Imperial styles, cocktail-inspired offerings, and co-fermentation are leading retail cider consumption trends as autumn unfolds. Retailers are hosting tastings, embracing new styles, and promoting ciders through traditional advertising and social media. “Our recent grand tasting featured over 70 ciders available for sampling and sale,” says Paige Flori, co-owner of Boutique Wines, Spirits & Cider in Fishkill, New York. “We saw over 400 participants in a five-hour time span. The event was a great kickoff to the fall cider season, showcasing everyday cider and seasonal flavors like pumpkin and apple pie.”
Imperial style ciders featuring higher alcohol options (8%-10% abv) are attracting attention, and some brands offer exotic flavor combos like Stormalong Red Skies at Night Passionfruit Hibiscus ($6 a 12-ounce can), Pennings Farm Black Currant ($5 a 12-ounce can), and Awestruck Blackberry with a Hint of Lime ($6 a 12-ounce can). Popular cocktail-inspired ciders include Nine Pin Ginger Mule and Nine Pin Peach Bellini (each $5 a 12-ounce can), and Awestruck Shirley Temple ($6 a 12-ounce can). “While we depend on social media and email campaigns, we also advertise via local food magazines, and radio ads for our big events and hand out flyers with a list of our events to our customers,” Flori says.
Ciders co-fermented with apple mead—also known as cyser—are also gaining traction. Good examples at Flori’s store include Kingston, New York-based Cider Mafia’s Eye of the Cider Buzz, Ontario, Canada-based Heeman’s Ambrosia, and Beulah, Michigan-based St. Ambrose Cellars Smashin’ Pumpkin Cyser (all $6 a 12-ounce can or bottle). “Honey adds a nice dimension to hard cider,” Flori says.
Due to the late arrival of cooler weather in New York, cider sales got off to a slow but are now picking up with chilly autumn temperatures. The Boutique’s 13-tap system and approximate 325 cider SKUS also attract customers from a 500-mile radius. “While customers come to the shop for growler fills and to see our 15-foot sculpted apple tree, complete with a tap in the trunk, they often leave with several cases of cans and bottles,” Flori says.
Redfield Cider Bar & Bottle Shop in Oakland, California, has 11 ciders on tap and about 150 cider SKUS. “Our selection in the shop is always changing, but some ciders always very popular on draft (11-ounce servings) are Tilted Shed’s Graviva ($10.50 draft/$18 a 750-ml.), Finnriver’s Black Currant ($8.50 draft/$12 a 500-ml.), Humboldt’s Cherry ($8 draft/$5 a16-ounce can), and Son of Man’s Sagardo ($10.50 draft/$16.50 a 750-ml.),” says Redfield’s co-owner Mike Reis. “The biggest trend I’ve noticed is people are interested in non-alcoholic options more than ever before. Our No. 1 seller is Tilted Shed’s Ellie’s Non-Alcoholic Cider ($6 a 12-ounce can).”
While Redfield’s cider sales are down about 5% from last year, the shop’s recent event with Sonoma County producer Onirique was a success with sales up 30% more than a typical Saturday. Redfield’s also has a monthly cider club highlighting rare and unusual ciders, and the shop hosts off-site educational events. “We’ve never been of the belief that cider should be everyone’s one and only drink,” Reis says. “Our goal at Redfield has always been to make cider feel like a normal thing to have in anyone’s rotation, and we’ve been successful at that within our community, even if retail cider sales might be down. As long as there are producers making beautiful drinks existing outside the mainstream, we will be here championing them.”
Erik Madrid, owner of Seattle-based online cider retailer, Press Then Press, believes cider is well positioned to be a great beverage alcohol alternative. “We are hyper-focused on traditional, fine cider,” he says. “We see a lot of increased curiosity and growing interest in consumers about exploring traditional cider made like wine with a focus on apple varieties better for cider making.”
Press Then Press’ inventory has grown the past several years, as it carries more than 500 ciders, up 100% from two years ago, and it ships to more than 40 states. “Most of the ciders we sell are small batch products,” Madrid says. “French and Spanish ciders continue to be our best sellers. Dry, acid forward Spanish ciders and French ciders ranging from dry to semi-sweet but with considerable complexity and tannin structure, relative to modern American ciders, drive people to seek out more of these ciders.”
Press Then Press provides online educational content and detailed descriptions of the ciders it features, such as flavor profiles, apple varieties, production methods, and traditions. “Even very informed cider enthusiasts aren’t always familiar with the regional U.S. cider brands we sell,” Madrid says. “They rely on us to recommend specific ciders. Common threads are an interest in relatively dry ciders with balance yet considerable complexity.”
Madrid notes some of the best ciders are in the $18-$25 range for a 750-ml. bottle. Some of his top sellers include Eric Bordelet’s Sidre Brut Tendre from Normandy, France ($21 a 750-ml.), Zapiain Basque Natural Cider from Spain ($16), and Haykin Cider’s Golden Russet from Colorado ($23). “There’s a deep rabbit hole of fascinating products to try in the cider world,” Madrid says. “There’s massive potential for the curious imbiber or foodie to explore the traditions, apple varieties, and styles of great cider.”