You know what they say about an apple a day. Well, on June 3rd, aka World Cider Day, doctors everywhere will recommend a healthy cider glug, at least for the day. <\/p>\n
Look, we spent a lot of time writing, drinking, talking, and breathing beer. That fermented beverage is deep into our bones at this point. When we sweat, we make hoppy IPAs. When we bleed, it\u2019s krieks. And when we cry, salty tears of gose drip down our faces. <\/p>\n
But every once in a while, yes, we, too, want to drink something different. <\/p>\n
Which is where we welcome graff (sometimes spelled graf), a very unique fermented beverage made by essentially blending wort and apple juice. It\u2019s this beer-cider hybrid that teeters between two dimensions. <\/p>\n
Inspired by a fictional beverage in the Stephen King novel The Dark Tower<\/em> (which sidebar: Hop Culture Senior Content Editor Grace Lee-Weitz admittedly read on a plane ride from New York to Amsterdam six years ago and really disliked), graff is like giddying up on your mustang into the gunslinging unknown. <\/p>\n Do we see them very often? No. <\/p>\n Have some epic versions been made out there? Absolutely, yes. <\/p>\n Even some big dawgs, like New Belgium, made one called Graff(t), an apple juice-WCIPA mash-up. Albeit that was back in 2014. <\/p>\n In lieu of popularity or ubiquity, graff has a mystique that makes us want to know more. If you feel the same, you\u2019ll love getting fresh with some funky ferments on Untappd\u2019s All-Time Top-Rated Graff Ciders list. <\/p>\n Editor\u2019s Note: If you\u2019re looking for a very insightful deep dive into the origin of this fantastical not-so-fictional-anymore co-ferment read this article from our friends across the pond at Pellicle.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n These are not Hop Culture\u2019s personal ratings<\/strong>. This list is based on Untappd\u2019s ratings on the All-Time Top-Rated Cider \u2013 Graff<\/a>. The list shows the top beers based on Untappd\u2019s weighted average formula, which effectively rates all beers against each other. A beer must have 150 ratings or more to qualify for this list. For more information on our rating system, please view the Untappd ratings explainer<\/a>. <\/p>\n We\u2019re simply reporting on Untappd\u2019s list based on statistics from check-ins from people all around the world.<\/p>\n Berkeley, Gloucestershire England<\/em><\/p>\n Photography courtesy of Hideki O | Untappd<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Topping this sensational list is a beer-cider hybrid whose versions over the years knock off three places in this ranking. Seems like the England-based Mills Brewing just makes this beverage better year after year. <\/p>\n Known for making beers solely with wild yeast from spontaneous fermentation, Mills Brewing typically ferments and matures its ales in oak barrels for anywhere from one to five years. <\/p>\n With 525 ratings, Foxbic Three<\/a> hits a heart-pounding 4.23-rating on Untappd. <\/p>\n Made similar to lambic, with a turbid mash method, Foxbic Three ferments for seventeen months in oak barrels with Foxwhelp juice and cider lees. <\/p>\n In the Untappd description, Mills Brewing calls this \u201ca true union of traditional cider making and beer brewing techniques.\u201d <\/p>\n Learn More<\/a><\/p>\n Berkeley, Gloucestershire England<\/em><\/p>\n Photography courtesy of Cuan Brown | Untappd<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Mills Brewing locks in the second spot too with Foxbic Two<\/a>, a now-legendary beer-cider mashup. <\/p>\n A collab with Oliver\u2019s Cider & Perry, the entire Foxbic series started when Pete Tiley, brewer at The Salutation Inn, connected Oliver\u2019s Founder Tom Oliver and Mills Co-Founder Jonny Mills. <\/p>\n A true amalgamation of talent, passion, and fermentation, Foxbic Two gains a spot on this top ten list with about 300 ratings and an epic 4.28 rating on