse, between the hilly province Oberhessen and the north-western Taunus mountains....
 and Odenwald
Odenwald

The Odenwald is a low mountain range in Hesse, Bavaria and Baden-W?rttemberg in Germany....
 areas, in Moselfranken, Merzig
Merzig

Merzig is the capital of the district Merzig-Wadern, in Saarland, Germany. It is situated on the river Saar River, approx. 35 km south of Trier, and 35 km northwest of Saarbr?cken....
 (Saarland
Saarland

Saarland is one of the 16 States of Germany of Germany. The capital is Saarbr?cken. It has an area of 2570 km? and 1,045,000 inhabitants. In both area and population it is the smallest of the German Fl?chenl?nder , i.e., those that are not City States ....
) and the Trier
Trier

Trier is a city in Germany on the banks of the Moselle River. It is the oldest city in Germany, founded in or before 16 BC. Trier is not the only city claiming to be Germany's oldest, but it is the only one that bases this assertion on having the longest history as a city, as opposed to a mere settlement or army camp....
 area, as well as the lower Saar
Saarland

Saarland is one of the 16 States of Germany of Germany. The capital is Saarbr?cken. It has an area of 2570 km? and 1,045,000 inhabitants. In both area and population it is the smallest of the German Fl?chenl?nder , i.e., those that are not City States ....
 area and the region bordering on Luxembourg. In these regions, there are several large producers, as well as numerous small, private producers often using traditional recipes. An official Viez route or cider route connects Saarburg
Saarburg

Saarburg is a city of the Trier-Saarburg district in the Rhineland-Palatinate state of Germany, on the banks of the Saar River in the hilly country a few kilometers upstream from the Saar's junction with the Moselle River....
 with the border to Luxembourg.

Ireland

Cider is a popular drink in Ireland; for a long time cider production was officially encouraged and supported by a preferential tax treatment. A single cider, Bulmers
Bulmers (Republic of Ireland)

Bulmers Original Vintage Cider is a brand of cider produced in Republic of Ireland. To prevent confusion with the England cider of the same name, it is sold outside of the Republic of Ireland as Magners Original Irish Cider....
, dominates sales in Ireland: Owned by C&C and produced in Clonmel
Clonmel

Clonmel , in County Tipperary is the county seat of South Tipperary County Council. The town lies mainly on the northern bank of the River Suir with a smaller section south of the river....
, Co. Tipperary, this Bulmers is now unrelated to the British
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 Bulmers cider. Outside the Republic of Ireland, C&C brand their cider as Magners. It is very popular in Ireland to drink cider over ice.

Mexico

There are two types of cider (sidra) sold in Mexico
Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federalism constitutionalism republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico....
. One type is a popular apple flavoured carbonated soft drink
Soft drink

A soft drink is a beverage that does not contain alcohol. Carbonated soft drinks are commonly known as soda, soda pop, pop, coke or tonic in various parts of the United States, pop in Canada, fizzy drinks in the United Kingdom and Australia and sometimes minerals in Ireland....
, sold under a number of soft drink brands, such as Sidral Mundet and Manzana Lift (both Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola is a carbonation soft drink sold in stores, restaurants and vending machines worldwide . It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company in Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke or as Cola or Pop....
 FEMSA
FEMSA

FEMSA , ) is the largest beverage company in Mexico. FEMSA originated as the Cuauht?moc Moctezuma Brewery in 1890, which, through debt management, was restructured as FEMSA in 1988....
 brands). The alcoholic sidra is a sparkling cider typically sold in champagne-style bottles. Sidra is, due to the expense of imported champagne, sometimes used as a substitute for New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve

New Year's Eve is on , the final day of the Gregorian calendar year, and the day before New Year's Day.New Year's Eve is a separate observance from the observance of New Year's Day....
 toasts in Mexico.

Luxembourg

In Luxembourg
Luxembourg

Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a small landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany....
, viez (pronounced feetz) is rather like English
England

native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
 scrumpy. It is cloudy and varies from non-alcoholic to very alcoholic. It is made only in autumn.

Norway

In Norway, cider (sider) is a naturally fermented apple juice. Pear juice is sometimes mixed with the apple to get a better fermenting process started. The main area for cider production is in the proclaimed "fruit garden" or "apple orchard" of Norway, the Hardanger
Hardanger

Hardanger is a Districts of Norway in the Vestlandet of Norway, dominated by the Hardangerfjord. It consists of the municipalities of Odda, Ullensvang, Eidfjord, Ulvik, Granvin, Kvam and Jondal, and is located inside the Counties of Norway of Hordaland....
 region.

