Best Hard Cider? [moved from Spirits board]

[CharlieKilo]

Who makes the best (widely available) hard cider? I've never had hard cider, but I just bought some Hornsby's to try. Is it any good?

[JMF]

That's a tough question to answer. Each of the major cider producing countries has one or more styles of cider. Usually one or more traditional styles, and then softer, sweeter stuff for the general public. Some times these products are good, and some are awful and bear little relation to traditional cider.

Hornsby isn't a traditional cider, has additional flavoring added, and falls into the class of drinkable, but not that good. That said, I have had a few of them over the years, and I know lots of people who like it. They tend to be the type of people who like light beer and budweiser.

[CharlieKilo]

Hmm. Not encouraging. Can you recomend a good "traditional" cider?

( I HATE Budweiser.)

[JMF]

Like dsp says, where are you located?

[CharlieKilo]

Dallas. Not exactly apple teritory....
Any ideas?

[davis_sq_pro]

I'm not sure where in the world you're located, but if at all possible try to find something locally and artisanally made. High quality ciders tend to be rather expensive -- I've seen bottles go for upwards of $20 -- but it will taste like it's supposed to. IMHO cider should not be sweet, and should not be heavily carbonated. The commercial stuff is syrupy sweet and tastes more like apple pucker than real apples.

In my opinion if you want to taste truly great hard cider you're going to have to make your own. It's not at all difficult to make -- the hardest part of the process is having the patience to let it rest -- and the end result is usually far superior to any of the brands I've seen for sale.

[JMF]

True, making hard cider is easy. It was home cider making that led to my first professional cider making job.

[Gio]

Can I just pop in here to say that we like Woodchuck Hard Cider made in Vermont. We drink it and it's great to cook with. I believe it's widely available... in my little corner of the world, north of Boston, within 5 miles there are 20 sources.

http://www.woodchuck.com/about-us/

[eade]

We've gotten hard cider by leaving unpasteurized cider in the refrigerator for "too long". But it turned out to be not too long because our hard cider tasted as good as other professionally prepared hard cider we've had.

[JMF]

Yes, good hard cider can be easy to make. Refrigerator style with wild yeasts can be good, or horrible, it depends upon the local wild yeasts. Both in the orchard, where the cider is pressed, and in the home.

[JMF]

Woodchuck starts out well made, but then they add "secret Ingredients" for flavor. Probably natural apple and other fruit concentrates. If that is so, that's ok, but if they use artificial flavoring, then not so good. If I remember it's better tasting than Hornsby. But it's been years since I had any of the mass made ciders.

I haven't tried the cider made by Harpoon brewing in Boston, but the cider maker took the same advanced hard cider production courses as I did at Cornell University.

Doc's hard cider from Warwick Winery in NY is very good.

Farnham Hills hard cider from New Hampshire is probably the most traditional hard cider in the US. They have a huge variety of reeal cider apples, not the dessert apples that most folks have to use. they have russets, bittersharps, bittersweets, etc. They may be a bit too assertive and tat or even bitter for most people. But they are very well crafted and of excellent quality.

[Gio]

I'm glad you mentioned the Farnum's cider. I was just reading about it on another thread, and their web site explains what they do very well. I'm going to look for it today...

[JMF]

Farnham's cider can be a bit much for some people. But it's what real, traditional, colonial cider was like.

[Gio]

Too sweet? Too tart?? Too what? Couldn't break away to go shopping again...BTW.

[JMF]

Very dry, complex, sometimes funky and earthy. It all depends upon the blend.

[Gio]

OK thanks, JMF. I'll just have to buy and taste for myself...

[greygarious]

Gio, a few years ago I heard an NPR discussion of the ciders made in Western Massachusetts in towns like Colrain. There is a cider-tasting tour/festival (I can't recall which) in that area every fall.

I liked the Woodchuck but not as much as Bulmer's London Dry Cider, which was available during the 1980's but then disappeared. Since alcohol interferes with the heart meds I take now, I have not looked into whether or not it ever returned.

[sourcandy]

Harpoon makes a surprisingly solid cider, surprising since I find the majority of harpoon products to be undrinkable.

Woodchuck does seem to add flavors and this works better in some of their bottles than others. The granny smith is too tart and chemically, but the Fall seasonal cider is absolutely amazing. One of the easiest drinking ciders I've ever had.

[Jenny Ondioline]

Harpoon's cider is world-class. Very dry, but bracingly crisp.

