Beer vs Cider: Difference and Comparison

Different drinks are being enjoyed by many. While most people like to have alcohol, others sometimes avoid it.

For those people, beer and cider have proved to be the best options. Both of them have very less amount of alcohol content in them.

They both are not new in the market, but one of them is among the oldest drink. They not only taste excellent but have several benefits at the same time.

They are both very similar to each other, but it is definitely wrong to say that they are the same. They are not; they have various differences, which have been mentioned below.

Key Takeaways

1. Beer is a fermented alcoholic drink made from malted cereal grains, while cider is an alcoholic drink made from the fermented juice of apples.
2. Beer is brewed using hops, which give it a distinctive bitter flavor, while cider is made without hops and has a more fruity taste.
3. Beer has a higher alcohol content than cider, with most beers containing between 4% and 6% alcohol by volume, while cider has an alcohol content of around 3% to 8% by volume.

Beer vs Cider

The difference between beer and cider is that cider is produced with only one process of fermentation, while for beer, brewing and fermentation are used. Both of them differ in their appearances, tastes, and many other things. Also, there are types of cider that do not have any alcohol in it, thus a great option for an individual who does not consume alcohol at all.

Beer is a drink made up of malted barley and fruits by brewing and fermenting. Raw materials are extracted with water.

It is dark and pale in color and always has some alcohol content in it. It was discovered that alcohol consumption in adequate quantity is good for the human heart.

Cider is a drink made from apple juice by the fermentation process. It is not an alcoholic drink always.

It may or may not contain alcohol in it. It is yellow, orange or brown in color.

It is good for protecting from certain cancers as it contains antioxidants in a large amount.

Comparison Table

Parameters of Comparison	Beer	Cider
Ingredients	Made from malted barley (may contain fruit).	Made from apple juice.
Process	Brewing and fermenting.	Fermenting apple juice.
Colour	Pale and dark	Yellow, orange, or brown.
Alcohol content	Always contains alcohol	Can be alcoholic or non-alcoholic.
Health benefits	Good for your heart.	Contains antioxidants.

What is Beer?

A lot of people nowadays prefer beer over any other alcoholic drink. While there is an option too, beer has been among the oldest drinks.

Therefore, it is more famous and preferred among the people. It is an excellent source of Potassium, Magnesium, Calcium, Phosphorus, Niacin, and Folate.

The advantages of beer can be:

1. Heart benefits: it was discovered recently only that beer consumption may lead to a healthy heart. Like wine, alcohol leads to improve heart health.
2. Blood sugar level improvements: beer consumption has lowered the blood sugar level in certain people. Not only has it lowered the level, but it also prevents it from further increasing.
3. Bone strength: consumption of beer also has to lead to help strengthen bones for men and postmenopausal women.

The disadvantages of consuming Alcohol can be:

1. Obesity: having a beer in more than adequate quantity always increases the risk of obesity and weight gain, especially around the belly area.
2. Brain cell damage: it can also lead to damage to brain cells, causing problems in focusing on any activity.
3. Dehydration: it can lead to dehydration in the body, which further results in headaches, dry mouth, upset stomach, and several other side effects.
4. Sleep disturbance: it can also lead to disturbing sleep, which is not good for your health in general.
5. Fatigue: it is the main disadvantage and most common among the person who drinks beer in excess.

There are many disadvantages, and to avoid these, the only thing that needs to be done is to keep a check on beer consumption.

What is Cider?

It is not an older drink, but it surely is a famous one. It is highly popular in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland; it is consumed maximum in these areas.

Unlike beer, there is a variety of cider that does not have alcohol content in it. That is also one of the main reasons behind its popularity.

Its appearance is not the same, it varies with its type, and it can be bubbly, cloudy, or even clear. It contains Potassium, Calcium, Iron, Vitamin A, and Vitamin C.

1 cup or 8 ounces of cider contains the following:

• Calories: 120
• Protein: 0.3 grams
• Fat: 0.3 grams
• Carbohydrates: 28 grams 
• Fiber: 0.5 grams
• Sugar: 24 grams

Benefits: there are several benefits of consuming cider as it contains all the above nutrients. It is very helpful in killing the harmful bacteria in the body.

It can also lead to managing the blood sugar level, and in case of an increase, it helps in lowering the level, it also sometimes is very helpful in losing weight and helping with the problem of obesity, it is good for the skin too, and last but not the least it helps prevent and protect against inflammation and cancer.

Main Differences Between Beer and Cider

1. Both Beer and Cider has common fermented sugar, but it does have different ingredients, while for producing beer ingredient required are malted barley, and it can also have some fruit or other ingredients, but cider is always made from apple juice.
2. The process that is required for producing Beer is Brewing and fermenting, both whiles Cider is produced by the process of fermenting only. Apple juice is fermented to produce cider.
3. They both have different colors, beer has a pale and very dark color and cider has a yellow, orange, or brown color. Cider is always lighter in color as compared to beer.
4. Cider has two flavour variations, dry and sweet, while beer’s flavour depends on the brewing’s temperature. It can either be lager or ale.
5. Beer always has some content of alcohol which varies according to the production, but cider does not always have alcohol in it. Some cider does not have even 1 percent of alcohol in it.
6. Compared with each other, cider has more sugar content as it is made from fermentation, while beer can be made from brewing. This implies it has less sugar content in it.
7. They both have several health benefits, such as. Recent studies found that having a beer can lead to a healthy heart (not in excess), and cider has antioxidants, especially those that help protect against cancer.

References

1. https://academic.oup.com/femsyr/article-abstract/8/7/1018/491220
2. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=dZdhkaR9NzoC&oi=fnd&pg=PA443&dq=beer+brewing&ots=mliSPy-QU_&sig=G4DqbXB1ikM8chipiEchDJfcteE
3. http://openaccess.thecvf.com/content_cvpr_2015/html/Vedantam_CIDEr_Consensus-Based_Image_2015_CVPR_paper.html
4. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4684-8225-6_8
5. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/j.2050-0416.1972.tb03485.x

Last Updated : 09 July, 2023