Over the course of a couple of weeks, we settled down to testing a range of craft ciders. We wanted our selection to bring together a range of flavour profiles, ABVs and different price points, reflecting the extensive choice now available. When it comes to cider testing, we conduct rigorous taste tests to ensure that every bottle and can is worth your hard earned cash. We gather a number of cider samples that are either currently or soon to arrive on the market and taste each submission for our initial thoughts. Those that make it through the first round are then subject to further testing, where we compare like for like ciders to find the best in specific categories. Where traditional cider apples from the United Kingdom are concerned, it is the combination of acidity and tannin level which drives their categorization into the following categories:

In Britain there is a geographical split in the types of apples used to make cider. In the West Country (Somerset, Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Devon, Gloucestershire and Monmouthshire) traditional cider apple varieties are grown in the local orchards. They have evocative and poetic names such as Handsome Norman, Foxwhelp and Porter’s Perfection. Kent, Sussex and eastern counties such as Suffolk are the traditional heartlands of cider made with domestic apples familiar to anyone with a fruit bowl – Gala, Russet and Cox are just three popular varietals that end up in a glass of cider. Hard cider is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented apple juice. It has become increasingly popular in recent years as an alternative to beer and wine, and is often enjoyed by those who are looking for a gluten-free or low-carb option. In most European countries the name is restricted to fermented juice. In North America the freshly expressed juice that has not been subjected to any permanent preservative treatment is generally called sweet cider, whereas juice that has been permitted to undergo some natural fermentation is designated hard cider. The expressed juice of apples that has been treated by some method to prevent spoilage while in hermetically sealed cans or bottles is marketed as apple juice in most countries. Nutritional content As a general rule you will need in the region of 9 kg (20 lbs) of apples to produce 4.5 litres (1 gallon) of juice. Cider is ranked from dry to sweet, with several stages in between such as semi-sweet and off-dry, determined by the apples used and the fermentation process. Dry cider has been fermented for longer, so most of the sugars have been converted to alcohol. Sweet ciders can get their taste from added sugar, sweeteners or apple concentrate, or a slower fermentation.Another key difference is their flavour profile. Soft cider is usually sweet and tangy, with a crisp, refreshing taste. Hard cider, on the other hand, is more complex with flavours and textures from dry and acidic to sweet and fruity, with hints of spice and even farmhouse.

If the reading is below 3.6 pH then you need to add one level teaspoon per 5 litres (1 gallon) of Precipitated Chalk. Add to the juice mixing well, leave for at least 15 minutes for this to work into the juice and then retest with the pH meter. Repeat until the desired level is reached. Cider: Making, Using & Enjoying Sweet & Hard Cider, by Proulx and Nichols–a good introductory text which covers cider history, cidermaking, and cider apples Add the apple yeast and 2 grams per 5 litres (1 gallon) of Cider Nutrient to the fermenter and be sure to use a good quality cider/apple yeast like we sell. Don’t get carried away by the idea of natural yeast & bread yeast. This does not produce good cider. So…how do you achieve balance? There are various options after your fermentation–ranging from oak-aging (which can impart tannins to low-tannin ciders) to additives (e.g., powdered malic acid to increase acidity or powdered tannin to add astringency) to malo-lactic fermentation (a bacterial, post-initial-yeast-fermentation process whereby harsh acidity is reduced by transforming malic acid to lactic acid, thereby reducing the intensity of the acidity in the flavor profile)–but, if you have access to multiple apple varieties, the best approach may be start with blending juices for balance up front. At a minimum, blending initially will minimize the number of interventions you’ll need to make later on in the process.Sweet, but bland, juice with little tannin or acidity can result in an insipid, bland, boring cider with little character (this is a common outcome of ciders made from standard ‘table apples’ such as Red Delicious, Fuji, and the like) It all began in 1878 when Henry Weston settled on a farm in Much Marcle, Herefordshire, and began making oak vat ciders and perries. Five generations of Westons later, they are still based in Much Marcle, having devoted their lives to perfecting the cider that bears their name using the bittersweet apples they grow. Often matured for up to 18 months, these are smooth and rounded ciders; a perfect place to start any cider exploration. Explore more here.

Before we dive into content around specific cider varieties, it’s important to put things into context. These days, if you live in a region dominated by large grocery store chains, you could be forgiven for only knowing a handful of apple varieties by name, including such common (at least in North America) varieties as: Each of these varieties has an interesting and storied history, and together with a few other varieties they dominate both the market and the growing volumes of the western world. They are also–except as the blander portion of the blend, and with the possible exception of Granny Smith–not all that interesting in (hard) cider. What makes a great eating apple–high sugar content excepted–doesn’t make a great hard cider apple.in a commercial context, when ABV exceeds 7%, cider is taxed at a higher rate–producers have to monitor this closely as cider can finish upwards of 8% naturally using just apples

From a nutritional standpoint, soft cider is a relatively healthy beverage. It’s low in calories and fat, and contains antioxidants and other beneficial nutrients found in apples. However, it’s important to note that soft cider can be high in sugar, so it’s best to consume it in moderation. Due to the above mentioned variability of juice characteristics, the numbers below should only serve as rough estimates of what you might expect in terms of sugar, acidity, and tannin of a given variety.To increase the start gravity add caster sugar (or white granulated sugar) and dissolve well. For cider we are looking ideally for start gravity in the region of 1040 to 1045. Any more alcohol than this will spoil the balance. Do not get carried away trying to make it to strong. To reduce the SG add water. Fermentation Here’s an example proportion for blending, drawn from Cider: Making, Using, & Enjoying Sweet & Hard Cider by Proulx and Nichols: Cider Blending Proportions Juice Type Jane Peyton is an award-winning beer sommelier, writer, broadcaster and founder of the School of Booze – a drinks consultancy and corporate events production company.