Apple Cider
Name Variations[]
- apple cider
About cider[]
- Wikipedia Article About Cider on Wikipedia
- Wikipedia Article About Apple cider on Wikipedia
Cider (pronounced /ˈsaɪdər/) is a beverage made from apple juice. Non-alcoholic and alcoholic varieties are produced. Alcoholic beverages from cider are made from the fermented juice of apples and are known in the U.S. and Canada as hard cider, while non-alcoholic versions are known as apple cider. Alcoholic cider varies in alcohol content from less than 3% ABV in French cidre doux to 8.5% ABV or more in traditional English ciders.
Although cider can be made from any variety of apple, certain cultivars are preferred in some regions, and these may be known as cider apples. Cider is popular in the United Kingdom, especially in South West England. 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. As of 2006[update], 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 (chistr) and Normandy (cidre) in France; in Asturias (Spain) (sidra); in the Rheinland-Pfalz, Hessen (Frankfurt am Main) and other regions of Germany (Most, Viez or Apfelwein); and in the Basque country (sagardoa) of Spain and France. Argentina is a cider-producing and -drinking country, especially the provinces of Río Negro and Mendoza.
In Ontario, Canada, apple cider or apple hooch is often home-made. Apples are de-cored, juiced, and boiled. Sugar is dissolved into the apple/water mixture. Brewer's yeast is added and the cider is fermented for up to two weeks, or three before bottling, and then aged to taste.
Pear cider is becoming an increasingly popular term and is seen as an alternative name for perry. Its increased use is driven by drinks manufacturers, in order to make it more accessible and understandable to the younger generation who have been attracted to the category in recent years.
Cider Variations[]
- alcoholic cider (also called hard cider)
- non-alcoholic cider