When Was Cider First Produced?

Cider was first brewed by prehistoric man who used wild apples. The word cider comes from the French word sidre and it is likely that the tall stone wheels and circular troughs that make up a cider mill were introduced into the south and west of England from Normandy sometime during the 12th century.

Cider is the fermented juice of apples and it does form naturally. When crushed, the yeast cells on the surface of the skin of an apple mix with the juice and flesh of the apple and start to grow. They respire anaerobically, forming ethanol and so turning the sugar from the apples into alcohol.

The art of cider making lies in the blending of different types of apple when they are added to the cider mill. Until relatively recently, cider was made by local farmers who used their own secret apple blends. Today, commercial cider production is concentrated to the cider apple orchards of Devon, Hereford and Somerset.