If the beer and cider industries had royalty, Greg Hall would be close to the throne. He spent 20 years as brewmaster at Chicago’s Goose Island, where he created Bourbon County stout, one of the first bourbon-barrel-aged beers and one that remains a cult phenomenon to this day.
But it was on a beer trip to England — years before Anheuser-Busch InBev purchased Goose Island for $38.8 million — when Hall and a group of brewers inadvertently stumbled into a pub hosting a cider festival. Sampling fresh European ciders was “an epiphany moment,” he said, one that would alter his trajectory from beer professional to cider pioneer.
“I’d had cider before — both kinds of Woodchuck,” joked Hall, pointing to the sweeter ciders pervasive throughout the United States at the time. “That first night, I got one and was like, ‘Wow, this is super crisp and dry, like a great pilsner.’ The next one was funky like a lambic. Then somebody else was like, ‘Mine’s barrel-aged!’ Who knew you could have all these flavors in cider?”
A few months after Goose Island’s acquisition in 2011, Hall, 56, founded Virtue Cider in Fennville, Mich., with the intent of following the European cider tradition of using solely apples, with no additional fruits. But, like many early craft-beer brewers in the United States, he quickly realized that such a narrow definition of a beverage excluded rather than invited new consumers. “Once we did our first cherry cider, it completely blew up.”
Craft beer is polarizing: More drinkers want high ABV or none at all
Virtue’s portfolio now includes many fruited and beer-inspired ciders, such as Framboise and Kriek, which emulate characteristics of their beer counterparts but remain staunchly cider at their cores. By providing familiar touchpoints in flavor and finish, cideries like Virtue aim to capture curious consumers who are unfamiliar with cider but ready to sample a new beverage segment.
Breweries are beginning to clue into cider’s potential. Cider has increased its retail share more than 10 times over the past decade, according to Nielsen, and today there are commercial cideries in all 50 states as well as the District with about 1,000 cideries across North America. Comparatively, there are more than 9,000 operational breweries in the United States — by far the most in American history — but in 2021, overall U.S. beer volume increased by only 1 percent.
This stagnation of growth and heavy competition in beer is leading more breweries to diversify their output by launching dedicated cider brands, including Cidergeist by Rhinegeist Brewery in Cincinnati, and Coronado Brewing Company’s organic canned ciders out of San Diego. Other breweries are buying existing cider brands to complement their portfolios, such as Seismic Brewing Company’s acquisition of Golden State Cider this year.
Stem Ciders in Lafayette, Colo., purchased Howdy Beer’s Western Pilsner brand in April for more practical reasons, according to Stem Chief Commercial Officer Dave Duffy. As distribution outlets tighten, sales teams dwindle and supply chain interruptions continue, consolidation makes sense to provide more options to more consumers at a lower cost.
“There’s upward pressure on pricing right now, and that puts downward pressure on volume,” Duffy said. “I have to make sure I’m as efficient and effective as I possibly can, from production all the way to logistics to retail.” His logic: The more things they can offer for sale, the better their chances of making a sale.
Hard cider is considered wine for taxes, labeling and regulation, which means beer businesses tend to need separate licenses and facilities to produce cider. That can prove prohibitive both in cost and space. However, some are finding ways to sidestep those barriers.
Crisp, refreshing Mexican lagers are finally getting their due
Benny Boy Brewing is among them. Los Angeles’s first urban brewery and cidery, Benny Boy operates out of two buildings — one for cidermaking, one for brewing — sandwiching a shared courtyard, which allows guests to meander to either (or both) to try everything, including natural wine.
“There are still plenty of people who don’t drink beer,” said co-founder Ben Farber. “We wanted to have a place where there was something for everyone.”
When Caitlin Braam was looking to open a taproom for Yonder Cider in August 2020, she knew that a cider-only space wouldn’t sustain itself. She decided to reach out to Meghann Quinn, co-owner of Bale Breaker Brewing Company, to join forces in a technically separated but operationally communal space. The two businesses now share a taproom in Seattle, allowing each of them to focus on their respective beverages while providing a bigger selection to guests.
“Breweries are seeing the value in having a diversified portfolio,” Braam said. “The goal and the hope is to create a taproom space and a tasting experience that people can come and really try anything and everything they want.”
