Hard cider just may be the new beer. Or maybe the new wine.
“New York State is positioned to be the Napa Valley of hard cider in this country,” said Scott Ramsey, executive director of the NY Cider Association, noting there are hard cider manufacturers in virtually every region of the state. Orchards and cideries in the Hudson Valley, the Catskills, the Finger Lakes, even central metropolitan area are creating beverages to accompany food like fine wine, or to be enjoyed alone as you would craft beer. Most encourage visitors, offering tastings, along with traditional activities you’d expect at a working orchard — think apple picking, play areas for the kids, farm stores, restaurants and snack bars. Needless to say, cider doughnuts are abundant.
It all comes down to the apples, said Bill Michaels, owner of Fly Creek Cider Mill in Otsego County. “New York has a tremendous diversity of varieties, ranging from sweet to tart,” said Michaels in an statement, noting that the state is the nation’s second-largest producer of apples, with more than 500 growers. “What we’re seeing now is consumers rediscovering something that generations before us already knew,” said Joe Gaynor, chief cider maker at Angry Orchard in Walden. “Great cider,” he said, “starts with great apples.” The growth in the business, he added, “reflects how people’s drinking habits are changing. They want more variety, they care about where their products come.” Eddie Brennan, owner of Beak & Skiff in LaFayette agrees, adding that hard cider, with a lower alcohol content and all natural ingredients, is considered by many healthier than other adult beverages
The growth of the hard cider business has been phenomenal, said Ramsey, noting that when the Ithaca-based association was established 10 years ago, there were only four or five licensed producers in the state. Now there are more than 125, with 95 actively producing, said Ramsey. Visiting an orchard is “an incredible agricultural experience,” he said. “People have so much experience visiting wineries and breweries … this checks so many boxes in terms of what people are looking for.”
No matter where you are in the state, you’re never too far from an orchard, said Ramsey. Here are five great spots to explore.
Angry Orchard
2241 Albany Post Rd., Walden
DISTANCE FROM LI: Roughly 2 hours and 30 minutesÂ
Visitors to the orchard are treated to a stroll through the lush orchards before indulging in tastings at the taproom at Angry Orchard. Credit: Angry Orchard Cider House
You can get Angry Orchard ciders all over the country, but to taste the most innovative products you need to visit the orchard in the heart of the Hudson Valley. The cider makers create 20 experimental ciders every year, said chief cider maker Joe Gaynor in an email. “This is where we get to experiment and push what cider can be.” The 100-year-old orchard produces 40 varieties of apples, producing ciders Gaynor describes as “sophisticated and complex, with layers of flavor you don’t typically find in cider.” Visitors to the complex can walk through the orchards before stopping in the taproom to taste limited-edition ciders and brand standards like the popular Crisp Apple. Angry Orchard just launched a Thriller Pack for Halloween with flavors like Berry Bewitched and Headless Pumpkin. There’s often live music in the taproom, including occasional “Pups & Pints” events where dogs are welcome. The orchard is open daily except Tuesday and holidays (hours vary).
The tree house at Angry Orchard Cider House in Walden, NY. Credit: Angry Orchard Cider House
Guests can book a tree house experience to enjoy the great views of the Shawangunk Mountain Range while tasting two of the brand’s ciders, $24.99 weekdays, $29.99 weekends. Or sign up for the U-pick walking tour suitable for children and pets ($24.99, $4.99 for kids). On weekends through mid-November, guests can reserve a picnic table that seats eight for three hours, $99.
To make a weekend of it, book a room at the Borland House in Montgomery, a bed-and-breakfast less than five 5 miles away. Rooms start at $225 a night (133 Clinton St., Montgomery, 845-457-1513, borlandhouse.com).
MORE INFOÂ 845-713-5180, angryorchard.com
Seminary Hill Orchard & Cidery
43 Wagner Lane, Callicoon
DISTANCE FROM LI: Roughly 3 hoursÂ
Sip cider at the tasting room at Seminary Hill Orchard & Cidery in Callicoon. Credit: Daniel Schwartz
Spend the weekend at a working orchard and cidery at this retreat in the Catskills, where you’ll find a farm-to-table restaurant and a Michelin-rated boutique hotel. The 1,200-acre orchard overlooking the Delaware River grows about 60 varieties of heirloom apples and pears. The orchard’s artisanal ciders are complex, and many have been compared to a fine wine. The production area and tasting room is housed in a modern building inspired by a classic barn and partially made with wood from what used to be the Tappan Zee Bridge. Weekly tours and tastings run Sundays, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. through Nov. 9; starting Nov. 15 they move to Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., $48 a person. Upcoming workshops include cooking with cider on Nov. 9 and making apple butter on Nov. 23, each $65, which includes a glass of cider. The Boarding House is open year-round. The tasting room is open Thursday-Sunday, hours vary.
Spread across 1,200 acres overlooking the serene Delaware River, the orchard cultivates approximately 60 varieties of heirloom apples and pears. Credit: Daniel Schwartz
Spend the weekend by booking one of the eight apartments in the Boarding House, a boutique hotel split between two historic buildings that once housed a hospital. Rooms start around $350 a night and can be booked with a cider experience that includes a tour of the facility, two bottles of cider and a $50 tasting room credit.
