This complete guide to North America’s oldest beverage celebrates hard cider’s rich history and its modern makers, as well as its deliciously diverse possibilities. Flavor profiles and tasting guidelines highlight 100 selections of cider — including single varietal, dessert, hopped, and barrel-aged — plus perry, cider’s pear-based cousin. A perfect addition to any meal, cider pairings are featured in 30 food recipes, from Brussels sprouts salad to salmon chowder, brined quail, and poached pear frangipane. An additional 30 cocktail recipes include creative combinations such as Maple Basil Ciderita and Pear-fect Rye Fizz.

This complete guide to North America’s oldest beverage celebrates hard cider’s rich history and its modern makers, as well as its deliciously diverse possibilities. Flavor profiles and tasting guidelines highlight 100 selections of cider — including single varietal, dessert, hopped, and barrel-aged — plus perry, cider’s pear-based cousin. A perfect addition to any meal, cider pairings are featured in 30 food recipes, from Brussels sprouts salad to salmon chowder, brined quail, and poached pear frangipane. An additional 30 cocktail recipes include creative combinations such as Maple Basil Ciderita and Pear-fect Rye Fizz.

“Not just a thorough guide to the history of apples and cider in this country but also an inspiring survey of the orchardists and cidermakers devoting their lives to sustainable agriculture through apples.”—Alice Waters “Pucci and Cavallo are thorough and enthusiastic chroniclers, who celebrate cider’s pomologists and pioneers with infectious curiosity and passion.”—Bianca Bosker, New York Times bestselling author of Cork Dork Cider today runs the gamut from sweet to dry, smooth to funky, made from apples and sometimes joined by other fruits—and even hopped like beer. In American Cider, aficionados Dan Pucci and Craig Cavallo give a new wave of consumers the tools to taste, talk about, and choose their ciders, along with stories of the many local heroes saving apple culture and producing new varieties. Like wine made from well-known grapes, ciders differ based on the apples they’re made from and where and how those apples were grown. Combining the tasting tools of wine and beer, the authors illuminate the possibilities of this light, flavorful, naturally gluten-free beverage. And cider is more than just its taste—it’s also historic, as the nation’s first popular alcoholic beverage, made from apples brought across the Atlantic from England. Pucci and Cavallo use a region-by-region approach to illustrate how cider and the apples that make it came to be, from the well-known tale of Johnny Appleseed—which isn’t quite what we thought—to the more surprising effects of industrial development and government policies that benefited white men. American Cider is a guide to enjoying cider, but even more so, it is a guide to being part of a community of consumers, farmers, and fermenters making the nation’s oldest beverage its newest must-try drink.

John Ford Sr. returns to the outdoors of Maine with?This Cider Still Tastes Funny! Further Adventures of a Game Warden in Maine,? his follow-up to the highly popular and critically acclaimed?Suddenly, the Cider Didn?t Taste So Good.? Ford is a retired Maine game warden, sheriff and gifted storyteller who carved out a reputation as a man of the law, but one who wasn?t a by-the-book enforcer. He often came up with a good quip as he slipped the handcuffs on a violator, and he wasn't above accepting a lesson learned as sufficient penalty for breaking the law. He was also more than willing to laugh at himself. As Kate Braestrup, author of the New York Times bestseller Here if you Need Me, said,?John Ford?s stories from his long career as a Maine game warden are offered with humility and good humor, and demonstrate an abiding affection for the land, creatures, and quirky characters of Maine. Ford is an appealing character, a great storyteller, and he?s FUNNY.

In recent years, with the rise of the craft beverage movement, the cider industry has been through a period of rapid growth. Tasting and quality control is a core aspect of successful cider making and it is essential for industry and researchers to characterize cider using standard procedures. This book is a research-based text for understanding both the theory and practice of effectively evaluating the sensory properties of cider.

