Low-Alcohol Ciders Designed for Easy Drinking

Mike Pomranz
Updated ·2 min read

Two major brands added low-ABV "session ciders" to their rosters for a limited time. Both have been discontinued.

Courtesy of Shacksbury / Luke Schmuecker.
Courtesy of Shacksbury / Luke Schmuecker.

While cider is often thought of as a lighter, refreshing, easy-drinking alternative to beer, it can pack quite a punch when it comes to ABV. Crisp Apple, the flagship product from America's biggest and bestselling cider brand, Angry Orchard, is 5% ABV — the same as a Budweiser. Meanwhile, Vermont's Shacksbury, a more artisanal, quickly expanding cider brand, cans its craft ciders at 6.5% ABV, entering IPA territory.

The reason ciders can be so strong makes sense. Alcohol comes from fermenting sugars — something apple juice can have plenty of. Cider drinkers, however, might be interested in more sessionable options that ease up on the alcohol, similar to how light beer emerged in the late '70s and early '80s and, more recently, "session IPAs" became all the rage on the craft beer scene. To test the waters of the low-abv cider market, Angry Orchard and Shacksbury both released takes on "session ciders" in the Spring of 2017.

Easy Apple was Angry Orchard's take on a lower-ABV cider. Perhaps not coincidentally, whereas their Crisp Apple cider came in at the same ABV as a Budweiser, Easy Apple was 4.2% ABV, the same as a Bud Light. Easy Apple was also less sweet than their flagship cider by utilizing a mix of culinary and French bittersweet apples for a cider that aimed to finish "refreshingly dry."

Courtesy of Angry Orchard
Courtesy of Angry Orchard

Shacksbury decided to cut its alcohol levels the old-fashioned way — by mixing an alcoholic drink with a non-alcoholic drink to create a spritz. These 3.8% ABV canned beverages were "inspired by the classic Italian spritz tradition," mixing Vermont-produced cider with a natural elixir featuring rose petals and grapefruit made by Burlington's own Alice & the Magician.

While both products have been discontinued, Shacksbury offers a newer product called Lo-Ball, similar to the Spritz, with a slightly higher ABV of 4.9%. Shakesbury's Lo-Ball is available in limited markets.

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