[J3107]

Hornsby is not bad, I'd say its about the same as Woodchuck maybe a touch drier. Harpoon is also a good American produced cider. There are smaller producers which in my experience tend to be a little better but they are harder to find distributed nationally.

For imports I would say that one of the best is from Samuel Smith. Wholefoods tends to carry it. Strongbow another English import is also quite good.

Etienne Dupont Cidre Bouché from France and other French farmhouse ciders are a bit different and tend to be light and refreshing akin to a sparkling wine. But if tasting french ciders take note that pommeaux is cider blended with Calvados and comes in with an ABV in the high teens as opposed to the beer like 5 or 6% of most other ciders.

The larger producers, particularly here in the States, due to tend to be a bit on the sugary side but dry ones exist and both can be delicious. I find hard cider very enjoyable especially in Fall season. Cheers!

[TheDewster]

Here are some available in Canada you can ask at a store in the U.S. to see if they can get them
We are horribly overtaxed aren't we? I like Bulmer's and Magders and Strongbow on tap.
1. BLACKTHORN CIDER
United Kingdom | Matthew Clark Brands Ltd
LCBO 619551 | 500 mL | $ 2.85

2. BULMERS ORIGINAL CIDER
United Kingdom | Scottish & Newcastle Breweries Ltd.
LCBO 99002 | 568 mL | $ 3.95

3. CIDRERIE ST-NICOLAS POM'OR TRADITION CRACKLING CIDER
Canada | Ciderie St Nicholas
VINTAGES 179473 | 750 mL | $ 12.95

4. CLOS SAINT-DENIS BOURG SAINT-DENIS CIDER 2007
Canada | Mondia Alliance
VINTAGES 89490 | 750 mL | $ 12.80

5. COUNTY CIDER PET
Canada | County Cider Company
LCBO 459370 | 1000 mL | $ 7.85

6. CRACKED APPLE
United Kingdom | Beverage Brands (Uk) Ltd.
LCBO 94243 | 500 mL | $ 3.35 |

7. CREMANT CIDRERIE ST-NICOLAS
Canada | Ciderie St Nicholas
LCBO 61671 | 750 mL | $ 11.80

8. DOMAINE PINNACLE ICE CIDER
Canada | Domaine Pinnacle
LCBO 94094 | 375 mL | $ 30.30

9. DOMAINE PINNACLE ICE CIDER
Canada | Domaine Pinnacle
LCBO 6924 | 375 mL | $ 34.95

10. DOMAINE PINNACLE SPARKLING ICE CIDER
Canada | Domaine Pinnacle
LCBO 52365 | 375 mL | $ 44.95
11. GAYMERS ORIGINAL CIDER
United Kingdom | Vincor International Inc.
LCBO 105783 | 500 mL | $ 2.95

12. GROWERS BLUEBERRY CIDER
Canada | Vincor International Inc.
LCBO 174599 | 6x341 mL | $ 10.95

13. GROWERS GRANNY SMITH CIDER
Canada | Vincor International Inc.
LCBO 384800 | 6x341 mL | $ 10.95

14. GROWERS PEACH CIDER
Canada | Vincor International Inc.
LCBO 174607 | 6x341 mL | $ 10.95

15. GROWERS POMEGRANATE CIDER
Canada | Vincor International Inc.
LCBO 36343 | 6x341 mL | $ 10.95 |

16. MAGNERS ORIGINAL IRISH CIDER
Ireland | William Magner & Co
LCBO 699389 | 500 mL | $ 2.90

17. PEELER PREMIUM LIGHT CIDER
Canada | Thornbury Village Cidery Inc.
LCBO 146043 | 4x341 mL
WAS: $ 11.95 | NOW: $ 10.95 | SAVE: $ 1.00

