New Apple Varieties for Michigan Hard Cider Production

The hard cider industry in Michigan and throughout the United States has been growing

rapidly, and now represents a significant portion of the craft beverage sector. The

highest quality hard ciders are made from specialized varieties of apple called cider

apples. These differ from common, culinary apples by containing very high levels of

sugars, acids, and/or phenolics (tannins). Currently, in Michigan and elsewhere

throughout the U.S., cider apples are in short supply, because many of the traditional,

famous cultivars, originally sourced from Great Britain and western Europe, do not grow

and produce well under Michigan conditions. Michigan cider producers need reliable

and quality sources of apples, and growers who want to initiate or expand cider apple

operations need reliable information about which existing cultivars will be most

profitable.