Fruit
Dessert, culinary, cider apples and perry pears all bring different balances of sugar, acid and tannin.
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Cider encyclopaedia · Foundation
Cider: fruit, fermentation and a great deal more than sweetness.
Cider is not simply “beer made from apples”. It has its own fruit varieties, regions, traditions, fermentation choices and vocabulary — and at its best it can be every bit as place-driven as wine.
Tannin
Bittersweet and bittersharp cider fruit can add grip, dryness and structure that ordinary eating apples may lack.
Acidity
Freshness is essential. Sharp fruit, fermentation and regional traditions all influence how bright a cider feels.
Fermentation
Yeast does the main work, but temperature, time and the other microbes present can all change aroma, dryness, complexity and stability.
What happens after the apple leaves the tree
Ten steps between orchard and glass.
1
Orchard & fruit
Cider starts with fruit selection. Dessert apples can make approachable modern cider, while traditional cider apples may bring much more tannin, acidity, bitterness and structure. Perry uses pears, often specialist perry varieties.
2
Harvest
Fruit is picked when ripe enough for the intended style. Variety, season, weather and storage before pressing can all influence the juice.
3
Milling
Apples or pears are crushed into a pulp — traditionally called pomace — so juice can be released efficiently.
4
Pressing
The pomace is pressed to separate juice from skins, seeds and pulp. Press design and extraction choices affect yield and the character of the must.
5
Fermentation
Yeast converts fruit sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide. Fermentation may be fast and controlled or slow and traditional, using cultured or naturally present yeasts.
6
Maturation
Young cider may be rested so flavours integrate and solids settle. Some ciders develop for months before packaging or blending.
7
Blending & balance
Makers can blend varieties, batches or sweetness levels to balance fruit, tannin, acidity, aroma and alcohol.
8
Still or sparkling
Cider can remain still, be force-carbonated, undergo a secondary fermentation, or use traditional methods to build natural sparkle.
9
Sweetness & finishing
A cider may finish bone dry or retain sweetness. Stabilisation, filtration, keeving, blending or controlled fermentation can all influence the final balance.
10
Glass & table
Temperature, carbonation and food change perception. A structured dry cider can behave more like wine at the table than like a sweet soft drink.
Cider styles
There is much more than dry, medium and sweet.
Sweetness matters, but so do fruit type, tannin, acidity, carbonation, geography and production method.
Dry cider
Little residual sweetness; acidity, tannin, fruit and fermentation character are exposed more clearly.
Medium & sweet cider
Residual or added sweetness softens acidity and tannin and can make fruit character feel more immediate.
Traditional West Country
Often tannic, structured and bittersweet-fruited, with still or lightly sparkling examples common.
Keeved cider
A traditional method associated especially with Normandy and Brittany that can retain natural sweetness while keeping alcohol relatively moderate.
Spanish sidra
Asturian and Basque traditions often emphasise tartness, freshness and distinctive pouring or serving rituals.
Perry
Fermented pear drink, often delicate, floral and texturally different from apple cider, especially when made from specialist perry pears.
Ice cider
Concentrated apple juice fermented into a richer, sweeter style, associated particularly with cold-climate production.
Modern fruit cider
Apple cider used as a base for additional fruit flavours; quality and sweetness can vary enormously.
Place matters
Now give the orchard an address.
Devon, Somerset and Herefordshire each have deep English cider traditions. Normandy and Brittany bring different fruit and methods; Asturias and the Basque Country have distinctive sidra cultures. These are not just labels — they are useful ways to understand fruit, climate, technique and drinking ritual.
Devon & Somerset
West Country orchards, bittersweet fruit and long cider-making traditions.
Herefordshire
A major English orchard landscape with both cider apples and celebrated perry traditions nearby.
Normandy & Brittany
French cidre, keeving traditions, sweetness, sparkle and food culture.
Asturias & Basque Country
Tart sidra, cellar traditions and distinctive high-pour serving rituals.
Compare the other fermentation path
Now follow beer from grain to glass.
Beer begins with starch-rich grain rather than naturally sugary fruit, so the brewhouse first has to turn some of that starch into sugars the yeast can use.