Welcome to our blog at Number 12 Cider. We have been making cider for over 20 years and we are dedicated to revitalizing the great tradition of cider-making.

Cider is an alcoholic beverage made from fermenting apple juice. The word carries this same meaning in England, Canada and through its variations in France (“Cidre”) and Spain (“Sidra”). Cider was easily the most common alcoholic beverage in colonial America. People have been making cider for centuries, and Europeans brought the tradition here from Europe. The cider industry in America crashed with the prohibition movement in the early 20th century, and apple farmers later took to calling their fresh pressed apple juice “cider.” To avoid confusion, many cider makers now call the alcoholic beverage “hard cider” in America.

Cider is a kind of wine. It is not a kind of beer. Just like wine is made from fermenting grape juice, cider is made from fermenting apple juice.

A place for making cider is a “cidery” or a “winery” and it is not a “brewery.” Beer is brewed. Brewing involves boiling or cooking. To make beer the “brewer” steeps barley or wheat grains to convert the starches to sugar. The liquid is then known as “wort.” Brewers then boil the wort with hops before fermenting it into beer. A cider maker does not use grains or (traditionally) hops, and we do not steep or boil the juice before fermenting it. A cider maker puts the fresh apple juice in a fermenter and adds yeast to create a liquid known as “must.” Once the must is fermented it is cider.

The best ciders often come from specialty apples grown to be used in cider rather than for the table. So just like the best grapes for wine are not typically found in grocery stores, the best apples for cider also are not typically found in grocery stores. The best cider apple varieties have names that are unfamiliar to most such as Esopus Spitzenberg, Dabinett, Harrison, Red Streak, and Kingston Black to name a few.

At Number 12 Cider we honor the tradition of cider-making and we think it is important to educate people about the tradition of cider. Thank you for visiting our blog and we hope to see you at our cidery and tap room in Minneapolis.