Posts by Michelle McGrath
2018 American Cider Association Award Results Announced
The results are in! Here’s a complete list of 2018 American Cider Association Award Winners. All our award winners are selected by American Cider Association members, except for Member of the Year and Significant Contribution to the Cider Industry Awards which are selected by the American Cider Association Board of Directors. This is the fourth year we’ve honored people who are doing great things for cider. We added some new categories in 2018 to represent the entire ecosystem of the cider industry. Learn who this year’s winners are:
2018 American Cider Association Award Winners
For Significant Contribution to the Cider Industry: Stephen Wood, Farnum Hill Ciders, Lebanon, NH
American Cider Association Member of the Year:2 Towns Ciderhouse, Corvallis, OR
Cider Journalism Excellence: “Think You Know What Cider Is? You’re Probably Wrong,” by Jason Wilson, The Washington Post Read it here
Cider Server of the Year: Jennie Dorsey, Schilling Cider House, Portland, OR
Grower Advocate of the Year: Dr. Gregory Peck, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
On-Premise Establishment of the Year: Solstice Wood Fire Cafe & Bar, Hood River, OR Learn more here.
Off-Premise Establishment of the Year: Binny’s Beverage Depot, Chicago, IL
Cider Event of the Year: Colorado Cider & Beer Circus, Copper Mountain, CO
Regional Cider Establishments of the Year
- Pacific Northwest: Capitol Cider, Seattle, WA
- East: Fingerlakes Cider House, Interlaken, NY
- Mountain West: Horse & Plow Tasting Room, Sebastopol, CA
- South: Urban Orchard Cider Co., Asheville, NC
- Midwest: Jefferson County Ciderworks, Fairfield, IA
Regional Distributors of the Year
- Pacific Northwest: Maletis Beverage, Portland, OR
- East: Crush Distributors, Yarmouth, ME
- Mountain West: Elite Brands of Colorado, Denver, CO
- South: Artisan Beverage Group, Charlotte, NC
- Midwest: Abu Nawas Beverage, Elkader, IA
Congrats to all the winners!
The Cider Rebound: Now, Let’s Keep It Going!
A recap of Nielsen’s keynote presentation at CiderCon 2019 in Chicago.
For the last three years we’ve been honored to have our partners at Nielsen present on the state of the cider industry during CiderCon’s opening session. They offer many of our members individual services, but we work with Nielsen to bring our members broad analysis that can help you with business pursuits and decisions. We are grateful for our partnership with Nielsen, and we hope that you will make sure you’ve sent them your labels and UPCs to enhance the value of this partnership.
We wanted to give you a quick recap of the points they delivered a week ago today. You can download their slides here: Nielsen Pres’n at CiderCon 2019_2-7-2019.
- Total off-premise (aka retail) sales were up 8.4% for the cider category in 2018.
- The category did over $500 million in off-premise sales last year.
- Cider retail sales dollars are 10x bigger today than 10 years ago.
- 40% of cider drinkers are between the ages of 21 and 29.
- Cider is the most gender balanced alcohol category, with 51% of drinkers being male and 49% of drinkers being female.
- Cider grew faster than beer, wine or spirits last year. Cider was edged out by Flavored Malt Beverage (FMB) growth, however.
- Cider is growing, but is still less that 1% of alcoholic beverage market share.
- The National Beer Wholesaler Association’s “Beer Purchasing Index” survey shows cider is an expanding segment with respect to distributor purchasing orders.
- Cider conversations online grew 11%–more than craft beer and alcoholic beverage category as a whole.
- Cider’s growth was led by nationally distributed rosé ciders (chiefly Angry Orchard and Crispin) and by regional/local brands.
- All 5 of American Cider Association’s geographical regions experienced positive growth in cider sales for 2018 (off-premise).
- Regional and local cider retail sales increased 23% in 2018 (local craft beer increased 9.3% in 2018).
- 23 brands exceed the $1MM retail sales mark AND had double digit gains in 2018.
- Regional/local cider is now 1/3 of cider retail sales.
- Off the top 25 cider brands, 17 of them are regional or local brands.
- Cider’s total sales rely more heavily on on-premise sales that the other sectors, which are all about 50/50 on/off-premise.
- On-Premise retail sales were down across the board for cider: draft/packaged, national/regional.
