An Introduction to Hard Cider in the U.S.

By the simplest definition, hard cider is fermented apple juice. In the U.S., unfermented and usually unfiltered apple juice is referred to as cider or sweet cider. In many other countries, particularly in Europe, the fermented product is called cider and the unfermented product is called apple juice. In this article, we use the term cider to refer to the fermented product.

According to Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau data, production of hard cider in the U.S. has,