Untappd. <\/p>\n Learn More<\/a><\/p>\n Kortenaken, Vlaams Gewest Belgium<\/em><\/p>\n This isn\u2019t the last time you\u2019ll see these Belgium wizards of wine, beer, and cidermaking on this list. In fact, this isn\u2019t even the last time you\u2019ll see a version of this graff cider. <\/p>\n Because A North American Raga (2018\/2019)<\/a> has a story, two journeys converging in one bottle\u2014one from Colorado and one from Belgium. <\/p>\n A collab with Atom Brewing Co-Founder Jeff Porn, A North American Raga combines a beer with pilsner malt, raw wheat, and aged hops together with pomace from Normandy bitter apples. <\/p>\n Refermented with fresh apple juice, this beer-cider hybrid is like a starry night in a bottle, something you can\u2019t tear your eyes off of. <\/p>\n Learn More<\/a><\/p>\n Ava, IL<\/em><\/p>\n Photography courtesy of Jerald Reichstein | Untappd<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n We\u2019ve waxed poetic about Scratch<\/a>, the farmhouse brewery in Southern Illinois. Their wild ales, made almost exclusively with foraged ingredients from their property, are just pure magic. <\/p>\n So it\u2019s no surprise to see Barrel-Aged Apple Ale<\/a> land fourth on this list. <\/p>\n The co-fermented cider-like sour beer uses freshly pressed Southern Illinois-grown apples from Schwartz Farms. According to Scratch, they first ferment with their house culture before aging in oak puncheons for two years and finishing in a fresh Foeder Crafters foeder, \u201cto add a little balancing vanillin.\u201d <\/p>\n With the highest number of reviews on this list\u2014679\u2014Barrel-Aged Apple Ale hits a respectable 4.07 rating on Untappd. <\/p>\n Learn More<\/a><\/p>\n Kortenaken, Vlaams Gewest Belgium<\/em><\/p>\n Photography courtesy of Babu 1er | Untappd<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n For its second entry on this list, Antidoot \u2013 Wilde Fermenten\u2019s Cydonia (2020\/2021)<\/a> is a wildly fermented barrel-aged cider. <\/p>\n According to the Belgian beer, cider, and natural winemaker, this 4.17-rated beer-cider hybrid is made with seventy-five percent quince from its garden, twenty-five percent handpicked Belgian apples, and one-year-aged beer. <\/p>\n Pretty easy to see why this beverage rounds out the top five. <\/p>\n Learn More<\/a><\/p>\n Kortenaken, Vlaams Gewest Belgium<\/em><\/p>\n Photography courtesy of Adrien Bi\u00e8re et le Loup | Untappd<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n A collaboration with Atom Brewing Company, A North American Raga Reserva<\/a> from the Belgium-based Antidoot \u2013 Wilde Fermenten reaches an astronomical 4.25 rating on Untappd. <\/p>\n This version, which slots in just outside the top five, gets hit with a dose of rhubarb for a funky, tart, slightly acidic graff cider as beautiful as it is beguiling. <\/p>\n Learn More<\/a><\/p>\n Eugene, OR<\/em><\/p>\n Photography courtesy of Kenneth Granum | Untappd<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n As an award-winning brewery smack dab in the heart of wine country in Oregon, it makes sense that Alesong isn\u2019t just a brewery but a blendery too. <\/p>\n Blending gets taken to the nth degree with Pomme<\/a>, a 4.07-rated graff cider on Untappd. <\/p>\n Starting as what Alesong calls a \u201crustic autumn farmhouse ale,\u201d Pomme ages in oak for eighteen months before refermenting on a blend of three different Detering Orchards cider apples. <\/p>\n \u201cThis dark golden-colored beer is bursting with fresh apple aromas and hints of baking spice beneath,\u201d Alesong writes in its Untappd description. \u201cMild acidity quenches the palate and rounds out the juicy apple impact of this French cider-inspired hybrid ale.