- Some growth was seen for citrus, stone fruit and fruit-combo flavored ciders.
- Cider sales are 4.5X larger than FMB sales in on-premise
- Cider drinkers visit on-premise establishments more often than beer drinkers, and cider drinkers spend more money.
- Nearly a quarter of cocktail drinkers age 21-34 report drinking cider cocktails.
- Cider share of Beer/FMB/Cider today (Off plus On Premise) is 1.6%today (dollars)
Nielsen closed with this challenge: What If Cider’s Share of Beer in U.S. increases by 1 point? U.S. Cider sales would increase +65%, (over $800MM more than today).
Contact speaker Danny Brager (danny.brager@nielsen.com) with your questions or to submit your labels for their database.
As a American Cider Association membership benefit, detailed Q1-Q3 on- and off-premise reports are available for just $50 per quarter. Contact Ellen@ciderassociation.org if you’d like to purchase any of these today. Q4 will be available shortly, to be followed by our annual report on the cider market.
2019 American Cider Association Board Election Results
Cider Association Elects 2019 Board of Directors
Paul Vander Heide of Michigan Reelected as President
Portland, OR (February 8, 2019) –The American Cider Association (American Cider Association) elects a new slate of directors and officers each year during its annual meeting which takes place during CiderCon – the industry conference for American Cider Association members held each February. CiderCon 2019 took place at the Hilton Chicago from February 5 to February 8. At CiderCon this week, American Cider Association welcomed new leaders, reelected others and thanked those retiring their service for all they have done to support a growing cider industry.
Paul Vander Heide of Vander Mill Cider in Grand Rapids, Michigan, has been reelected to the office of President by the American Cider Association Board of Directors. Paul has served on the American Cider Association board since February 2016. During that time, he has been committee chair for American Cider Association’s Certified Cider Professional program, a cider credentials program similar to Cicerone for beer. Paul had previously served as American Cider Association Secretary and Vice President before being elected American Cider Association’s President.
“The beverage industry continues to change at a rapid pace and cider has its own unique challenges and opportunities,” said Vander Heide. “We are stronger when we work together, and I’m proud to continue to do my part to advocate for cider industry stakeholders across the country.”
Vander Heide also sits on the boards of the Michigan Cider Association and the Cider Institute of North America.
“This is the first year American Cider Association members have been allowed to vote for board members whether or not they were physically present at CiderCon,” says Michelle McGrath, Executive Director of American Cider Association. “We made the change to ensure that all members have a voice in the selection of the American Cider Association leadership team.”
ADDITIONAL American Cider Association BOARD OFFICERS FOR 2019
Brooke Glover of Swilled Dog Hard Cider in Franklin, West Virginia, was elected as American Cider Association’s Vice President. Brooke joined the American Cider Association Board in 2018 and will continue to serve as a Member At Large.
Ben Calvi of Vermont Hard Cider Company in Middlebury, Vermont returns for a second term on the board and was reelected as Treasurer by the 2019 American Cider Association Board of Directors.
Eric Foster of Stem Ciders in Lafeyette, Colorado, serving the third year of his first term, was reelected by the board to continue as the Secretary of American Cider Association.
OTHER DIRECTORS: In addition to its Officers, the American Cider Association Board consists of Regional Chairs, Members At Large and three Large Cidery Seats. Eleanor Leger, Eden Specialty Ciders of Vermont and David C. Thorton from James Creek Cider House of North Carolina have been elected to represent Eastern and Southern cideries respectively. Leger returns for her second term after a one-year hiatus. “I would like to support and promote the work of regional associations, and will work to build a strong and vibrant cider community in the Northeast,” says Leger.
Commenting on his election, Thorton says, “I’m pleased to be able to contribute to the board’s current ‘big tent’ philosophy in promoting the growth of the industry at large by aiding in the definition and standardization of product language, and through consumer education about various product styles. I feel strongly that development of cider as a beverage sector will open doors for smaller orchard based and niche producers to increase sales by increasing awareness.”
Continuing their service on the board are these Regional Board Chairs:
Eric Foster of Stem Ciders in Colorado representing the Mountain West;
Marcus Robert of Tieton Ciderworks in Washington representing the Northwest; and,
Dan Young of Tandem Cider in Michigan representing the Midwest.
