Cider
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Cider is an alcoholic drink made from crushed and then fermented apples. It is also known as Apfelwein (apple wine) in Germany, and cyder in Devon and Norfolk (England) http://aem.cornell.edu/research/researchpdf/sp0006.pdf. Cider is known as hard cider in the United States and parts of Canada, a term that differentiates alcoholic cider from a type of apple juice known as cider.
Cider generally has a stronger alcoholic content than beer, usually over 5%, and golden yellow or cloudy appearance. To produce cider, apples are washed, then grated or mashed, then pressed (usually in a stone mill or hydraulic press) then fermented using natural or added yeasts.
Cider is very popular in the United Kingdom when compared with other countries, and the UK has the highest per capita consumption as well as the largest cider producing companies in the world http://www.cideruk.com/ including Bulmers, the largest http://www.bulmers.com/. The drink is also popular and traditional in Britanny and Normandy (France), in Ireland and northern Spain. The Netherlands and Germany also produce cider. The drink is making a resurgence in both Europe and the United States http://aem.cornell.edu/research/researchpdf/sp0006.pdf.
Eating apples are far from ideal for cidermaking, as they are low in tannins. Most makers use cider apples, the cultivars developed specifically for cidermaking, of which there are many hundreds.
Cider comes in a variety of tastes, from sweet to dry, although flavour differs enormously within these descriptions. The appearance of cider ranges from very dark, cloudy and sludgy through to to very crisp, clean and golden yellow, and with the most processed, almost entirely clear. The varying colours and appearances are generally as a result of how much of the apple material is removed between pressing and fermentation.
Modern, mass-produced ciders are generally heavily processed and resemble sparkling wine in appearance. More traditional brands tend to be darker and more cloudy, as less of the apple is filtered out. They are often stronger than processed varieties.
"White cider" is made by processing cider after the traditional brewing process is complete, resulting in a nearly white product. This processing allows the manufacturer to produce strong (typically 7-8% ABV) cider cheaply, quickly, and on an industrial scale, often from poor quality raw materials.
More in depth descriptions of some of the various types of cider are available under the country headings below.
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 10 or 12 layers. It is important to minimise the time that the pomace is exposed to air and to minimise oxidation. 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 pomage. 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, or discarded, or used to make liqueurshttp://www.history-of-cider.co.uk/index.html.
Fermentation is best effected at a temperature of 4-16 °C (40-60°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 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.
The cider is ready to drink at this point, though more often it is matured in the vats for up to two or three years.http://www.history-of-cider.co.uk/index.html
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. In freeze distillation, hazardous concentrations of methanol and fusel oil may develop. These toxins can be separated when regular, heat distillation is performed. Home production of applejack is illegal in most countries.
A popular apéritif 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".
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. Fermented peach juice can be made into "peachy".
Another related drink is cyser (cider fermented with honey).
A few producers in Quebec have developed cidre de glace (literally "ice cider", sometimes called "apple ice wine"), inspired from ice wines, where the apples are naturally frozen either before or after harvest. The alcohol concentration of cidre de glace is 9-13%.
Scottish & Newcastle own Belgium cider maker Stassen SA, who in addition to their own local brands such as Strassen X Cider also produce Strongbow Jacques, a 5.5% ABV cider with cherry, raspberry and blackcurrant flavours.
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.
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 Hessen, 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.
The Spanish regions of Asturias 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 (or, in Asturian, echar) 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 accompanied by a meal such as txuleton.
Cider comes in a wide variety of tastes and types in the UK and ranges in taste from very sweet to very dry, although flavour differs within these descriptions.
At one end of the scale are the very traditional microbrewed varieties often called Scrumpy in England. These are non-carbonated, very cloudy, and often dark in appearance. England's West Country and parts of Wales are littered with small breweries and 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. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DE4DD1638F931A35757C0A96F948260&sec=travel&pagewanted=1. Taste will depend on a number of factors including the season, location and apple variety. Many will find such ciders an acquired taste. They also tend to have high alcoholic contents.
Specialty ciders have become more popular in recent years, these may be made from a single variety of cider apple or retain their cloudy appearance. Production is likely to be on a much larger scale such as http://www.cideruk.com. This cider is likely to be more palatable to the non cider drinker.
Mass produced commercial cider such as that produced by Bulmers is likely to be very clean and crisp, carbonated and heavily processed. The colour is likely to be golden yellow with a clear appearance a result of industrial processes to remove apple sediment. A good example is Blackthorn http://www.blackthorn-cider.com/. These ciders are the most popular type.
At the very end of the scale are White Ciders which are almost clear in appearance due to a process carried out after the traditional brewing process is complete, resulting in a nearly white product. This processing allows the manufacturer to produce strong (typically 7-8% ABV) cider cheaply, quickly, and on an industrial scale, often from poor raw materials.
Cidermaking and consumption has found its way into the popular culture associated with the West Country; Somerset novelty band The Wurzels perform many songs about scrumpy and the drinking thereof, while West Country-native author Terry Pratchett makes reference to scrumpy in his descriptions of the Discworld beverage "scumble".
During the 17th and 18th centuries, a condition known as Devon colic, a form of lead poisoning, was associated with the consumption of cider; a campaign to remove lead components from cider presses made the condition almost unknown by 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.
Welsh varieties of apples and pears are often distinct from those grown in England, giving Welsh cider a significantly different flavour despite the proximity of the orchards.