\u201d<\/p>\n Learn More<\/a><\/p>\n Berkeley, Gloucestershire England<\/em><\/p>\n Photography courtesy of Rian | Untappd<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Showing up for a third time on this list, all under the same series, Mills Brewing\u2019s original Foxbic<\/a> takes the eighth spot on this list. <\/p>\n With just 187 rankings, this collaboration with Oliver\u2019s Cider and Perry stands out with an outstanding 4.23 rating on Untappd. <\/p>\n Made using a turbid mash method similar to producing lambic, Foxbic uses a wort that ferments with Foxwhelp apple juice in old oak barrels for eight months. <\/p>\n Bottle conditioned and aged for another eight months, Foxbic showcases what\u2019s possible when you expertly cross two different worlds into one beverage. <\/p>\n Learn More<\/a><\/p>\n Poughkeepsie, NY<\/em><\/p>\n Photography courtesy of Jorgen S | Untappd<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n On a mission to brew one hundred percent New York State-ingredient beer, Plan Bee sources all its ingredients from its home state, with many grown on site. A true hybrid, Graf<\/a> combines Plan Bee\u2019s wild ale with local Rose Hill Farm cider for a graff that\u2019s crisp and refreshing. <\/p>\n Learn More<\/a><\/p>\n Grand Rapids, MI<\/em><\/p>\n Photography courtesy of Daniel Brochs | Untappd<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n One of the best breweries in Grand Rapids<\/a>, Speciation made a name for itself by consistently experimenting with mixed and spontaneously fermented<\/a> ales.<\/p>\nUntappd\u2019s All-Time Graff Ciders<\/h2>\n
Foxbic Three | Mills Brewing<\/h3>\n
![\"mills](\"http:\/\/www.hopculture.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/mills-brewing-foxbic-three-graff-cider-credit-untappd-hideki-o-1000x1000-1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nFoxbic Two | Mills Brewing<\/h3>\n
![\"mills](\"http:\/\/www.hopculture.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/mills-brewing-foxbic-two-graff-cider-credit-untappd-cuan-brown-1000x1000-1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nA North American Raga (2018\/2019) | Antidoot \u2013 Wilde Fermenten<\/h3>\n
Barrel-Aged Apple Ale | Scratch Brewing Company<\/h3>\n
![\"scratch](\"http:\/\/www.hopculture.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/scratch-brewing-company-barrel-aged-apple-ale-credit-untappd-jerald-reichstein-1000x1000-1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nCydonia (2020\/2021) | Antidoot \u2013 Wilde Fermenten<\/h3>\n
![\"antidoot](\"http:\/\/www.hopculture.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/antidoot-wilde-fermenten-cydonia-graff-cider-credit-untappd-babu-1er-1000x1000-1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nA North American Raga Reserva | Antidoot \u2013 Wilde Fermenten<\/h3>\n
![\"antidoot](\"http:\/\/www.hopculture.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/antidoot-wilde-fermenten-a-north-american-raga-reserva-graff-cider-credit-untappd-adrien-biere-et-le-loup-1000x1000-1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nPomme | Alesong Brewing & Blending<\/h3>\n
![\"alesong](\"http:\/\/www.hopculture.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/alesong-brewing-and-blending-pomme-graf-cider-credit-untappd-kenneth-granum-1000x1000-1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nFoxbic | Mills Brewing<\/h3>\n
![\"mills](\"http:\/\/www.hopculture.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/mills-brewing-foxbic-graff-cider-credit-untappd-rian-1000x1000-1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nGraf | Plan Bee Farm Brewrey<\/h3>\n
![\"plan](\"http:\/\/www.hopculture.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/plan-bee-graf-graff-cider-credit-untappd-jorgen-s-1000x1000-1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nSlow Mutant | Speciation Artisan Ales<\/h3>\n
![\"speciation](\"http:\/\/www.hopculture.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/speciation-artisanal-ales-slow-mutant-graff-cider-credit-untappd-daniel-brochs-1000x1000-1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n