In addition to their board officer duties, Paul Vander Heide has been reelected as an At Large Member, and American Cider Association Treasurer Ben Calvi has been elected a Large Cidery board member. Other At Large board members include Brooke Glover of Swilled Dog Hard Cider and Sam Fitz of ANXO Cider in Washington DC. Additional Large Cidery board members include Brian Shanks of Bold Rock Cider in Virginia and Ryan Burk of Angry Orchard in New York.
###
MISSION: The American Cider Association is an organization of cider and perry producers in the United States. Its mission is to grow a diverse and successful U.S. cider industry by providing valuable information, resources and services to American Cider Association members and by advocating on their behalf.
For more Information Contact:
Michelle McGrath | Executive Director
American Cider Association
Michelle@ciderassociation.org
PRESS RELEASE: American Cider Association Announces Certified Pommelier Objectives
American Cider Association
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The beer, wine and spirits industries all have recognized certification programs designed for food and beverage professionals. The hard cider industry has had its own version—the Certified Cider Professional (CCP) program—since 2016 through the American Cider Association (American Cider Association). Until recently, the CCP program only had one level, geared toward cider servers. Next month American Cider Association administers the exam for the second level of the CCP program for the first time. It’s being touted as their ‘pilot’ exam and will be offered in Chicago during their annual trade conference, CiderCon. Those who pass the test, with its mix of short answer, essay and tasting oriented questions, will earn the title of Certified Pommelier™. American Cider Association announced a study guide for test-taker hopefuls on their website today.
The study guide covers six sections: Apples, the Orchard & History; Cider Making; Flavor & Evaluation; Cider Styles (US and Europe); Keeping & Serving; Food & Cider. These are the same topics covered in the level one exam, but there are noticeable differences in the suggested study concepts for the two tests. To start, the list of apples to know is greatly expanded, for the new exam. Test takers are told they should be able to assign to the apples to region, style and classes bittersharp, bittersweet, sweet or sharp. These classes are determined by acid and tannin levels. The second key difference is the inclusion of traditional European cider styles for the UK, Spain, France and Germany.
“The test is designed to be challenging,” says American Cider Association’s executive director, Michelle McGrath. “Studying is highly recommended. We have some handouts on certain topics available on our website, but the books in our recommended reading list are going to be very helpful preparation.”
“If test takers don’t have experience identifying cider flaws, we suggest they sign up for the ‘Elements of Cider Workshop’ being offered in Chicago on February 5. The instructor, Charles McGonegal, has been teaching people how to distinguish cider characteristics for many years.”
McGrath explains that the expansion of the CCP program is all part of the association’s vision that bars, restaurants and retailers celebrate the diversity of the cider category. American Cider Association’s recent release of version 2.0 of their cider style guide works toward that same goal.
“Cider sales were up 10% in 2018,” added McGrath. “Enthusiasm is growing, and we hope, an expanded awareness of the cider category as a whole can help further sustain this growth.”
The association plans to offer the test four additional times in 2019. Dates and locations are yet to be announced.
You can sign up for the Certified Pommelier exam and find study aides at ciderassociation.org/certification.
###
CiderCon Contest!
How does a cider vacation sound? Pretty good? Well, here is a chance to go on one for FREE! To enter, simply book your room for CiderCon 2019 in Chicago at the Hilton by January 18!
GRAND PRIZE: We’re giving away “The Ultimate California Cider Vacation” to one lucky winner to attend CiderCon 2020 in California. What’s included?
- Airfare to Oakland or San Francisco, California (including transportation expenses from the airport to the hotel)
- 5 nights lodging at the Oakland Marriott
- FREE CiderCon 2020 registration in Oakland, CA–including tours (SONOMA! or SANTA CRUZ?!) & tastings!
- A $50 Gift Card to Redfield Cider or Crooked City Cider–winner’s choice
- VIP cider share entry
- Free tickets to the Bay Area Cider Week event of your choice
GRAND PRIZE RULES
- Airfare is for continental US only. Foreign tickets will be provided an equivalent travel stipend up to a max amount.
- Airfare is for 1 person.
- Airfare and hotel are only good for the week of CiderCon 2020: January 27-February 1, 2020.
