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What is BRIX?

Understanding the sweetness scale that helps you find your perfect cider.

Sweetness Scale
DRYSWEET

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

0.0 - 1.0 BRIX

Dry

Crisp and clean with no residual sugar

1.0 - 2.5 BRIX

Off-Dry

Subtle sweetness that balances acidity

2.5 - 3.5 BRIX

Semi-Sweet

Noticeable sweetness, still refreshing

3.5+ BRIX

Sweet

Pronounced sweetness, fruit-forward

Our Ciders by BRIX

CiderBRIXCategory
Dry0.0°BxDry
Imperial Dry0.5°BxDry
Raspberry Blossom0.8°BxDry
Tart Apple1.2°BxOff-Dry
Bright Cherry1.5°BxOff-Dry
Ripe Plum1.5°BxOff-Dry
Rosemary1.5°BxOff-Dry
Basil Mint1.8°BxOff-Dry
Juicy Pear1.8°BxOff-Dry
Wild Blueberry1.8°BxOff-Dry
Fresh Peach2.0°BxOff-Dry
Ginger2.0°BxOff-Dry
Lime2.2°BxOff-Dry
Cranberry2.5°BxSemi-Sweet
Guava Citrus2.5°BxSemi-Sweet
Odyssey2.6°BxSemi-Sweet
Pumpkin Spice2.6°BxSemi-Sweet
Semi-Sweet2.6°BxSemi-Sweet
Cinnamon2.8°BxSemi-Sweet
Honeycrisp2.8°BxSemi-Sweet
Imperial Honeycrisp3.0°BxSemi-Sweet
Blackberry3.5°BxSweet

Find Your Perfect BRIX

Explore our full lineup and discover ciders at every sweetness level.

Explore All Ciders