Hard apple cider is a great summertime drink, especially if you鈥檙e gluten-free or just bored with beer. (Hey, it happens.) But if you鈥檝e stuck exclusively to fermented-apple brews, you鈥檙e missing out on a whole world of fruity flavor.

While the apple is still the star of the cider show, more brewers are turning to other fruits鈥攊ncluding pears, berries, and apricots鈥攖o create new cider flavors. It鈥檚 both a matter of taste and a way to deal with a shortage of cider-specific apples in the United States.

Ciders have become increasingly popular (between 2005 and 2012, domestic cider production jumped 264 percent, according to the ), and brewers have had to deal with a dip in apple supply. But instead of approaching this shortage as a crisis, cider producers are using it as an opportunity鈥攁nd a tasty one at that.

Want to ditch the apple entirely? See how your palate responds to these new fruit flavors:

Pear

Pears have a lot in common with apples, including texture and acidity. However, 鈥減erry鈥� (the name for hard cider made from pears) tends to be less tart and more delicate than typical hard apple cider, thanks to the pear鈥檚 higher fruit sugar and lower malic acid content.

One of our favorites is the (5 percent ABV) from the . This 2010 North American Brewers鈥� Association gold-medal winner is brewed in Olympia, Washington, using a blend of Bartlett, Bosc, and Anjou pears. The result is slightly sweet and bubbly like a sparkling wine, which means you can sip it straight from the bottle or go high class and serve it in a stem glass.

Black Cherry

Regions with a lot of apples often have choice cherries as well. Unsurprisingly, brewers take advantage of this crop, which is ripe with crisp cider flavor. While cherries have a short season that peaks in summer, cider producers can stretch this fruit鈥檚 bright notes into fall, making perfect pairings for heavy autumn meals.

In the meantime, beat the heat with (5 percent ABV) from McKenzie鈥檚, located in West Seneca, New York. This refreshing, tangy cider has great summer appeal with a cherry soda鈥搇ike quality and enough apple tartness to avoid being too sweet.

Apricot

If you鈥檙e only familiar with grocery store apricots, which tend to be mealy, dry, and flavorless, then your palate is in for a treat with (6.9 percent ABV).聽

Located in Yakima, Washington, Tieton got its start in the fermented beverage world growing apples at Harmony Orchards. All fruit grown on this third-generation family-owned farm is organic and freshly pressed. While this two-fruit blended cider contains some apples, apricots are the star, giving the drink a semisweet taste and a dry finish.

Elderberry

Seeking a cider with a bit of history? Try (5 percent ABV), brewed in New York City. According to The American Orchardist, a book published in 1822 for professional and recreational fruit growers, adding elderberries gives cider 鈥渁 fine colour as well as flavour.鈥� Original Sin鈥檚 is a good example. Elderberries shine brightest when processed, turning from bland and bitter to sweet and juicy. This dark purple cider is subtle, dry, and not too sweet, offering just enough tartness to create a balanced taste.

Raspberry

Raspberry lovers, take note. (4 percent ABV) by Wyder鈥檚 Hard Cider is one of the best non-apple ciders out there. Wyder鈥檚 started in Vancouver, Canada, before moving to Vermont and was one of the first breweries, in the early 1990s, to offer ciders made from fruits other than apple. Today, Wyder鈥檚 has a strong fan base, thanks in part to Dry Raspberry. This cider has a clean, tart taste with a hint of sugary sweetness and a dry finish.

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If everything old is new again, then it should come as no surprise that mead鈥攓uite possibly the oldest of all fermented beverages鈥攊s making a renaissance. Its earliest mentions date back to Plato, Virgil, Beowulf, and tales of Vikings and Norse gods. Yet despite it possibly being Thor鈥檚 pint of choice, honey wine hadn鈥檛 quite created the same buzz common with beers and traditional grape-made wines. That is, not until recently.

By count of the (AMMA), there are slightly more than 200 U.S. commercial meaderies, a huge difference from the less than ten in the mid 1990s. Similar to today鈥檚 commercial craft brewers, many commercial mead makers started with beer homebrewing鈥攖he gateway craft, if you will. While a batch of beer can be quite involved with extractions and heating, mead is appealing because of its simplicity鈥攎ix honey with water and let ferment.

While mead likely has the craft beer boom to thank for its growing popularity, the taste鈥攗nlike the process鈥攊s anything but simple. 鈥淭he current trend with meads involves a lot of experimentation,鈥� says Chris Webber, president of AMMA, who mentions ginger and chilies as two ingredients that come first to mind. 鈥淭he sky鈥檚 the limit with flavor profiles, and it seems as though there is nothing a mead maker won鈥檛 try today.鈥�

Whether you鈥檙e new to honey wine or looking for a unique liquor that appeals to a craft beer lover鈥檚 palate, these meads take top marks in taste.

Pomegranate Pyment

Bos Meadery
Madison, Wisconsin
鈥淭art, sparkling, and dry鈥� are three words not often associated with meads, yet that鈥檚 exactly what to expect from the Pomegranate Pyment (13 percent ABV). This light, sparkling drink blends all locally sourced Wisconsin wildflower honey, with Riesling grape juice, and pomegranate juice for a beverage just right for giving mead a first sip.

Kurt鈥檚 Apple Pie

Moonlight Meadery
Londonderry, New Hampshire
This best-selling, is the perfect replacement for an after-dinner dessert. Made from local apple cider with Madagascar-bourbon vanilla and added Vietnamese cinnamon spice, Kurt鈥檚 Apple Pie鈥檚 (16.8 percent ABV) aroma alone is worth popping open a bottle.

Chazzano Ethiopian Harrar

B. Nektar Meadery
Ferndale, Michigan
Using one of the today, the Chazzano Ethiopian Harrar (14 percent ABV) gets full morning joe aroma and flavor, and pairs perfectly with its earthy Michigan wildflower honey.

The Statement

Schramm鈥檚 Mead
Ferndale, Michigan
A with a sweet finish, The Statement (14 percent ABV) combines decadent Michigan-grown dark cherries with raspberries, light oak and vanilla to offer a layered taste sensation.

Capsumel

Moonstruck Meadery
Bellevue, Nebraska
This with serrano, jalapeno, and anaheim peppers. But unlike hot sauces and chili powders that leave you runny-nosed, watery-eyed, and hiccupping, Capsumel (10.5 percent ABV) is blended to make flavor鈥攏ot just heat鈥攖his mead鈥檚 focus.

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