Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

posted by Fnord666 on Wednesday December 06 2017, @01:44AM   Printer-friendly
from the original-applejack dept.

Craft Hard Cider Is On A Roll. How Ya Like Them Apples?

Hard cider is having a hot moment. Hotter still, if it's locally made and distributed. Over the past four years, the number of cideries across the country has doubled, from 400 to 800, according to The Cyder Market LLC, a small business that keeps statistics on the cider industry. [...] Wine has long had its connoisseurs. With the rise of the craft beer movement, drinkers have learned to appreciate the nuances of that brewed beverage, too. But cider, in many drinkers' imagination, remains an unrefined, blandly sweet drink, says Johnson. The reality is far different, he says.

[...] Hard cider's history in the U.S. goes all the way back to the Founding Fathers. During the American Revolution, many landowners had apple orchards and made homemade fermented cider using the cider apples that grew in their backyard, says Michelle McGrath, executive director of the U.S. Cider Makers Association. "Prohibition came and most of the cider apple trees were cut down in this country. But now, it's having a renaissance," she says. "It's coming back really strongly; it's taking market share from beer."

Nielsen's research says sales for regional cider are up 35.6 percent. McGrath says this is because local cideries have more varieties of cider that appeal to more sophisticated palates. In other words, cider seems to be going through what wine and beer went through years ago: people moving from drinking big brands to being more discerning, niche, and sometimes downright persnickety.


Original Submission

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
  • (Score: 3, Informative) by c0lo on Wednesday December 06 2017, @02:22AM (10 children)

    by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday December 06 2017, @02:22AM (#605950) Journal

    Divest from alcoholic drinks big brand companies.

    In the near future, I hope to think the same for soft drinks/soda companies.
    Like ... craft cola for the connoisseurs? (grin!)

    --
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
    Starting Score:    1  point
    Moderation   +1  
       Informative=1, Total=1
    Extra 'Informative' Modifier   0  
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  

    Total Score:   3  
  • (Score: 3, Informative) by takyon on Wednesday December 06 2017, @02:25AM (6 children)

    by takyon (881) <reversethis-{gro ... s} {ta} {noykat}> on Wednesday December 06 2017, @02:25AM (#605951) Journal
    --
    [SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
    • (Score: 3, Informative) by c0lo on Wednesday December 06 2017, @02:33AM

      by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday December 06 2017, @02:33AM (#605957) Journal

      As any connoisseur will tell you, nothing beats the (boutique) flavors which are born by carbonating drink with the concentrate already in, flavor which matures slowly over time in dark, cool basement.

      (grin)

      --
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
    • (Score: 3, Informative) by anubi on Wednesday December 06 2017, @03:15AM (4 children)

      by anubi (2828) on Wednesday December 06 2017, @03:15AM (#605972) Journal

      Really expensive way to go.

      Get a 20lb CO2 tank, carbonate in a 2 liter soda bottle using tire fittings and carbonate anything you want. I usually run the CO2 pressure around 75 psi or so.

      For safety sake, carbonate full bottles only.

      --
      "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
      • (Score: 2) by urza9814 on Wednesday December 06 2017, @07:17PM (1 child)

        by urza9814 (3954) on Wednesday December 06 2017, @07:17PM (#606296) Journal

        I've done the same...unfortunately I've pretty much gone back to just buying bottled soda for two reasons:

        1) Filling that canister is a pain in the ass. Took at least a week of hunting to find somewhere that would fill it, and when I was there they mentioned that they wouldn't do it again -- they were in the process of switching from filling on-demand to just trading cylinders...I'm kinda reluctant to trade mine as it's brand new, but even if I wasn't they wouldn't take it -- I think mine is five pound and they only carry 3 and 10 or something like that. Haven't found anywhere else to fill it.

        2) Variety. Personally, I prefer flavored seltzer more than soda, but this one kinda applies to both. Have you ever looked up the recipe for a homemade cola? Goddamn that's a lot of effort! And the seltzer/soda flavors have gotten *really* good lately. I tried a honeycrisp apple seltzer a couple months back that totally blew me away -- none of the usual fake apple flavoring, it actually tasted exactly like biting into a honeycrisp apple. Moreso than any apple juice you'd buy even, so if I want that flavor what am I gonna do, start pressing my own apples? I find extracts don't really work in drinks, you need juice really, which limits the flavor choices significantly. So for less than a dollar per bottle it's not worth the hassle...

        My dad has a sodastream that he uses all the time, and as much as I hate that company he's too old and non-technical to be screwing with some DIY solution...but even before getting that he was drinking 1-2 liters of unflavored seltzer per day. If you're doing that, yeah, start bottling the stuff yourself...but if you're only buying a couple liters a month it's probably not really worth it...although I will say that the sodastream has the same issue with getting new CO2 cartridges...you used to be able to swap them in stores, but from what my parents tell me there's pretty much nobody that still carries them so you just have to buy new ones online now.