Cider is inherently gluten-free, unlike beer, whose malted grains — typically barley, wheat or rye — naturally contain gluten. Often, it has a lower alcohol content than wine, averaging 4 to 6 percent alcohol by volume compared with 11 to 12 percent, and the short list of core ingredients (apples and yeast) seems transparent and comparatively more “natural” than some alcohol alternatives like hard seltzer.
What’s the best hard seltzer? We tried 18 new flavors to find out.
Plus, Hall believes, “there’s not a greener drink out there,” noting the minimal intervention, water and energy apple trees need compared with what’s used during the brewing process. In short, consumers with dietary restrictions or a preference toward sustainability need only look to cider for a new realm of possibilities.
According to Hall, the more cross-segment exposure drinkers experience, the more opportunities cider will have to educate, convert and grow.
“There’s a tremendous future in cider. The hardest part is getting over that initial hump and getting enough people to try it,” he said with a laugh. “But we’re patient.”
Ciders for craft beer lovers to try
Anxo Cider — Sidra Verde
Washington, D.C. — 6.9 percent ABV
Funky, tart, dry and still, Sidra Verde provides a highly acidic entryway from the world of wild beer into wild cider. Fermented with native yeast in wood casks, it marries Mid-Atlantic GoldRush apples and terroir with the theatrical cider pouring of Asturias, Spain: poured from high in the air and consumed in one quick gulp. (Distributed as a limited release in 19 states plus D.C. and shipped direct-to-consumers in 42 states.)
Golden State Cider — Mellow Green
Sonoma County, Calif. — 6.5 percent ABV
It’s not an India pale ale, promises Golden State chief executive Chris Lacey, but it uses Columbus hops and 100 percent fresh-pressed West Coast apples to ensure that hop heads skeptical about moving from beer to cider will enjoy recognizable flavors with a new perspective. (Distributed across California; select areas of Oregon, Washington and Nevada; with direct-to-consumer shipping to 40 states — some restrictions apply.)
Cincinnati — 5.0 percent ABV
Infused with lemongrass and ginger, it hits that sweet spot of low-ABV drinkability and a clean finish for beer lovers, dryness and flavor complexity for cider fans, and low tannins plus innovative food pairing potential for wine drinkers. Chris Shields, Rhinegeist’s director of education, recommends pairing with coconut desserts, fish tacos with mango salsa, or spicy Thai food. (Distributed year-round in Ohio, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Wisconsin.)
Virtue Cider — Kriek 2021
Fennville, Mich. — 6.9 percent ABV
Historically used in many Belgian Kriek beer recipes, Schaerbeek cherries are lauded for their wild, sour flavor ideal for blending and aging. Kriek utilizes locally grown and harvested Schaerbeeks to emulate Old World brewing tradition with contemporary cidermaking techniques, resulting in a complex, bright cider that’s as enjoyable with waffles as it is with charcuterie. (Distributed in 50 states with direct-to-consumer shipping to 41 states plus D.C.)
Stem Ciders — Chile Guava
Lafayette, Colo. — 5.2 percent ABV
This cider packs a big, bold flavor punch without a sky-high ABV, making it an approachable alternative for drinkers who enjoy an explosive taste experience. Juicy guava rounds out the apple’s crispness, culminating in an off-dry, spicy finish sure to appeal to the open-minded. (Distributed year-round in 20 states and ships direct-to-consumers in 38 states.)
Angry Orchard — Unfiltered
Walden, N.Y. — 6 percent ABV
Cider’s answer to hazy IPAs. What it lacks in hop bitterness and flavor, it makes up for with a full body, rich mouthfeel, and mostly dry finish that will seem fresh but somehow familiar. (Distributed in all 50 states and Canada, as well as nationwide direct-to-consumer shipping.)
Graft Cider — Farm Flor
Newburgh, N.Y. — 6.9 percent ABV
For many beer drinkers, the term “farmhouse” conjures sense memories of rustic, easy-drinking artisanal brews such as saisons or bière de gardes. This dry table cider mimics the characteristics of farmhouse beers, but with a tart finish and a light hint of wood for a contemporary take on the beloved beer tradition. (Distributed in 16 states and D.C., plus direct-to-consumer shipping to 42 states, as well as parts of Europe and Asia.)
Source link: https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2022/09/15/craft-cider-beer-drinkers-recommendations/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=wp_lifestyle