- Winner’s name will be pulled at CiderCon 2019. Name on entry ticket is based on name given to reservation desk at the Hilton Chicago.
- Reservations at the Hilton CiderCon 2019 must be confirmed and fulfilled to qualify.
FIRST PRIZE: Want your Hilton Chicago room comped for CiderCon 2019? We’ll be choosing one lucky winner to do just that! We’ll through in a gift certificate for $50 to The Northman Chicago, too! We will comp up to 3 nights hotel maximum.
SECOND PRIZE: American Cider Association board member cider prize! 1 lucky person will go home with a box of cider from our board member’s respective cideries all over the country.
How to enter?
(1) To enter, you must stay at the Hilton Chicago when attending CiderCon 2019 in Chicago. CiderCon 2019 attendees staying offsite will not qualify.
(2) Hilton reservations must be made by January 18, 2019 to qualify for entry.
(3) Hilton reservations must be completed–canceled reservations will not qualify.
(4) Winner names will be pulled based on reservation holders name.
(5) Sorry, former or current American Cider Association board members or staff do not qualify for entry.
2019 Board Nomination Period is Open
Every year at CiderCon we honor the service of our board of directors throughout the previous year. We also hold elections for rotating board seats. About a third of the board is up for election each year. Our board is structured such that full members (active cidery level member employees) hold the seats. We have regional chairs and a limited number of designated large cidery seats. The remaining seats are designated “at large.” Service terms are for three years and these are strictly volunteer positions. Meetings are held monthly, via teleconference.
We are opening the self-nomination period for this year’s elections today.
Which seats are up for election?
- At Large Any full member producing under 1M gallons of cider a year qualifies to run. Votes cast by active cidery level members at large producing under 1M gallons. (There is a by law vote happening at CiderCon that would immediately open the At Large seat eligibility to large cideries. See next post).
- Large Cidery Any full member producing over 1M gallons of cider a year qualifies to run. Votes cast by active cidery level members in the large cidery category.
- Eastern Chair (CT, MA, ME, PA, NH, NJ, NY, RI, VT) Any full member producing under 1M gallons of cider a year with business headquarters in the American Cider Association Eastern Region qualifies to run. Votes cast by active cidery level members producing under 1M gallons in the Eastern Region.
- Southern Chair (AL, AR, FL, GA, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV, MD, DE, DC) Any full member producing under 1M gallons of cider a year with business headquarters in the American Cider Association Sourthern Region qualifies to run. Votes cast by active cidery level members producing under 1M gallons in the Southern Region.
Candidates are encouraged to declare candidacy early so they may connect with American Cider Association’s executive director in advance of the membership meeting in Chicago. Candidates representing view points. currently underrepresented on the board are also encouraged to run.
These documents, always available on our website, may help you when considering candidacy:
To self-nominate, please fill out this form by clicking here.
Reach out if you have any questions!
Membership Forum
Have a question about filtering? Trying to sell a used brite tank? Selling juice? Looking for a cider job?
Our Membership Forum is a great place to post your cider industry specific classifieds.
If you are a vendor or contractor, please contact us for forum sponsorship inquiries. Solicitations are not permitted on the forum otherwise.
PRESS RELEASE: Cider Association Releases 2018 Update to Cider Style Guide
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
American Cider Association
For follow up: Michelle@ciderassociation.org
US Cider Association Releases 2018 Updates to Hard Cider Style Guidelines; Adds Five New Styles
Portland, OR—The American Cider Association has released an update to their Cider Style Guide, first introduced in summer of 2017. American Cider Association’s original reason for releasing a guide was to unify the language used to discuss hard cider in the marketplace. This intention remains true. In the new release, minor language changes were made to the standard styles of modern cider and heritage cider. Additionally, five new specialty styles were added to the guide, bringing the new total to 15 styles.
The new additions include the following. (1) Botanical ciders were split up from spiced ciders. Two sub-categories of rosé cider were added: (2) heritage rosé, which gets its color from red-fleshed apples, and (3) modern rosé, which gets its color from other fruits or botanicals. (4) The lesser-known but traditional New England Style Cider was added, sometimes described as apple wine with raisins. Lastly, a catch all category for outliers is now included, referred to as (5) specialty cider and perry.
