# Hard Apple Ciders **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 26, 2014, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-apple-ciders/699665 "2014-09-26T18:59:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2014, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-apple-ciders/699665/1 "2014-09-26T18:59:59Z")
In the fall man’s fancy turns to alternative ways of seeking revenge on his liver. More and more apple ciders are on the store shelves. I’ve only tried a couple so far. Crispins was quite good. I’ll probably buy it again. I want to try Angry Orchard next. Now, I can turn to the internet reviews or trust what this irredeemable group of drunken louts has to say. Go on then. What hard apple cider do you drink when you think no-one is looking? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Bird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Little\_Bird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Bird)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2014, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-apple-ciders/699665/2 "2014-09-26T19:05:51Z")
As a beer snob who loves nothing more than a dark, rich stout, I used to be ashamed of my cider love, but no longer. I LOVE CIDER AND I DON’T CARE WHO KNOWS!!! Angry Orchard is great, especially the mixer with four flavors. I really loved the recent cinnamon flavor. YUM. Johnny Appleseed is our current jam, it’s a little dryer than Angry Orchard and has a nice tang. Smith and Forge tastes a little musty/funky/yeasty in a good way and comes in cans, which is nice or picnics or other travel. Cider Boys is nice, but a little too sweet/blank for me. They mix with strawberry or peach, so it’s a nice change of pace once in a while. Crispin is fine, but kind of bland. It’s been a while since I had one tho, might want to try again. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Bird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Little\_Bird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Bird)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2014, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-apple-ciders/699665/3 "2014-09-26T19:08:05Z")
Addendum: My first cider ever was Woodpecker. OH SWEET WOODPECKER. It was on tap at this basement Irish Pub in my college town. Like drinking sunshine it was. Not as good in the bottle, but if I ever see it on tap again I will be a happy lady. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2014, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-apple-ciders/699665/4 "2014-09-26T19:10:44Z")
Agreed with Little Bird. Angry Orchard is my default, either the cinnamon or the ginger. Cider Boys and Crispin are also good but not very memorable. I also find Cider Boys to be very sweet and that’s a bit of a turn-off although I’m a big fan of Crabbies ginger beer and that’s also quite sweet. I’ll look for Johnny Appleseed. ---
**Author:** ![araminty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5e925/32.png) [@araminty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/araminty)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2014, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-apple-ciders/699665/5 "2014-09-26T19:17:16Z")
Strongbow is a common brand in Australia, I prefer the Draught to the Sweet or Dry, but I remember them all being good. I’ve seen the brand here in California, but it’s an import from Europe somewhere. I tried the elderflower variety of the Angry Orchard in the mixed pack, and now I can’t drink any other cider, it’s SO good. Of course, it’s “seasonal” which seems to mean I can never buy it when I want it. BUT, I did get a bottle of St. Germain, and have been pouring a bit (and then a bit more, and mmm, it’s so good!) into any bottle of cider to very good effect. St. Germain in an otherwise uninteresting white wine is also amazing. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2014, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-apple-ciders/699665/6 "2014-09-26T19:24:02Z")
I actively dislike beer. I love hard cider. The best brand was a Norwegian brand…starts with an S…skol? something. I had it in Austrailia and loved it. My favorite stateside is Angry Orchard. ---