18. REKORDERLIG ELDERFLOWER
Sweden | Ab Abro Bryggeri
LCBO 174615 | 500 mL | $ 2.90

19. REKORDERLIG WILD BERRY
Sweden | Ab Abro Bryggeri
LCBO 91850 | 500 mL | $ 2.55

20. SAMUEL SMITH'S ORGANIC CIDER
United Kingdom | Samuel Smith Old Brewery
LCBO 173047 | 550 mL | $ 4.95

21. SIR PERRY BERRY
United Kingdom | William'S Orchards
LCBO 174573 | 500 mL
WAS: $ 2.85 | NOW: $ 2.65 | SAVE: $ 0.20

22. SIR PERRY PEAR CIDER
United Kingdom | Matthew Clark Brands Ltd
LCBO 8144 | 500 mL | $ 2.85

23. STOWFORD PRESS ENGLISH EXPORT CIDER
United Kingdom | Westons Of Much Marcle
LCBO 130815 | 500 mL | $ 3.70

31. WAUPOOS PREMIUM CIDER
Canada | County Cider Company
LCBO 612804 | 4x341 mL | $ 13.35

32. WESTONS PREMIUM ORGANIC CIDER GIFT PACK**
United Kingdom | Westons Of Much Marcle
LCBO 131938 | 2x500 mL | $ 10.60

33. WILLIAM PREMIUM CIDER
Canada | Cidrerie Solar
LCBO 173039 | 473 mL | $ 2.75

[CharlieKilo]

Horribly overtaxed?
I'd say horribly understimulated.
But thanks for the verbose reply.

[TheDewster]

sorry I bothered

[PoppiYYZ]

VERY easy to make your own and NOW is the time. All you need is unpasteurized apple juice (somewhat hard to find), one pack of EC118 wine yeast, a carboy, and some time.

Personally I prefer Apfelwein from the Hessen region of Germany (around Frankfurt). It isn't available here unfortunately, but I buy it in Florida each winter. It is very very dry, high acidity, ~5-6 % alcohol, with a sharp crisp apple flavour. Excellent stuff for summer patio sipping. My recipe is very close (some say better). Glad to share easy recipe details if you are interested.

If you aren't going to Florida, and won't make your own, buy Strongbow. Hornby's is also drinkable (it makes a great break from US beer when in the states).

PS Thanks for the detailed list Dewster. There are some there I haven't tried. I appreciate your effort.

[davis_sq_pro]

I much prefer the D47 strain to the EC118. D47 produces a less-dry, heavier-bodied product, and promotes malolactic fermentation, ensuring that the end result won't be excruciatingly tart. I also like to play with ale yeasts, e.g. S-04 or T-58. Esters help make the end product a bit more interesting. I've also played with the White Labs "cider" strains and was not happy with the end results, which seemed to have a very yeasty bite. And in my opinion cider makers should avoid Champagne yeasts at all costs, as they tend to produce something completely fermented out and with nearly zero remaining personality. Unfortunately, most homebrew stores recommend Champagne yeast to beginning cider makers, which I think ends up turning a lot of people off.

I usually use an adjunct (raw brown sugar, golden syrup, maple syrup, malt extract, or honey) at a rate of ~12oz/gallon to bump up the alcohol content, mouthfeel, and color, and leave the cider in primary for ~6 months, then secondary for at least a year, before going into a keg. The raw brown sugar batches have been my most successful, followed by golden syrup. Honey ferments out way too dry for my taste, and malt extract just didn't turn out well. I actually can't remember how the maple worked the first time I tried it but I have another batch in primary right now so we'll see next year. Another fun twist is to add raspberry or cherry juice in secondary (~0.2 gallons per gallon of cider). Or you could use whole berries but this is more of a hassle than it's worth in my opinion.

I've tried simply fermenting the cider as-is, and this certainly produces something drinkable much more quickly, but I personally prefer a more flavorful, robust beverage. Whereas you drink yours in the summer, I tend to consume mine from late fall through early spring :-)

[TheDewster]

Now that's a cool hobby!

[davis_sq_pro]

Actually it's profoundly uncool for the entire time it's fermenting and aging. And then, quite suddenly, the very moment that the keg is tapped it becomes really, really, really cool. At least, that's how my friends seem to treat it.

[TheDewster]

You must have bought a beer keg how much are they and do you need a valve for the fermenting period?

[davis_sq_pro]

I ferment in glass carboys (5 or 6 gallon bottles of the type that used to be used on the top of water coolers before they switched to plastic). The carboys are topped with airlocks, held in place with rubber stoppers. They cost around $25 each but will last a lifetime if you take care of them and don't drop them on the ground. Mine are 10+ years old at this point and are good as new. There are some plastic models available, but plastic scares me for a number of reasons.

The kegs I use are 5 gallon soda kegs, known as "Cornelius" kegs. The initial investment was around $200, including a couple of kegs, a 5 pound CO2 tank, and a gas regulator. Additional kegs cost around $40 IIRC. Unfortunately unlike carboys, the kegs do need occasional maintenance -- replacement of rubber grommets, etc.

