From the desk of Casey Forbes

From the desk of Casey Forbes – Ciders

May 17th, 2016

Cider is a fast growing category. There is a huge amount of material available to research the category, the brands, and the styles. Make sure you taste all the ciders you are selling – there is a BIG difference.

In Ohio, Cider is defined in the Ohio Revised Code Section 4301.01 as follows: “Cider” means all liquids fit to use for beverage purposes that contain one-half of one percent of alcohol by volume, but not more than six percent of alcohol by weight, and that are made through the normal alcoholic fermentation process of “the juice of sound, ripe apples, including, without limitation, flavored, sparkling, or carbonated cider and cider made from pure condensed apple must”.

Sounds simple…but looking further:

Cider can only be made from apples.
Cider may be flavored with other fruits, provided the cider is apple based.
Perry is not Cider (made from pears) – by Ohio Regulations, it is treated as wine.

½ of 1% ABV up to 6% ABW: why Volume at one end of the definition and Weight at the other? I don’t know! 6% ABW = 7.68% ABV
Cider is taxed differently than wine or beer.
Cider over 7.68% ABV is regulated as a wine

The chart below explains some of the differences in the beverages.

	CIDER	CIDER	WINE	WINE	WINE	BEER	VERMOUTH	PERRY
	1/2 – 7.68% abv	> 7.68% abv	1/2 to 14% abv	14-21% abv	Sparkling
	per gallon	per gallon	per gallon	per gallon	per gallon	per gallon	per gallon	per gallon
Ohio Excise Tax	$0.24	$0.32	$0.32	$1.00	$1.50	$0.18	$1.10	$0.32
Cuy Cnty Tax	$0.24	$0.32	$0.32	$0.32	$0.32	$0.16	$0.32	$0.32
Subject to Split Case Charge	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Min Mark Up at Retail	25%	50%	50%	50%	50%	25%	50%	50%
Growlers	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No
Retail Permits Rqrd	C2, D2 or D5
Wholesale Permits Rqrd	B2 or B5

AS you build your Cider Category on your shelf or beverage list, I suggest you look for authentic products made only from only two ingredients – apple juice (not concentrate) and yeast. Make sure you try all the ciders on the market – you will be amazed at the difference in flavor profiles. – Enjoy.

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