:''For the non-alcoholic beverage known in some parts of the U.S. as apple cider, see apple cider.

Cider (IPA: ) is an alcoholic beverage made from the fermented juice of apples mainly, though pears are also used http://www.barkeeper.co.uk/News_Item.asp?News_ID=780; in the UK, pear cider is known as "perry". While any species of maloideae may be used, certain cultivar are preferred in some regions, and may be known as cider apples.

In the United States and parts of Canada, where the term "cider" almost exclusively refers to non-alcoholic apple juice (apple cider), the phrase hard cider is used to denote the fermented version.

The drink varies in alcoholic content from less than 3% in Cidre Doux to a maximum of around 8%, and appears golden yellow and sometimes cloudy.

Cider is very popular in the United Kingdom, especially in South West England, in comparison to other countries. The UK has the highest per capita consumption as well as the largest cider producing companies in the world http://www.cideruk.com/ including H. P. Bulmer, the largest . The drink is also popular and traditional in Brittany and Normandy (France), in Ireland and Asturias, Spain (''sidra''). Pear cider is popular in Sweden. The drink is making a resurgence in both Europe and the United States . Overall, the UK produces five million hectolitres (110 million imperial gallons) of cider per year.

Types of cider

The flavour of different ciders differ enormously. They can be classified in the first instance from dry to sweet. The appearance ranges from cloudy, often with sediment through light yellow or brown transparent to almost clear. The variations in colour and appearance are mostly due to filtering between pressing and fermentation. Sparkling and still ciders are made; sparkling is more common.

Modern, mass-produced ciders tend to be heavily processed and resemble sparkling wine in appearance. More traditional brands tend to be darker and cloudier, as less of the apple is filtered out. They are often stronger than processed varieties and taste more strongly of apples.

Almost colourless white cider is made by processing cider after the traditional milling process is complete. This processing allows the manufacturer to produce strong (typically 7-8% ABV) cider cheaply, quickly, and on an industrial scale.

More detail about the various types of cider by region can be found under the country headings below.

Scratting and pressing

Apples grown for consumption are suitable for cider making, though some regional cider-makers prefer to use a mix of eating and cider apples (as in Kent, England), or exclusively cider apples (as in the West Country, England). There are many hundreds of varieties of cultivars developed specifically for cidermaking.

Once the apples are gathered from trees in orchards they are "scratted" (ground down) into what is called "pomace" or "pommage". Historically this was done using pressing stones with circular troughs, or by a cider mill. Cider mills were traditionally driven by the hand, water-mill, or horse-power. In modern times they are likely to be powered by electricity. The pulp is then transferred to the cider "press", where the pommage is pressed and formed by pressure into a kind of cake, which is called the "cheese".

Traditionally the method for squeezing the juice from the cheese involves placing clear, sweet straw or hair cloths between the layers of pomace. This will usually alternate with slatted ash-wood racks, until there is a pile of ten or twelve layers. It is important to minimise the time that the pomace is exposed to air in order to keep oxidation to a minimum. The cheese needs to be constructed evenly, or the whole pile slithers onto the floor.

This pile is then subjected to different degrees of pressure in succession, until all the 'must' or juice is squeezed from the pomace. This juice, after being strained in a coarse hair-sieve, is then put into either open vats or closed casks. The pressed pulp is given to farm animals as winter feed, composted or discarded, or used to make liqueurs {{cite web|url=http://www.somerset.gov.uk/celebratingsomerset/cidermap/home.htm |title=Somerset Cider
|accessdate=2006-06-20 |author= James Crowden|publisher=Somerset County Council}}, ^''a'' Orcharding year, ^''b'' Somerset cider producers.

Fermentation

Fermentation is best effected at a temperature of 4 to 16 °C (40 to 60 °F). This is low for most kinds of fermentation, but works for cider as it leads to slower fermentation with less loss of delicate aromas.

