Beer And Cider
Beer and cider are both popular drinks, but they are very different from each other. While they might look almost the same in a glass, beer, and cider are made from different ingredients and have their own unique taste. Before we talk about the difference between beer and cider let’s analyze them one by one first.
What is Beer?
To understand the difference between beer and cider we must first understand what beer is. Well as you can imagine, beer is one of the most popular drinks in the world. It’s an alcoholic drink that’s made from cereals, including barley and wheat. Beer is made all over the world, with each country and region using a slightly different recipe. Brewers – the people who make beer – are always coming up with creative ingredients and techniques to invent new beers. The process involves brewing, where the ingredients are mixed and heated to release sugars from the grains. Then, yeast is added, which “eats” the sugars, producing alcohol and carbonation (bubbles).
Beer is usually made from four simple ingredients – grain, hops, yeast, and water.
- Hops – a type of dried flower – are added to give floral aromas and bitter flavors.
- Grains – like barley and wheat are full of starch, which needs to be broken down into sugars.
- Starch – is usually broken down by heating the grain in water, which is usually called “mashing”.
There are lots of different styles of beer around the world, but the most predominant types are Lager and Ale. One big difference between a lager and ale is the yeasts that the brewers use. These yeasts produce different flavors in the final product. There are also different finishing techniques used to create these styles.
Ale Beers
Normally ale beers have more flavor than a lager beer and are usually more bitter. Ale is a very broad category, with lots of different styles, including:
- Pale Ale – A wide range of colors from amber and gold through to red and brown.
- India Pale Ale (IPA) – A wide variety of styles, but with more bitter hop flavors than pale ales; famous variations include New England IPA and West Coast IPA.
- Stout and Porter – Dark Ales with strong malt flavors, often from roasting the malted barley
Keep also in mind that hops add bitterness to beer are also a natural preservative to make the beer last longer.
Lager Beers
Lager beers are usually crisp and light, with less bitterness than ale. Lager beers are a type of beer known for being light, clean, and refreshing. They are made using a specific type of yeast that works best at cold temperatures. This yeast ferments slowly, resulting in a beer with a smooth, crisp taste and less fruity flavors compared to other types like ales.
Lagers include popular styles such as Pilsners, Helles, and Dunkels, and are often pale in color, though there are darker lagers too. They are one of the most widely consumed types of beer worldwide because of their mild, easy-to-drink profile.
How Is Beer Served?
Each style of beer is served in a different way – some are served in tall glasses, while others are served in tulip- or balloon-shaped glasses. Beer can be served from cans or bottles, or your bar may have beer taps connected to kegs of beer in your walk in cooler.
Stronger beers are normally served in smaller measures. Most beers in the US are served chilled. In Europe, not always the case!
What is Cider?
Now that we know what beer is, we must understand as well what cider is so we can tell the difference between beer and cider. Confusingly, the name “cider” means different things in different places. In most of the United States, “cider” or “apple cider” usually means unfiltered “apple juice” – the non-alcoholic juice from apples. Cider is made through fermentation – but instead of fermenting grapes to make wine or cereals to make beer, apples or pears are fermented to make Cider.
The variety of apples and pears used to make cider and perry are different to the fruit we normally eat as a snack or use as an ingredient in a recipe. Can you tell now the difference between beer and cider? If not, let’s go a bit deeper.
Hard Cider
“Hard cider” is the name normally given to apple juice that’s been fermented with yeast to make it alcoholic – and this is what we’ll be looking at in this section. In the UK and Europe, “hard cider” is normally just called “cider”. Countries that make a lot of cider include the UK, the USA, Spain, Canada, and France.
Cider & Perry
Perry is made from pears instead of apple – it’s sometimes also called “Perry Cider”. To make perry is followed the same process of making cider. Different varieties of apples and pears contribute different flavors to the finished Cider and Perry. In the United States, the strength of hard cider needs to be less than 8.5% ABV. Some ciders and perries are aged in wooden barrels before being bottled.
Ciders and perries can be dry or sweet. Also, some Ciders and Perries are fizzy. These are labelled as “sparkling” if the carbon dioxide bubbles came from the fermentation, or “carbonated” if the bubbles were added later.
How are Cider and Perry Served?
Like beers, most Ciders and Perries are served chilled. Some Ciders are designed to be served over ice. Weaker Ciders and Perries tend to be served in bigger glasses, while stronger Ciders and Perries are served in smaller glasses. The shape of the glass will also depend on the style of the Cider or Perry. Like Beers, Ciders and Perries can be served from bottles, cans, or kegs and barrels.
Difference Between Beer and Cider
The biggest difference between beer and cider is the main ingredient used to make them. As we said above, Beer is made from grains like barley or wheat, along with hops, water, and yeast, while Cider, on the other hand, is made from apples, or sometimes other fruits like pears. To make cider, people crush the apples to get the juice and then add yeast, which turns the fruit juice into alcohol. So, beer and cider are not just different drinks—they start with very different ingredients!
The Taste of Beer and Cider
Because of the ingredients used, beer and cider have different tastes. Beer usually has a more earthy or malty taste, thanks to the grains and hops used in brewing. Some beers are bitter, some are sweet, and others have a rich, deep flavor. On the other hand, cider has a fruity taste because it comes from apples or other fruits. Cider can be sweet, tart, or even sour, but it usually has a refreshing, fruity flavor. This makes cider taste more like fresh fruit, while beer has a taste that’s unique to grains and hops.
Alcohol and Fizz
Now that you understand the difference between beer and cider, let’s talk about the alcohol volume. When it comes to alcohol, beer and cider are pretty similar. Both beer and cider can have low or high amounts of alcohol, depending on how they’re made. However, both are usually lower in alcohol than stronger drinks like wine or whiskey.
Another thing that beer and cider share is fizz, or bubbles. Both drinks can be fizzy because of the way they’re made. Some beers and ciders are naturally fizzy, while others may have bubbles added in to give them that refreshing feel.
Featured image from pakurangaliquorspot.