It's also nice to have a fridge, unless you have a cool cellar or like to drink room temperature beer. I used to live in a house with a stone basement that stayed relatively cool all year long, but these days I store my kegs in a repurposed wine fridge, which keeps things cool but not ice cold. Some people also set up a nice tap system, etc, but I don't bother with anything fancier than a picnic tap.

[PoppiYYZ]

Thanks for the info DSP - very interesting indeed. Clearly you have developed the art form.

I may start another carboy this year and will try the D47. It is the crisp tart flavor I personally like, likely due to the immediate appeal Apfelwein had on me (I lived near Frankfurt for a number of years). The EC118 was a recommendation from a wise basement Apfelwein maker. However, you are right, some find it too tart - although my "Customers" seem to come back more eagerly year over year.

I have experimented with additional sugars to boost the product, but found my results didn't warrant the cost / effort. Starting SG with late season apples here is 1.055 and I let it fully ferment in a cool basement room (10C/50F) until April racking 4 times, Some German friends use a small amount of Apple Liquor to boost their alcohol and flavor (but I personally like "au naturel").

This method also makes an excellent fresh young cider. In many basements in Germany, the Poppa racks his Apfelwein near Christmas time and comes up with rosy cheeks. A tradition I heartily endorse.

Thanks again for your info.

[davis_sq_pro]

I've never even heard of Apfelwein before reading your post, so I'm not sure what it's supposed to taste like. I just Googled around a bit and it seems like most recipes call for the addition of corn sugar. I can see why this didn't do much for you; it is 100% fermentable so it doesn't add anything except for more alcohol and maybe a slightly more "cidery" flavor (at least, it does that to beer).

A raw brown sugar, on the other hand, has a bunch of unfermentable molasses and contributes color, body, and even a bit of sweetness to the end product. It will probably not taste like the Apfelwein you're after but maybe a change will be nice :-) ... if you give it and the D47 a try, please write back and let us know how it turns out. And please give it plenty of time to mature.

By the way, love the Christmas tradition. Unfortunately, since I make my ciders in mid-late October (apple harvest time here in MA), and I don't rack until late winter or early spring, it's not going to be one I can take part in :-)

[PoppiYYZ]

Second racking and tasting of the Apfelwein today. Man is this stuff good. Since it's still young (started November 22nd) it has a little fizz, a slight touch of sweetness, and a clean crisp apple flavor. Perfectly drinkable as it us now, in fact I may prefer this younger version. Strongbow is my favorite commercial cider, but this is quite different and IMHO much better.

Didn't get that batch started with D47 DSP, but next year it's a guarantee....

[chevrelove]

Davis_sq_pro, realizing this thread is almost a year old, I'm doubtful you'll see this. However if you do, curious to know - do you ever press your own cider or rely on the unpasteurized from local orchards?

[davis_sq_pro]

Nope, I've never pressed my own or had it custom pressed. Looks like you're also in the Boston area? I've been getting my cider for the past several years from this guy:

http://www.philsapples.com/

His cider is excellent. And he always gets annoyed when I say that I want 6 gallons ("I won't have enough for other customers"), and even more annoyed when I tell him I'm going to ferment it ("don't know why you'd want to do that"). Which makes things all the more fun!

p.s. if you look in your profile you'll see threads in which you've participated, and those with recent replies are right at the top--so it's never too late.

[PoppiYYZ]

Ha ha ha. The farmer (aka curmudgeon) I buy my unpasteurized apple juice from also gets puckery when I show up with two 5 gallon pails. Instead of giving me a bulk discount, he seems to want me to pay a premium !

I gave him two bottles of my cider last year as a peace offering and he wasn't impressed with that either.

Looking forward to trying a batch with D47 yeast this fall !

[davis_sq_pro]

Hope it works out for you! Just last week I tapped the keg full of my October 2009 batch, and after the first few glasses -- which were somewhat yeasty tasting and went down the drain -- the rest has been very nice and clean, with a strong apple flavor and a bit of residual sweetness.

My maple batch, by the way, was racked into secondary in April. It tasted okay, but was very sweet and still quite cloudy at that point. Another six months or so should fix that problem.

Now to figure out which adjunct to use this year...

[PoppiYYZ]

Hello DSP !

Made the first racking and - more importantly - tasting of the two 23L batches of Cider started last Nov 22nd ! Both batches have stopped all fermentation, and although both batches are much cloudier than I usually get, there is a distinct difference between the D47 and EC118 versions.

