Cider styles explained for drinkers who are new to cider
Cider is fermented apple juice, but that simple description hides as much range as beer or wine. Different apples, places and methods give very different drinks. This guide walks through the main styles so you know what to order next.
What cider is
Cider is made by pressing apples and fermenting the juice with yeast. The sugar in the juice becomes alcohol and CO2. Most ciders end up at around 4 to 8% ABV, though some are stronger.
The apples matter a lot. Dessert apples, the kind you eat, give a clean, fruity, fairly simple cider. Traditional cider apples are often too bitter or sour to eat. Cider makers sort them into sweets, sharps, bittersweets and bittersharps. Bittersweet apples carry tannin, the same drying grip you find in red wine and strong tea, which gives traditional ciders their body and structure.
Yeast matters too. Some makers add a chosen wine or cider yeast for a clean, predictable result. Others let the wild yeasts on the apples and in the cider house do the work, which gives more complex and less predictable flavours. After fermentation, a cider may be aged for months, blended across apple varieties, sweetened or carbonated before it is packaged. Each of those choices pushes it towards one of the styles below.
Dry, medium and sweet
Sweetness is the first thing to check on a label. A dry cider has fermented nearly all its sugar and tastes crisp and tart. A medium or sweet cider keeps some sugar, either because fermentation was stopped or because juice or sugar was added back after fermentation.
If you like dry white wine or sour beer, start with dry cider. If you like fruit-forward drinks, start with medium. Our guide to sour beer for beginners is a good companion if tartness is your thing.
English cider
The West Country of England, around Somerset and Herefordshire, is famous for ciders made from bittersweet apples. They tend to be full, tannic and earthy, sometimes with a farmyard note from wild yeast. Some are still, with no fizz at all, served from a barrel.
Eastern England tends to use more dessert and culinary apples, which give lighter, sharper ciders.
French cidre
Normandy and Brittany in north-west France make cidre that is often lower in alcohol, softly sparkling and naturally sweet. Many producers use a traditional method called keeving, which slows fermentation by starving the yeast of nutrients. The result keeps natural apple sweetness without adding sugar. Labels often say doux for sweet, demi-sec for medium and brut for dry.
Normandy also distils cider into apple brandy, called Calvados. It also blends juice with brandy to make Pommeau.
Spanish sidra
In Asturias and the Basque Country in northern Spain, traditional sidra is dry, sharp and still, with a sour, slightly vinegary tang. It is poured from a height, with the bottle held above the head and the glass held low, so the cider splashes and picks up a brief sparkle. You drink each small pour quickly while it is lively.
Modern, fruit and hopped ciders
New world cider makers in the United States, Australia and elsewhere make ciders in every direction. Some use dessert apples for clean, crisp drinks. Others add berries, ginger, chilli or spices, or dry hop the cider like an IPA so it smells of citrus and tropical fruit. These are often the easiest way into cider for beer drinkers.
Many large commercial ciders are made from apple juice concentrate, sweetened and carbonated. They are consistent and easy to drink, though they rarely show the depth of a traditional cider.
Perry, ice cider and cider in India
Perry is made from pears, traditionally from special perry pears. It is softer and more floral than cider. Some sweet pear drinks sold as pear cider are made mainly from apple with pear flavour.
Ice cider comes from Quebec in Canada. The juice is concentrated by freezing, then fermented into a rich, sweet, strong cider served like a dessert wine.
India grows apples in Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand. A handful of producers make cider here. If you want to see how a cider line is set up, read our guide to starting a cider line in India. Serve cider cold, especially in summer, at about 6 to 10 °C. Treat strong ciders with the same respect as wine.
Common questions
Is cider gluten free?
Cider made only from apples contains no barley, so it is naturally free of gluten. Check the label if anything else, such as malt, has been added.
What is the difference between cider and perry?
Cider is fermented apple juice. Perry is fermented pear juice. It is usually softer and more floral.
How strong is cider?
Most ciders are about 4 to 8% ABV. Some traditional and ice ciders are stronger, so check the label.
Why do some ciders taste dry and tannic?
Traditional bittersweet cider apples carry tannin. Dry ciders have fermented almost all their sugar. Together they give a drying, structured taste.