**Author:** ![Bozuit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@Bozuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bozuit)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2014, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-apple-ciders/699665/7 "2014-09-26T19:25:02Z")
> [@Little\_Bird](#): > > Addendum: > My first cider ever was Woodpecker. OH SWEET WOODPECKER. It was on tap at this basement Irish Pub in my college town. Like drinking sunshine it was. Not as good in the bottle, but if I ever see it on tap again I will be a happy lady. Obviously this is subjective, and if you like Woodpecker, why not? But I feel I must point out that judging cider by the standard of Woodpecker is like judging beer by… Coors? Something like that. Never mind the analogy - Woodpecker is mass produced, overly sweet and not “real cider”, by which I mean it’s made from more than just apples (glucose syrup is added, for example). ETA: Cider with added flavouring seems a bit sacrilegious, too. Some of it is pretty tasty, but so is Dr Pepper. ETAagain: Here in the UK, there’s only one kind of cider, and it has alcohol in it. So we don’t say “hard cider”. ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2014, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-apple-ciders/699665/8 "2014-09-26T19:26:18Z")
Love Angry Orchard and there is a hard cider (not just apple though) only available in Nova Scotia that is to die for! ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2014, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-apple-ciders/699665/9 "2014-09-26T19:31:48Z")
My wife has been drinking Woodchuck for the better part of a decade, and I think their Granny Smith and 802 Dark & Dry are quite good. Two of their varieties (GS and Amber) are available for sale at Trader Joe’s under the name Newton’s Folly. They’re about a dollar less per 6-pack. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2014, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-apple-ciders/699665/10 "2014-09-26T19:44:23Z")
…and down the back stretch, it’s Angry Orchard by two lengths! As luck would have it, I have some St. Germain as well. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2014, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-apple-ciders/699665/11 "2014-09-26T19:47:44Z")
> [@Poysyn](#): > > … and there is a hard cider (not just apple though) only available in Nova Scotia that is to die for! There’s an unfinished bottle of Screech in Nova Scotia that nearly killed me. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2014, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-apple-ciders/699665/12 "2014-09-26T19:52:29Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > In the fall man’s fancy turns to alternative ways of seeking revenge on his liver. > > More and more apple ciders are on the store shelves. I’ve only tried a couple so far. Crispins was quite good. I’ll probably buy it again. I want to try Angry Orchard next. > > Now, I can turn to the internet reviews or trust what this irredeemable group of drunken louts has to say. > > Go on then. What hard apple cider do you drink when you think no-one is looking? I’m glad to see ciders get a little more respect and variety. I started getting into them about a decade ago, and my favorite ones are the Normandy ciders and the Quebec ciders. Any of the Etienne Dupont ciders are worth a try. As for the Quebec ones, I haven’t really had much luck finding them in the US, but when we were travelling through Quebec, we discovered some fantastic ciders at the cidery at La Face Cachée de la Pomme in Hemmingford, Canada. I do believe they are available in the US, but I haven’t seen them here. They have an [ice cider](http://cookingwithalison.com/2011/04/10/ice-cider/) which is reminiscent of something like Sauternes or Tokaji wine. Not something you want to throw back a pint of, but an excellent after-dinner/dessert drink. It seems to me to be a clear candidate for one of the next big popular up-scale drinks that nobody’s really heard of but suddenly has become popular. I’m still waiting, though. The Basque ciders–and I can’t remember which ones I’ve sampled here–have been pretty interesting, too, with a much more funky, barnyard flavor to them. Good stuff, and I’m happy to see ciders develop a following here, as well as their related drinks like perry (made from pears). I’m still waiting for [jerkum](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plum_jerkum) to make inroads. I suspect it will need to marketed as “plum cider” here, though. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2014, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-apple-ciders/699665/13 "2014-09-26T19:55:04Z")
I gotta say, I am a cider lover and I can’t stand Woodchuck, doesn’t taste a thing like cider to me. As ciders go, my heart will always belong to Strongbow. It was the first cider I ever drank, and I want it to be the last cider I ever drink. That being said, I’m interested in tasting Johnny Appleseed ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2014, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-apple-ciders/699665/14 "2014-09-26T19:56:33Z")
