12 Best Hard Ciders To Take Your Taste Buds Back To Fall, According To Reviews

The fabric of United States' history contains many threads, but one of the strongest is the country's connection to the apple. Brought to American shores by European pilgrims, trees later planted by John Chapman — better known as Johnny Appleseed — thrived in places where wheat and barley didn't, providing fruit for a drink seen as safer than water: cider.

For decades, it was massively popular, until a fresh wave of immigrants who preferred beer, settled in the Midwest. As cider consumption declined, so did U.S. production, with a near-final nail in the coffin provided by Prohibition in 1919. However, in recent years, American apple cider (be careful when buying it by the jug) has seen a renaissance, with indie brewers taking on big-name brands.

The result is an exciting, growing market for hard cider: The alcoholic version of apple juice that has as much nuance as beer and wine. Taking in everything from dry and crisp to fruity and sweet, every sip evokes harvest time or lazy end-of-summer evenings. As the colder months loom, here are some of the best hard ciders to take your taste buds back to fall, based on user reviews.

This Spokane, Washington State-based cider house may have started out as a Father's Day gift gone wrong but it's become a much-loved brand among hard cider lovers. One Tree Hard Cider produces 11 seasonal drinks, including the highly rated Caramel Cinnamon, available in the fall, and holiday season fave Snow Globe, complete with its hand-dipped bottles.

However, for year-round hard cider pleasure, the six-strong core range is a must-try. Among them is Lemon Basil, which the company insists is delicious any time of the year, while the combination of real lemon and basil delivers a "sassy bouquet of awesome," per Untappd, where it ranks among the most popular hard ciders.

A few reviewers weren't fans of Lemon Basil's sweetness, nor did they get both main flavors. One suggested some could "miss them entirely" if it wasn't for the label, but still said it was, "Super tasty, round, [and] refreshing." One Tree Hard Cider's Lemon Basil was a resounding hit with many other drinkers, too. One satisfied customer compared it to a "summer shandy," while the refreshing yet robust, fruity taste got a firm thumbs up all round.

Hard cider drinkers across the Southern United States will be familiar with this North Carolina brand, the first hard cider company created in the city of Asheville. Noble Cider collaborates with regional growers for what it calls "true cider apple varieties," using them to make a range of hard ciders (including seasonal and limited edition versions) and meads, which are very different from wine.

Noble also produces six core drinks of which the runaway favorite is Spice Merchant. A spicy, aromatic combination of local company AppalaChai! tea, cloves, cinnamon, star anise, and cardamom with apple cider, it is a definite hit among aficionados. It regularly picks up five stars among reviewers, with one enthusing: "If I had to only drink one beer the rest of my life, this would be the one. WOW," via Untappd.

Others recommended Spice Merchant hard cider to anyone looking for something out of the ordinary, with many enjoying the golden flavor and a light fruitiness that wasn't overly sweet. One aspect that was particularly appreciated was the perfectly balanced spice blend, and how it both enhanced and elevated the apple taste without overwhelming it. If you're looking for a hard cider to whisk your tastebuds back to fall, this will do the job.

Lots of independent hard cider makers have turned to unusual or innovative flavors to give their products the edge over competitors. The results can be hit or miss as far as drinkers are concerned, but that's not the case for the Dover, New Hampshire-based North Country Hard Cider Company. Aside from using heirloom, antique, and modern apple varieties, when it comes to giving them a taste twist, almost anything goes.

The company has a vast range of seasonal hard ciders, but just six are available all year round. With hints of cinnamon, alongside pomegranate, and habanero, flagship drink Fire Starter warms the parts other hard ciders might not reach, and is a real taste of fall. Habaneros are not on the same scale as this pepper but still pack a punch, so some drinkers were pleasantly surprised at the mellow flavor and were eager to have more than just the one glass.

The fruity but not overpowering aroma was deeply appreciated alongside the light carbonation. And while that gentle flick of heat from the habanero was enjoyed by many, some felt it was an occasional drink for them, rather than one they'd indulge in regularly. Others relished the spice, as well as the apple pie vibes they got from Fire Starter hard cider.

A lot of work has been done in recent years to demonstrate that hard cider has all the subtlety and nuance of wine, though the line between the two gets really blurry with apple wine. It contains more alcohol, thanks to the sugar added at the fermentation stage, but the producers Sierra Rose Ciders have taken it to the next level.

