Cider apple
Cider apples are a group of apple cultivars grown for their use in the production of cider.
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Cider apples are a category of apple varieties grown specifically for making cider—known as "hard cider" in the United States. They differ from cooking apples and dessert apples (or "eaters") because of their bitter or dry taste, which makes them unpleasant to eat raw but valuable for cidermaking. Some apple varieties can fit into more than one category.
Long Ashton Research Station classification system
In 1903, Professor B.T.P. Barker, the first director of the Long Ashton Research Station (LARS) in Bristol, England, established an analytical classification system for cider apples based on tannin and malic acid percentages in pressed juice. High sugar content is important for cider production because it encourages fermentation and boosts the final alcohol level, so cider apples typically contain more sugar than dessert or cooking apples. Tannins are also key, as they add complexity to the cider’s flavor. The Long Ashton system sorts cider apples into four main types according to the percentages of tannin and malic acid in the pressed juice.
It also includes a three-level tannin scale: "full" for apples with strong tannins (like the bittersweet Chisel Jersey), "mild" for low tannins (such as Cummy Norman), and "medium" (like Dabinett). Tannins are sometimes further described as "hard" (bitter) or "soft" (astringent). British cidermakers usually blend juice from several apple categories to create a balanced, consistent flavor.
Traditional ciders used whatever apples were locally available, but achieving the right mix of sugar, acid, and tannin from a single variety is difficult—except possibly with some bittersharps, which are rare. A common modern method is to combine bittersweet varieties with sharps or a cooking apple like Bramley to adjust acidity. Sharps, with their high acid content, keep the cider’s pH below 3.8 to prevent spoilage, while sweets provide enough sugar for proper fermentation to the desired alcohol level. In France and Spain, a different classification system includes an intermediate category called acidulée or acidulada, used for apples that are semi-tart and low in tannin.
French and Spanish classification systems
Like the English system, it considers acidity and tannins. In the United States, cider apples are grown in four main orchard regions: the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, and Northwest. Of the twenty most common cider apple varieties, half come from England, two from France, and the rest are American.
Lore & Background
In the United Kingdom, the Long Ashton Research Station categorised cider apples in 1903 into four main types according to the proportion of tannins and malic acid in the fruit. For cider production, it is important that the fruit contains high sugar levels which encourage fermentation and raise the final alcohol levels. Cider apples therefore often have higher sugar levels than dessert and cooking apples. It is also considered important for cider apples to contribute tannins, which add depth to the finished cider's flavour.
Reader's Guide
Classification of cider apples includes the Long Ashton Research Station classification system, established in 1903 by Professor B.T.P. Barker, based on tannin and malic acid percentages in pressed juice, divided into four categories. The system also includes a three-level classification of tannin: "full", "mild", and "medium". Tannins are further sometimes categorised as "hard" or "soft", for bitter and astringent tannins respectively. British cidermakers normally blend juice from apples of multiple categories to ensure a finished cider with a balanced flavour.
While traditional ciders were made from whatever apples were available locally, the blend of sugar, acid and tannin required for a successful cider is difficult to achieve from any single cultivar with the possible exception of some bittersharps. As bittersharps are rare, a common modern approach is to use a range of bittersweet varieties with some sharps, or a cooking apple such as the readily available Bramley, to balance the acidity. Sharps, with their high acid content, also keep the cider's pH below 3.8 to prevent spoilage; sweets help provide adequate sugar for fermentation to the proper alcohol content. In addition to the Long Ashton classification, Charles Neal has written about a French classification system.
In France and Spain, the system has an intermediate category called acidulée or acidulada respectively, which is sometimes used to classify cider apples that are semi-tart and have low tannin content. In the US, there are four regions where cider apples are grown in orchards: the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, and Northwest. Out of the twenty most commonly grown cider apple varieties, half originate from England, two come from France, and the rest originate in America.
Most special cider cultivars for European ciders are bittersweets and bittersharps, which have high tannin content. There are not a lot of cultivars with high tannins readily available in the U.S. Most ciders in the United States are made from culled dessert apples that are generally sweets and sharps. There is no systematic classification of North American apple cultivars for cider-making purposes. However, there is a database for apple varieties called the U.S. National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS).
Did You Know?
- Cider apples are distinguished from cookers and eaters by their bitterness or dryness of flavour.
- In the United States, hard cider legally falls between the 0.5% to 8.5% alcohol by volume tax bracket.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Cider apple?
Cider apples are a dedicated group of apple cultivars grown specifically to be pressed into hard cider rather than eaten or cooked. They form their own recognized category of fruit cultivar, separate from dessert and cooking varieties.
Why can't you just eat a Cider apple like a regular apple?
These apples carry high levels of tannins and malic acid, which give them a harsh, bitter, and astringent bite most people find unappetizing raw. That very dryness and sharpness is precisely what makes them so valuable in the fermentation process for making cider.
What role do tannins and malic acid play in the final cider?
Tannins supply the dry, astringent structure that gives hard cider its full-bodied mouthfeel, while malic acid contributes the bright tartness that balances sweetness after fermentation. Together, these two compounds are the defining chemical traits that set cider apples apart from other apple types.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Cider apple (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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