Following lengthy navigation through the directives of Norway's complex alcohol laws, three brands of sparkling cider with an abv
Alcohol by volume

File:Absinthe ABV.jpgAlcohol by volume is a standard measure of how much alcohol is contained in an alcoholic beverage . The abv standard is used worldwide....
 of approximately 10% are available to the Norwegian public through distribution by the monopoly outlet Vinmonopolet
Vinmonopolet

Vinmonopolet , commonly shortened to Polet, is a government owned alcoholic beverage retailer and the only company allowed to sell beverages containing an Alcohol by volume higher than 4.7% in Norway....
, Hardanger Sider Sprudlande from Hardanger, Krune Sider from Bergen sourcing apples from Hardanger, and Liersider from Lier
Lier, Norway

Lier is a Municipalities of Norway in Buskerud Counties of Norway, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Lier....
. In line with the law of 1975 prohibiting all advertising of alcoholic beverages of abv greater than 2.5%, the products receive little exposure despite some favourable press reaction.

Ciders of low alcohol levels are widely available, mostly brands imported from Sweden, although carbonated soft drinks with no alcoholic content may also be marketed as "cider".

South Africa


There are two main types of cider produced in South Africa, Hunters Gold and Savanna Dry. They are produced and distributed through Distell Group Limited. Hunters Gold was first introduced in South Africa in 1988 as an alternative to beer. The range includes Hunters Dry and Hunters Export. Savanna Dry was introduced in 1996 and also comes in a Light Premium variety.

Spain


Escanciar
The Spanish
Spain

Spain or the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in Southern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though Espa?a , Estado espa?ol and Naci?n espa?ola are used interchangeably....
 region of Asturias is well known for traditional sidra, an alcoholic cider of 4–8% strength. It has also been popular in the Basque Country for centuries.

In Asturias cider is traditionally poured in very small quantities from a height into a wide glass, with the arm holding the bottle extended upwards and the one holding the glass extended downwards. This technique is called to escanciar un culín (also echar un culín) and is done to get air bubbles into the drink, thus giving it a sparkling taste like Champagne that lasts a very short time. Spanish sidra is closely associated with sidrerías or sidreríes (Asturias).

Sidra is also known as sagardoa
Sagardotegi

A sagardotegi is a type of cider house found in the Basque Country . Modern sagardotegis can broadly be described as a cross between a steakhouse and a cider house....
 (IPA: /s?a'ga?rdoa/) in the Basque Country and drunk either bottled or in a cider house called sagardotegi
Sagardotegi

A sagardotegi is a type of cider house found in the Basque Country . Modern sagardotegis can broadly be described as a cross between a steakhouse and a cider house....
, in which it is directly poured from a barrel.

Sweden

Kopparberg cider
Kopparbergs Brewery

Kopparberg's Brewery is a Swedish brewery and cider company based in Bergslagen....
 comes in a variety of flavours, including apple, pear, summer fruits, forest berries, peach and cloudberry.

The Netherlands


In the Netherlands cider is not as commonly available as in its surrounding countries. During 2007 Heineken started testing a cider brand named Jillz in a number of bars throughout the country. The beverage is promoted as an alternative for beer. It contains 5% alcohol by volume which is similar to a typical draught beer in the Netherlands. Jillz will be available on draught in bars, pubs and restaurants only.

The United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, cider is mostly associated with the West Country
West Country

The West Country is an informal term for the area of south western England roughly corresponding to the modern South West England government region....
 and Herefordshire
Herefordshire

Herefordshire is a Historic counties of England and Ceremonial counties of England Counties of England in the West Midlands Regions of England of England....
, but is also produced in Wales and across England, particularly Kent
Kent

Kent is a Counties of England in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the River Thames estuary....
, Suffolk
Suffolk

Suffolk is a Non-metropolitan counties of England of Historic counties of England in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south....
 and Norfolk
Norfolk

Norfolk is a low-lying Counties of England in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and with Suffolk to the south....
. Cider is available in sweet, medium and dry varieties. Recent years have seen a significant increase in cider sales in the UK.

There are two broad main traditions in cider production in the UK - the West tradition and the Kent and East Anglia tradition. The former are made using a much higher percentage of true cider-apples and so are richer in tannins and sharper in flavour. Kent and East Anglia ciders tend to use a higher percentage of, or are exclusively made from, culinary and dessert fruit; Kentish ciders such as Biddenden
Biddenden

Biddenden is a village and civil parish in the Ashford of Kent, England. The village lies on the Weald of Kent, some five miles north of Tenterden....
's, Rough Old Wife and Theobolds are typical of this style. They tend to be clearer, more vinous and lighter in body and flavour.

At one end of the scale are the traditional, small farm
Farm

A farm is an area of land, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibers and, increasingly, fuel....
-produced varieties. These are non-carbonated and usually cloudy orange in appearance. England's West Country contains many of these farms. Production is often on such a small scale the product is only sold at the point of manufacture or in local pubs and shops At the other end of the scale are the mass production factories for products such as Strongbow
Strongbow Cider

Strongbow is a brand of cider manufactured in England by H.P. Bulmer. It is the UK's most popular cider, accounting for more than half of the cider sold in Britain....
 and Blackthorn
Blackthorn Cider

Blackthorn Cider is a processed commercial cider produced by Matthew Clark plc. Previously it was known as Blackthorn Dry or Dry Blackthorn,. It is sold in a variety of forms, commonly being served draft beer in pubs or being sold in 440ml cans or two-litre bottles in shops or supermarkets....
.

Mass produced commercial cider such as that produced by Bulmers is likely to be pasteurised and force-carbonated
Carbonation

Carbonation occurs when carbon dioxide is solvation in water or an aqueous solution. This process yields the "fizz" to carbonated water and sparkling mineral water, the Beer head to beer, and the cork pop and bubbles to Champagne and sparkling wine....
. The colour is likely to be golden yellow with a clear appearance from the filtration
Filtration

Filtration is a mechanical or physical operation which is used for the separation of solids from fluids by interposing a medium to fluid flow through which the fluid can pass, but the solids in the fluid are retained....
. White ciders are almost colourless in appearance.

Cheap strong ciders
A key market segment exists in the UK for strong white mass-produced cider at 7.5% alcohol by volume. Cider with higher than 7.5% alcohol has a higher rate of excise duty. Typical brands include White Lightning
White Lightning (cider)

White Lightning is a brand of cheap white cider brewed by Scottish Courage in the UK. Although originally available in a 3 litre bottle , in 2004 Scottish Courage announced that bottles of White Lightning would be produced at a maximum of 2 litres in order to restore value to the "cider" drinks market and to pursue the perhaps difficult goa...
, Diamond White
Gaymer Cider Company

The Gaymer Cider Company produces and markets Cider. It is owned by Constellation Europe, part of Constellation Brands. Constellation Europe was formed in 2004 when Matthew Clark PLC, integrated with Constellation Wines Europe Ltd....
, Frosty Jack
Aston Manor Brewery

Aston Manor Brewery is a brewery and beer bottling company in Aston, Birmingham, England. The company produces beer, cider and perry. It is the third largest cider company in the UK by market share, and its products include Frosty Jack's Cider, the UK's leading brand of white cider....
, and White Strike
White Strike

White Strike is a cheap dry white cider, containing sugar and sweeteners with an alcohol content of 7.5%.It is brewed by Cellars International....
.

By volume of alcohol, the excise duty on cider is lower than any other drink. The duty, as of 2007, was £26.48 per 100 litres of cider of up to 7.5% alcohol. 100 litres of table wine or alcopops would attract £177.99 of duty, wine under 5.5% was charged £75.42, £102.83 for beer under 7.5%, and £146.70 for the equivalent alcohol volume of spirits.

Before 1996 brands could be labelled at up to 8.4% alcohol when they actually contained 7.4%. This happened because the duty was levied on the actual strength of the alcohol, but Trade Descriptions legislation allowed the label to overstate the alcohol content by up to 1%. White Lightning was then sold in both 7.4% and 8.4% strengths, due to uncertainty about whether consumers would prefer the pricier, stronger drink, or the slightly weaker, cheap one.

