What is BRIX?
Understanding the sweetness scale that helps you find your perfect cider.
BRIX measures residual sugar content
The Science of Sweetness
Brix is a measurement of sugar content in a liquid. When apples are milled and then pressed into juice, the sugar in the juice is measured in brix. One degree brix is equivalent to one gram of sucrose in 100g of solution.
This is the same measurement used ubiquitously in the wine and fruit juice industry. On average, the majority of apples grown in Washington state will be between 12-13° brix. The sugar in apple juice is what is fermented to produce alcohol and trace amounts of CO2, resulting in hard cider!
Residual Sugar
BRIX measures the sugar remaining after fermentation
Precision Tool
Measured with a refractometer for accuracy
Natural Sugars
From Washington apples, not added sweeteners
Quality Control
Ensures consistency in every batch
After fermentation, additional sugars can be added to the cider so that they contain residual sugar. The source of this additional sugar can come not only from apple juice, but also other forms of sugar like honey or other fruits. The residual sugar content of a cider plays an important role in helping to balance out the acidity and flavors of a drink.
We include the brix level of all of our ciders on our labels, boxes, and cans so that everyone – cider connoisseurs and cider novices – can know beforehand how much actual sugar the beverage contains. We are strong believers that there is a cider for everyone!
Our Seattle Cider Dry cider is fermented completely dry and contains no residual sugar, or 0° brix, some of our other ciders contain small amounts of residual sugar indicated by the brix on our labels. The majority of our hard ciders will fall on the lower side of the brix scale between 0 and 3 brix. This covers the range of Dry to Semi-Sweet. No matter what your preference, the fastest way to find what you like is to be on the look out for the brix number – which will tell you how sweet it is!
Sweetness Categories
Dry
Crisp and clean with no residual sugar
Off-Dry
Subtle sweetness that balances acidity
Semi-Sweet
Noticeable sweetness, still refreshing
Sweet
Pronounced sweetness, fruit-forward
Our Ciders by BRIX
| Cider | BRIX | Category |
|---|---|---|
| Dry | 0.0°Bx | Dry |
| Imperial Dry | 0.5°Bx | Dry |
| Raspberry Blossom | 0.8°Bx | Dry |
| Tart Apple | 1.2°Bx | Off-Dry |
| Bright Cherry | 1.5°Bx | Off-Dry |
| Ripe Plum | 1.5°Bx | Off-Dry |
| Rosemary | 1.5°Bx | Off-Dry |
| Basil Mint | 1.8°Bx | Off-Dry |
| Juicy Pear | 1.8°Bx | Off-Dry |
| Wild Blueberry | 1.8°Bx | Off-Dry |
| Fresh Peach | 2.0°Bx | Off-Dry |
| Ginger | 2.0°Bx | Off-Dry |
| Lime | 2.2°Bx | Off-Dry |
| Cranberry | 2.5°Bx | Semi-Sweet |
| Guava Citrus | 2.5°Bx | Semi-Sweet |
| Odyssey | 2.6°Bx | Semi-Sweet |
| Pumpkin Spice | 2.6°Bx | Semi-Sweet |
| Semi-Sweet | 2.6°Bx | Semi-Sweet |
| Cinnamon | 2.8°Bx | Semi-Sweet |
| Honeycrisp | 2.8°Bx | Semi-Sweet |
| Imperial Honeycrisp | 3.0°Bx | Semi-Sweet |
| Blackberry | 3.5°Bx | Sweet |
Find Your Perfect BRIX
Explore our full lineup and discover ciders at every sweetness level.