American Cider Association’s executive director Michelle McGrath, commented on the process, “A lot of thought went into these updates—stakeholders supplied comments and some very intense conversations about the implications were held. But in the end, the consensus from the board was strong. We felt like these changes reflect the growing diversification of the market, and we want to arm cider makers, distributors, retailers, servers and consumers with the ability to understand and discuss that diversity.”
Two of the new styles added to the guide fall under the hugely popular rosé cider category. “Defining the two substyles of rosé cider was a very exciting proposition for American Cider Association,” said Paul Vander Heide, American Cider Association board president.
For modern ciders, rosé describes the color of the product. That color nuance can be produced with many different fruits or botanicals which will also change the flavor profile of the cider. For heritage rosé ciders, a pink color is achieved through the use of widely unknown red-fleshed apple varieties.
“Our mission here is to educate folks about the amazing diversity of cider products available in the US today,” added Vander Heide.
McGrath reports that the marketplace is beginning to adopt the terms introduced in Version 1.0 of the style guide. “Cider makers are embracing themselves as modern or heritage producers, because it helps them provide expectations to their consumers. I’ve seen it used on labels, by tasting room employees, on cans and bottles, and now—in New Hampshire—there is even an ‘American Heritage Cider’ section in their state liquor stores. Perhaps most importantly, the media is beginning to talk about cider as a category with diverse options. It’s working and we’re so excited,” McGrath exclaimed.
American Cider Association will release an illustrated style poster this winter for tap rooms and tasting rooms. The updated guidelines can be found on American Cider Association’s website (download here). They will open the guide for comment every summer and will make annual updates when warranted.
###
The American Cider Association is an organization of cider and perry producers in the United States. Their mission is to grow a diverse and successful U.S. cider industry by providing valuable information, resources and services to our members and by advocating on their behalf.
Our Executive Director Made Wine Enthusiast’s Top 40 Under 40 Tastemakers List!
PRESS RELEASE: For Immediate Release
Contact helenkanebaldus@gmail.com for follow up or images
Article Link: https://www.winemag.com/
Featured image by Scott McDermott
Cider Association Executive Director Makes 40 Under 40 Tastemakers List By Wine Enthusiast
Portland, OR [August 21, 2018] – The American Cider Association (American Cider Association) is thrilled to announce that its executive director, Michelle McGrath, has been named a 2018 40 Under 40 Tastemaker in the U.S. by Wine Enthusiast magazine. The Wine Enthusiast 40 Under 40 list recognizes the young winemakers, brewers, beverage directors, grape growers, and other movers and shakers who are changing today’s beverage industry.
“I am humbled and honored to receive this distinction,” exclaimed McGrath. “The most thrilling part is the well-deserved national recognition it means for cider.”
American Cider Association is a young association, formally designated in 2014. McGrath became the association’s first executive director in the summer of 2016. In just two years her impact and leadership is visible through increased membership, a growing general awareness of cider styles and an ever-improving CiderCon—the industry’s annual conference.
“Michelle has brought real professionalism to a young organization,” shared Paul Vander Heide, owner of Vander Mill Cider and American Cider Association Board President. “Her engagement with members, industry stakeholders, and policy makers has dramatically advanced our mission to support and grow the US cider industry.”
McGrath credits her success to the association’s passionate members, especially its board of directors. “I’ve worked with several boards in past roles, and I’ve never come across one as effective as American Cider Association’s. It’s why we can do so much with so little. All of our volunteers deserve so much credit.”
McGrath has managed to lead an extremely diverse industry towards category-wide standards, by overseeing the creation and development of the association’s consumer-facing cider style guide—the first of its kind, adopted in October 2017.
“Cider as a category is not just one thing, but an incredible variety of styles and points of view,” said American Cider Association member and cider author, Darlene Hayes. “It’s a challenge to represent such diversity.”
McGrath is up for that challenge, according to Stephen Wood, founder of Farnum Hill Cider and American Cider Association volunteer. “McGrath has shown herself to be equally adept at working among the diverse continuum of groups that make up the U.S. cider industry, from large market-driven cider makers to smaller orchard-based cider makers, processors and suppliers to advisors and advocates.”
Under her strategic direction, the association is attacking the development of new programming to support and grow the cider industry. From promoting cider education through the association’s Certified Cider Professional Program (CCP), to advocating for the fair and accurate treatment of cider with the government and the media to leading the creation of cider-specific market data, she’s taken the role of championing cider seriously and fiercely.
