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HARD SODAS

inspires boozing up childhood soft drinks — root BEER and ginger ALE. In fact, that indicates that originally, long ago, these beverages actually were developed to be fermented and have alcohol. But Henry’s and Coney Island have both expanded beyond those two beverages, putting out Henry’s Hard Orange and Coney Island Orange CreamAle.What might the next flavor be?

Apple flavors. The Gold is the flagship, standard cider, and the Honey has, well, honey added to it. AB-Inbev’s Stella Artois also makes a cider overseas, Cidre, that’s available in the United States. The CrispinCidery (owned byMillerCoors) actually has several pear ciders on the market, officially called “perry” by the British. Crispin offers The Pacific Pear and Blackberry Pear, in addition to its classic Apple cider. The cidery also plays around a lot with different yeasts and fruits, especially in its Artisanal series. If you’re a fan of ciders, it might be worth keeping an eye out for them. Two very popular American cider brands are Angry Orchard (made by Boston Beer Company) and Woodchuck (made by Vermont Cider Co). Not only does Angry Orchard make Crisp Apple and Green Apple ciders, but it’s unique in that it offers a cider with hops called Hop’n Mad. Hop’n Mad uses both Strisselspalt and Galaxy hops, in a post-fermentation process called dry- hopping. Dry-hopping releases the floral and tropical aromas and flavors of the hops without producing bitterness. Keep an eye out also for Angry Orchard’s seasonal ciders — Cinnful Apple made with cinnamon for the fall and winter, and Summer Honey for spring and summer time. Woodchuck Cider has been making cider in Vermont since 1991, and although it’s gone through some ups and downs and various international partnerships, it is in prime position to enjoy the cider boom of the last few years. Their very first cider was Woodchuck Amber, but they added the tart and tangy Granny Smith Apple as customers asked for more

It’s also easy to understand the appeal of these hard sodas — the flavors are imprinted on consumers from a young age. For more childhood sense memories, try a hard root beer with ice cream or in a grown up root beer float. For some of these malternative beverages, the taste or burn of the alcohol is barely noticeable, if noticed at all. So be sure to keep it far away from the regular sweet stuff to avoid confusion! Unlike, for example, a hard lemonade, the hard sodas actually taste almost exactly like the non-alcoholic versions. Especially in the case of hard root beer.

variety. Woodchuck offers a pear as well, Woodchuck Pear. One advantage of hard ciders is that they serve an often neglected but quickly growing population of the gluten free. Whether due to illness or other health concerns, ciders provide a great alternative to beer, when

hanging out at the pub or bar with some friends. However, hard root beer is often made with barley, so it is not a gluten free alternative. Check the ingredients carefully of any hard soda — but you’re almost always safe with cider.

Hard root beer pairs perfectly with pork ribs, burgers and fries and vanilla ice cream for a grown-up version of a root beer float.

Another trend that has been growing steadily over the past few years is hard cider. Unlike hard sodas, alcoholic ciders have been around for centuries, since the fermentation of apples and

And just like regular, alcohol-free sodas, hard sodas are full of sugar. How long until the diet soda versions come out, I wonder. Hard Diet Cola or Diet 7-Up. You can go straight from the gym to the bar for a night out on the town without guilt! Are hard sodas just a fad or will they continue to win hearts, minds, and market share? Are they designed to fill a nostalgic sugar craving? Ciders have definitely already stood the test of time (one of the first recorded fermentations of apple juice was in Rome in 55 B.C.), but can they stand up beyond the fruit lovers and gluten free, to embrace the growing craft beer market?

apple juice is pretty easy to achieve. It has a long tradition in England, and although imports like Magner’s and Strongbow have been around in America for years, it’s only recently sparked the imagination of brewers in the United States. Strongbow is still available, now produced by Heineken, in Gold Apple and Honey

Bayou Bootlegger Bayou Bootleggers namesake is inspired by pirate Jean Lafitte, the Gulf Coast’s original bayou bootlegger .

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