Cider Is Not Beer

Trying to differentiate between a funky/sour cider and a funky wild ale/gueze/lambic can be really tough, even for very experienced sour beer drinkers. Perhaps this is why it gets lumped into the beer group. The lighter "tame" ciders that you generally find mass produced and sold in stores, are definitely not related to beer.

 

Hooray for 9 year old articles!

 

"Cider isn't cider." - Rudy Giuliani

 

Basque Ciders are definitely worth checking out. Still not beer, though.

 

I still find it weird Cider and Meads are rolled into “beer”… Why are they honestly included on Beer Advocate and Untappd? Completely different beverages…

 

A lot of new beer being brewed nowadays isn’t beer either.

 

So: "Cider is Still Not Beer " ?

 

In related news, wine still not beer, either.

 

I once had a comment deleted in the home brew forum for even mentioning cider. Glad we have relaxed a bit.

 

Or Sake. People like to confuse “brewing” with “beer”. Now, if this was Fermenting Advocate...

 

Beer is brewed. Coffee is brewed. Tea is brewed. Ergo, coffee and tea are forms of beer? But wait, coffee is not fermented. Kombucha, a beverage created with brewed tea as its' base, is fermented. Is Kombucha also considered beer? It's brewed and fermented. Or, are we sticking strictly to Reinhietsgebot, by which so many of the brewed beverages we see sold in liquor stores and groceries would not be classified as beer?

 

Fermentation does not equal beer. Malted grain, as the major source of fermentable sugar, does. Wine uses grapes, cider uses apples, mead uses honey, and so on and so forth.

 

Did you read the article at all?
Beer is made from malt and hops, Kombucha is neither. Even wheat beers are made from malted barley, and malted or unmalted wheat. Primarily grains.
If you really want to get into the nitty gritty of it.... beer is fermented from 51% or more grains. Wine is 100% fruit (and/or honey) and can't contain grains.

It gets even worse when Redd's Apple Ale really blurs the lines, calling themselves beer somehow. I think it's just a FMB with "natural apple" flavor added. @jesskidden do you have any insight on this?

 

According to MillerCoors:
Redd's Apple Ale

So, the only "apple" is in the form of "Natural Flavor", I guess.

Well, the US TTB's definition of "Malt Beverage" (of which "beer" is one) - from the FAA Act:
An alcohol or alcohol-free beverage made by the alcoholic fermentation of an infusion or decoction, or combination of both, in potable brewing water, of:
· malted barley comprising not less than 25% by weight of the total weight of fermentable ingredients
· hops (or their parts or products) in an amount equivalent to 7.5 pounds per 100 barrels
AND, with or without
· other malted cereals
· unmalted or prepared cereals
· other carbohydrates
· carbon dioxide
· other wholesome products suitable for human food consumption

OTOH, the Internal Revenue Code's definition of "Beer":
"Beer, ale, porter, stout, and other similar fermented beverages (including saké or similar products) of any name or description containing one-half of 1 percent or more of alcohol by volume, brewed or produced from malt, wholly or in part, or from any substitute therefor.”

 

Is chocolate milk beer? Asking for a friend.

 

Sorry, I forgot to add the snark symbol to my original post.

 

Yeah, totally, man. I would love to post some sauerkraut reviews!

 

Of course cider is not beer. It's just sold in the same places.

 

Good lord. The largest percentage of fermentables is corn syrup. Sucrose is the 3rd fermentable. If that's beer I've never drank a "beer" made mostly from liquid sugars not derived from Barley. Disgusting.

I know a couple people who drink it and tell me how "it's beer".
It's an apple flavored wine cooler, at best.