Our Cider
Our Process
One of the reasons we love cider is its simplicity. In its purest form, it is fermented apple juice and nothing else. Yeast goes to work on the sugars naturally present in apple and pear juice, then converts that sugar into alcohol. What a magical process!
Our various ciders may contain added fruit, botanicals, herbs, or honey.
No added sugar or artificial flavors, never from concentrate. We always disclose our full ingredients list on our labels.
We strive to use local apples and other ingredients whenever we can, including from our own farm.
The Lineup
We have four core ciders in our mix—you’ll find these foundational flavors available year-round:
Blueberry Aronia Cider
Brut Cider
Pear Cider
Imperial Apple
Read more about them below.
We also offer seasonally-inspired, small batch specialty ciders. These are available in limited quantities. If you want to learn about latest releases and where to find them, follow us on Instagram and Facebook .
BLUEBERRY ARONIA CIDER
Dry → Sweet Scale (1 to 7): 4
This semi-dry, tart cider features the tannins of aronia berries, balanced by the sweetness of blueberries. Fruit-forward and full of flavor, tart and not too sweet. And it’s blue-tiful to behold.
Ingredients: Apples, Blueberries, Organic Aronia Berries.
ABV 5.5%
Pairing suggestions: Goat cheese, chicken and waffles, grilled meats and vegetables.
BRUT CIDER
Dry → Sweet Scale (1 to 7): 2
This is the driest of our regular ciders and allows the apples to shine through in all their glory. We add a touch of hops touch of botanicals to round out the apples and enhance their flavor, but don’t be scared of the hops–it tastes more like wine than beer. Delicious to the core.
Ingredients: Apples, Hops.
ABV 6.2%
Pairing suggestions: Manchego cheese, salty snacks, grilled cheese with apples. Popcorn.
PEAR CIDER
Dry → Sweet Scale (1 to 7): 5
This semi-sweet cider features the addition of pears. They add a touch of sweetness and great flavor. What can we say? These two make a perfect pear-ing.
Ingredients: Apples, Pears, Fair Trade Vanilla.
ABV 5.9%
Pairing suggestions: Pork chops, roasted winter squash, shortbread, vanilla ice cream.
IMPERIAL CIDER
Dry → Sweet Scale (1 to 7): 2
We start with a classic apple cider, then add honey for an extra long fermentation. This results in a strong, full-bodied cider that allows the flavors of the honey to shine through without a lot of sweetness. We finish by aging on French oak for added complexity, resulting in a cider akin to a dry white wine. A cider fit for a queen bee.
Ingredients: Apples, Raw Honey.
ABV 9.5%
Pairing suggestions: Spicy foods, Asian cuisine, soups and stews, blue cheese with honey. Makes a great aperitif.
Cedar Valley Blend Cider
Limited Edition—only 700 bottles produced
Dry → Sweet Scale (1 to 7): 3
6.7% ABV
Mt. Blanc Crabapple | Haralson | Wealthy | Fireside | Cortland | Chrisolyn Jonathan | Evercrisp |
Mt. Blanc Crabapple | Haralson | Wealthy | Fireside | Cortland | Chrisolyn Jonathan | Evercrisp |
This small batch heritage cider features the amazing flavor of the Mt. Blanc Crabapple, along with more than ten other apple varieties, including Haralson, Wealthy, Chrisolyn Jonathan, Fireside, Cortland, and Evercrisp. These apples are from orchards within 50 miles of our cidery, including Timeless Prairie Orchard and Apples on the Avenue. The tartness and light tannins of the crabapples are balanced by the rich flavors of the hand-selected blend of apples, resulting in a delicious semi-dry cider celebrating the Cedar Valley region.
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Paha Cider is committed to making great cider and running a successful business while leaving the smallest environmental footprint possible. We are proud to be the first cidery in Iowa to carry this designation from the Iowa Waste Reduction Center at the University of Northern Iowa.
You can read more about the program and other recognized Iowa breweries here.
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Our ciders are naturally gluten free.
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Simple, clean, plant-based ingredients. Healthier for you and the planet.
*Note: our Imperial Cider, as well as some of our seasonal ciders, is made with honey. We always disclose our full ingredients list on our labels.
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Our ciders are low sugar or no sugar. Some of our ciders contain added honey or fruit juice, but we always disclose our full ingredients list on our labels, and you’ll never see refined sugar or artificial sweeteners in our cider.