This hard cider starts with home-made apple wine, which is then combined with delicious, natural fruit juices to create a refreshing, very moreish beverage. The brand only offers four flagship hard ciders (there are lots of seasonal and special editions) including Sangria. Slightly sparkling and deep red, its 7.6% ABV, packs a heftier punch than many hard ciders on the market. The ingredients include red wine, grape, and fruit juices — and drinkers adore it.

Perfect with or without ice (for those fall evenings that have a bit more bite), people appreciated the deeply fruity flavor and smooth taste. Lots of reviewers compared it favorably with real-deal sangria, giving it the thumbs up across online reviews. One happy consumer summed up their thoughts about Sangria hard cider, writing: "Really good. [Tastes] like grape juice o[r] a juicy grape popsicle!," per Untappd.

Fall in Massachusetts is always a blaze of color, and it has provided a vibrant backdrop for apple and fruit growers the Carlson family since they started out in 1936. Booming cider production meant they partnered with New England Apple Products to take over that part of the business, which means that hard cider from Carlson Orchards is still hitting the spot with plenty of drinkers.

As with many smaller producers, there are only a handful of seasonal and limited edition beverages to choose from. One of the latter, Legacy cider, was described as "unique, flavorful[,] and rich as a pop star," by a delighted visitor to the company's cider barn. Oak Hill Blend, one of four varieties available all year round, has gone down just as well with cider lovers.

This semi-sweet, unfiltered hard cider, made from apples grown at the family-run farm scores highly for its strong fruit flavor, balanced with a medium aroma. At 4.5% ABV, some drinkers enjoyed not being hit over the head with lots of alcohol, and compared it favorably with non-alcoholic ciders. Others appreciated the crisp, dry taste of Oak Hill Blend hard cider, as well as its subtle tartness.

Since 2010, 2 Towns Ciderhouse has gone from a basement operation between two friends to being the biggest craft cider producer in Oregon. In 2024, it was named Cidermaker of the Year, the first time the category was included at the Brewers Association's Great American Beer Festival. 2 Towns claims to do things differently, combining whole fruits with local practices for hard ciders that thousands of people cannot get enough of.

It has one of the biggest ranges of core drinks, some of which are flavored with ingredients like prickly pear and cherries. One of the most popular is Pacific Pineapple, which blends locally grown apples with fresh, Costa Rican pineapples. If you're expecting just a hint of the luxury tropical fruit-turned-household staple, prepare to be surprised.

One drinker was so taken aback they suggested it might make a good pineapple mixer. Others enjoyed the balanced flavor and the fact Pacific Pineapple wasn't overly sweet: Despite the added fruit, the cider's dryness was both unexpected and pleasantly surprising. Anyone looking for a non-alcoholic version to reminisce about fall, 2 Towns Ciderhouse makes a "Sidekick" Pacific Pineapple, and according to this 2024 review, it's every bit as good as the OG.

If many hard cider producers talk up its affinity with the wine industry, Michigan company Left Foot Charley is proof that they two are very closely connected. Launched in 2004, when the owners took a neglected vineyard and slowly brought it back to life, its output includes a range of wines alongside seven hard ciders.

Of those beverages, the award-winning Cinnamon Girl has made a good impression on thousands of hard cider devotees. Made with apples from the Old Mission Peninsula and infused for up to six weeks with lemony, floral Korjinte cinnamon from Sumatra, it is a hearty, warming drink that brings to mind eating a slice of traditional or even a Dutch apple pie while enjoying the height of fall.

In online reviews, many people appreciated the delicate balance between the spicy but crisp flavor and endless, blissful bubbles. One fan said Cinnamon Girl hard cider "Smells like a cinnamon roll, tastes like cinnamon apples, very light, easy to drink as apple fritters are easy to eat," via Untappd, while another reviewer on the platform said it was, "The perfect cider."

In the Pacific Northwest, the family owned McMenamins brand is well known for its chain of pubs and restaurants, where customers can enjoy the company's hand-crafted coffee, beer, wines, spirits, and ciders. Although only buyers within the state of Oregon can get their hands on McMenamin's range of hard ciders, if internet reviews are to be believed, it's worth a trip to one of their outlets to try them out.

Produced at the company's Edgefield Winery, the most highly rated is McMenamins' Blackberry cider, which won the gold medal at the 2024 Brewers Association's Great American Beer Festival. Its success wasn't lost on customers, who appreciated this richly red cider, with its fruity-yet-tart, faintly tannic taste, and delicious apple finish.

Many drinkers were won over by its medium-bodied, semi-sweet flavor. For some, it was less sugary than expected, without the strange aftertaste they sometimes found in a competitor's hard cider. Others were definitely fans of the berry-forward Blackberry cider, but could have done with more sweetness.

