With the number of cideries in Virginia more than doubling in the past decade, we take a look at the trend from tree to tipple.
Illustration by Victoria Borges
In the late 18th century, American colonists drank an average of 34 gallons of cider and beer per person each year. Cider’s popularity waned after heirloom orchards were burned during Prohibition, but new changes in tax laws have fueled a comeback. There are now more than 20 cideries in Virginia.
Hard cider, landing around 4 to 6 percent ABV, is a carbonated beverage made from fermented apple juice. Unlike beer and malt beverages, cider does not contain grain, so it is typically gluten free.
Like wine, cider can be dry and tannic, crisp and acidic, or sweet and fruity. The flavor, subtler in dry ciders and more pronounced in sweeter ciders, depends on the apple varieties used.
The best beverage comes from cider apples, not table apples. Virginia’s most popular cider apples are Hewe’s Crabapple (Thomas Jefferson’s favorite), Newtown Pippin, and Gold Rush. Albemarle CiderWorks in North Garden specializes in varietals made from heirloom apples.
Cideries often add flavor through various fruits—a cider made entirely from pears is called a perry—or herbs and botanicals; Courthouse Creek Cider in Maidens produces a delicately spicy Blackberry Lavender variety. The addition of hops lends bitter notes to the product, such as Surf Hopper by Sly Clyde Ciderworks in Hampton.
Cider is fermented for two to four weeks and then aged in stainless steel casks, which are neutral, or wooden barrels, which can add spicy, boozy, or oaky notes—Bryant’s Cider in Roseland uses bourbon barrels from Charlottesville’s Ragged Branch Distillery. In Keswick, Castle Hill Cider uses buried terra cotta pots imported from the Republic of Georgia for a low carbon footprint.
Virginia was the first state to have an official Cider Week proclaimed by its governor. Celebrate this week through Nov. 18 at events statewide. CiderWeekVa.com
For more events throughout the year, go to VirginiaCider.org
This article originally appeared in our Drink 2018 issue.
