Introducing Angry Orchard Pear: A New Hard Cider Crafted with Apples and Pears

The Angry Orchard cider makers chose to make a cider with pears because like apples, they have a long history in Europe as a traditional fruit used to make alcoholic beverages. Perry, as an example, is a pear-based drink that has been a longtime favorite in the U.K. and other parts of Europe. While Angry Orchard Pear is not a perry because it's made with both apples and pears, it brings the nostalgic flavors of the harvest to life with a balanced yet complex taste. Angry Orchard Pear blends domestic pears such as Bartlett, D'Anjou and Bosc, and culinary apples such as Gala, Fuji, Golden Delicious and Granny Smith. With a bright, clear golden color, the cider showcases the mellow sweetness of pears with crisp apple notes for a well rounded, smooth mouth feel and pleasantly dry finish.

"Our new Pear hard cider is a style that reaches beyond just apples," said Ryan Burk, Head Cider Maker at Angry Orchard. "We found great harmony and interplay between the pear and apple fruit varieties, ultimately delivering a crisp, fruit forward taste."

With more drinkers looking for a refreshing alternative to beer and wine, many are embracing cider as a crisp and delicious beverage, perfect for pairing with food or enjoying on its own during chill moments. While fruit ciders are a small segment of the market, the trend is growing rapidly with drinker's palates craving more complex flavors infused with a variety of fruits, like in Angry Orchard Pear.

After travelling the world and experimenting with different apple varieties and cider making techniques for more than 20 years, Angry Orchard cider makers are committed to innovation, developing new styles and perfecting the craft of cider making, from the flagship style Crisp Apple to its latest release of Pear. Angry Orchard's Cider House in New York's Hudson River Valley has led to expansive research and recipe development from the cider making team, including this newly available Pear cider.

Angry Orchard Pear (5.0% ABV) is available nationwide in 6-packs for a suggested retail price of $7.99-9.99 (varies per market). Like all Angry Orchard hard ciders, Pear is gluten-free.

To find where Angry Orchard hard cider is available near you, visit the "cider finder" at http://www.angryorchard.com/cider-finder.

About Angry Orchard Cider Company: 
Angry Orchard Cider Company's cider makers have been experimenting with apple varieties and unique flavors to develop hard cider recipes for 20 years. The cider makers 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 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 Orchard that they will use for research and experimentation at the Cider House.

Angry Orchard makes a variety of year-round craft cider styles, including Angry Orchard Crisp Apple, 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.

To Learn More: 

Cider lovers can explore the Orchard online at www.angryorchard.com/theorchard, like us at www.Facebook.com/AngryOrchard, https://instagram.com/angryorchard, and follow us at www.twitter.com/AngryOrchard.

¹ Source: IRI, Total U.S. Multi-Outlet, ending 2/16/17

SOURCE Angry Orchard