Until 2005, the market leading White Lightning brand was being sold on an almost continual 50% extra free promotion, giving 3 litres of 7.5% cider for a typical selling price of £2.99. Scottish Courage, which owned the brand, decided that year to restrict bottle size to 2 litres as part of its responsible drinking strategy. A spokesman for the company spoke of white cider in general, "It is the cheapest way to buy alcohol in the UK. This is pocket money these days. There is no other alcohol category that has the same challenge as white cider. One three litre plastic bottle of white cider contains almost the full recommended weekly alcohol intake for a male drinker" (225 ml, 22.5 units, of pure alcohol content compared with the recommended maximum of 28 units). This led to a 70% drop in sales of White Lightning, but increased sales of the brand owner's weaker, more profitable brands. Other manufacturers followed by increasing prices and scrapping their 3 litre bottles.

The price increases on 7.5% cider has increased sales of 5% mass-market cider, which is still widely available in 3 litre bottles in supermarkets.

The West of England
Ciders made in the West Country
West Country

The West Country is an informal term for the area of south western England roughly corresponding to the modern South West England government region....
 are often called "scrumpy", from "scrump", a local dialect term for a small or withered apple. The archaic spelling cyder is sometimes used, but as a marketing ploy rather than authentic usage. Ciders from Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire

Gloucestershire is a Counties of England in South West England England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
, Herefordshire
Herefordshire

Herefordshire is a Historic counties of England and Ceremonial counties of England Counties of England in the West Midlands Regions of England of England....
 and Worcestershire
Worcestershire

Worcestershire is a county located in the West Midlands of central England. From 1974 to 1998 it was administered as part of Hereford and Worcester....
 made from traditional recipes forms a European Union
European Union

The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 European Union member state, located primarily in Europe. It was established by the Treaty of Maastricht on 1 November 1993 upon the foundations of the pre-existing European Economic Community....
 Protected Geographical Indication
Protected designation of origin

Protected Designation of Origin , Protected Geographical Indication and Traditional Speciality Guaranteed are geographical indications, or more precisely regimes within the Protected Geographical Status framework defined in Law of the European Union to protect the names of regional foods....
; traditional cider is also made in Devon
Devon

Devon is a large Counties of England in South West England. The county is also referred to as Devonshire, but that is an entirely unofficial name, rarely used inside of the county but often indicating a shire....
 and Somerset
Somerset

Somerset is a Counties of England in South West England. The county town is Taunton, which is in the south of the county. The Ceremonial counties of England of Somerset borders the counties of Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west....
. Examples of a working cider house
Cider house

A cider house is an establishment, often little more than a room in a farmhouse or cottage, selling cider only, for consumption on the premises....
 still existed here in recent times, though many have now gone. There are over 25 cider producers in Somerset alone, many of them small family businesses.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, a condition known as Devon colic
Devon colic

Devon colic is an affliction caused by lead poisoning which was suffered by the people of Devon during parts of the 17th and 18th centuries....
, a form of lead poisoning
Lead poisoning

Lead poisoning is a medical condition caused by increased levels of the metal lead in the blood. Lead may cause irreversible neurological damage as well as renal disease, cardiovascular effects, and human reproduction toxicity....
, was associated with the consumption of cider, vanishing after a campaign to remove lead components from cider presses in the early 19th century.

Shepton Mallet
Shepton Mallet

Shepton Mallet is a small rural town and civil parish in the Mendip district of Somerset, England. It contains the administrative headquarters of Mendip District Council....
, Somerset, is home to the largest cider plant in Europe. This plant produces Blackthorn
Blackthorn Cider

Blackthorn Cider is a processed commercial cider produced by Matthew Clark plc. Previously it was known as Blackthorn Dry or Dry Blackthorn,. It is sold in a variety of forms, commonly being served draft beer in pubs or being sold in 440ml cans or two-litre bottles in shops or supermarkets....
 and Olde English as well as light perry Babycham
Babycham

Babycham is the trade name of a light, sparkling perry invented by Francis Showering, a brewer in Shepton Mallet in Somerset, England; the name is now owned by Constellation Europe Limited....
.

Wales
Smallhold production of cider, made on farms as a beverage for labourers, died out in Wales during the 20th century. Cider and perry production in Wales began a dramatic revival in the early 2000s, with many small firms entering production throughout the country. The Campaign for Real Ale
Campaign for Real Ale

The Campaign for Real Ale is an independent, Volunteer, consumer organisation based in St Albans, England, whose main aims are promoting real ale and the traditional United Kingdom public house....
 (CAMRA) has actively encouraged this trend, and Welsh ciders and perries have won many awards at CAMRA festivals; meanwhile, the establishment of groups such as UKCider and the Welsh Perry & Cider Society have spurred communication among producers.

