USA TODAY 10Best
Milk & Honey Ciders named Best Cidery
Best Cidery (2021)
The popularity of cider as a beer alternative has exploded in recent years. According to Statista, there were more than 800 cider makers in the United States as of 2018.
The top 10 winners in the category Best Cidery are as follows:
Photo courtesy of Threadbare Cider and Mead
No. 10: Threadbare Cider and Mead - Pittsburgh
Threadbare Cider and Mead, inspired by the story of Johnny Appleseed, makes farmhouse, bottle-conditioned, wild-fermented, hopped and barrel-aged ciders. Try house and experimental ciders by the glass at their Pittsburgh cider house.
Photo courtesy of Ploughman Cider
No. 9: Ploughman Cider - Aspers, Pennsylvania
Ploughman makes their ciders from apples grown in Adams County, Pennsylvania (Three Springs Fruit Farm, to be exact). The company makes and releases ciders according to seasonal conditions, so the lineup is always changing.
Photo courtesy of Citizen Cider
No. 8: Citizen Cider - Burlington, Vermont
Each cider from Citizen Ciders is made from real fruit sourced directly from local farmers in Vermont and New York. Everything is pressed, fermented and packaged in Burlington, Vermont. Cider lovers can choose from a series of six core ciders or sample something from the Origin Series, each inspired by a special place.
Photo courtesy of North Country Hard Cider
No. 7: North Country Hard Cider - Rollinsford, New Hampshire
The ciders from North Country Hard Cider are made with apples, yeast and other real ingredients, resulting in a slightly sweet, slightly tart, perfectly drinkable cider. The Original Press is made with heirloom, modern and antique apple varieties from New Hampshire and Maine.
Photo courtesy of UrbanTree Cidery
No. 6: UrbanTree Cidery - Atlanta
Atlanta’s first cidery makes their ciders from scratch, harvesting and pressing apples by hand, fermenting with specially selected yeasts, filtering and aging. The apples used to make Urban Tree Hard Cider come from the Northeast Georgia mountains.
No. 5: Cider Corps - Mesa, Arizona
This cidery and taproom in historic downtown Mesa, Arizona was founded as Arizona’s first with a mission to honor our nation’s veterans. Cider Corps offers creative takes on cider, with flavors like apricot and black tea or blueberry with cassia bark.
Photo courtesy of One Tree Hard Cider
No. 4: One Tree Hard Cider - Spokane, Washington
The ingredients that go into One Tree Hard Cider are grown right in Washington State. The Cider House features 20 rotating taps, showing off the best ciders in the Pacific Northwest, including One Tree’s lineup of huckleberry, lemon basil, strawberry kiwi and Staycation (mango and pineapple) hard ciders.
Photo courtesy of Waldschänke Ciders + Coffee
No. 3: Waldschänke Ciders + Coffee - Denver
This Swiss-inspired cidery in Denver offers a core lineup of six ciders that include flavors like fresh lemon and ginger, peach and habanero, cactus flower or hopped apricot. Cider drinkers can choose from more than 16 specialty ciders made in-house.
Photo courtesy of Diskin Cider
No. 2: Diskin Cider - Nashville
Diskin Ciders are always made from fresh-pressed apple juice with no added sugars. The core lineup includes a traditional dry English-style cider and a semi-sweet variety, as well as a pineapple cider and a cider infused with Southern tea.
Photo courtesy of Milk & Honey Ciders
No. 1: Milk & Honey Ciders - St. Joseph, Minnesota
Milk & Honey Ciders makes their beverages from heirloom and traditional cider apple cultivars. The focus is on dry, aromatic and tannic ciders produced with minimal intervention to let the natural apple flavor shine through.
A panel of experts partnered with 10Best editors to pick the initial nominees, and the top 10 winners were determined by popular vote.
Congratulations to all these winning cideries!
About 10Best Readers' Choice Awards
Nominees are submitted by a panel of experts. 10Best editors narrow the field to select the final set of nominees for the Readers’ Choice Awards. Readers can vote once per category, per day. For any questions or comments, please read the FAQ or email USA TODAY 10Best.
The Experts
Dennis Malcolm "Ale" Sharpton
Dennis Malcolm Byron aka Ale Sharpton is a... Read More
Dennis Malcolm Byron aka Ale Sharpton is a world-renowned beer authority, award-winning journalist, blogger (AleSharpton.com), photographer, event planner, host, speaker and beer judge to name a few of his roles. While passionately traveling the globe to cover everything from automobiles to culinary scenes, celebrity profiles, sports, hotel destinations, art, and what he terms “the world’s best beverage,” Ale has contributed to more than 30 magazines and websites combined. His current media outlets include USAToday, Thrillist.com, Craft Beer & Brewing, CraftBeer.com, Theinfatuation.com, ButterATL.com, James Beard Foundation, Atlanta Magazine, and others. Along with being featured in various publications, on the web, radio, podcasts, television, beer fests, conferences, and ongoing Cruisin’ For A Brewsin’ video series, Ale utilizes his Cornell University School of Hotel Administration education and vast work experience to consult in the culinary industry as well. Forbes, Smithsonian Institution, UNTAPPD, Good Beer Hunting, and numerous others have showcased Ale’s accomplishments. In a collaboration going on six years with brewing giant New Belgium, Ale has produced a beer he conceptualized called Piano Keys–a chocolate vanilla imperial stout–geared to support diversity and racial equality. This project with New Belgium also spawned his initiative, BrewGether, which raises funds to support nonprofits embracing the same mission as Piano Keys. Ale proudly owns AllWays Open Creative Solutions, an agency specializing in creative direction, logo design, branding, web design, video production, photography, consulting, and social media. Although a native New Yorker, Ale proudly calls Atlanta his home. Follow Ale’s globetrotting adventures on his captivating Instagram (@realalesharpton).