Shortly before the fermentation consumes all the sugar, the liquor is "racked" into new vats. This leaves dead yeast cells and other undesirable material at the bottom of the old vat. At this point it becomes important to exclude airborne acetic bacteria, so care is taken to fill the vat completely, and the fermenting of the remaining available sugar generates a small amount of carbon dioxide that helps to prevent air seeping in. This also creates a certain amount of sparkle, and sometimes extra sugar, such as white cane sugar, is added at this stage for this purpose and also to raise the alcohol level. Racking is sometimes repeated if the liquor remains too cloudy.

Homebrewers can use elaborate 55 gallon plastic drums. More simply they use a 2 or 3 liter bottle of pasteurized store bought preservative free apple juice, add a touch of yeast (wine yeast ideally), and replace the cap after drilling a small snug hole for an airlock. For larger batches of hard cider, using a culligan water jug works with the addition of a rubber stopper, or even a garbage bag, to keep the system sealed. However, the use of a glass carboy is preferred, since the plastic jugs can affect the taste severely. The cider may then be racked by careful pouring and bottled with 3 tsp. of raw sugar into a 2 liter pop bottle to secondarily ferment for carbonation. Apple based juices with cranberry also make fine ciders; and many other fruit purees or flavorings can be used, such as grape, cherry, and raspberry.

The cider is ready to drink after a three month fermentation period, though more often it is matured in the vats for up to two or three years.

Blending and bottling

For larger-scale cider production, ciders from vats produced from different varieties of apple may be blended to accord with market taste. If the cider is to be bottled, usually some extra sugar is added for sparkle. Higher quality ciders can be made using the champagne method, but this is expensive in time and money and requires special corks, bottles, and other equipment. Some home brewers use beer bottles, which work perfectly well, and inexpensively. This allows the cider to become naturally carbonated.

Health

Conventional apple cider has a relatively high concentration of phenolics and antioxidants which may be helpful for preventing heart disease, cancer, and other ailmentshttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=10552763&dopt=Abstract. This is, in part, because apples themselves have a decent concentration of phenolics in them to begin with.

It can be very acidic and contain high sugar levels. Excessive consumption can therefore erode the tooth enamel rapidly.

Uses of cider

A distilled spirit, apple brandy, is made from cider. Its best known forms are Calvados and applejack. Applejack is a strong alcoholic beverage made in North America by concentrating cider, either by the traditional method of "freeze distillation", or by true evaporative distillation. In traditional freeze distillation, a barrel of cider is left outside during the winter. When the temperature is low enough, the water in the cider starts to freeze. If the ice is removed, the (now more concentrated) alcoholic solution is left behind in the barrel. If the process is repeated often enough, and the temperature is low enough, the alcohol concentration is raised to 30–40% alcohol by volume. In freeze distillation, methanol and fusel oil, which are natural fermentation byproducts, may reach harmful concentrations. These toxins can be separated when regular heat distillation is performed. Home production of applejack is illegal in most countries.

A popular aperitif in Normandy is ''pommeau''—a drink produced by blending unfermented cider and apple brandy in the barrel (the high alcoholic content of the spirit stops the fermentation process of the cider and the blend takes on the character of the aged barrel).

Cocktails may include cider. Besides kir and snakebite, an example is Black Velvet in a version of which cider may replace champagne, usually referred to as a "Poor Man's Black Velvet".

A few producers in Quebec have developed "ice cider" (French: ''cidre de glace''), sometimes called "apple ice wine"), inspired from ice wines, where the apples are naturally frozen either before or after harvest. The alcohol concentration of ice cider is 9–13%.

Related drinks

Other fruits can be used to make cider-like drinks. The most popular is perry, known in France as ''poiré'' and produced mostly in Normandy, which is made from fermented pear-juice. A branded sweet perry known as Babycham, marketed principally as a women's drink and sold in miniature Champagne-style bottles, was once popular but has now become unfashionable. Another related drink is cyser (cider fermented with honey).

Although not widely made in modern times, various other pome fruits can produce palatable drinks. Apicius, in Book II of De re coquinaria, includes a recipe calling for quince cider.

