Here is an article I enjoyed about the hard cider industry in Washington.

Some takeaways:

• Washington has the most cideries of any state, 30
• Cider apples are hard to come by, even in WA, which is the larger producer of apples in the U.S.
• Many small cideries in WA have their own orchard, but the largest is only 55 acres, owned by Tieton Ciderworks
• Most cider (90%) produced in the U.S. is from large-scale commercial cider makers, such as Angry Orchard
• The person interviewed in the article, Alan Shapiro, breaks the cider market into four categories:
  • Commercial (ex. Angry Orchard, Woodchuck, Ace)
  • Beer-influenced (ex. Rev Nat’s, Schilling, Anthem)
  • Wine-influenced (ex. Snowdrift, Troy, E.Z. Orchards)
  • Artisinal (ex. Tieton, Finn River, Alpenfire)
• Science is involved, and there are no defined standards or styles
  • This is why a cider labeled dry may taste sweet to most folks, and vice versa
  • Standards will be developed as time goes on

What do you think?