Usually sometime in the fall, I will take the opportunity to drink more cider as harvest time means excellent apple production, which means excellent hard cider if you know where to look for it. While a lot of great ciders are made year round, I’m sure I’m not alone in saying that my enthusiasm for this style of beverage is stronger in the fall. It harkens back to my youthful days, when my grandfather would make his own hard cider right on the farm, sharing it with my underage soul. I developed an appreciation for the work that went into his cider, and it would always stick with me as I became a beer writer.
Long before the craft beverage movement made way for hundreds of cider houses, I was cutting my teeth on Cider as I traveled in Europe. I remember having the official Cider of the English cricket team when I was at the London Zoo in 2001. And I was also urged to try half and half’s with English lager and local cider. This is also done in Ireland with many different varieties that use everything from Guinness to Harp. Needless to say, I was always a fan of Cider, so when it became a craft beverage, I was ready to go on board.
Because of my early experiences with my grandfather’s cider that was made from crab apples, I think I appreciate the semi sweet and dry varieties the best! They are not for everyone but if you appreciate a drier Cider, you have to try those being made by McClures, which is available at their Orchard in Peru, Indiana. Kekionga in Fort Wayne also makes a wide variety of Ciders, and they are fortunate to revive the legacy of Johnny Appleseed, who was buried in Fort Wayne. I have found good cider on most of the trips I have made, and while I don’t always drink it when I do, I’m usually very impressed.
When I was in northern Michigan, I found a really good Cider House across the street from Shorts, and this just confirmed what I already knew about all the good cider I had tried in Michigan. Virtue in Fennville makes some of the best Cider out there and even if you go to Michigan to drink beer you need to go to a Cider House or two if you have time. They make some amazing varieties, and there’s something for everyone!
While there’s not quite as many styles of Cider as there is beer, there certainly are many. I recently tried the Cyser from McClures which is a style of Apple Mead that harkens back to the Middle Ages. Cider has been around as long as beer and wine and mead, so I’m glad it gets the recognition that it deserves.
So if you visit Indianapolis, Ash and Elm makes great Cider and produces for local orchards like Beasley’s in Danville. I haven’t been to every Cider House in Indiana but it’s certainly something I think I should try to do this fall. The producers do a good job with this beverage, and craft Cider is as good as it’s ever been.
So if you want to take time to be appreciative of the harvest this fall, I encourage you to try some Cider even if you don’t drink it regularly. Since many people find it too sweet, I recommend trying some of the semi sweet to dry varieties as those are my favorite because I too find mass-produce Cider to be far too sweet. It is definitely something to be appreciated, and that’s one reason I wrote this article. Maybe I’ll have a Cider with you in the future, since I certainly have enough in my stock to share!
So Much Beer So Little Time 