Another similar drink is plum jerkum, made from fermented plums, traditional of Warwickshire in the English Midlands. It is said that it "left the head clear while paralysing the legs". The Warwickshire Drooper plum from which it is traditionally brewed is now uncommon, which explains the rarity of the drink.Peach juice can be fermented into "peachy".

Argentina

In Argentina, cider, or ''sidra'' is by far the most popular alcoholic carbonated drink during the Christmas and New Year holidays. It has traditionally been considered the choice of the middle and lower classes (along with ''ananá fizz'', a sort of pineapple cider), whereas the higher classes would rather go for champagne for their Christmas or New Year toast. Popular commercial brands of cider are ''Real'', ''La Farruca'' and ''Rama Caída''. It is usually marketed in 0.7-liter glass or plastic bottles.

Australia

In Australia, 'cider' is considered an alcoholic beverage made from apples. The most popular brands of alcoholic cider in Australia are Strongbow, and Mercury Cider made at the Cascade Brewery in Hobart, Tasmania. Cascade's 'Apple Isle' Sparkling Apple Juice is the most popular selling brand of non-alcoholic cider in Australia. Alcoholic cider is sold in bottleshops, while the non-alcoholic version is stocked in the soft-drink aisles of supermarkets.

Canada

In Quebec, cider is considered a traditional alcoholic beverage. Cidermaking was, however, forbidden from the early years of the British rule as it was in direct conflict with established British brewers' interests (most notably John Molson). In recent years, a unique variety has emerged on the market: ice cider. This type of cider is made from apples with a particularly high level of sugar caused by natural frost.

In Ontario, 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. Waupoos is a brand of cider commercially manufactured in Ontario.

In New Brunswick, cider is commercially available from the Gagetown Cider Company and several small farms.

Cider is commercially produced in British Columbia, New Brunswick and Ontario, usually with a 7% alcohol content. It is sold in 341 ml glass bottles or sometimes in 2-litre plastic bottles, and does not have the added sugar injected into much of US hard cider.

Channel Islands

Along with Normandy, the Channel Islands had a strong cider-making tradition. Cider had been the ordinary drink of people of Jersey from the 16th century, when the commercial opportunities offered by cider exports spurred the transformation of feudal open-field agriculture to enclosure. Until the 19th century, it was the largest agricultural export with up to a quarter of the agricultural land given over to orchards. In 1839, for example, 268,199 gallons of cider were exported from Jersey to England alone,''Balleine's History of Jersey'', ISBN 1-86077-065-7 and almost half a million gallons were exported from Guernsey 1834-1843''Cider-making, An Old-time Guernsey industry'', Priaulx, Guernsey, nd, but by 1870 exports from Jersey had slumped to 4,632 gallons''The Triumph of the Country'', Kelleher, Jersey 1994, ISBN 0-9518162-4-1. Beer had replaced cider as a fashionable drink in the main export markets, and even the home markets had switched to beer as the population became more urban. Potatoes overtook cider as the most important crop in Jersey in the 1840s, and in Guernsey glasshouse tomato production grew in importance. Small-scale cider production on farms for domestic consumption, particularly by seasonal workers from Brittany and mainland Normandy, was maintained, but by the mid-20th century production dwindled until only 8 farms were producing cider for their own consumption in 1983Jersey Society in London, Bulletin, 1983. The number of orchards had been reduced to such a level that the destruction of trees in the Great Storm of 1987 demonstrated how close the Islands had come to losing many of its traditional cider apple varieties. A concerted effort was made to identify and preserve surviving varieties and new orchards were planted. As part of diversification, farmers have moved into commercial cider production, and the cider tradition is celebrated and marketed as a heritage experience. In Jersey, a strong (above 7%) variety is currently sold in shops and a ''bouché'' style is also marketed.Jersey Evening Post, 22 July 2006

In Jersey, cider is used in the preparation of ''black butter'' (Jèrriais: ''nièr beurre''), a traditional preserve.

