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Hard Apple Cider is a fermented alcoholic beverage made from fruit juice, most commonly and traditionally apple juice, but also the juice of peaches, pears (“Perry” cider) or other fruit. Cider varies in alcohol content from 1.2% to 8.5% (ABV) or more in traditional English ciders. When sugar or extra fruit has been added and a secondary fermentation increases the alcoholic strength, a cider is classified as “apple wine”.

 

The United Kingdom has the highest per capita consumption of cider, as well as the largest cider-producing companies in the world, including H. P. Bulmer, the largest.

 

The flavor of cider varies. Ciders can be classified from dry to sweet. Its appearance ranges from cloudy with sediment to completely clear, and their color ranges from light yellow through orange to brown. The variations in clarity and color are mostly due to filtering between pressing and fermentation. Some apple varieties will produce a clear cider without any filtration.

 

Modern, mass-produced ciders closely resemble sparkling wine in appearance. More traditional brands tend to be darker and cloudier. They are often stronger than the mass-produced varieties and taste more strongly of apples. Almost colorless “white cider” is produced on a large scale. It is typically strong (7-8% ABV) and inexpensive.

 

The first recorded reference to cider is in Ancient Roman literature resulting from Julius Caesar’s invasion of Britain in 55 BC. The Roman legions discovered the Ancient Britons fermenting crab apples. The legions brought the concept back to Rome and so to the rest of the Roman Empire. The Norman conquest of England in 1066 introduced more varieties of apple to the country and consumption increased until it was the second most popular beverage in the country, after beer.