Many American consumers have no idea what hard cider is or even that it exists! We want our cider drinkers to be educated in this field so next time you're at a party, you can say to your fellow partiers, "It's a little known fact..." (credit Cliff Claven.)

What is Hard Cider? | History of Hard Cider | Interesting Facts

Interesting Facts
In our country's early years, cider was consumed more than water because it was safer to drink.

During the 14th century, children were baptized in hard cider because it was cleaner than water.

Until declared illegal in 1878 by the British government, farm workers received a hard cider allowance as part of their wages (typically two quarts a day for a man and one quart for a boy.)

The average Massachusetts resident consumed more than 35 gallons of cider per year during the later 1700s.

The Boston Tea Party was nearly the Boston Cider Party. The ship immediately adjacent to the famous tea ship was full of cider. The mob decided to destroy the tea ship and then proceeded to steal and consume cider from the ship next door. (At least they had their priorities straight!)

And on a more regional note: Sutter's Mill in Coloma had a cider mill/cidery. There is a plaque that discusses the building where beer was brewed and cider crafted at the historic site.

And now you can give Cliff Claven a run for his money!!