Welsh varieties of apples and pears are often distinct from those grown in England, giving cider from Wales a flavour noticeably different to ciders from nearby regions.

Definition of "real" cider
CAMRA
Campaign for Real Ale

The Campaign for Real Ale is an independent, Volunteer, consumer organisation based in St Albans, England, whose main aims are promoting real ale and the traditional United Kingdom public house....
 defines "real" cider as a product containing at least 90% fresh apple juice, with no added flavourings or colourings. CAMRA appears to endorse chaptalisation of the juice (added sugar prior to fermentation) plus dilution with water afterwards.

UKCider defines "real" cider as a product containing at least 85% fresh apple juice, with no artificial flavourings or colourings. UKCider campaigns for the percentage juice content to be listed as part of a full ingredients labelling.

The United States

During colonial times apple cider was consumed as the main beverage with meals because water was often unsafe for drinking. Ciderkin
Ciderkin

Ciderkin, sometimes referred to as water-cider, is a kind of weak alcoholic cider traditionally drunk by children, and made by steeping the refuse apple pomace in water....
, a slightly alcoholic beverage made from cider pomace
Pomace

Pomace is the solid remains of grapes, olives, or other fruit after wine press for juice or oil. It contains the skins, pulp, seeds, and stems of the fruit....
, could also be found on colonial tables.

Sometime after Prohibition
Prohibition in the United States

In the history of the United States, Prohibition is the period from 1920 to 1933, during which the sale, manufacture, and transportation of Alcoholic beverage for consumption were banned nationally as mandated in the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution....
 the word cider came to mean unfiltered, unfermented apple juice. For instance, in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , often colloquially referred to as PA by natives and Northeasterners, is a U.S. state located in the Northeastern United States and Mid-Atlantic States regions of the United States....
, apple cider
Apple cider

Apple cider is the name used in the United States and parts of Canada for an unfiltered, unsweetened, non-alcoholic beverage produced from apples....
 is legally defined as an "amber golden, opaque, unfermented, entirely non-alcoholic juice squeezed from apples". Imitation "cider" products may contain natural or artificial flavours or colours generally recognized as safe
Generally recognized as safe

Generally Recognized as Safe is a United States of America Food and Drug Administration designation that a chemical or substance added to food is considered safe by experts, and so is exempted from the usual Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act food additive tolerance requirements....
, provided their presence is declared on the label by the use of the word "imitation" in type at least one-half the size of the type used to declare the flavour. Cider containing more than 0.5 percent alcohol by volume is classified as hard cider.

Cider may also refer to sparkling apple juice, which is often filtered, such as Martinelli's
Martinelli's

Martinelli's is the brand name of S. Martinelli & Company, a juice company based in . Martinelli's is best known for its non-alcoholic sparkling cider and its apple juice....
 sparkling apple cider, once touted specifically as "non-alcoholic cider". Martinelli's is sold as "cider" or "juice" depending on regional usage.

Alcoholic cider is produced in the United States, especially in New England
New England

New England is a region of the United States located in the northeastern corner of the country, bounded by the Atlantic Ocean, Canada and New York State, and consisting of the modern U.S....
 and upstate New York
New York

The State of New York is a U.S. state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States and is the nation's List of U.S....
. Woodchuck cider, from Vermont
Vermont

Vermont is a U.S. state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States United States. The state ranks 43rd by land area, , and 45th by total area....
, is one of the most common brands in the north-eastern US and is made in the traditional way. Some U.S. products which describe themselves as Hard Cider are made by adding flavorless spirit alcohol to apple juice pressed from apples which are juice apples not cider apples. The difference in quality is readily apparent.

See also

  • List of commercial brands of cider
    List of commercial brands of cider

    Cider is an alcoholic beverage made primarily from the juice of specially grown varieties of apples or pears. The following is a list of cider brands....
  • Fassbrause
    Fassbrause

    Fassbrause , literally 'keg brew', is a non-alcoholic German drink made from natural fruit and spices, traditionally stored in a keg. Fassbrause is a specialty of Berlin, where it is sometimes called Sportmolle ....


External links


  • - Alcohol and Drugs History Society
    Alcohol and Drugs History Society

    The Alcohol and Drugs History Society is a scholarly organization whose members study the history of a variety of illegal, regulated, and unregulated drugs such as opium, alcohol, and coffee....