Cider in the City

So apparently hard cider is on the upswing.

The alcoholic alternative to beer and wine has seen increased sales over the past few years, with twenty-five percent growth in its category last year (as AdAge mentioned last October) and sixty-five percent growth this year (thanks Nielsen), not to mention a slew of articles this fall in Time, The Daily Beast and Chilled Magazine, which are all pointing to the drink’s rising popularity. Some are even calling it the “new craft beer.”

While we’re pretty sure that people aren’t quite over craft beer (we know we aren’t), there’s definitely room for hard cider to make its way into our bars and liquor stores and become part of our drinking habits, especially in the chills of early winter when we crave the tastes of warmer weather. 

Enter Somersby, a hard cider from the folks at Carlsberg. It’s light, refreshing, and tastes just like you’d want a grown-up cider to taste: not too fruity or sweet, but enough to make it pleasant on its own (pour over ice!) or as a mixer. Cider can also be useful in cooking. You can find Somersby at Woodman’s, Riley’s, Steve’s, and it’s served by the bottle at Echo Tap.   

Somersby has seen success in Europe since 2008, but only first entered U.S. territory this year. Madison was the brand’s debut market. 

Why Madison of all places? 

“Madison is a very interesting and unique city,” Santiago Gallo of Crown Imports, which distributes and markets Somersby, says. “It’s a trendsetter.”

There you have it. We set trends, and now we can drink Somersby cider. 

Cheers!