WALDEN, N.Y. — Angry Orchard today announced the introduction of Easy Apple, the newest less sweet, easy-drinking cider from the leading U.S. cider maker1. Easy Apple offers drinkers a refreshing hard cider option in the Angry Orchard core collection that’s both lower in calories and sessionable. The cider will be introduced in 6-packs in select states beginning in August 2016, including: Washington state, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Arkansas and Rhode Island. Easy Apple will also be available nationwide in the Angry Orchard Fall Orchard Sampler Variety Pack.
With Easy Apple, drinkers will experience a hard cider that not only nods to traditional English dry ciders but also delivers a balanced flavor profile that will appeal to a wide range of drinkers, whether they’re fans of popular ciders like Angry Orchard’s flagship, Crisp Apple, or looking for a new easy-drinking alcoholic beverage to try. Easy Apple is less sweet, sessionable and refreshing, while delivering on the complexity of higher ABV ciders in terms of body and mouthfeel.
The hard cider industry has seen explosive growth over the past several years, as drinkers are embracing it as a refreshing, gluten free alternative to craft beer and wine. Cider has a long history in our country, dating back to colonial times, and it’s only recently we’re seeing people rediscovering it in droves. For more than 20 years, the cider makers at Angry Orchard have been experimenting with high quality ingredients and different techniques to help drinkers learn more about the American cider tradition.
Easy Apple (4.2% ABV) is crafted with a blend of culinary apples including Braeburn, Fuji, Gala and Granny Smith, and bittersweet apples like Bisquet, Dabinett, Frequin Rouge and Harry Masters Jersey. This less sweet, easy-to-drink hard cider is apple-forward in taste and unfiltered, leaving it with a slightly hazy appearance and a refreshingly dry finish.
“Easy Apple is a cider you can kick back with, since it’s less sweet and sessionable,” says Ryan Burk, head cider maker at Angry Orchard. “It’s just as fitting to have for a day outdoors as it is during happy hour, or as part of a night out.”
Angry Orchard Easy Apple will be available in 6-packs in select markets starting in August 2016 for a suggested retail price of$8.99 – $9.99 (price varies per market). Easy Apple will also be available nationwide as part of the Fall Orchard Sampler, Angry Orchard’s seasonal variety pack 12-pack, beginning in August 2016.
About Angry Orchard Cider Company:
The cider makers at Angry Orchard have travelled the world to find the best apples for cider making and chose specific varieties, like French bittersweet apples from Normandy and culinary apples from Italy and the United States, based on each cider’s flavor profile.
In November 2015, Angry Orchard established a home for cider research and development called the Innovation Cider House, located on a historic apple orchard in the New York Hudson River Valley. In May 2016, Angry Orchard planted three acres of traditional cider making apples at the Angry Orchard, which will be used for research and experimentation at the Innovation Cider House.
Angry Orchard makes a variety of year-round craft cider styles, including Angry Orchard Crisp Apple. Made with two apples in every bottle, Crisp Apple is a fruit forward hard cider that balances the sweetness of culinary apples with dryness and bright acidity of bittersweet apples for a complex, refreshing taste.
Despite the recent growth of hard cider in the U.S., the category is still small and relatively unknown. Angry Orchard is committed to drinker education and awareness-building to help grow the category for all craft cider makers.
For more information about Angry Orchard, visit www.AngryOrchard.com, like us at www.facebook.com/AngryOrchard,www.instagram.com/AngryOrchard, and follow us at www.twitter.com/AngryOrchard.