The rise, fall, and rebirth of cider in America.

Sharing an alcoholic drink with friends, co-workers, or family members is a favorite pastime here in America. Whether it’s at a restaurant, a bar, or just hanging out at home, we love to share tasty drinks and have good conversations. A drink that has recently come back to the limelight is a classic favorite; cider. Hard cider in America has a long-standing history, and while it fell off the grid for a number of years, it started rising back to popularity over the last few years, being sold in grocery stores and bars alike. How did this popular drink get started in America? What happened to make cider decline in popularity? And how did it make a comeback?

The Origins of Cider in America

Cider started to thrive a few years after colonies had landed in the United States. They planted orchards of apple trees and often fermented the apple juice so it lasted longer. This gave them hard cider, which became a favorite for both adults and children. The hard cider was diluted for children, but also at the time water was considered unsafe to drink, so the cider gave a safe alternative to stay hydrated and healthy. 

At the time, the colonists also had difficulty growing hops and barley for beer, and importing beer would be expensive. It was an easy alternative because it also helped preserve the fruit from the harvest. The drink grew to popularity not only because it was easy to make, but it provided other purposes as well. The process of cider making helped create vinegar, which then preserved other harvest items like vegetables and helped feed colonies through the winter. However, as the new world started to develop and change, the popularity of cider in America started to decline. 

The Downfall

With the Industrial Age, came a new way of living in America that had not been seen before. At the time of growth, a lot of families had started to abandon the orchards in exchange for jobs in factories or bigger cities. With these changes, apple orchards decreased, and when Prohibition started, some farmers made the choice to not produce cider at all since they didn’t want to be caught up in politics. There is an argument, though, that it isn’t Prohibition that took cider in America out of the game. 

According to Andrew Tobia who documented the change of Cider during Prohibition, Prohibition itself wasn’t the root cause of the decline. In fact, cider was still America’s favorite drink; however, cider making was seasonal. Because farmers have to grow the crops, and apples can only be harvested during a certain period of time, beer started to become more popular since it could be mass-produced year-round. Plus, because of the difference in manufacturing, factory vs farm, beer was actually cheaper than cider. So once families moved from farms to the city, it became easier to outweigh those import costs, allowing beer to take the lead. Not only had beer started to take the lead, but once Prohibition had gone into full effect, the rules surrounding cider had become confusing and difficult to follow. It was stated cider making was fine for farmers to take part in, but the process had to be completed and turned into vinegar. Then it was said that you could make apple juice, but doing so would still run the risk for farmers breaking the law, as there was no way to keep the apple juice from fermentation. Out of fear, a rapid decline in cider production and apple orchards was seen in an attempt to follow the rules. 

Cider in America had fallen to the side after a series of events from beer being produced, Prohibition, and Tobia even says the change of taste over time. Because food preservation had changed and sanitation efforts were made, the need to keep cider on hand wasn’t as dire. All of these factors led to the decline and cider was no longer the drink of choice.

The Rebirth

Today, most of us love a good taste of history. Not only that, a lot of us enjoy supporting local businesses and the craft that comes with making our food. From 2009 to 2014, the rebirth of cider had started. Large companies started to produce hard cider, and with the generation of that time putting forth an emphasis on culture and craftsmanship, cider had started to become its own niche. Those of drinking age no longer wanted something that was mass-produced and they could buy at any gas station. They wanted something with more thought behind it, something with heart. As popularity started to boom, cider bars, mainstream selling, and local cider making had started to become more widespread, to the point where cider is now a competitive drink for those who want to share an alcoholic beverage but don’t like the taste of beer or want something more seasonal. 

Today, cider is everywhere. The love of history, local brewing, and being able to share something delicious with your inner circle is appreciated. Not only have people found the love of cider and its local roots, but people have found the love of history which is incredibly important to today’s generation. A quick search of ‘cider near me’ will render a number of results, especially in larger areas. And if you can’t seem to find a local place, or somewhere you would like to share a drink, cider in America is now prominent and you can try your local store to see if they have any cider brands available. Regardless, cider has been the comeback kid of the 2000s, and it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon.