How Does Aging Cider Effect The Taste

We all have heard of a fine red wine aging in a dark cellar for 5, 10 years or even longer if you’re particularly patient with a good bottle. Beer is much more volatile and is best fresh. But what about aging cider? Do you drink it fresh or stash it away, waiting for it to hit its peak?

So I’ve been doing some research on the topic and there isn’t a whole lot of information out there  on the topic, so I remember a chat I had with the guys from Borssa Valley Cider Company a few years back. They said they had local customers requesting to order boxes of cider as soon as it was released. The reason for this is they preferred the fresh appley taste. The older bottles tended to have a more “apple pie, baked apple flavour.”

The one piece on the topic I did find was by Tom Oliver, Oliver is an extremely well-respected award-winning cider maker.

“A well-made bottle-conditioned cider can be kept for years. They get drier as time goes on, since they are never quite finished conditioning.  Be warned: most commercial ciders are not made for this, as they’re either sterile-conditioned or pasteurized with a shelf life of two years, so aging them will probably yield cider vinegar.”   Tom Oliver

He raises a good point. If alcohol is present, there is the potential for vinegar to form over time. Particularly if oxygen is present. A screw top cap will leak air faster than a cork or a crown cap. So if left too long your cider could turn into something as appealing as late night discount sushi.

Next I decided to do my own research on the topic. The guys down at the Hills Cider Company helped me out with a couple of bottles out of their museum stock.

The older batch (2009) on the left. While the younger batch (2015) is on the left.

The first thing between the two is the most obvious. The older museum stock is much darker much more like a honey than the straw colour of the young batch

The Nose

Aging Cider

When I pushed my nose into the young cider it is a very minimal scent where as the Old Skool batch is pumping out caramel and golden syrup tones like its life depended on it. There is a level of spiciness surrounding the generous sweetness.

Aging Perry

The Hills Company gave me a couple of bottles of the Pear Cider. The difference between the old and new is just as stark. The colour has gone from a pail yellow green to a darker marmalade. The younger batch is slightly harsher and has more of acetone flavour. The older one has time for it to all mellow out, this promotes the sweetness.

The Taste

Aging Cider

With the current generation the sweetness is there but it is cut by some pretty sharp acids thanks to plenty of Granny Smith apples. The Old Skool still has all that sweetness. Remember all the yeasts have been filtered out prior to bottling so the alcohol and sugar levels will not change. What can and has changed is the acid structure. Imagine this cider as a stone in a river. Throw in a sharp and jagged stone and after a few years the point will be worn down and smoothed out. That’s what I’m drinking, a very smooth cider. Without the cutting effect of the acids the sugars are clingier and longer lasting. The overall dynamic has changed, maybe loosing balance but what it looses there, it gains in complexity elsewhere. The taste of baked apples runs through the Old Skool batch, think apple strudel. The fizz levels have dropped back as well. I’m not surprised by this. The bottles use twist top (open by hand) which aren’t as air tight as crown caps (the type you need a bottle opener for). The result of this is that the cider appears thicker and creamier, more luxurious. The apple used in both are not know for their tannins but the smaller quantities of are highlighted in the older bottle.

Aging Pear Cider

I don’t drink a lot of pear ciders I just prefer apple ciders. One of the reasons for this is that pear cider can have a harsh tone. I wouldn’t call the Hills Pear Cider harsh, but maybe pointy. Just as with the apple cider the pear is much smoother after the aging. The start isn’t as bright but despite the mellowing acids the finish is still crisp. I’m preferring it this way.

Final Thoughts on Aging Cider

The first thing your going to ask me is, “Well, should I drink it now or wait and give aging cider a go?” The short answer is… yes.

A young cider is only released to the market when the cider maker is happy with it. Whether that’s 3 months or 3 years. So it should be nice. In Australia Cider makers are required to put on a Best Before date on the bottles.  Your probably not going to get sick from drinking a cider past this date but, you know, the “common sense and don’t sue me” rules apply here. Saying that, the ciders I’m drinking here today 5 years past the best before date and there is nothing wrong with it. In fact this it’s rather enjoyable

Whether a cider is at its peak on its release day or if its hits a crescendo after aging, is up for debate. Try aging cider for yourself. Buy a 6 pack of a quality craft cider that you have drunk before. Store it somewhere dark, that has a consistent temperature. A wine fridge is perfect, a cellar is great and there is nothing wrong with the back of the fridge. Once a year crack one open and see how it has changed. I’m going to repeat experiment this with a bottle conditioned cider. You might be waiting a while for a progress report.

Update: In response to some comments. I have chosen to compare these 2 ciders A) because I could get them and B) this cider is very consistent year after year so the seasonal variations should not play a bit role. Ideally I have like to have tasted a 2010 cider in 2010 along side a 2010 cider in 2016 but I’d need a time machine.

The Apple cider is not bottle conditioned. You can find my full review of it here.

I did not talk about the tannin structure as there is almost no tannins in the either the apple or the pair cider.

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