> [@araminty](#): > > Strongbow is a common brand in Australia, I prefer the Draught to the Sweet or Dry, but I remember them all being good. I’ve seen the brand here in California, but it’s an import from Europe somewhere. > > I tried the elderflower variety of the Angry Orchard in the mixed pack, and now I can’t drink any other cider, it’s SO good. Of course, it’s “seasonal” which seems to mean I can never buy it when I want it. BUT, I did get a bottle of St. Germain, and have been pouring a bit (and then a bit more, and mmm, it’s so good!) into any bottle of cider to very good effect. St. Germain in an otherwise uninteresting white wine is also amazing. Yeah, that St. Germain stuff is pretty amazing. Who knew that elderflower could have such an intense tropical fruit taste to it? ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2014, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-apple-ciders/699665/15 "2014-09-26T19:57:22Z")
I like cider, but I wish it wasn’t so sweet. I imagine it’s just a matter of finding the right brand, though. Also, is there such a thing as _hard_ cider, as in, actually distilled, and whisky strong? What about just slightly stronger? I’m sick of seeing 5%ABV across the board. Is there a technical or legal reason for this limit? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2014, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-apple-ciders/699665/16 "2014-09-26T19:59:16Z")
> [@Sir\_T-Cups](#): > > I gotta say, I am a cider lover and I can’t stand Woodchuck, doesn’t taste a thing like cider to me. I understand it’s popularity, but Woodchuck tastes like alcoholic carbonated apple juice to me. I’m not into the sweet ciders that remind me more of wine coolers. The ice ciders are definitely quite sweet, but they don’t fit the “alcopop” category of drinks to me. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2014, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-apple-ciders/699665/17 "2014-09-26T20:04:24Z")
> [@DrCube](#): > > I like cider, but I wish it wasn’t so sweet. I imagine it’s just a matter of finding the right brand, though. Ciders aren’t all sweet. In fact, if you let cider ferment all the way, it’s quite dry. You have to “backsweeten” it and force-carbonate it or stop fermentation short (leaving residual sugars behind) and force-carbonate in order to get that sweetness, generally. (Or you can add non-fermentable sugars like lactose, or artificial sweeteners that do not ferment.) Try some of the dry varieties of English cider like Aspall dry cider, which is _usually_ available at a well-stocked liquor store. > [@](#): > > Also, is there such a thing as _hard_ cider, as in, actually distilled, and whisky strong? What about just slightly stronger? I’m sick of seeing 5%ABV across the board. Is there a technical or legal reason for this limit? You’re looking at applejack (which is often freeze-distilled, which is another process and is terrible for causing hangovers) or apple brandy like calvados for that. Cider is apple juice that is fermented, and it’s final alcohol content depends on the yeast, how long it is allowed to eat through all the sugars, and the sweetness of the original apple juice (more sugar = more alcohol.) Typically, they will end up in the 4-7% range or so. You can add apple juice concentrate to elevate the alcohol content, and use a yeast that will chew through all that sugar to get it higher, but ciders are not, by definition, distilled. That’s a different drink altogether. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2014, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-apple-ciders/699665/18 "2014-09-26T20:05:53Z")
> [@Sir\_T-Cups](#): > > I gotta say, I am a cider lover and I can’t stand Woodchuck, doesn’t taste a thing like cider to me. I drink quite a lot of ciders, and that’s the single weirdest thing I’ve ever read on the subject. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2014, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-apple-ciders/699665/19 "2014-09-26T20:07:13Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I understand it’s popularity, but Woodchuck tastes like alcoholic carbonated apple juice to me. I’m not into the sweet ciders that remind me more of wine coolers. The ice ciders are definitely quite sweet, but they don’t fit the “alcopop” category of drinks to me. Neither of the two I mentioned for that description. The Amber is sweeter, if I remember correctly, but isn’t nearly as sweet as others I’ve tasted. ---
**Author:** ![troubledwater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f4b2a3/32.png) [@troubledwater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/troubledwater)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2014, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-apple-ciders/699665/20 "2014-09-26T20:08:27Z")
I don’t like Crispin, although I want to. Unfortunately, it evokes a “who/what pissed in this?” response in me. Angry Orchard, on the other hand, is one of the greatest things ever. I have not tried it in any of the twee flavors, but this thread is making me willing to give them a try. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-apple-ciders/699665.md?page=2)