Most ciders you’ll find on store shelves or on tap are carbonated, but not all of them. Cider exists on a spectrum from completely still (no bubbles at all) to highly sparkling, with a lightly fizzy middle ground. What you get depends on the style, the producer, and the tradition behind it.
Three Levels of Cider Carbonation
The cider world uses three main categories to describe carbonation. “Still” cider has no bubbles or very few. “Petillant” cider has a moderate, gentle fizz. “Sparkling” cider is highly carbonated, comparable to champagne or prosecco. Sparkling ciders typically contain 2.5 to 4.0 volumes of dissolved CO2, which produces that familiar effervescent bite when you take a sip.
Most mass-produced ciders sold in cans and bottles fall into the sparkling category. If you pick up a six-pack of a well-known brand, you can expect a carbonation level similar to beer. Petillant ciders are more common among craft producers who want a subtler texture, and still ciders are a niche category with deep roots in certain regions.
Still Ciders and Where to Find Them
Still cider has a long history in England’s West Country, where a style called scrumpy originated. Traditional scrumpy was made from unselected apples and fermented to absolute dryness, producing a strong, full-bodied drink with no carbonation and little distinguishable apple flavor. Modern scrumpy can be dry or sweet and is usually still, though some versions carry a slight natural fizz.
In the United States, the tax system actually draws a line based on carbonation. To qualify for the lower “hard cider” tax rate, a product must contain no more than 0.64 grams of CO2 per 100 milliliters. Anything above that threshold gets taxed at a higher rate as sparkling wine. This regulation nudges some producers toward lower carbonation levels for financial reasons, though plenty of sparkling ciders absorb the higher tax classification.
How Cider Gets Its Bubbles
There are two main routes to carbonation: natural and forced. The method a producer chooses affects both the timeline and the character of the final product.
Natural Carbonation
During the initial fermentation of apple juice, yeast converts sugar into alcohol and CO2. In an open vessel, that CO2 simply escapes into the air, leaving still cider behind. But if the cider is sealed in a bottle or closed tank with residual sugar (or added sugar) and active yeast, the CO2 has nowhere to go. It builds pressure and dissolves into the liquid, creating carbonation. This process takes considerably longer than the alternative, but many craft producers prefer it for the complexity it can add.
The most refined version of this approach is the traditional method, sometimes called méthode traditionnelle. The term “méthode champenoise” is reserved for actual champagne, so cider and wine producers use this alternate name. The process starts with a base cider fermented to dryness, then a small amount of sugar and yeast is added at bottling to trigger a secondary fermentation inside each bottle. In the UK, ciders made this way are called “bottle fermented.” A key step called disgorgement removes the spent yeast from the bottle, leaving a clean, sparkling cider. Some producers now use encapsulated yeast at bottling, which makes disgorgement easier and more precise.
Forced Carbonation
Forced carbonation skips the yeast entirely. Pre-made CO2 gas is pumped into a sealed tank of finished cider under pressure, and the gas dissolves directly into the liquid. This is faster and gives the producer precise control over the final carbonation level. The tradeoff is additional equipment and an ongoing supply of CO2 gas. Most large commercial cider brands use forced carbonation because it’s efficient and consistent across huge production volumes.
How Carbonation Changes the Flavor
Bubbles aren’t just about texture. Carbonation actively shifts how you perceive a cider’s taste. Research on apple cider systems has found that dissolved CO2 increases the perception of astringency from apple tannins, making a carbonated cider feel drier and more gripping on your palate than the same cider served still. Interestingly, carbonation doesn’t seem to change the perception of bitterness from those same tannins, only astringency.
Carbonation also interacts with alcohol. At lower alcohol levels, CO2 can enhance the warming sensation from ethanol. At higher alcohol levels, it actually suppresses that warmth. This is one reason why a high-carbonation, lower-alcohol session cider can feel lively and punchy, while a still cider with more alcohol might come across as smoother and rounder despite its higher strength.
What About Cider on Draft?
When cider is served from a keg, it’s almost always pushed with CO2 gas, which maintains the carbonation level and preserves the cider’s original flavors. This is the same gas system used for most beers, sodas, and sparkling water on tap. Nitrogen, which produces the creamy, cascading texture you see in nitro stouts and nitro coffee, is rarely used for cider. CO2 keeps the crisp, bright character that most cider styles aim for, while nitrogen would mute the fizz and shift the mouthfeel toward something softer and heavier.
How to Tell What You’re Getting
Labels don’t always spell it out clearly. If a cider is marketed as “sparkling” or compared to champagne, expect strong carbonation. Words like “petillant” or “lightly sparkling” signal a gentler fizz. If the label says “still,” “scrumpy,” or “farmhouse” style, there may be little to no carbonation at all. Some bottle-conditioned ciders develop natural carbonation that varies slightly from bottle to bottle, so the experience can be a bit unpredictable compared to force-carbonated products.
If you’re buying at a taproom or cider house, simply asking whether a pour is still or sparkling saves you from any surprises. Many cider bars now offer both styles side by side, and tasting the same apple variety in still versus sparkling form is one of the fastest ways to understand how much carbonation shapes the drinking experience.