Cider VS Beer: What is the Difference?
Cider and beer are often placed alongside each other on the drinks menu, but they are actually completely different products! Let us break it down for you:
1. Ingredients
- Beer = made from water, malted barley, yeast and hops
- Cider = made from apple juice
- While beer can contain traces of fruits, a true cider doesn’t contain any malted grains.
2. Production Process
- Beer = produced by brewing malted barley, and then fermenting with hops and yeast
- Cider = produced by fermenting apple juice
3. Categories
- Beer = can be categorised into lagers (brewed at a low temperature with longer fermentation time; generally more crisp and refreshing) and ales (brewed at a higher temperature with shorter fermentation time; flavours are generally richer and more complex)
- Cider = can be categorised as dry or sweet
4. Appearance
- Beer = can come in pale, amber/dark and very dark colours
- Cider = usually light yellow, golden or brown; can be completely clear or cloudy with sediments