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 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 apple juice 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 five core ciders in our mix—you’ll find these foundational flavors available year-round:
Blueberry Aronia Cider
Brut Cider
Pear Cider
Sweet Cherry
Imperial Apple
Read more about them below, including our seasonally rotating ciders.
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 8): 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.
*Bronze medal winner in Fruit Cider at GLINTCAP 2024*
BRUT CIDER
Dry → Sweet Scale (1 to 8): 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 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.
*Bronze medal winner in Hopped Cider at GLINTCAP 2024*
PEAR CIDER
Dry → Sweet Scale (1 to 8): 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.
*Silver medal winner in Specialty Cider and Perry at GLINTCAP 2024*
SWEET CHERRY CIDER
Dry → Sweet Scale (1 to 8): 7
This cider combines apples with Montmorency cherries for a real sweet treat. What’s better than cider with a cherry on top? Every sip tastes like summer.
Ingredients: Apples, Montmorency cherry juice concentrate.
ABV 5.6%
Pairing suggestions: Barbecue, tacos, fried cheese curds, panzanella, fruit, chocolate desserts.
IMPERIAL APPLE CIDER
Dry → Sweet Scale (1 to 8): 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.
Imperial Honeyberry
Limited Edition—only 315 bottles produced
Dry → Sweet Scale (1 to 8): 4
8.1% ABV
The latest in our popular fruited imperial series, this one is strong and semi-sweet with a hint of honey and oak and a tart, fruity finish
Dry → Sweet Scale (1 to 8): 4
ABV: 8.1%
This small batch cider starts with our Imperial Apple. We coferment apples with local, raw honey resulting in a strong cider which we rest on French oak for a mellow flavor.
This batch is then blended with juice from honeyberries, which brings a sweetness and fruitiness to join the strong notes of the Imperial Apple. The honeyberry (a.k.a. haskap) has a unique flavor that is sometimes compared to a more tart blueberry. Honeyed cider and honeyberries make a pretty sweet combo.
Ingredients: Apples, Raw Honey, Honeyberries
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 cider is sold out. More in the works for 2025!
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.
*Silver medal winner in Dry Heritage Cider at GLINTCAP 2024*
*Silver medal winner in Tannic Cider at GABF 2024 *
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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.