MORE INFO 845-887-4056, seminaryhill.co
Fly Creek Cider Mill
288 Goose St., Fly Creek
DISTANCE FROM LI: Roughly 4 hoursÂ
Apples about to enter the washer at Fly Creek Cider Mill & Orchard in Fly Creek. Credit: Fly Creek Cider Mill & Orchard
See how cider was made the old-fashioned way at this mill and orchard near Cooperstown. Established in 1856, this mill still processes apples with a water-hydraulic press powered by a turbine that draws water from Fly Creek. Once a grist mill and an ice house, the mill survived Prohibition but eventually closed because of decline in demand, said owner Bill Michaels in an email, explaining that his parents purchased and restored it in 1962, first just making pressed cider for locals. The cider mill is open 9 a.m. through 6 p.m. daily until Dec. 21.
The pressing tray at the orchard. Credit: Fly Creek Cider Mill & Orchard
While pressed cold cider remains the bestseller, hard ciders and apple wine are becoming customer favorites, said Michaels. Visitors can take a self-tour of the production area, watching as apples are washed and pressed before going into the grinder. There’s plenty to do at the mill, from duck racing and a kids area called Tractorland to gemstone mining and bike and walking trails along the creek. Reward yourself in the tasting room where you can try non-alcoholic and hard ciders and a variety of apple wines and craft beers.
MORE INFO 607-547-9692, flycreekcidermill.com
South Hill Cider
550 Sandbank Rd., Ithaca
DISTANCE FROM LI: Roughly 4 hours and 30 minutes
Steve Selin, who runs this cidery 4 miles south of Ithaca, calls himself an apple hunter. Much of the cider produced at South Hill is made from wild foraged apples, gathered by hand in forests or from abandoned orchards. The trade magazine The Cider Journal describes the ciders as “elegant and rich … a perfect dinner cider.” Visitors to the cidery can reserve two guided tastings with house-made food parings. They’re scheduled Thursday-Monday until 4 p.m. (classic with five flagship ciders made annually, $29, premium, five rare small batch ciders, $39). South Hill Cider is open Thursday through Monday (hours vary).
In keeping with its rustic roots, South Hill has two camp tents at the edge of the forest that can be booked online (rates start at $55 a night). No bath or shower facilities, but there are nearby hiking trails and it’s a good base for exploring popular Finger Lakes destinations like Buttermilk Falls and Watkins Glen State Park.
MORE INFOÂ 607-792-1097, southhillcider.com
Beak & Skiff Cider Mill
2708 Lords Hill Rd., LaFayette
DRIVING DISTANCE FROM LI: Roughly 5 hoursÂ
The 1911 tasting room provides a daily cider sampling opportunity, situated atop the highest point in Onondaga County, offering breathtaking panoramic views Credit: Courtesy of Beak and Skiff Apple Orchards
“It’s like Disneyland for everything apples in the fall,” said president and co-owner Eddie Brennan, describing the fifth-generation family business that’s been in operation since 1911. The 1,000-acre orchard 20 miles south of Syracuse produces about 20 varieties of apples, which translate into more than 30 hard ciders — flavors include the seasonal Candy Corn and Cider Donut. A visit to the orchard might include a stop at Apple Hill where you can pick your own fruit, or buy some already gathered at the barn. You can sample ciders daily at the 1911 tasting room, which sits on the highest point in Onondaga County, making for expansive views. (Brennan said newbies should start with the 1911 Original, a blend of five types of apples). The 1911 Tavern is open on weekends for burgers and the like, plus there’s a bakery, a more casual cafe, and a well-stocked country store. For kids, there’s a playground and an apple-shaped corn maze. The cider mill is open daily (hours vary seasonally).
A visit to the orchard offers a delightful experience at Apple Hill, where visitors can either handpick their own apples or choose from those already gathered at the barn. Credit: Courtesy of Beak and Skiff Apple Orchards
You can also spend the weekend; the orchard has four houses that sleep 8-16 guests, all with stunning views, amenities like pools, hot tubs and gym equipment, along with a refrigerator stocked with the most popular ciders. They can be booked through Airbnb, and a three-night weekend starts at $2,340.
If you don’t need an entire house, the Apple Country Retreat in Tully, is a charming bed-and-breakfast less than five minutes away. Rooms start at $189 a night (2215 NY-80, 315-748-3977, applecountryretreat.com).
MORE INFO 315-696-6085, beakandskiff.com
A guide to cider
Anyone who’s visited a winery understands a lot goes into that bottle of chardonnay or pinot noir. Same with cider.
The process of making cider is not all that different; it’s all about which type fruit is used. For cider, apples are crushed and pressed to extract juice, making non-alcoholic cider. For the hard stuff, a fermentation process turns the sugar into alcohol. Just like wine, there are many types of cider: blends and single varietals, and varying levels of sweetness (yes, there’s a “dry” cider).
“We’re really trying to educate people about how hard cider can elevate their meal,” said  Scott Ramsey, executive director of the NY Cider Association. In the association’s guide to food pairing you learn, among other things, that acid-forward ciders go best with cheese, while semi-sweet works with spicy food and dry cider is good with fried food.
Learn more about all this at the NY Cider Festival on Nov. 15, at City Winery NYC, 25 11th Ave. at Pier 57, Manhattan. Cider makers will be on hand to talk about their products and full bottles will be on sale. The event will run from noon to 3 p.m., $40; VIP hour from 11 a.m. to noon, $50; cider and cheese pairing add-on sessions at 12:30 and 2 p.m., $35, reserve online at citywinery.com.