5 ms·

The Center of Sidra: The Culture and Custom of Spanish Cider

30 points by wallflower 12y ago

deadprogram 12y ago
I've spent a lot of time in Asturias myself, and the culture of sidra and the wonderful little bars (sidrerias) that serve it are treasures. If you are lucky enough to find yourself in the north of Spain, don't miss out!
- mc32 12y ago
  Hard cider is seeing a revival in the US (as well as the UK, as I understand it) One of the first ones I learned about was ACE cider in Sebastopol. They even have a great Perry (pear hard cider)
  - mason55 12y ago
    Yeah as the article mentions, Basque cider is totally different from Woodchuck or even the drier brands that you get in the US. The only time I've seen it Stateside is at a Basque restaurant here in NYC (Euzkadi).
    - porsupah 12y ago
      Have you tried UK farmhouse ciders? I'm curious how the general styles compare. Unfortunately, I don't know the NYC scene at all - I'm rather more familiar with San Francisco. (FWIW, I haven't tried the place yet, but http://upcidersf.com/ http://upcidersf.com/ is on my radar)
    - ashark 12y ago
      I didn't think I liked cider, then I tried some from Normandy while I was on vacation, because it was extremely cheap (3 Euro/750ml) and I knew it had a good reputation. It was great. I've tried to find something similar in the US, but even the drier, higher-end brands just can't match it, despite being far more expensive.
    - saool 12y ago
      For the record, Despaña in SoHo will serve Asturian sidra and will provide the little electronic spout you need to drink it properly without getting the floor all wet.
  - porsupah 12y ago
    I do hope so! It's hardly as if California's lacking in good apples, but there's still virtually no cider produced, as far as I'm aware. (I will be delightfully corrected!) ACE - ah, I'm okay with, but.. it's all rather mild, for me, as if not to scare people away. Still, perhaps it remains at that early stage, where American craft beer was in the early 90s? And yes, it does seem cider's been improving its fortunes in the UK of late, assisted by CAMRA admitting it belongs with them. For what it's worth, if you're in the UK, and enjoy (or would like to find out what it's all about) farmhouse cider and perry, I can wholeheartedly recommend Middle Farm, who do a superb job of assembling such from around the country. It winds up on four racks, spanning the length of an old farmhouse building, with bone dry at one end, and sweet at the other. Try what you like, in the thimbles provided, fill up your 1/2/4-pint jugs with whatever catches you. http://www.middlefarm.com/ http://www.middlefarm.com/ It is indeed a dangerous place. =:) Sadly, Spanish cider remains almost completely unknown in the UK - the sole example I've encountered has been El Gaitero, a worthy example indeed, available through Ocado. If that's any indication, I'd relish the opportunity to try more of what Spain has to offer in cider, and hopefully, perry as well.
    - mc32 12y ago
      Cool, I'll have to check that out some day when I go to the UK. I hear Vermont has a decent Cider scene, but I have not been around there to check it out.
    - phren0logy 12y ago
      The Portland scene is great, head North for a a wine/beer/cider/coffee/gin/wiskey adventure.
  - glomph 12y ago
    Cider has always been pretty big in the UK.
- fauria 12y ago
  And if you happen to be in Nava, dont miss The Cider Musem: http://www.museodelasidra.com/1x_frameset_ingles.htm?id=a http://www.museodelasidra.com/1x_frameset_ingles.htm?id=a
  - ghostDancer 12y ago
    The basque cider museum http://www.sagardoetxea.com/en/ http://www.sagardoetxea.com/en/ near Donostia-San Sebastian and now till April in traditional cider house season.
nextos 12y ago
Shameless plug - I'm from Asturias. Currently, I'm trying to bootstrap a startup which will sell high quality food at reasonable prices from small producers. A bit of a romantic idea. Supermarkets, especially those in Northern Europe, need to get disrupted. They're an oligopoly making truckloads of money by selling products of dubious quality at unreasonable prices. Cider is obviously among what we are stocking. It's a quite unique thing, I think. If anyone wants to do business in EU/US/Far East just let me know via my profile.
- karambahh 12y ago
  Working with "northern european" retailers myself, I can tell you're in for a bumpy ride (their scale is so huge they can basically force your suppliers to stop supplying you if they want to), but there's definitely a market for food at reasonable prices from small producers. Good luck in your endeavour!
- TillE 12y ago
  This is sort of tangential, but I think anyone opening a specialty food store in Berlin could do quite well. Particularly in terms of foreign beers. I'm aware of precisely one place in the entire city (Berlin Bier Shop) that stocks any Belgian beer at all.
jrochkind1 12y ago
Are there Spanish cider's of this style available in the U.S.?
- phren0logy 12y ago
  I highly recommend this one: http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/sarasola-sidra-natural/96203/ http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/sarasola-sidra-natural/96203/

