The Hard Ciders (and Beers) to Sip Through the End of Summer
Super-dry, fruited, bubbly and refreshing—there’s a wide, wonderful world of American hard ciders waiting to be enjoyed. Plus: Would you drink this spicy beer?
A flight at Western Cider in Missoula, Montana.
Source: Rio Chantel O'Reilly/Western CiderIt’s Tony Rehagen, your Top Shelf beer snob, here to announce that, for one month only, I’m donning a tin-pot hat and playing Johnny Appleseed to plant the notion of cider as a summer mainstay. But first here’s a bushel of news from the world of brew:
If I say the word “cider,” your mind most likely turns to fall. That makes sense: Autumn is apple-picking season, traditionally a time when you huddle up by the campfire with a warm, sweet cup of fermented apple juice on a chilly night. But American craft pommeliers, like craft brewers, have been broadening the spectrum of cider and making it a year-round player—especially as a slaker during these remaining days of summer swelter.