In comparison to the EC1118, the D47 tastes a little nuttier (or caramellier) and has more of an apple sauce flavor. Acid checked out at 5.0 g/L with my little test kit.

The EC1118 is sharper (although acid is also 4.5-5.0), has hint of a fine fizz, and is definitely more wine-like. At this early stage it makes one think of Beajulais Nouveau (I know a wine snob would snot himself with me saying that, but hey, we are in the beer section so maybe none will notice !).

In any case, both styles have turned out EXCELLENT and I look forward to comparing them after they've had a little more time.

How's your batch(es) coming ?

[davis_sq_pro]

Grad to hear that your batches turned out so well. You started them on November 22 of 2011? I can imagine they'd still be a bit cloudy -- they'll drop crystal clear if you give 'em time -- RDWHAHB :-)

Unfortunately I failed to make a batch this last year, a result of too much stress at work making me exceptionally lazy on the weekends. Which is too bad, because my 2009 batch, which I mention that I tapped in August 2011, was by far my best ever.

I kegged my 2010 maple adjunct batch sometime late last year, but I won't tap it until August or September. It tasted good but still just a bit on the sweet side. Really hoping that a bit of residual fermentation takes care of that.

Did you end up using any adjuncts in either of your batches? After last year I think I'm only going to use brown sugar and/or treacle going forward. It was just so good that I don't think anything else is worth the time.

[PoppiYYZ]

Sad to hear no new batches are brewing but your keg cider should be fantastic.

I didn't use any additions, just pure juice and only one pouch of yeast in each 23L (approx 6 gal) Carboy. Ended up with a large amount of sediment, but I still got a very full fill when I racked them down to my two smaller 20L Carboys, plus about a 1/3 gallon extra each for sampling !

[chevrelove]

Excellent, thanks! I am indeed in the Boston area (not too far from Davis Sq actually) and am looking to acquaint myself with hard cider making this fall. I can order gallons of the unpasteurized stuff through my CSA and likely will, but from what I've read, cider is improved with the addition of small percentages of "cider" apples (you know, the kind you wouldn't eat because they're too bitter/tart/sharp, etc.) And, fingers crossed, I think I've found a good local source of these.

Phil's UPick sounds great, but I'll be sure to only purchase a few gallons so as not to arouse any suspicions of hard-cider making on Phil's part ;-)

[ribeye621]

I would second (third?) Strongbow. It's not too hard to find here in well-stocked liquor stores.

[hungry_fox]

While woodchuck is extremely easy to find, I'd hardly say it's the best (we drink A LOT of hard cider, in fact in our crowd it's the drink of choice if we're not having hard liquor). If you can find it, Strongbow is the best, it's an English import that is so extremely tasty and crisp, if not, Hardcore is a definite 2nd followed down the road by woodchuck.

[PartyGirl43]

Just tried Crispin Hard Cider and I liked it, I just wished it came in a smaller bottle instead of 22 ounces.

[Jim Dorsch]

Crispin makes quite a few varieties, some in 4pks of 12oz. take a look at their website.

[cheesehead in recovery]

We found some Magners and really like it. Not as sweet as Woodchuck

[Ernie Diamond]

Woodchuck, Hornsby's, Strongbow, Magners, Bulmers, Sam Smith are all more or less pasturized sticky gunk. I enjoy one from time to time, yes but the availability of good ciders regardless of style is frustratingly slim in even the best markets.

I will say that you should be satisfied that whatever cider you find easily is going to be about as good as the next. don't fret too much about whether Woodchuck is better than Original Sin, in other words. It's sort of like trying to decide who makes the best lite beer.

If you do find yourself in a position to try other, harder to find varieties, I suggest you try French bottles such as DuPont. The products that come over from there, for whatever reason are made with tradition in mind and taste very close to the best available in France. The same, sadly can't be said for British offerings.

[bulavinaka]

I don't know what characteristics make a good cider, but I've been really happy with Wandering Aengus:

http://www.wanderingaengus.com/

Crispin has recently showed up at one of the shops I go to - looks promising:

http://www.crispincider.com/cider/the...

[J3107]

Crispin came into my market a few months ago. they make several varieties and what i've tried so far has been very interesting and very good quality.
the classic import variety (green cans) is nice and dry definitely not the cloyingly sweet type of cider.
the landsdowne has an interesting flavor being fermented with a craft beer yeast.
and on the sweeter side the Desert Noir is a blend of apple wine from whiskey barrels and apple wine from red wine barrels that is then back sweetened. sweeter but a bit more complex than the average apple beverage.

can't wait to try the rest of the line up.

local beer bar has even been able to get some on draft and cask which has been outstanding.