CAMRA has established a a definition of 'real' cider "" as the following:
In contrast to real ale, artificial ingredients such as saccharine, aspartame, or other artificial sweeteners may be added to real cider to make it 'sweet' or 'medium'.
UKCider, a Community of Practice for small scale cidermakers, has developed a contrasting definition of real cider:
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, which was once touted specifically as "non-alcoholic cider". Martinelli's is sold as "cider" or "juice" depending on regional preference of the term; in other parts of the United States, the word "cider" means, simply, unfiltered, unfermented apple juice.
Despite this, 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 northeastern US, though the most known national brand is Cider Jack.
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Types of cider
Cider production
Scratting and pressing
Fermentation
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.Cider festivals
A Cider Festival is a large event promoting cider (and usually perry). A wide variety of ciders and perries will be available for tasting and buying. A limited selection of drinks other than cider, such as beer and soft drinks, is often available too. Some festivals are put on by cider-promoting private organizations , others by pubs, and still others by cider producers themselves; many are held in conjunction with or as part of beer festivals, as in both the United States and United Kingdom organizations which promote beer also promote cider. At many festivals, prizes are awarded to producers; the BJCP's purview covers cider as well as beer.http://www.camra.org.uk/page.aspx?o=aboutciderRelated drinks
Cider by country
Before the development of rapid long-distance transportation, regions of cider consumption generally coincided with regions of cider production: that is, areas with apple orchards. For example, R.A. Fletcher notes that in the Liber Sancti Jacobi, cider was said to be more common than wine in 12th-century Galicia. Austria
In Austria cider is made in the southwest of Lower Austria, the so called "Mostviertel" and in Upper Austria. Almost every farmer there has some apple or pear trees. Many of the farmers also have a kind of inn called "Mostheuriger". There they serve cider and also something to eat.Australia
In Australia, 'cider' can be either an alcoholic drink as described above, or a sparkling non-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.Belgium
Canada
In Quebec, cider is considered a traditional alcoholic beverage. Cidermaking was, however, forbidden since 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.East Asia
Cider in Japan and Korea sometimes means just a soft drink, not necessarily made from apples.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. Cider is still made in the Channel Islands, but there is a great deal less now than there was in the past. In Jersey, the only locally produced cider currently sold in shops is a strong (above 7%) variety.Germany
Main article: ApfelweinIndia
Cider is a new introduction in India under the brand TEMPEST ,produced by Green Valley Cider located in the apple producing state of Himachal Pradesh , India. Tempest is primarily available in the carbonated form and is witnessing a resurgence in popularity.Ireland
Cider is a popular drink in Ireland; for a long time cider production was officially encouraged and supported by a preferential tax treatment. A single cider, Bulmers, dominates sales in Ireland: owned by C&C, Bulmers cider is a different cider to Bulmers in Britain where C&C do not own the
brand, in the United Kingdom and USA, C&C brand their cider as Magners.Luxembourg
In Luxembourg, viez (pronounced feetz) is rather like English scrumpy. It is cloudy and varies from nonalcoholic to very alcoholic. It is made only in autumn. It is sold by the side of the road in reused plastic bottles and should be drunk within a few days of purchase. The quality can be extremely good.New Zealand
In New Zealand, cider is fermented apple juice. The most popular brand is Scrumpy.Norway
In Norway, cider ( sider) is a naturally fermented apple juice. Pear juice is sometimes mixed with the apple to get a better fermenting process started. The main area for cider
production is in the "fruit garden" surrounding the Hardangerfjord. Most cider production is by private persons. There is a cider festival in Øystese, Norway each fall were a panel determines the years best cider for the Hardanger area.South Africa
Hunter's Gold and Hunter's Dry are popular ciders, along with Redd's and Savanna Dry.Spain
The United Kingdom
Types of cider
Image
In the United Kingdom, cider is most-associated with the southwest and west of England but is also extensively produced in Norfolk and Wales. Cider has suffered from an image problem and is often seen as the drink of choice for teenagers in the UK, along with alcopops. A popular drink among students is Snakebite, which is a blend of pale lager and cider and is often served with a dash of blackcurrant. This preference is aided by preferentially low duty rates for cider compared to beer, which reduces the drink's cost.The West Country
Cider made in the West Country is often referred to as "scrumpy", from the local dialect verb "to scrump": to steal apples. Ciders from Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire made from traditional recipes forms a European Union Protected Geographical Indication; important traditional cidermaking also takes place in Devon and Somerset. Examples of a working cider house still existed here in recent times, though many have now gone.Wales
Cider and perry production in Wales began a dramatic revival in the early 2000s, with many small firms entering production throughout the country. CAMRA has actively encouraged this establishment, 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 those producers.\"Real cider\" in the United Kingdom
Definition of Real Draught Cider & Perry
A) Ingredients:
(from item 5.2 as extracted from CAMRA's External Policy Document 2003 - 2004:[CAMRA's Cider & Perry page])
B) Process:
"What do we mean by Real Cider?
(from [the ukcider website])
Real cider is the product of fermenting fresh apple juice.
The amount of apple juice which went into the final product must be between 85 and 100% and should be clearly stated on the container it is sold in or dispensed from. No artificial sweetners, flavourings or colourings are permitted.
(For real perry substitute pear juice.)"
The United States
During colonial times, apple cider was consumed as the main beverage with meals, because water was often unsafe for drinking.List brands of cider
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