        • (Score: 1) by anubi on Friday December 08 2017, @03:43AM

          by anubi (2828) on Friday December 08 2017, @03:43AM (#607082) Journal

          I understand your grief about buying a new fancy CO2 jug. Several years ago, I lucked out finding a couple of old 20-Lb steel CO2 jugs in a dumpster. ( They appear to be the same size as SCUBA tanks... would not be surprised if they actually use this same jug for both purposes ). I was working in Aerospace at the time, and came across a 0-100 PSI nitrogen gas regulator at surplus sales... believe I paid around $10 for it. I was able to do a little mechanical fitting alteration to get the proper CO2 fitting onto the Nitrogen regulator ( Nitrogen has a substantially higher tank pressure, and both gases are non-reactive ), so I should be pretty safe.

          The CO2 has tank pressures from about 500 to 1500 PSI, dependent on tank temperature, as the CO2 is given to me in a liquid state. ( If you want the precise pressure for a given temperature, consult thermodynamic tables for CO2 ).

          While discussing the prospect of how to get them filled, my contacts told me that all the CO2 came from the same place, Matheson [mathesongas.com], and they got it from fractionating air. Many local welding and refrigeration supply shops had contacts to swap bottles, only one place in town could actually fill a custom bottle, and that was Matheson themselves. But being I had old steel jugs, I swapped 'em. Took me a couple of trips before I discovered that the local tradesmen were using the newer Aluminum jugs. And all it took for me to upgrade was just to ask!

          So, on my next trip to the refrigeration supply shop, I swapped 'em out for aluminum ones. Much improved design... especially the handle. About the only grab point I had on the steel cylinders was by the valve assembly... and I hated using the valve as a handle.

          They cost me right at $20 for a refill/swap, and they also take care of recertifying the tank ( yes, they actually have expiration dates for pressure tests! ). So, at my rate of use, it does not make much sense for me to own my jugs. They will time out before I even get 'em banged up. It takes me about two years to use a tank of CO2. And that includes other uses I come to occasionally when I just need a little compressed air for blowing the dust out of a computer, or tire inflation.

          I do not know of any harm that comes from use of CO2 as a tire pressurant, but I have been doing so as trotting the CO2 tank out to the fill site is usually a lot easier than trotting out the air compressor with extension cords... and I already use tire fittings anyway for carbonation. Pep-Boys sell a really nice stainless steel screw type schraeder tire stem that fits neatly in the cap of a standard soda bottle.

          Well, anyway, that's the story of my cheapie soda-pop maker.

          The most expensive part by far is the fruit juice . I am particularly fond of carbonated Ocean Spray cranberry juice.

          Adding the fizz is about $10/year or so for me. Use your own imagination of what concoction you want to be fizzy.

          I have even carbonated Milk of Magnesia, but it tasted awful and had a rather unpleasant side effect of not only acting as a powerful laxative, but also filling the gut with CO2, which was quite a messy deal.

          --
          "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
      • (Score: 2) by aclarke on Thursday December 07 2017, @11:39AM (1 child)

        by aclarke (2049) on Thursday December 07 2017, @11:39AM (#606767) Homepage

        A friend of mine went the large CO2 tank route and uses it to refill his Sodastream. And mine too, which is a nice bonus.

        • (Score: 1) by anubi on Friday December 08 2017, @03:04AM

          by anubi (2828) on Friday December 08 2017, @03:04AM (#607073) Journal

          Right on! Those tiny little cartridges they sell ( at a premium price too, no less ) are the pits. On top of that, from what I could tell, the SodaStream was also quite wasteful of CO2 by design.

          From what I could tell, I could easily spend $3 making a mug of sodapop. When what I had in mind was spending less than a dime to make a mug of it...

          --
          "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
  • (Score: 3, Informative) by schad on Wednesday December 06 2017, @03:08AM (2 children)

    by schad (2398) on Wednesday December 06 2017, @03:08AM (#605967)

    Like ... craft cola for the connoisseurs? (grin!)

    They already exist. You can usually find them in places that sell craft beers. Some of them may show up in your local Whole Foods.

    Beware, though. Just as exposure to craft beers mean you can't tolerate Budweiser any more, so too will craft sodas ruin your ability to drink mainstream sodas. Your taste buds (and possibly your health) will appreciate it, but your wallet sure won't.

    • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Wednesday December 06 2017, @03:22AM

      by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday December 06 2017, @03:22AM (#605974) Journal

      so too will craft sodas ruin your ability to drink mainstream sodas. Your taste buds (and possibly your health) will appreciate it, but your wallet sure won't.

      Thanks for the warning, appreciated, but given I can't stand sodas (craft or mainstream), no extra impact on my wallet.

      --
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
    • (Score: 1) by anubi on Friday December 08 2017, @03:55AM

      by anubi (2828) on Friday December 08 2017, @03:55AM (#607085) Journal

      Second your observation of making your own sodas.

      If I was ever to work in a restaurant, one of the first things I would be wanting to do is serve my array of carbonated fruit juices. No telling what a good chef could come up with for me to carbonate.

      I do like some of them "hardened" with a shot of schnapps, brandy, or other liqueur. Doesn't take much, but the flavor change can be quite delightful.

      --
      "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]