France

French ''cidre'' is an alcoholic drink produced predominantly in Normandy and Brittany. It varies in strength from below 4% alcohol to considerably more. Cidre Doux is a sweet cider, usually up to 3% in strength. 'Demi-Sec' is from 3 to 5% and Cidre Brut is a strong dry cider of 5% alcohol and above. Most French ciders are sparkling. Higher quality cider is sold in Champagne-style bottles (''cidre bouché''), and while much of cidre is sold in corked bottles, some screw-top bottles exist. Until the mid-20th century, cidre was the second most-consumed drink in France (after wine) but an increase in the popularity of beer displaced cider's market share outside traditional cider-producing regions. In restaurants in Brittany, cider is sometimes served in traditional ceramic bowls (or wide cups) rather than glasses. A ''kir normand'' is a cocktail apéritif made with cider and cassis, rather than white wine and cassis for the traditional ''kir''.

Some cider is also made in southwestern France, in the French portion of the Basque Country. It is a traditional drink there and is making a recovery. Ciders produced here are generally of the style seen in Spanish part of the Basque country.

Keeving

Breton cidermaking employs the technique of keeving (from the French ''cuvée''). In keeving, calcium chloride and a special enzyme are added to the pressed apple juice, causing protein in the juice to precipitate to the top for removal. This reduces the amount of protein available to the yeast, starving it and therefore causing the cider to finish fermenting while sugar is still available. The result is a sweeter drink at a lower alcohol level but still retaining the full flavor of the apples, without dilution.

Germany

German cider, usually called ''Apfelwein'' (apple wine), and regionally known as ''Apfelmost'' (apple must), ''Viez'' (from Latin ''vice'', the second or substitute wine), or ''Saurer Most'' (sour must), has an alcohol content of 5.5% - 7% and a tart, sour taste.

German cider is mainly produced and consumed in Hesse, particularly in the Frankfurt, Wetterau and Odenwald areas, in Moselfranken, Merzig (Saarland) and the Trier area, as well as the lower Saar area and the region bordering on Luxembourg. In these regions, there are several large producers, as well as numerous small, private producers often using traditional recipes.

In some of these regions, there are regular cider competitions and fairs, in which the small, private producers participate. Cider songs are composed and sung at these events. The Merzig region crowns a Viez Queen, and the lower Saar area a Viez King.

An official ''Viez route'' or cider route connects Saarburg with the border to Luxembourg.

India

Cider is a new introduction in India under the brand Tempest, produced by Green Valley Cider in the apple-producing state of Himachal Pradesh, India. Tempest is primarily available in the carbonated form and is increasing in popularity.
However, traditionally and not described as ''cider'', it has been locally produced in villages in the apple-producing states of Uttaranchal and Himachal Pradesh. Now sold all over India as Appy a fizzy drink.

Mexico

There are two types of cider (''sidra'') sold in Mexico. One type is a popular apple flavored carbonated soft drink, sold under a number of soft drink brands, such as Sidral Mundet (a Jarritos brand) and Manzana Blast (a Coca-Cola FEMSA brand). The alcoholic ''sidra'' is a sparkling cider typically sold in champagne-style bottles. ''Sidra'' is, due to the expense of imported champagne, the traditional drink used for New Year's Eve toasts in Mexico.

Spain

The Spanish regions of Asturias, Cantabria and the Basque Country are well known for traditional ''sidra'', an alcoholic cider of 4 to 8% strength. ''Sidra'', also ''sagardoa'' in the Basque Country, is traditionally poured in very small quantities from a height into a wide glass, with the arm holding the bottle extended upwards and the one holding the glass extended downwards. This technique is called to ''escanciar'' (also ''echar'' in Asturian) and is done to get air bubbles into the drink, thus giving it a sparkling taste like Champagne that lasts a very short time. Spanish ''sidra'' is closely associated with ''sidrerías'' or ''sidreríes'' (Asturias) or ''sagardotegiak'' (Euskadi) ("cider houses"). In the Basque region of Guipúzcoa, it is a tradition to visit ''sagardotegiak'' between February and May to drink new ''sidra'' from the barrel with a a meal.

The United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, cider is mostly associated with the West Country and Herefordshire, but is also produced in Wales and the east of England, particularly Kent, Suffolk and Norfolk. Cider is available in sweet, medium and dry varieties.

