Find Your Cider Style

Cider boasts a rich global history and is crafted in different ways across the world. In the Pacific Northwest, a vibrant cider culture thrives, where dedicated makers use high-quality apples to create a diverse array of cider styles.

To help you discover what ciders best suit your taste, we’ve highlighted 9 essential cider styles below.

Within these categories, there’s plenty of room for variety. Knowing that you enjoy a classic all-apple cider can serve as a great starting point in your cider journey. Your preferences around sweetness levels, the presence of tannins, and unique additions (beyond apples) are other factors to consider when selecting the perfect cider.

Pro Tip:

Try sampling a variety of styles to find what suits! Seek out seasonal releases, try ciders from different makers, and explore offerings from across Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho and British Columbia to taste why the Pacific Northwest is globally recognized for award-winning cider.

CIDER STYLES

Apple Cider

A fermented alcoholic beverage made from apples

Cider varies in sweetness, acidity and tannin levels, depending on the apples used, growing conditions and production techniques.

ReD-Fleshed Cider

Cider with color (and taste!) derived from naturally occurring red or pink-fleshed apples

Red-Fleshed Ciders vary in color tone and depth, sometimes presenting with berry or grassy notes.

FRUIT CIDER

Cider made from apples with other fruit(s) added after fermentation, or sometimes co-fermented together

Co-Fermented Fruit Ciders are made from apples fermented along with other fruit. Other Fruit Ciders start with fermented apples, then add other types of fruit.

Botanical Cider

Cider made with the addition of hops, herbs, and/or spices

Within the Botanical Cider Category there are Hopped, Herbed and Spiced Ciders!

Hopped Ciders have the addition of hops.
Herbed Ciders are made with the leafy, fresh part of a plant.
Spiced Ciders are made with root, stem, seed, fruit, flower or bark.

Wood-Aged Cider

Cider finished with wood, sometimes in whiskey, wine or beer barrels

Wood-Aged Ciders may have wood contact from wood chips or staves as well as barrels and present with profiles of oak or other wood aging.

Single Varietal CIDER

Cider made from a single apple variety

Did you know? Most ciders are made from a blend of apples

Single varietal ciders are possible when cidermakers use an apple with all the essential elements needed for great cider.

Low/No Alcohol Cider

Cider containing 4.5% ABV or lower

Low alcohol ciders may be called piquettes or ciderkin ciders if they are made from rehydrated apple pomace. No alcohol ciders are fermented and then dealcoholized.

Fortified Cider

Cider strengthened in alcohol (and aroma! and flavor!) by the addition of spirits

Fortified Ciders are concentrated, often presenting sweeter and richer than other ciders.

PERRY

A fermented alcoholic beverage made from pears

Perry may be made from select perry pears. Pears contain sorbitol, a non-fermentable sugar that can give pear juice a residual sweetness.