There's no question Americans love beer. But now, it seems,
they've taken a shine to a spirited newcomer, alcoholic cider.
Call us stir crazy, if you must. But judging by the current demand
for "hard cider"-which typically packs an alcohol content
of 4 percent to 6 percent-we expect more pubs and supermarkets to
jump on the cider bandwagon.
"We're kind of tagging onto the microbrewery
scene," says Kevin Settles, 37, president and founder of
Selkirk Cider Co., a Sandpoint, Idaho, company that sells apple,
pear and raspberry cider under the Seven Sisters label.
"There's not a whole lot of radically new items that can
come out on the beer scene, and people don't want to drink the
same thing for very long. They're always looking for something
new, and we really fit that category."
Settles, who launched Selkirk Cider nine years ago, took the
beverage road less traveled after learning of the tremendous
popularity of hard cider in Europe. The risk paid off: Selkirk
Cider is projected to ship 40,000 cases of cider in 1996-triple
last year's production.
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Generation Xers, according to Settles, form the core market for
hard cider. We'd be willing to bet this same group will also be
the ones downing the next up-and-coming drink: alcoholic
lemonade.
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