Cider And Cheese Pairings For Any Occasion
A technique review in honor of #WineAndCheeseDay
It’s a perfect summer morning in the Pacific Northwest. As I stroll into work my mind wanders. Stopping for a shady moment under an apple tree heavily weighted with delicious glowing orbs I am suddenly struck with the desert island question. What drink would I take with me? Cider definitely. Ooh, and cheese too! But, which cheese with which cider?! I could be on this island a long time. I need to get it right.
While cheese and cider can never really be wrong in my mind, there are a few basic techniques to help you to choose pairings that will bring out the best qualities in both the cider and the cheese. Please understand that these are techniques to help guide you and that there will always be exceptions that may not be the best pairings.
● Match intensity: Align intense ciders with intense cheeses and mild cheese with less intense cider. Intensity in food and cider refers to its mouthfeel, which depends on things such as sugar, acid, salt, spice, etc. We get the classic ice cider and blue cheese pairing from this technique.
● Terroir Matching: “If it grows together it goes together.” Sometimes the cheese and the cider are even from the same farm.
● Complement: Pair similar aromas and flavors in both the cider and the cheese.
● Cut: Use the acidity of a cider to cut through the fat of the cheese.
Using these methods, you can take any cider no matter its perceived elegance and create a cheese pairing that is excellent for any occasion.
For an evening of camping, grab yourself a 6-pack of canned berry-forward cider and a creamy mild cow’s milk cheese to savor a deliciously uncomplicated match.
If an evening in with friends is on the agenda, maybe a large-format, bottle-conditioned, tannin-forward cider would be better suited. Accompany it with an aromatic sheep’s milk cheese ideally from the same growing region.
For more advanced cider and cheese pairings we call upon the building blocks of creating taste balance. Balance in intensity as well as balance across the palate, essentially creating the perfect swish, bite and swish.
- Contrast: This pairing is designed to stimulate and intrigue the palate. You are looking for opposing flavors and aromas.
- Complete: Either the cider or the food to complete or fill in any of the 5 main tastes (sweet, sour, bitter, salty and umami) that either the cider or the food does not already contain.
By starting with basic pairing techniques, you are now well equipped to experiment. Don’t be afraid to put your palate to the test and try adding unique ingredients to both contrast and complete both the cider and the cheese. These can include fresh herbs, dried fruits, local honey, nuts, edible flowers or locally grown fresh fruits.
Here’s an advanced example using both techniques: pair baked brie topped with fresh maple syrup and crispy bacon crumbles with a sparkling tannin-forward cider. Score even more points if the bacon came from a pig that grazed in the same orchard where the cider was produced.
To review, these techniques will help you create amazing cider and cheese pairings: match intensity, terroir matching, complement, cut, contrast, complete. Follow these basic guidelines and your cider and cheese pairing will be the perfect match for any occasion.
Author Jennie Dorsey is the Chief Cider Curator of Schilling Cider House PDX, a member of American Cider Association’s Certified Cider Professional Working Group, and a founding member of the Pomme Boots Society.
Photo by Alli Fodor.
American Cider Association Solicits Feedback On Cider Styles
It is the American Cider Association’s mission to move our industry forward and grow a cider community that is successful and inclusive, entrepreneurial and diverse. That’s why the USCAM’s style guidelines are a living document – a work in progress, open to new information and new perspectives. We encourage anyone to provide feedback through our annual style survey [Click here to access], which will be open through July 31st. Additionally, our board has begun to reach out individually to members of our diverse cider community. In particular, we have been hearing anecdotally from Heritage cider producers at CiderCon® and elsewhere about various concerns with that label. These concerns were augmented by discussions raised by a recent article.
In the coming weeks we will be soliciting feedback from all producers who primarily make that style of cider, and will use that feedback to plot a responsive course of engagement and action. It won’t be fast or easy, but we are dedicated to progress for the entire cider community. The American Cider Association is committed to inclusivity, and hope you will join us as we grow.
NOW OPEN: 2019 Feedback Form for American Cider Association Cider Styles
We call our American Cider Association Cider Style Guide a living document. We’ve updated it twice since its first release in the fall of 2017, both times based on the feedback of the cider industry. It’s our goal to be transparent and responsive to our members, so we built an annual feedback mechanism directly into our cider lexicon program, including the style guide. The cider industry is evolving, so we should be too. We are pleased to announce that we are opening the 2019 feedback window until July 31, 2019.
The current version of the guide includes the following styles:
- Heritage Cider
- Modern Cider
- Modern Perry
- Heritage Perry
- Fruit Cider
- Spiced Cider
- Botanical Cider
- Heritage Rosé Cider
- Modern Rosé Cider
- Hopped Cider
- Wood-aged Cider
- Sour Cider
- Ice Cider
- New England Style Cider
- Specialty Cider and Perry
We welcome input from all walks of cider makers and industry professionals. We seek feedback on existing styles as well as suggestions for new ones.
Please provide as much evidence as possible in your submissions to help us in our review process.
We encourage your participation. Thank you for joining us in this industry-wide dialogue.
Thank you to Northwest Cider Association for the featured image.
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.
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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.
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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!
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