Digging around the internet, it's near-impossible to find a poorly rated Ciderboys Hard Cider product, which is great for drinkers. However, of the company's range of 14 flavors, only three are available all year round. The most popular of that trio is Strawberry Magic. Its heavy fruit aroma and taste made it a hit among online reviewers, and while it's easy to drink, it can be a shade too sweet for some.

The majority of drinkers adored the blend of crisp, tart apples with fresh, luscious strawberries. Despite the name, Strawberry Magic isn't any shade of pink or red: It's a pale, golden hard cider that regularly pulls in top marks on review platforms. Lots of people praised the strawberry flavor, bringing to mind good quality fruity jam, while others insisted Ciderboys' Strawberry Magic was among the best ciders they had ever tasted.

One happy customer described it as tasking like, "A sweet granny's last candy at the bottom of her purse (in a good way)." That might not convince everyone, but there is good news for people seeking non-alcoholic versions of Ciderboys' drinks, including their hard ciders. In 2025, parent company Stevens Point Brewery installed technology to expand the production.

Creative inspiration can come from anywhere. For the husband-and-wife team behind this Michigan company, that includes the iconic dream sequence from 1998 movie "The Big Lebowski." Luckily, you don't have to be a fan of that film to enjoy B. Nektar's hard cider The Dude's Rug, though you might want to go and watch it to understand the label.

It's a blend of crisp apple, chai spices including cardamom and clove, and black tea, though for some drinkers, ginger was the most prominent flavor – the perfect flavor to evoke the sensations of fall. While it's fair to say some (perhaps curious) drinkers came for the Hollywood connection, a lot of them stayed for the pleasant balance of spices, which although robust, still resulted in a delicious, refreshing drink.

The color and carbonation were also on point among online reviewers, while another satisfied sipper said The Dude's Rug, "Tastes like the holidays." It's not B. Nektar's only beloved hard cider. Fans have thrown a lot of love behind stablemate Zombie Killer, which might sound gross but is actually a refreshing blend of apple, thistle honey, and cherry juice.

Unless you live in the southeast or southwest of the United States, September marks the end of blueberry season and the start of fall. Mother Nature puts on a display like no other in Vermont, and it's where Woodchuck Hard Cider has been in business since 1991, starting out as an experiment in a garage. Initially, bottles were part-filled using equipment from the 1940's and topped with a turkey baster. It has come a long way since then, and today produces a range that includes six core ciders.

For its popular Blueberry hard cider, the company has taken the soft, sweetness of the aforementioned fruits and added a splash of them to its apple cider. If you're expecting something like the "blue raspberry" flavor, forget it. The result is "absolutely phenomenal," according to this video reviewer.

Other drinkers, who were established fans of the Woodchuck brand, liked Blueberry (formerly known as "Summer Time"), and suggested the pale, golden hard cider was a refreshing alternative to the industry's push for darker, heavier drinks during the winter months. Elsewhere, that hint of blueberry and undertone of sweetness were both widely appreciated, with comments ranging from "decent" to "delicious."

Over a decade ago, a century-old cider mill in New York produced the first batches of cider for a start-up company. Today, McKenzie's Hard Cider is still going strong, though it produces just a handful of ciders. Aside from its original apple drink, the rest of the range has added fruit flavors and among the most popular is the award-winning Black Cherry.

"Smooth with sweet cherry flavours and underlying, slightly tart, apple hints," said one drinker, per Untappd, while many others gave the sweet, fruity flavor their thumbs up. One compared McKenzie's Black Cherry to a Jolly Rancher (though probably not the viral kind), calling it "phenomenal," while another likened it to a fruit cup, and the strong cherry flavor was consistently praised.

One video reviewer who enjoyed the hard cider said it was "delicious," and added that it did not taste like medicine but was "dangerous!" If fruity hard ciders for fall are your thing, check out McKenzie's very popular Blueberry Blast, described as, "Easy lunch time sipping," by a fan of the brand, via Untappd.

There is a wide range of hard cider varieties out there, and to find drinks that would give everyone a delicious taste of fall, we began by looking at several review sites on the internet. We read through hundreds of ratings, focusing on beverages that had a minimum of 1,000 reviews alongside scores of 3.8 and above.

We also cross-referenced them to pinpoint the most popular drinks. We then looked at social media posts, videos, and blogs about the hard ciders we chose, to get original opinions and insights from the broadest possible range of cider drinkers, from established devotees to newcomers.