“The perfect guide you need to find out about the apple, the orchard, the maker and blender – in short, CIDER.” – Tom Oliver, Oliver’s Cider & Perry, Herefordshire "Susanna's passion for cider has taken her from the heartlands of the old cider world to newer frontiers of it. Her straightforward common-sense approach combined with her love for the cider world means she has put together a neat little book full of the best bits of it to share. Well done!" – Bill Bradshaw, co-author of World's Best Cider "Susanna Forbes is one of the most knowledgeable and committed ambassadors for cider, both near and far, at the table, in the glass and in the orchard. Her passion is present in every page of The Cider Insider." Ryan Burk, head cider maker at Angry Orchard, board of directors, US Association of Cider Makers Cider is enjoying a resurgence! A wave of new generation producers are joining family cidermakers around the world to reinvigorate a drink that has been enjoyed throughout history by all. With a new-found respect for the orchard, the apple and the pear, today’s cidermakers are blending heritage with modern methods. In The Cider Insider, award-winning drinks writer and now, cidery owner, Susanna Forbes has hand-picked 100 of the world’s best craft ciders – and perries – that are worth seeking out and drinking now. Travel with her to each atmospheric orchard to meet the individuals that pour their souls into this glorious drink. For each entry, we hear about the region, the varieties of apples and pears in use, how each is made, find out about other ciders/perries to try, and explore how to experience the cider/cidery for ourselves. With a foreword by arguably the world’s leading cidermaker, Tom Oliver, alongside appearances from a cast of cider stars, everything you need to know about this golden nectar is right here. Meet the free-thinking French cidermakers, experience the culturally-vibrant Asturian and Basque cider scene, and hear how Australia’s cider pioneers want Tasmania to be renamed the Cider Island. While the cider leads the way, it’s the people that count for Susanna with their boundless energy and passion for the art of making cider and for preserving the land.

Explores cider and cider drinking traditions from around the world.

“From unraveling the history of the apple to exploring the intricacies of flavor, [Wilson] reveals the love and labor that goes into a timeless beverage.” —Bianca Bosker, New York Times–bestselling author of Cork Dork Cider is the quintessential American beverage. Drank by early settlers and founding fathers, it was ubiquitous and pervasive, but following Prohibition when orchards were destroyed and neglected, cider all but disappeared. In The Cider Revival, Jason Wilson chronicles what is happening now, an extraordinary rebirth that is less than a decade old. Following the seasons through the autumn harvest, winter fermentation, spring bottling, and summer festival and orchard work, Wilson travels around New York and New England, with forays to the Midwest, the West Coast, and Europe. He meets the new heroes of cider: orchardists who are rediscovering long lost apple varieties, cider makers who have the attention to craftsmanship of natural wine makers, and beverage professionals who see cider as poised to explode in popularity. What emerges is a deeply rewarding story, an exploration of cider’s identity and future, and its cultural and environmental significance. A blend of history and travelogue, The Cider Revival is a toast to a complex drink. “Cider is America’s great forgotten beverage. Jason Wilson’s lively, anecdote-filled, passionate paean to what he says should properly be considered ‘apple win’ will go a long way toward giving this immensely varied and complex libation the recognition and appreciation it deserves.” —Colman Andrews, cofounder of Saveur and author of The British Table

Learn from expert cidermakes how to go from a bushel of crisp apples to your first batch of still cider, avoid common mistakes, and taste like a pro.

Best-selling authors and acclaimed fermentation teachers Christopher Shockey and Kirsten K. Shockey turn their expertise to the world of fermented beverages in the most comprehensive guide to home cidermaking available. With expert advice and clear, step-by-step instructions, The Big Book of Cidermaking equips readers with the skills they need to make the cider they want: sweet, dry, fruity, farmhouse-style, hopped, barrel-aged, or fortified. The Shockeys’ years of experience cultivating an orchard and their experiments in producing their own ciders have led them to a master formula for cidermaking success, whether starting with apples fresh from the tree or working with store-bought juice. They explore in-depth the different phases of fermentation and the entire spectrum of complex flavor and style possibilities, with cider recipes ranging from cornelian cherry to ginger, and styles including New England, Spanish, and late-season ciders. For those invested in making use of every part of the apple, there’s even a recipe for vinegar made from the skins and cores leftover after pressing. This thorough, thoughtful handbook is an empowering guide for every cidermaker, from the beginner seeking foundational techniques and tips to the intermediate cider crafter who wants to expand their skills.