“Michelle is the real deal. She works tirelessly and diligently with cider makers across all regions of the US to help raise the profile and market share of American cider,” said Jolie Devoto, founder of Golden State Cider and American Cider Association Member. “She’s supporting a dialogue about cider on a massive scale.”
McGrath’s goals are not quaint. “I want US cider to be the most coveted cider in the world. I want every bar in America to feature multiple styles and understand the story behind our category. I want to double our market share. US cider deserves to be celebrated. I applaud Wine Enthusiast for doing that within their 40 Under 40 program.”
The October issue of Wine Enthusiast will feature the 40 Under 40 tastemakers selected for 2018, including McGrath.
###
Congratulations to Michelle!
What is “DRY”?
American Cider Association Board endorses dryness language
We are encouraging transparency and communication from cidermakers to build fidelity with consumers—don’t betray the consumer with marketing. Discussing flavor, ingredients, and sweetness honestly is how we help a drinker find the cider they will like before they open the bottle or can. Using poignant descriptive language on cans and bottles will reduce palate mismatches. Tell the drinker what your cider will taste like.
In doing so, it is important that our industry work toward a language that is (a) accurate (b) illustrative (c) unified.
The following organizations have embraced shared terms for communicating dryness: American Cider Association, BJCP, GLINTCAP, and NYCA. The four categories of sweetness are:
- Dry
- Semi-Dry
- Semi-Sweet
- Sweet
American Cider Association encourages our members to embrace the same terminology for the sake of consistency and educating the consumer.
Perceived vs. absolute dryness
The differences between mechanisms for measuring dryness chiefly come down to an actual measure of sugar vs. perceived dryness. A scientific dialogue on the precise impact of tannins and acids on perceived dryness is underway. The New York Cider Association has been working with Cornell to develop a perceived dryness scale that integrates the impact of tannins and acid (see their CiderCon presentation here). The team at GLINTCAP has started considering these impacts as well. We think this dialogue is healthy and we are closely watching it.
On the other hand, many cidermakers have taken the path of simply reporting brix or residual sugar. Measuring residual sugar is something easily done by most cideries in the comfort of their own production facility. Is it true that a dry fruity cider will taste sweeter than the residual sugar level suggests? Is it true that a high-acid cider will taste drier than the residual sugar level suggests? Yes, and yes. But the same things may be said about brix for wine or IBUs for beer. Perfect solutions are hard to find.
In speaking with cider makers, however, we know that figuring out how to communicate perceived dryness is important to many. Residual sugar alone does not tell consumers how tart or astringent a cider will taste. It does not reflect the consumer’s experience based on acids or tannins.
What can we do as an industry right now to help consumers find a cider they like?
The industry is testing definitions of these terms on its own. Consumers will tell us the answer if we listen carefully.
The current levels used by GLINTCAP to delineate dryness are:
- Dry — Below 0.9% RS (Below 1.0 Brix)
- Semi-Dry — 0.9%-1.8% RS (1.0-1.8 Brix)
- Semi-Sweet — 1.8-4.5% RS (1.8-4.3 Brix)
- Sweet — Above 4.5% RS (Above 4.3 Brix)
Another scale used in the industry with the goal of being “consumer-friendly” is:
- Dry — ≤1% RS
- Semi-Dry — 1.1-2.0% RS
- Semi-Sweet — 2.1-3.0% RS
- Sweet — >3.0% RS
These scales don’t consider acid or tannin levels. Anyone can adopt them today with little special equipment or measures. However, scientists and cidermakers are trying to determine the precise impact of tannins and acids on perceived dryness. What can we do as an industry right now to help consumers find a cider they like? To start, embrace the terms semi-dry and semi-sweet. It hurts the whole industry when we confuse the consumer about what a dry cider truly is.
As this blog is being written, precisely where these categories land on the residual sugar scale and the known impact of tannins and acid are still up for discussion. We will keep our members updated on developments in this industry-wide conversation. We are also discussing dryness scale developments with our colleagues overseas. This issue is something on everyone’s mind right now.
In the meantime, dryness: measure it, illustrate it, discuss it, and be honest. That’s what we’re saying.