5 things you need to know about hard cider in Michigan

The hottest drink of fall in Michigan could be a cool hard cider.

"Cider continues to be the fastest-growing alcoholic beverage in the country and Michigan has really set itself up to be a leader in the craft industry," said Paul Vander Heide, who has been making hard cider at Vander Mill in Spring Lake since 2008. He's also one of the founders of the Michigan Cider Association.

Apples are the largest and most valuable fruit crop in Michigan, with 24 million bushels harvested in 2014, according to the Michigan Apple Committee, based in DeWitt. Michigan is the third-largest apple-producing state.

Vander Heide said boom in craft brewing across the state — Michigan now has more than 150 craft brewers — has helped boost interest in hard ciders, all of which begin with fermenting apple juice.

"We have a lot of young people who are far more interested in and willing to try different beverages," he said. "The curiosity is out there, which certainly helps everyone."

Here are five things to know about Michigan ciders and the state's cider industry.

There's room to grow

Nationwide, Vander Heide said, cider makes up less than 1 percent of all alcoholic beverages consumed. That means there's plenty of room for more producers at the moment. "We see a lot of new people coming into the industry," he said of the Michigan cider scene. Within the next five years, he predicts continued growth from existing cider companies, more new cider producers and more tasting rooms and cideries that have their own restaurants.

Cider comes in more flavors than plain old apple

There's a cider for every taste, Vander Heide said. You can find ciders ranging from sweet to dry, ciders that include a variety of apples or only one kind, and ciders with other flavors blended in. "We get to be creative in adding other nuancing flavors to cider," Vander Heide said. For example: "We have an apple blueberry, where we are taking Michigan blueberry juice and blending it in with hard cider." In "Totally Roasted Cider," the additional flavors come from cinnamon-roasted pecans.

Cider may please both beer drinkers and wine drinkers

"It's light on your stomach, it's very refreshing, it tastes good," Vander Heide said. "The lion's share of what people are consuming would be more like a beer than a wine, but there are certainly ciders that look and behave like both of those things." The message: Try a variety of ciders and see which ones you like best.

The next big cider event in Michigan is in St. Johns

Aside from regular tastings (see the calendar at ujcidermill.com) Uncle John's Cider Mill in St. Johns will host "Mid Mitten Cider Fest" from 1-6 p.m. Sept. 12. The event includes food, cider tasting and music. Cideries showcasing their drinks include Vandermill, Sietsema, Blake's, Left Foot Charley, Northern Naturals, Meckley's, Northville Ciders, FarmHouse Ciders, Be Well Meadery, Uncle John's and more. Uncle John's is at 8614 U.S. 127 north of St. Johns; tickets for the cider event are $15 per person.

Short's is bottling its hard cider now

Starcut Ciders, introduced last fall by Short's Brewing Co. of Bellaire, went on tap statewide earlier this summer and now will be available in bottles. Two flagship varieties, the semi-sweet Octorock and the semi-dry Pulsar, now are available as well as a rotating seasonal release. The first seasonal offering is called Squishy. It's a semi-sweet cider made from a late-season blend of apples and two types of cherry. Starcut Ciders is distributed by Imperial Beverage. Find stores near you using the locator at starcutciders.com.