Craft Cider Comes of Age
Hard cider has come a long way in the last few years.
Once a curiosity, now hard cider has a devoted following of drinkers seeking interesting flavors. Think blueberry, mango or even habanero or peanut butter and jelly.
Craft hard cider is hardly new, of course. It has its origins in the early-American cider barrels that quenched colonial thirsts, though it faded in popularity in the 1800s.
More recently, the revival version has migrated, as many trends do, from the West Coast. It is particularly popular in the Pacific Northwest and is has been steadily growing in popularity in Ohio.
And while she thinks Ohio is still about 10 years behind the West in its appreciation for hard cider, Mad Moon Cidery co-owner Sally Carroll said the drink is coming into its own here.
Where you used to see maybe one tap in each bar or restaurant dedicated to a hard cider, now you will see several ciders on a beer list. “Finally!” Carroll said.
Consumer demand is behind the expanded tap offerings, she said. Where cider used to be a novelty that curious drinkers gamely explored, now the region has a devoted group of cider lovers who seek out new and interesting, nuanced flavors.
Left: Mad Moon uses Ohio-grown apples for its products, including longtime favorite Bad Blood Orange.
Right: The Mad Moon taproom in North Columbus is now open for limited hours on Fridays and Saturdays.
Sally Carroll and her husband Peter Moon launched Mad Moon in 2014.
LESS FRUITY, MORE DRY
Cider making may start with apples but then things get more interesting, with additional flavors that take things in unexpected directions.
“Our cider drinkers are becoming more sophisticated,” Carroll said. “We have more adventurous cider drinkers coming in to our taproom.”
The latest local cider trend is dry or semi-dry varieties, including Mad Moon’s longtime favorite Bad Blood Orange.
For drinkers looking to try a dry variety, Carroll recommended Mad Moon’s High and Dry. That flavor is always available—and popular—at Mad Moon’s taproom off Cleveland Avenue in North Columbus. It’s not in high demand from bars and other retailers yet.
“It seems to me in Ohio the bulk of sales still are a fruity type of cider,” Carroll said. Those include peach and berry-flavored varieties.
Cider also is growing in popularity among drinkers who want to avoid gluten, she said. It’s unavoidable in beers, but generally is not present in hard cider.
Mad Moon uses Ohio-grown apples for its ciders and the state offers a good mix of varieties for delicious cider blends, Carroll said. As with grapes for wine, different types of apples impart various qualities to a pressing of cider. Some add sweetness, some add tartness or other elements that influence a craft cider’s final flavor.
The Pacific Northwest—epicenter of America’s craft cider trend—is known for its apple growing. But Ohio’s orchards also are brimming with interesting apple types for cider making, Carroll said.
The menu board at Mad Moon shows a variety of cider flavors and styles.
Left: A keg of pineapple cider is ready for tapping.
Right: Eat A Peach is a semi-sweet cider available in bottles at various Columbus-area supermarkets and beer and wine stores.
THIS FALL'S OFFERINGS
The coronavirus pandemic has been a challenge, she said. The taproom, like all Ohio bars and restaurants, was temporarily closed in the spring. But this fall, business is rebounding and cider makers are eager to get new seasonal offerings on tap and in bottles for customers to enjoy at the bar or at home, she said.
When Carroll and her partner and husband Peter Moon launched Mad Moon in 2014, theirs was one of only a few cideries operating in Ohio. Now, the growing appreciation for craft cider is drawing more cider makers into the business. Many craft beer breweries also have begun experimenting with a craft cider or two.
The more, the merrier, Carroll said. Having more ciders on the market is good for the trend overall, she said.
Part of the fun for both drinkers and for cider makers is playing with flavor combinations in surprising ways. As with craft beermaking, cider makers can explore many types and sub-varieties to produce sophisticated flavors.
This fall, Mad Moon is offering an oak peach cider which has been aged for four months. Fall cider drinkers also will find black currant and Hunky Dory Apple Pie, which is flavored with caramel, cinnamon and vanilla.
Craft cider is interesting all year round, naturally. And Carroll predicts that in the coming seasons cider makers and cider drinkers here will begin exploring more botanical, herbal flavors. But for now, since fall is traditional cider season, it’s as good a time as any to begin a craft cider adventure.
- Find the full list of Mad Moon ciders and where to buy them at madmooncider.com.
