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While America's founding fathers drank the stuff for breakfast, American cider lags far behind the Europeans thanks to Prohibition. Originally used to create clean, low-alcohol beverages similar to kombucha, fermented apples produced for social imbibing can be traced back to before the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. Apple trees grown in U.K., French and Spanish orchards have passed on specific traits to their apples, giving ciders from each region unique flavors. The world's three great cider traditions have also developed fermenting techniques to accentuate those qualities.
English
Often thought to be the most traditional method of cider making, the English technique produces a still, dry cider that's rich with tannins that heavily coat the tongue. It's the most apple-y of the three, thanks to its reliance on tannin-heavy apple varieties. Produced in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, English cider is required by U.K. law to be at least 35 percent apple juice or concentrate (in the U.S., it's 50 percent), but craft cider makers are heavily influenced by the Campaign for Real Ale's recommendation of 90 percent. It's not always served warm or at room temperature, but is most enjoyable when not ice cold.
Great because: Balanced sweetness; feels like something you could drink in an old, stone blacksmith's shop.
Haters say: Too dry; tastes like licking apple skin.
Try these:
Henney's Dry Cider, $6.
This is the
stuff English football fans must drink before a riot. The bone-dry
Henney's coats your tongue with a chalky tannic grip from the first
taste, which seems to allow the rest of the bottle to more easily
slip-slide into your belly. My God, it's good. Imagine if Strongbow were
less watery, tasted like better apples, and had a more pronounced yeast
character. Henney's takes everything we like about clean English cider
and sharpens the resolution. A slightly sour bitterness, stemming from
the outright dryness of the stuff, jolts your mind to attention at
first, but smooths out over time. And after a few pints, the pale yellow
liquid practically sings the drinking songs for you. PARKER HALL.
Burrow Hill Kingston Black, $25.
Kingston
black apples are known for their distinctive bitter-sharp juice, which
leads to a full-bodied cider that doesn't need to be blended. This
Champagne-like cider has English characteristics, but takes the beverage
from the pub and into the white-tableclothed dining room. It has more
body than most, due to the variety of the fruit and the 8 percent ABV
that it's fermented to, but Burrow Hill's Kingston Black still focuses
its attention on clean tannic flavor, one that sings effervescent in the
glass. It's better suited to special occasions than Henney's, but what
it lacks in drinkability it quickly makes up for in subtlety of flavor
that allows you to peel into a new, magically nuanced layer with every
slow sip. PARKER HALL.
French
French methods, which are heavily influenced by the nation's wine culture, produce a more aggressive, usually carbonated quaff that will remind you of the best vinegar your nose has ever sniffed. This style is often thought as the most flavorful—French law requires ciders to be made from apples only—as the rich soil and climate bring out fruitish and nutty notes. Usually served cold, this style, to no one's surprise, will remind you of Champagne.
Great because: Fruity effervescence turns up the nose for a perfect French experience.
Haters say: Tastes like vinegar without the bite.
Try these:
Etienne Dupont Cidré Brut De Normandie, $11.
Etienne
Dupont Cidré stands apart from its French brethren because of its
light, residual sweetness, which creates a full-bodied apple flavor.
It's semi-dry instead of bone-dry, and that extra hint of sugar gives it
an eminently more quaffable quality than the others. Made from apples
grown on a 74-acre estate, this is cider for the wine glass, but the
Etienne Dupont flirts with the pint so well that you might end up
bogarting the whole bottle, one stemmed pour at a time. PARKER HALL.
Eric Bordelet Sidre Brut Tendre, $17.
Known
as one of the world's top cider makers, Bordelet's low-ABV offerings
might be mistaken as delicate, apple-tinged fruit juice at first sip.
Softly tannic to start, it reminds of caramel apples without any sickly
sweetness. Drink this deliberately, as the bubbles dance down the throat
when swallowed slowly. You should probably pair it with fancy cheese.
TYLER HURST.
Spanish
The more tart Spanish style, usually fermented with wild yeast, is known for its acidic, musty and somewhat Band-Aid aroma that gives way to a tannic, dry finish that you'll taste in your burps later. Easily the most complex of the three, probably due to its yeasts, Spanish cider should be approached with care.
Great because: You'll sniff what a gladiator did while competing in the Colosseum.
Haters say: Tastes like chewing on straw while smelling a Band-Aid.
Try these:
Petritegi, $11.
One of the great
Basque houses, Petritegi is as essential as it is ubiquitous among shops
that carry any form of Spanish elixir. The color of daisies on an
overcast day, Petritegi is yeast, funk and oak made into unbearable
lightness and tart sharpness. Which is to say, it is terrific, and it is
not for everyone. Savor it alone, and be happy. MATTHEW KORFHAGE.
Isastegi, $11.
Isastegi is
Peritegi's counterpoint, an equally widely available Basque from the
same region. It's a honey-straw concoction, lightly tart and dry to the
point of pinching, with complex and oaky notes. It is almost airy
compared to most other Basque ciders—compare especially the funky,
tropical juiciness and yeastiness of Sarasola, available at
Bushwhacker—which makes it a perfect summertime share, paired with
stinky cheese and the smell of grass. MATTHEW KORFHAGE.
The Big Apple: Portland's Cider Boom | Top 5 New Oregon Ciders | Portland Cider Pubs
English, French, and Spanish Cider Primer | New World Old World Ciders | Cider Calendar
WWeek 2015