All of your fall haters can click on through because this post is for diehard lovers of the spoopy–crisp leaves, apple picking, the PSL, and of course, hard cider. ‘Tis the season! Truthfully, you should be drinking hard ciders year-round. Cider producers across the country work hard to create tasty, seasonal thirst-quenching brews. But fall is for sure the time to empty your fridge of IPAs (enough, already) and fill it with these hard ciders from across the country.
Northwest
Photo Credit: Brownrigg Hard Cider on Facebook
Made with local apples, some of which they grow themselves, Brownrigg crafts innovative brews, including a whiskey-barrel aged cider perfect for fall.
If your heart only beats for IPAs, Meriwether has you covered. They make a dry-hopped cider that’ll remind you of cloudy suds. Good news for those of us not in the Northwest–they ship to 39 states.
Find the nexus of fall flavors in their pumpkin spice cider. Portland Cider Co. makes their ciders from the community’s unwanted fruit and donates 10% of profits to food banks.
Runcible is not your co-ed’s cider. Their commitment to tradition begins with the bitter cider apples grown on their Oregon orchard and carries through the hand milling and pressing in a cider barn. The result is an authentic high tannin, high acid cider.
If you’re in on the natural wine craze, you’ll love this wild-grown, naturally fermented Oregon cider.
New England
Artifact touts itself as the cidery for the “new Northeast.” They’re rooted in traditional methods but create ambitious, groundbreaking brews. With tasting notes like “brunch and beach” and “fight not flight,” sampling their offerings is sure to be an adventure.
Bantam believes, “you can taste sincerity.” And with crave-worthy seasonal cider offerings like hibiscus-mint and double New England style hopped cider, sincerity sounds delicious.
Made with traditional methods and New England apples, Far From the Tree offers New Englanders a chance to taste old-school cider, the way the Europeans do it.
If you really can’t give up cloudy New England IPAs, try Downeast cider. It’s unfiltered (the way y’all love), and the cans come with directions to shake gently before opening.
Shacksbury
Keep a constant eye on the Shacksbury offerings if you’re in the area–their finely tuned process generates complex, charming ciders year-round.
Midwest
AEppel Treow Winery and Distillery
AEppel Treow is Olde English for “apple true,” and they work hard to do right by the local fruit they ferment and distill. Expect lighter ciders and delicate flavors from them.
A combined apple orchard and cidery, Blake’s uses 100% Michigan-grown apples in some very cool year-round ciders. While it’s not on-season, snag their mango and habanero El Chavo cider for a treat.
Who knew Wisconsin had a similar climate to Normandy, France? They brew Island Orchard Ciders on an actual island, from traditional cider apples grown on the property. Plus, they ship to 36 states.
Naturally fermented, Prima makes traditional farmhouse style ciders meant to be their-quenchable and crave-able.
Hard cider is just a part of the entire Uncle John’s experience. If you live in the area, stop by for apple picking, fresh donuts, and grab a six-pack of semi-sweet cider.
Southwest
If you’re looking for big flavors from your cans of cider, Common has it. Check out their hibiscus Saison, blackberry sangria, or pomme rose.
The oldest cidery in Arizona, Desert Cider House, naturally ferments its products and offers a pumpkin pie cider every fall. PSL lovers rejoice.
Try a cider made by sparkling-wine lovers to experience the full range of what apples can do. Every bottle ranges from dry to medium and tells you the southwestern farm where they sourced.
Determined to stand out from the myriad of Colorado microbreweries, Wild Cider set about making unique flavor combinations for cider. For fall, they offer spiced apple pie and pumpkin.
Southeast
Founded by an Englishman from the heart of cider country in the UK, Austin Eastciders creates dry, complex ciders
Backwater Cider
Mississippi’s first and only hard cidery, they’re already cranking out medal-winning hopped and dry ciders. The core products are worth keeping in your fridge but don’t miss the limited-release spiced cider for fall.
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Congaree and Penn focuses on eating local and agritourism. The farmstead makes various products, like jelly, grains, and shrubs, and is open (normally) for gourmet dinners and cider tasting.
A family-owned operation in North Carolina. You can make a reservation at the winery for tasting flights of both ciders and wines. A high-acid apple-cranberry cider is their seasonal fall/holiday offering.
An urban small-batch artisanal cidery, they have a high-ABV semi-sweet chai spice apple cider in the fall that’s easy to find throughout both Carolinas.
Featured Image Credit: by Andy Holmes on Unsplash