30 points by wallflower 12y ago

I've spent a lot of time in Asturias myself, and the culture of sidra and the wonderful little bars (sidrerias) that serve it are treasures. If you are lucky enough to find yourself in the north of Spain, don't miss out!

mc32 12y ago
Hard cider is seeing a revival in the US (as well as the UK, as I understand it) One of the first ones I learned about was ACE cider in Sebastopol. They even have a great Perry (pear hard cider)
- mason55 12y ago
  Yeah as the article mentions, Basque cider is totally different from Woodchuck or even the drier brands that you get in the US. The only time I've seen it Stateside is at a Basque restaurant here in NYC (Euzkadi).
  - porsupah 12y ago
    Have you tried UK farmhouse ciders? I'm curious how the general styles compare. Unfortunately, I don't know the NYC scene at all - I'm rather more familiar with San Francisco. (FWIW, I haven't tried the place yet, but http://upcidersf.com/ http://upcidersf.com/ is on my radar)
  - ashark 12y ago
    I didn't think I liked cider, then I tried some from Normandy while I was on vacation, because it was extremely cheap (3 Euro/750ml) and I knew it had a good reputation. It was great. I've tried to find something similar in the US, but even the drier, higher-end brands just can't match it, despite being far more expensive.
  - saool 12y ago
    For the record, Despaña in SoHo will serve Asturian sidra and will provide the little electronic spout you need to drink it properly without getting the floor all wet.
- porsupah 12y ago
  I do hope so! It's hardly as if California's lacking in good apples, but there's still virtually no cider produced, as far as I'm aware. (I will be delightfully corrected!) ACE - ah, I'm okay with, but.. it's all rather mild, for me, as if not to scare people away. Still, perhaps it remains at that early stage, where American craft beer was in the early 90s? And yes, it does seem cider's been improving its fortunes in the UK of late, assisted by CAMRA admitting it belongs with them. For what it's worth, if you're in the UK, and enjoy (or would like to find out what it's all about) farmhouse cider and perry, I can wholeheartedly recommend Middle Farm, who do a superb job of assembling such from around the country. It winds up on four racks, spanning the length of an old farmhouse building, with bone dry at one end, and sweet at the other. Try what you like, in the thimbles provided, fill up your 1/2/4-pint jugs with whatever catches you. http://www.middlefarm.com/ http://www.middlefarm.com/ It is indeed a dangerous place. =:) Sadly, Spanish cider remains almost completely unknown in the UK - the sole example I've encountered has been El Gaitero, a worthy example indeed, available through Ocado. If that's any indication, I'd relish the opportunity to try more of what Spain has to offer in cider, and hopefully, perry as well.
  - mc32 12y ago
    Cool, I'll have to check that out some day when I go to the UK. I hear Vermont has a decent Cider scene, but I have not been around there to check it out.
  - phren0logy 12y ago
    The Portland scene is great, head North for a a wine/beer/cider/coffee/gin/wiskey adventure.
- glomph 12y ago
  Cider has always been pretty big in the UK.
fauria 12y ago
And if you happen to be in Nava, dont miss The Cider Musem: http://www.museodelasidra.com/1x_frameset_ingles.htm?id=a http://www.museodelasidra.com/1x_frameset_ingles.htm?id=a
- ghostDancer 12y ago
  The basque cider museum http://www.sagardoetxea.com/en/ http://www.sagardoetxea.com/en/ near Donostia-San Sebastian and now till April in traditional cider house season.

nextos 12y ago

Shameless plug - I'm from Asturias. Currently, I'm trying to bootstrap a startup which will sell high quality food at reasonable prices from small producers. A bit of a romantic idea. Supermarkets, especially those in Northern Europe, need to get disrupted. They're an oligopoly making truckloads of money by selling products of dubious quality at unreasonable prices. Cider is obviously among what we are stocking. It's a quite unique thing, I think. If anyone wants to do business in EU/US/Far East just let me know via my profile.

karambahh 12y ago
Working with "northern european" retailers myself, I can tell you're in for a bumpy ride (their scale is so huge they can basically force your suppliers to stop supplying you if they want to), but there's definitely a market for food at reasonable prices from small producers. Good luck in your endeavour!
TillE 12y ago
This is sort of tangential, but I think anyone opening a specialty food store in Berlin could do quite well. Particularly in terms of foreign beers. I'm aware of precisely one place in the entire city (Berlin Bier Shop) that stocks any Belgian beer at all.

jrochkind1 12y ago

Are there Spanish cider's of this style available in the U.S.?

phren0logy 12y ago
I highly recommend this one: http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/sarasola-sidra-natural/96203/ http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/sarasola-sidra-natural/96203/