Increased availability of hard cider means more options for isle drinkers

It’s taken Hawaii a few years to catch up with the rest of the United States, but we finally have a decent variety of hard cider available in stores.

Like beer, hard cider is fermented using active yeast to produce alcohol. But instead of using grain with the yeast, cider utilizes fruit in the same way grapes are used to make wine. When apples, pears or other fruits are used, the resulting alcohol content is generally lower than wine, but the process to create the two is essentially the same. So if you see the words “hard cider” or “apple wine” on the packaging, you’re good to go. But if you see the phrases “apple ale” or “fruit beer,” you’ve got beer.

The introduction of Boston Beer Co.’s Angry Orchard in 2012 brought millions of new cider drinkers to the table, and the brand continues to dominate its competition with more than $252 million in U.S. sales last year (that’s more than the rest of the top 10 hard cider brands combined, according to Chicago-based research firm Information Resources Inc.). While data appear to suggest sales of big brands like Angry Orchard, Anheuser-Busch InBev’s Johnny Appleseed and MillerCoors’ Smith &Forge will drop a bit in 2016, smaller craft producers like California Cider Co. (which produces the Ace lineup of ciders), Washington state’s Tieton Cider Works and Oregon’s 2 Towns Ciderhouse continue to thrive as cider drinkers explore more of the options available to them.

Where do you start? Try the big boys first because they’re usually the most affordable and easy to find. You can pick up a six-pack of Angry Orchard, Strongbow or Stella Artois Cidre for about $10 (the Cidre is sold as a four-pack), and like Johnny Appleseed and Smith &Forge, they’re all approachable with an appealing sweetness. But not everyone likes the sugary flavors some ciders offer, especially those with additional apple juice concentrate added after the brewing process is complete to achieve an even sweeter profile. While big producers offer their takes on more dry-style ciders, give one of the smaller brewers a shot and you won’t be disappointed.

Once you’ve sampled a few ciders, it’s time to branch out into the craft realm. With a history dating from the Roman Empire, cider has enjoyed a global following for centuries, and there are plenty of craft producers in Europe worth checking out.

Last week I sat down with Pint + Jigger owner Dave Newman, bartender Alicia Yamachika and Southern Wine &Spirits key account manager Dave Power to sample more than a dozen hard ciders, including a few bottles unavailable to the general public on Oahu, to pick my favorites.

Here are five hard ciders you can buy right now. Listed in alphabetical order, they’re all readily available and fall on the more affordable end of the spectrum.

Aspall English Cider

There’s a bit of history in every bottle of Aspall, which has been made from apples grown at Aspall Hall in Suffolk, England, by the Chevallier family since the 1700s. Both the Grand Cru and Dry versions use a blend of bittersweet, culinary and dessert apples, but I found myself drawn more to the astringency of the Dry, which is almost Champagne-like in texture on the tongue. This cider will do well at the dinner table, also, paired with pork or fish. Pick up a 500-ml bottle for $7.79 at Tamura’s Fine Wines &Liquor, 1216 10th Ave.

Rambling Route Yakima Cider

Based in Yakima, Wash., Tieton Cider Works already offers a full lineup of fresh-pressed bottled ciders using American heritage, English and French cider apples along with organically grown dessert apples grown on its own farm. But I was impressed with their new Rambling Route Yakima Cider, which uses only the homegrown dessert apples and is a well-balanced gateway cider for those looking to branch out beyond popular brands like Angry Orchard, Crispin or Strongbow. Single cans are available for $4.99 at Bev Mart, 2441 Date St.

Rekorderlig Premium Strawberry-Lime Hard Cider

This Swedish hard cider uses pears as its base fruit with added strawberry and lime flavors. Additional sugar is added to bump up the sweetness, but I found the strawberry notes more satisfying than expected. It’s not an artificial strawberry taste, which is a definite plus. The label suggests pouring this one over ice, and Rekorderlig also promotes using its hard ciders in cocktails. Give their passion-fruit hard cider a try, as well; both are available for $6.99 at Fujioka’s Wine Times in the Market City Shopping Center, 2919 Kapiolani Blvd.

Sheppy’s Somerset Draught Cider

The Sheppy family has lived in Somerset, England, for more than 200 years and created their lineup of hard cider on the same patch of farmland since 1917. So while this brand might be new in Hawaii, it’s worth seeking out for a taste of what English-style cider should taste like. A blend of traditional cider and culinary apples is pressed without any additional ingredients to create a product that’s sweeter than the Rambling Route and Aspall ciders mentioned above. I’d suggest this one to craft beer drinkers or someone already familiar with apple ale and looking to try a pure cider instead. Individual bottles are on sale for $6.99 at Bev Mart.

2 Towns Ciderhouse BrightCider

The team at 2 Towns Ciderhouse in Corvallis, Ore., got its start in 2010. The operation has since grown into a 10,000-square-foot production facility and planted the first trees in its own estate orchard in 2012. The BrightCider is their flagship hard cider made from fresh-pressed Pacific Northwest apples, which gives it a refreshing sweetness without any added ingredients. At $10.99 per 12-pack at Fujioka’s Wine Times in the Market City Shopping Center, this is the craft cider to buy if you’re looking for the most bang for your buck this summer. Ginger fans will also want to try the Ginja Ninja instead of their favorite ginger beer — its spicy sweetness is addicting!

Jason Genegabus tracks the local bar and drink scenes in “Barfly” every Friday in TGIF; read his blog at inthemix.staradvertiserblogs.com.