There are two broad main traditions in cider production in the UK - the West tradition and the Kent and East Anglia tradition. The former are made using a much higher percentage of true cider-apples and so are richer in tannins and sharper in flavour. Kent and East Anglia ciders tend to use a higher percentage of, or are exclusively made from, culinary and dessert fruit; Kentish ciders (such as Biddenden's) are typical of this style. They tend to be clearer, more vinous and lighter in body and flavour.

At one end of the scale are the traditional, small farm-produced varieties. These are non-carbonated and usually cloudy orange in appearance. England's West Country contains many of these farms. Production is often on such a small scale the product is only sold at the point of manufacture or in local pubs and shops. . At the other end of the scale are the mass production cider factories producing Magners "Irish Cider" and Hereford's Strongbow Cider.

Mass produced commercial cider such as that produced by Bulmers is likely to be pasteurised and force-carbonated. The colour is likely to be golden yellow with a clear appearance from the filtration.

''White ciders'' are almost clear in appearance.

Recent years have seen a significant increase in cider sales in the UK.Magners leads the great cider revival (Times Online)

The West Country of England

Cider made in the West Country are often called "scrumpy", from "scrump",Scrumptious Somerset a local dialect term for a small or withered apple. The archaic spelling ''cyder'' is sometimes used, but as a marketing ploy rather than authentic usage. Ciders from Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire made from traditional recipes forms a European Union Protected Geographical Indication; traditional cider is also made in Devon and Somerset. Examples of a working cider house still existed here in recent times, though many have now gone. There are over 25 cider producers in Somerset alone, many of them small family businesses.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, a condition known as Devon colic, a form of lead poisoning, was associated with the consumption of cider, vanishing after a campaign to remove lead components from cider presses in the early 19th century.

Shepton Mallet, Somerset, is home to the largest cider plant in Europe. This plant produces Blackthorn and Olde English as well as light perry Babycham.

Wales

Cider and perry production in Wales began a dramatic revival in the early 2000s, with many small firms entering production throughout the country. Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) has actively encouraged this trend, and Welsh ciders and perries have won many awards at CAMRA festivals; meanwhile, the establishment of groups such as UKCider and the Welsh Perry & Cider Society have spurred communication among producers.

Welsh varieties of apples and pears are often distinct from those grown in England, giving cider from Wales a flavour noticeably different to ciders from nearby regions.

Definition of real cider

CAMRA define "real" cider as a product containing at least 90% fresh apple juice, with no ''added'' flavourings or colourings. CAMRA appear to endorse chaptalisation of the juice (added sugar prior to fermentation plus dilution with water afterwards)http://www.camra.org.uk/page.aspx?o=aboutciderandperry.

UKCider define "real" cider as a product containing at least 85% fresh apple juice, with no ''artificial'' flavourings or colourings. UKcider campaigns for the percentage juice content to be listed as part of a full ingredients labellinghttp://ukcider.co.uk/wiki/index.php/Real_Cider.

The United States

During colonial times apple cider was consumed as the main beverage with meals because water was often unsafe for drinking. Ciderkin, a very weak, slightly cidery beverage made from cider pomace could also be found on colonial tables.

Somewhere around the time of Prohibition the word ''cider'' came to mean sparkling apple juice, possibly through the influence of Martinelli's sparkling apple cider, once touted specifically as "non-alcoholic cider". Martinelli's is sold as "cider" or "juice" depending on regional usage.

In other parts of the United States the word "cider" simply means unfiltered, unfermented apple juice. For instance, in Pennsylvania, apple cider is legally defined as an "amber golden, opaque, unfermented, entirely non-alcoholic juice squeezed from apples".Natural or artificial flavours or colours generally recognized as safe may be added if their presence is declared on the label by the use of the word "Imitation" in type at least one-half the size of the type used to declare the flavour. Cider containing more than 0.15 percent alcohol by volume is classified as hard cider.

Alcoholic cider is produced in the United States, especially in New England and upstate New York. Woodchuck cider, from Vermont, is one of the most common brands in the north-eastern US; Cider Jack is available nationally.