Fun fact: over 300 hundred breweries call Colorado home. This boils down to 10 percent of the United States’ brewery total, from a state that only clocks in for 2 percent of the country’s population. The Denver metro area boasts nearly 100 breweries, so it would make sense that Denver-based cideries would aim to quench the thirst of the masses with hopped beverages of their own. In the bustling RiNo Arts District, the brewer-founded C Squared Ciders strikes a chord with craft beverage enthusiasts, hopheads included.
One of the first on the “IPC” bandwagon, C Squared’s India pale cider Ella is named for the Australian hop it was dry-hopped with, a versatile and subtle variety that offers spice and floral qualities to the cider. Azacca hops are also added in, bringing out the juicy tropical fruits that fuse with the green apple and crisp acidity of the apple base.