The devil in cider: crisp alternatives to keeping BACs up while the temperature's high

In the molten core of summer's heat—when eating ice cream cones turns into a race—hoppy beers taste a little dour and cloying. When it's 86 degrees, an ice-cold sparkling alcoholic cider is a refreshing alternative—and it goes better with ice cream. The lightness of this crisp beverage made from fermented fruit can sometimes hide high alcohol content, so let the designated driver take the wheel and lean back as The A.V. Club takes a cider-tasting trip around town.

Woodchuck Draft Cider
Vermont's Woodchuck hard ciders are most likeable for being easy to obtain. Ciders aren't really all that mainstream in America, and it is common to enter a corner store to find no hard cider at all. But if you do, it will probably be Woodchuck. Pear, Granny Smith, and Amber varieties all tend toward the sweet side—not much use to dry cider fans. But a cold bottle at Brit’s Pub & Eating Establishment (1110 Nicollet Mall, 612-332-3908) is a crisp treat for people watching from the air-conditioned confines.
Alcohol by volume: Five percent, or exactly that of the pale lager Budweiser.

Crispin hard cider
The CC Club (2600 S. Lyndale Ave., 612-874-7226) is a nice place to chill on a hot summer day, and it pours the Minneapolis-produced Crispin hard cider. The label urges pouring it over ice, which sounds weird, but it’s okay to try new things. And diluting it with ice does indeed result in a smooth and pleasantly fizzy drinking sensation. This very dry cider is as light on the palate as ginger ale and is made from pressed apples, using no lowball techniques—like tempering with flavored malt liquor.
Alcohol by volume: Crispin Brut packs a creeper of a punch. At 5.5 percent, enough watery splashes on the tongue will produce a decent buzz.

White Winter hard cider
The Happy Gnome (498 Selby Ave., St. Paul, 651-287-2018) deals in White Winter hard cider, made from Iron River apples in northern Wisconsin. Specializing in the ancient practice of mead-making, its cider is a bit more refined: only a little fizzy, light, and skewing softer in shape and tone. White Winter is a quasi-boutique operation, so check for availability.
Alcohol by volume: Freshly pressed cider is fermented to a relatively mellow 4.5 percent. Miller Lite, by comparison, is 4.2 percent.

Strongbow Cider
The Kitty Cat Klub (315 14th Ave. SE., 612-331-9800) carries the UK's Strongbow Cider by the bottle, and pounding one of these when the heat is on feels like lapping from the honeysuckle nectar of some sugary, gossamer goddess. Structured, elegant, effervescent without being bubbly, and mobile in taste from the aggressive start to a long, subtle finish, Strongbow also has formidable distribution penetration, making it solid and dependable option for a decent commercial hard cider.
Alcohol by volume: 5.3 percent plus a highly quaffable composition means that everything's gone all pear-shaped.