Dennis Malcolm "Ale" Sharpton
Dennis Malcolm Byron aka Ale Sharpton is a world-renowned beer authority, award-winning journalist, blogger (AleSharpton.com), photographer, event planner, host, speaker and beer judge to name a few of his roles. While passionately traveling the globe to cover everything from automobiles to culinary scenes, celebrity profiles, sports, hotel destinations, art, and what he terms “the world’s best beverage,” Ale has contributed to more than 30 magazines and websites combined. His current media outlets include USAToday, Thrillist.com, Craft Beer & Brewing, CraftBeer.com, Theinfatuation.com, ButterATL.com, James Beard Foundation, Atlanta Magazine, and others. Along with being featured in various publications, on the web, radio, podcasts, television, beer fests, conferences, and ongoing Cruisin’ For A Brewsin’ video series, Ale utilizes his Cornell University School of Hotel Administration education and vast work experience to consult in the culinary industry as well. Forbes, Smithsonian Institution, UNTAPPD, Good Beer Hunting, and numerous others have showcased Ale’s accomplishments. In a collaboration going on six years with brewing giant New Belgium, Ale has produced a beer he conceptualized called Piano Keys–a chocolate vanilla imperial stout–geared to support diversity and racial equality. This project with New Belgium also spawned his initiative, BrewGether, which raises funds to support nonprofits embracing the same mission as Piano Keys. Ale proudly owns AllWays Open Creative Solutions, an agency specializing in creative direction, logo design, branding, web design, video production, photography, consulting, and social media. Although a native New Yorker, Ale proudly calls Atlanta his home. Follow Ale’s globetrotting adventures on his captivating Instagram (@realalesharpton).
Gary Monterosso
Gary Monterosso is an award-winning critic, who... Read More
Gary Monterosso is an award-winning critic, who has written for national and regional publications. He is a regular guest on “You Oughta Know,” on WHYY-TV, a PBS station based in Philadelphia. Gary also hosts one-minute beverage updates on several southern NJ radio stations. From 2010-2017, he was seen on the History Channel show called “The Epic History of Everyday Things.” He is the author of the book, “Artisan Beers.” After a 41-year career as a NJ- based educator, Gary now teaches beer appreciation classes at Wilmington University. Gary has appeared on many television programs discussing craft beers and has guested on BBC radio offering an American perspective on the beverage. In late 2014, he lent his expertise to CBS News New York, by offering fall beer recommendations. One of the highlights of his career was a three-year stint on the Sirius Satellite Radio network, talking about the latest happenings in the beer world. In 2014, Gary was selected by Chilled Magazine to be a member of the “Chilled 100,” signifying him as one of the top 100 beverage personalities in the United States. He continues to be a fixture at regional beer events by hosting dinners and tasting seminars. He has qualified as a Certified Beer Server, a part of the Cicerone Certification Program, recognizing his knowledge of beer styles, culture, the brewing process and ingredients.
Gary Monterosso
Gary Monterosso is an award-winning critic, who has written for national and regional publications. He is a regular guest on “You Oughta Know,” on WHYY-TV, a PBS station based in Philadelphia. Gary also hosts one-minute beverage updates on several southern NJ radio stations. From 2010-2017, he was seen on the History Channel show called “The Epic History of Everyday Things.” He is the author of the book, “Artisan Beers.” After a 41-year career as a NJ- based educator, Gary now teaches beer appreciation classes at Wilmington University. Gary has appeared on many television programs discussing craft beers and has guested on BBC radio offering an American perspective on the beverage. In late 2014, he lent his expertise to CBS News New York, by offering fall beer recommendations. One of the highlights of his career was a three-year stint on the Sirius Satellite Radio network, talking about the latest happenings in the beer world. In 2014, Gary was selected by Chilled Magazine to be a member of the “Chilled 100,” signifying him as one of the top 100 beverage personalities in the United States. He continues to be a fixture at regional beer events by hosting dinners and tasting seminars. He has qualified as a Certified Beer Server, a part of the Cicerone Certification Program, recognizing his knowledge of beer styles, culture, the brewing process and ingredients.
Latiesha Cook
Latiesha Cook is the Co-Founder, President and CEO... Read More
Latiesha Cook is the Co-Founder, President and CEO of Beer Kulture, a St. Petersburg, Florida based nonprofit focused on increasing diversity and inclusion in the craft beer industry. Born in the Bronx, New York, Latiesha is a wife, mother of four, Cicerone certified beer server, published author and entrepreneur. In her leadership role at Beer Kulture, she has guided the team in launching an array of initiatives designed to diversify craft beer, including Cicerone scholarships, internships, a job board, and kollaboration beers with breweries around the world, as well as community projects to help local neighborhoods and causes throughout the country.
Latiesha Cook
Latiesha Cook is the Co-Founder, President and CEO of Beer Kulture, a St. Petersburg, Florida based nonprofit focused on increasing diversity and inclusion in the craft beer industry. Born in the Bronx, New York, Latiesha is a wife, mother of four, Cicerone certified beer server, published author and entrepreneur. In her leadership role at Beer Kulture, she has guided the team in launching an array of initiatives designed to diversify craft beer, including Cicerone scholarships, internships, a job board, and kollaboration beers with breweries around the world, as well as community projects to help local neighborhoods and causes throughout the country.