[bulavinaka]

Thanks for your insight on this line of ciders. One of our local shops has almost the whole line-up and I will be grabbing as many as possible. Sounds like one can line up a meal from beginning to end with their brews.

[lavaca]

I have tried the majority of ciders available in Washington, and my favorites come from Snowdrift and Red Barn. If you can find it, I especially recommend Red Barn's Fire Barrel.

Other West Coast ciders I really like are Ace (for some reason, the regular Apple is the hardest to find outside of California, but Joker is nice as well) and Wandering Aengus (best if you prefer off-dry or off-sweet ciders). Most of the nationally-available ciders taste about the same - not bad, but not particularly exciting, either. Of the nationally-available ciders, my favorite is probably Woodchuck Granny Smith.

My first Strongbow experience was on draft, which was great. Every time I've had it from a bottle, I've been disappointed. For a break from the standard British styles, ciders from Normandy and Basque Country are lots of fun.

[SP1]

This is a new one: http://revolutioncider.com/

Extremely dry and unfiltered. Though, probably impossible to find.

[ret3]

You may want to be on the look out for Argus, a cider made in Dripping Springs. The Austin American-Statesman had an article about it recently: http://www.austin360.com/blogs/conten...

[j mather]

Here's a good article in the NY Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/24/din...

I've tried some of the French ones -- Christian Drouin and Eric Bordelet -- and like them a lot. They are available by mail order. I'm in Northern California, and Ace is my local favorite, but I don't know how widely distributed it is.

[bulavinaka]

Here's a related post on one from Normandy on the LA Board. Poster bad nono is a very reliable poster with a very keen nose:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/802740

[MOREKASHA]

Dupont Cider is my fave.

[Jim Dorsch]

yes, that is a great one

[bimmertimmer]

Give Foggy Ridge from VA a try. Available via their web site. Several varieties available. Covered in F+W recently. Also a nice spot to visit in the Fall.

[nnylhawk]

I prefer Magners, aka Bulmers of Ireland. Had it there many years ago; now available in the states under the name Magners.

Second choice, would be cider from a little Winery/Cidery I stumbled across in the Lake Pepin area of Wisconsin. Maiden Rock is the name. Their scrumpy is very good, but their Honeycrisp cider is excellent. It is a semi-dry cider. Might be hard to get, they only ship to some states.

Then, Strongbow--prefer draft or dry -- and Blackthorn. Hard Core when I can't find any of my favorites. There seems to be a push in the Twin Cities on Crispin, but I found that to be bland. When you push serving it over ice, meh! Watering cider down is just wrong.

[Jim Dorsch]

I believe HardCore is no more, replaced by Angry Orchard.

[JessKidden]

Most of the promotional material I've read (like this one http://dialog.newsedge.com/portal.asp...& ) imply that Angry Orchard is just a new cider line from BBC, and isn't necessarily replacing HardCore.

[Jim Dorsch]

While not definitive, Craft Business Daily, writing about Angry Orchard, refers to HardCore as their previous brand. I will ask someone at BBCo when I get a chance, to confirm.

[JessKidden]

Yeah, most of the stuff I've seen is rather vague about the future of HardCore (maybe because BBC has yet to decide itself?). The 2012 BBC Annual Report says:

"In 2011 we saw a resurgence of interest in hard cider. For the first time in a decade we saw sales of our HardCore® brand start to grow. We saw an opportunity to refocus on the cider drinker, and we made the decision to go back to the brewery
drawing board to create a new brand and new styles of cider.

Enter Angry Orchard! It debuted at the end of the year in select markets and immediately captured the attention of the drinker, quickly outpacing its cousin HardCore.

The Company’s Angry Orchard and HardCore product lines compete within the hard cider category."

I don't know for all Koch's talk about "upscale" cider (or, maybe "Better Cider"?) it seems to me that both the brand names they picked don't strike me as appealing to a "sophisticated" market segment.

[Jim Dorsch]

It just seemed strange that they would discontinue a successful brand.

[PoppiYYZ]

Availability may be limited, but I tried a very good cider on tap that is worth a mention. It's called Thornbury and it's made in Ontario. Crisp, fruity, and dry. A little sweeter and fruitier than Strongbow, but the best Canadian cider IMHO.

Still better to make your own though. 2011 batch is coming along nicely...