Cider
Fermented apple juice. Bittersweet, bittersharp, sweet, sharp — the four apple categories of the West Country. And a Norman AOC that has been producing cidre bouché for centuries.
Codex Definition
Cider (also spelled cyder, particularly in traditional English usage) is a fermented alcoholic beverage produced from the juice of apples (Malus domestica and wild crabapple varieties). Cider is produced by pressing apples to extract juice (must), then fermenting the must with yeast — either ambient wild yeast or cultivated commercial strains — to convert the apple sugars (primarily sucrose, fructose, and glucose) to ethanol and carbon dioxide. Cider is regulated differently by country: in the EU (Regulation 1308/2013 and subsequent CMO amendments), it is classified as a fermented beverage distinct from wine; in the UK (post-Brexit), cider is regulated under the Alcoholic Liquor Duties Act 1979 and Food Safety Act definitions; in the USA, 'hard cider' (to distinguish from unfermented apple juice, also called 'cider' in the USA) is regulated by the TTB (Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau). Minimum ABV for most national cider definitions: 1.2–4.5% (varies). Cider apple varieties are distinct from dessert (eating) and culinary (cooking) apples — they are characterised by high tannin (bitterness and astringency), high acidity, and/or high sugar content, which together produce a fermented juice of more complexity than dessert apple cider. The major cider-producing traditions are English (West Country — Somerset, Herefordshire, Devon), French (Normandy and Brittany AOC cidres), Spanish Basque (Asturias txakoli/sidra), and American craft cider.
Why cider apples are different from eating apples
The key distinction between cider apples and dessert (eating) apples is tannin content. Cider apple varieties — developed in England, Normandy, and Asturias over centuries specifically for fermented juice production — contain significantly higher concentrations of polyphenols (tannins and phenolic compounds), producing the bitterness and astringency that give traditional cider its structure and age-ability. Dessert apple varieties like Gala, Fuji, and Cox's Orange Pippin are bred for low tannin (sweet, tender flesh), high sugar, and appealing flavour for fresh eating — but produce flat, thin cider without tannin structure.
The West Country English cider apple classification divides varieties into four categories: Bittersweet (high tannin, high sugar — the premium fermentation apple, produces complex, structured cider; varieties include Yarlington Mill, Dabinett, Major, Tremlett's Bitter); Bittersharp (high tannin, high acid — also premium, adds backbone; Kingston Black is the most prized single-variety bittersharp); Sweet (low tannin, high sugar, low acid — used for body and sweetness in blends); Sharp (low tannin, high acid — provides freshness and fermentation vigour in blends). Traditional West Country cider blends combine all four types for balance.
The major cider traditions
| Region | Style | Key varieties | Regulation |
|---|---|---|---|
| English West Country | Still or lightly sparkling, often dry to medium. Farmhouse "scrumpy" styles and premium single-variety ciders. Traditional method (méthode traditionnelle) for sparkling. | Kingston Black, Yarlington Mill, Dabinett, Foxwhelp, Stoke Red | UK Cider Regulations; NACM (National Association of Cider Makers). No formal GI for most English cider styles. Herefordshire PGI for some expressions. |
| Normandy (France) | Cidre Bouché (bottle-conditioned sparkling) AOC. Low ABV (3–5%). Effervescent, fruity, often medium-sweet. Calvados region — cidre production provides the base wine for Calvados distillation. | Specific Norman bittersweet and bitter varieties — over 800 traditional Norman varieties recorded | Cidre de Normandie PGI (EU). Pays d'Auge AOC for premium Cidre Bouché. INAO administration. |
| Brittany (France) | Cidre de Bretagne — typically lighter and more acidic than Norman cidre. Cornouaille AOC in southern Brittany. | Local Breton varieties | Cornouaille AOC (INAO). Cidre de Bretagne PGI. |
| Asturias (Spain) | Sidra natural — traditional still cider, deliberately poured from height (escanciado) to aerate and add effervescence. Bone dry, acidic, funky. | Indigenous Asturian varieties (Raxao, Xuanina, Blanquina) | DOP Sidra de Asturias (DO Protected). SERIDA (Servicio Regional de Investigación y Desarrollo Agroalimentario) documented 22 approved varieties. |
| American Craft | Enormous range — from industrial sweet to dry farmhouse to ice cider to hopped cider. No dominant tradition. TTB "hard cider" (to distinguish from unfermented apple juice). | Both traditional cider varieties (increasingly) and dessert apples | TTB (USA). No national GI. Some state-level certifications. |
Malic acid and malo-lactic fermentation in cider
Apples contain primarily malic acid — a dicarboxylic acid with a sharp, sour, green-apple flavour (detected at concentrations of approximately 0.1–1.2% by weight in ripe apples, significantly higher in unripe or cider apple varieties). Unlike tartaric acid (the dominant acid in grapes), malic acid is easily degraded by malo-lactic fermentation (MLF) — the conversion of malic acid to lactic acid by lactic acid bacteria (primarily Oenococcus oeni and Lactobacillus species). Malic acid (sharp, 2 carboxylic groups) → lactic acid (softer, 1 carboxylic group) + CO₂. MLF reduces the total acidity of cider and softens its flavour profile substantially.
Whether to encourage or prevent MLF is a major cider-making decision: traditional English farmhouse cider and Norman cidre typically undergo spontaneous MLF, producing a softer, more complex, microbiologically stable cider with additional lactic acid fermentation by-products (diacetyl — buttery; 2,3-pentanedione). Modern industrial cider production typically prevents MLF (through SO₂ addition, early bottling, sterile filtration) to retain crisp malic acid freshness and consistent flavour. The choice affects both style and shelf-stability.