Hard Cider - Favorite brands?

I'm looking to drink a lot cider over the holidays, as it pairs well with food and is a bona fide classic American beverage. Unfortunately, ciders often end up sickly sweet or tasting like a constructed mass-market malt beverage instead of a product that made from fruit, yeast, and time. As I'm relatively new to this product category, I'm curious... What are your favorite brands? Any pear ciders that are especially good?

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DiggingDogFarm_65362

Good question. I like bone-dry cider so I brew my own, because, as you said, most are sweet. Bone-dry is almost impossible to find commercially.

Some of the European ciders are dry....I recommend starting there.

Samuel Smith's Organic Cider is one that seems to be widely available.....it's relatively dry...not as dry as i personally prefer but not bad.

http://www.samuelsmithsbrewery.co.uk/organiccider.html

~Martin

merridith

Here is my favorite:

http://wvwinery.com/cider/

Full of flavor, not sweet, perfect amount of carbonation (I prefer the bubbles fine). Try their sour cherry cider - intense sour cherry flavor, with the barest hint of sweetness. I have never tried their pear but I bet it would be good.

Brandon_Byrd_40557

Thanks Merridith! I'll keep my eye out for that one... looks like they've got a distributor near me.

Brandon_Byrd_40557

Making your own cider? That's hardcore. Points to you, good sir.

HammeredChef_DEFINITELY_does_NOT_work_at_22134

Maybe this one?

Spent 2 years in the Caymans, this is what i drank because Pubs tend not to have good red wine

T__2156

I'm loving Downeast Cider these days, but in my heart I mostly think that the boozy apple juice we find the the USA isn't my bag. I love "scrumpy," the ciders made in Devon, England - which tend toward unfiltered, uncarbonated, and tannic - served at cool room temperature from barrels. They taste 99% delicious and 1% dangerous.

ETA: Downeast is getting really popular in New England, so it should be easy to find there. Dunno about other areas.

rick_parsons_25648

I like the Samuel smith organic, dry adult beverage not juice box sweet

Andrew_16661

Virtue Cider The Mitten. It's aged in bourbon barrels.