Craft Cider: How It’s Like (and Unlike) Craft Beer

As the craft beverage industry continues to thrive, many breweries are branching out into new areas like craft cider production. Hard cider's popularity offers an exciting opportunity for growth. Read on to learn about some key similarities, differences, and how essential equipment like tanks, tri-clamps, and gaskets play important roles in both cider-making and brewing beer.

Cideries and Breweries: Similarities

Breweries and cideries share a lot in common when it comes to their equipment and processes.

Fermentation Process
Beer Brewing: Brewers ferment malted barley or other grains with yeast to create alcohol.
Cider Making: Cider makers ferment fruit juice - often apples, pears, or other fruits with yeast for alcohol production.
Both rely on the magic of yeast to transform sugars and can use similar fermentation vessels and controls to keep things bubbling.

Brewing Equipment
Breweries and cideries both depend on equipment like fermentation tanks and storage vessels. Cideries also use presses to extract fruit juice, but the core focus on maintaining proper fermentation environments is the same.

Sanitation Standards
Cleanliness is the golden rule in both worlds. Using food-grade gaskets and fittings to maintain sterile conditions is just as critical for cider as it is for beer. No one wants a bad apple spoiling the batch!

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Cideries and Breweries: Key Differences

While the processes overlap, cider and beer making do have some distinct differences:

Ingredients
The most obvious difference is the base ingredient. Beer is brewed from grains such as barley, wheat, and oats, whereas cider is made by fermenting fruit juice, most commonly apples. This difference in raw materials affects the production process, flavor profiles, and even the production timeline.

Specialized Cider Equipment
Pressing: Cideries need presses to squeeze juice from apples.
Fermentation Style: Cider fermentation sometimes takes place in open or semi-open containers to highlight fruity flavors.

Handling
While both brewing beer and making cider require proper handling of ingredients, cider production involves managing the freshness of fruit.

Flavors and Alcohol Content
Beer offers a wide range of flavors, from malty to hoppy, while cider flavors depend on the apple varieties used (and any added spices). Beer can also tend to have a slightly higher alcohol content.

Ready to Branch Out?

Expanding your brewery into cider production may be easier than you think—and it could lead to some sweet success. Much of the equipment you already use for brewing can be adapted for cider making. For a deeper dive into cider production techniques, consult experienced cider makers, online forums and guidance from trade organizations like the  American Cider Association.

Many breweries already have the bulk of the equipment necessary for cider production. Fermentation tanks, CIP (Clean-In-Place) systems, and storage vessels can often work for both beer and cider. With some small adjustments and a little cidery know-how, breweries are finding success branching into hard cider production.

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Cheers to perfect brewing!