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.
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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.
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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.
American Cider Association Member Updates for April 2018
We know how important industry statistics are to you and the rest of the cider community. We’ve been busy working to bring you the highest potential possible from our partnership with Nielsen. We’re excited to have several updates for our members about this partnership:
- Nielsen is extending a special packaging design offer to our active members with a multi-pack product (4- or 6-packs). This is an opt-in model-group study and thus costs 90% less than an independent study. On top of that savings, as an active member, you will receive a $300 discount to take part. Contact Nielsen by APRIL 12 to sign up. Want to learn how this audit will help launch your brand to next level? Read more here. To ensure that these benefits are reaching the industry members paying for their appropriate membership type, we will only be offering the Nielsen opt-in study to our active cidery-level members. If you are a member at the Home-Cider Maker or Cidery-in-planning levels and wish to participate in the discounted audit, please contact us to update your membership.
- On April 26, Nielsen is offering an encore webinar on the 2017 market trends. This will be like the CiderCon encore webinar offered last year except with current data. The webinar link will go out to our members with active, paid-up accounts.
- We will have the first annual report of on- and off-premise trends available to members shortly. This exclusive benefit includes an executive summary and in-depth spreadsheets from Nielsen containing on- and off-premise data for 2017. The data is broken down by aggregate national and regional brands as well as by total US market and regional markets. We will be sharing an option for subscribing to quarterly reports at the time of this first report’s release. Stay tuned!
These benefits are exclusively for our members. We deeply appreciate the critical support members like you provide us. Together, we can grow our voice and our resources to aggressively and strategically promote our innovative, apple-centered industry–a booming industry at that, with 30% growth of regional cider brands in 2017. American Cider Association is doggedly pursuing benefits like these to help our members succeed. Expect more to come.
Please log in to your account to make sure that your membership for John Doe is up to date. This will allow you to take advantage of these benefits. If you are an employee at John Doe, make sure you are linked to their account–the membership bundle admin at your company can log in and add you for free. If you need any assistance updating your membership, contact Ellen.
Exclusive Member Savings with Nielsen: Package Design Audit
Nielsen is extending a special packaging design offer to our active members with a multi-pack product (4- or 6-packs). This is an opt-in group study and therefore costs 90% less than an independent study. On top of that savings, as an active member, you will receive a $300 discount to participate. Contact Nielsen by APRIL 12 to sign up.
This audit will help you:
- measure the performance of your current cider packaging.
- have your designs evaluated among 500+ consumers within a competitive context.
- identify areas of brand strength and opportunities.
Want to learn more about how this audit will help launch your brand to next level? Read more here.
Have more questions? Check out this FAQ!
Is your membership up to date? Log in to find out. In an effort to ensure that these benefits are reaching the industry members paying for their appropriate membership type, we will only be offering the Nielsen opt-in study to our active cidery-level members. If you are a member at the Home-Cider Maker or Cidery-in-planning levels and wish to participate in the discounted audit, please contact us to update your membership.
Thanks for being a member so we can continue to offer special benefits like these!
American Cider Association Board President’s Statement on Tariffs
Steel for tanks and aluminum for cans used by the cider industry may face price increases if proposed tariffs move forward.
The American Cider Association (American Cider Association) strongly opposes the proposed tariffs on steel and aluminum.
Aluminum and steel are integral components of the American beverage industry of which cider is a growing part. This tariff will create an unnecessary burden on our industry’s supply chain.
The cost of this tariff will ultimately fall to the American consumer, and thereby hinder the cider industry’s competitiveness and opportunity for growth.
We urge the President’s Administration to reconsider the proposed tariffs on aluminum and steel. Alternatively, we welcome the opportunity to discuss the many other ways that federal policy could have a positive impact on the cider industry.
Paul Vander Heide
American Cider Association Board President
Cider Week Baltimore Schedule of Events
Important Membership Announcement: Bylaw Amendments
This is a notice that the board will ask the membership to vote on suggested bylaw amendments at the next annual meeting. The vote shall take place during the annual membership meeting at CiderCon at the Waterfront Marriott in Baltimore, Maryland at 9 AM on February 2, 2018.
American Cider Association’s bylaws have not been updated since their original issue. The organization has grown and matured tremendously since 2014, and revisiting our bylaws is an important next step. We have worked closely with a lawyer who specializes in membership organizations to ensure American Cider Association’s bylaws create a foundation that enables us to serve our membership in the best way possible. The board asks the membership to vote on the following amendments to American Cider Association’s bylaws:
- Synopsis of recommended changes
- Original bylaws with markups of changes
- Amended bylaws with all changes made, no markups
Please contact Bruce Nissen with any questions about these recommended amendments.
