12 Reasons Why Cider Is Better Than Beer

(Wikipedia)

The age-old battle between cider and beer is hotting up as UK sales of the apple-based alcoholic beverage are approaching £1 billion.

Official figures show that £911 million worth of cider produced by UK manufacturers was sold in 2014 - up from £812 million the previous year.

And with a wealth of alternative flavours and a marketing push, sales will no doubt break the £1 billion mark this year.

It’s a far cry from when cider was seen as a stuffy old man’s drink just 15 years ago - with half of under 35s having now tried a fruit cider.

Beer may still be in the lead with sales of £3.4 billion over the past year - but sales have dropped from the £4.7 billion peak in 2009.

(Rex)

Drinkers are coming round to cider - and the battle to decide what to have in the pub is starting to get closer.

So let’s celebrate the fruity drink and declare ourselves on the side of apples over hops - and here’s why you should make cider your post-work drink of choice:

1. It comes in a whole range of fruity flavours. Yep, you can have strawberry and lime cider, pear cider, summer fruits cider, toffee apple cider… OK, so you can get strawberry beer and all that. But, let’s be honest with ourselves: fruit beer is disgusting. Stop pretending to like it just because you’re in a pub with all those weird ales on offer. To clarify: strawberry cider = good, strawberry beer = bad.

2. While we’re on the subject, you can pour in blackcurrant squash so it’s essentially like having a soft drink. With benefits. Try pouring blackcurrant squash into a beer. Grim.

(Rex)

3. Cider is made out of apples. Apples are fruit. Try all the varieties and you’re way over your five a day.

4. Actually, cider is proven to be good for you - it contains high levels of antioxidants that may help to prevent disease.

5. There are 7,500 varieties of apples in the world. So even if you like your cider tasting just of apples - there’s still a mammoth choice.

6. It’s summer, it’s hot (some of the time), you want a refreshing alcoholic beverage. Go ahead and serve that cider over some ice. It works. Can’t do that with beer, can you?

(Rex)

7. You can drink it through a straw. Which can make you get drunk quicker - if that’s the intention.

8. Pork and apple sauce - what a combination. Pork scratchings and apple cider - the perfect pub accompaniment.

9. Wheat intolerant? You’d better lay off the beer then and enjoy a delicious, wheat-free pint of cider.

(Rex)

10. Let’s be honest - beer is a bit of an old man’s drink. Cider is a drink for all ages and all genders. Do you want to be a stuffy old man or a hip young cider drinker?

11. Cider is a better drink than beer at music festivals. Don’t ask us why - it’s just the natural order of things.

12. Three words: Cider. Ice. Lollies.

(Flickr)