How to get to Baltimore!
It’s easy to get to Baltimore! The Marriott address is 700 Aliceanna Street, Baltimore, MD.
The hotel is accessible from three major airports – Baltimore (BWI), Ronald Reagan in Washington (DCA) and Washington Dulles (IAD) as well as by car. The hotel does not offer shuttle service.
Coming from BWI – the hotel is about 12 miles from the airport. Estimated taxi fare is $45.
If you’re driving:
Take Route 170 to Interstate 295 North/Baltimore-Washington Parkway. The parkway will become Russell Street in downtown Baltimore. Follow Russell Street to Pratt Street and turn right. Continue on Pratt Street through ten traffic lights to President Street and turn right again. Follow President Street through three traffic lights moving into the right hand lane after the second light (Eastern Avenue). At the third light, drive straight ahead towards the Katyn Memorial and enter the traffic circle. Take the first right exit (about 50 feet into the circle) onto Aliceanna Street. The hotel entrance will be 100 yards on the right.
Coming from DCA – the hotel is about 61 miles from the airport. Estimated taxi fare is $120.
If you’re driving:
Take the George Washington Parkway North to Interstate 495 and continue to Interstate 95 North. Follow Interstate 95 North to Interstate 395 and exit at Pratt Street in downtown Baltimore. Turn right and proceed to President Street. Turn right then right again onto Aliceanna Street The hotel will be on the right.
Coming from IAD – the hotel is about 52 miles from the airport. Estimated taxi fare is $150.
If you’re driving:
Take the Dulles Toll Road East to Interstate 495 North amd continue to Interstate 95 North. Follow Interstate 95 North to Interstate 395 and exit at Pratt Street in downtown Baltimore. Turn right and proceed to President Street. Turn right then right again onto Aliceanna Street The hotel will be on the right.
Note that we will not have parking vouchers so plan accordingly for Baltimore’s parking costs – rate (subject to change) is currently $26/night for self park and $45/night for valet.
The CiderCon registration desk will be located in the Marriott main registration area on the fourth floor.
Registration hours:
Tuesday, Jan. 30th 5pm – 7pm
Wednesday, Jan. 31st 7am – 6pm
Thursday, Feb. 1st 7am – 6pm
Friday, Feb. 2nd 7am – 3pm
CiderCon Bonuses! Part 1
Like cider, CiderCon, is steeped in traditions. Somethings remain unchanged–our national Cider Share, our Grand Toast finale, our welcomed international cider making guests. But what are the bonus features for this year’s CiderCon in Baltimore? The following is part one of our bonus preview!
- We’ve added a VIP hour to Cider Share for distributors and members of the media, with the usual Cider Share to follow. All 54 cidery spots are taken at this point, but there is plenty of room for cider tasters!
- We’ve added Nielsen as our keynote speaker. You may recall our new partnership with them to bring relevant market data to our membership. We look forward to hearing more about the trends they’ve revealed.
- We have great cider tours lined up. Read more about the optional trips to DC, Adams County, PA or Frederick, MD here.
In addition to the traditional free workshop offered by TTB (this year they will review operational reports), There are some new optional workshops being offered on Wednesday of CiderCon.
- The Cider Institute of North America’s (CINA) Boot Camp, Wed 8am-2:45pm, $75, lunch included: Come join Cider Institute educators for a sneak peak at the week long courses being taught across the US and Canada. This will be a condensed version of beginning and advanced level coursework that will build upon cider skills and transition into further institute training. Topics include:
- What is Cider and How is it Made? (Peter Mitchell, Cider & Perry Academy)
- Chemistry of Juice and Cider (Brianna Ewing, Washington State University)
- Understanding Cider Faults (Chris Gerling, Cornell University)
- Sensory Analysis and Focus groups (Elizabeth Thomasino, Oregon State University)
- Using oak to your advantage: Barrel aging and fermentation protocol (Ryan Burk, Angry Orchard)
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Keeping it clean. Sanitation and its effects on cider quality (Andrew Byers, Finnriver Cider)
- The Certified Cider Professional Level 1 Exam Preparatory Course, Wed 8am-10am, $40: This workshop covers all the material you need to pass the American Cider Association’s Level 1 Exam. It will be teaching to the new version of the exam, which is geared more towards the service industry than the previous version. Topics include:
- Apples & The Orchard
- Cider Food Pairings
- Cider Making
- Flavor & Evaluation
- Cider Styles
- Keeping & Serving
Sign up for either of these great workshops when you register for CiderCon. Early bird pricing ends on January 15.
Stay tuned for Part 2!