Following its acquisition by C&C Group, Hornsby’s Cider received an updated brand image to capture its 15-year-old brand essence while helping it stand out from other brands in the category, the company says.

Congressmen Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., and Chris Collins, R-N.Y., introduced the bipartisan Cider Industry Deserves Equal Regulation (CIDER) Act. The act would amend the section of the tax code that deals with wine and related beverages to allow hard cider-makers increased flexibility in their final products without potentially facing increased tax liability.

Strongbow, a brand of Heineken USA, White Plains, N.Y., launched its “Golden Hour” on-premise, retail and event activation for the summer. The cider brand will act as a catalyst for spur-of-the-moment experiences to excite consumers of legal drinking age and encourage them to create their own “Golden Hour” celebrations with Strongbow, it says.

Anheuser-Busch, a wholly owned subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev, entered the U.S. cider market with Stella Artois Cidre.

On May 6, Craft Brew Alliance will launch a new brand of hard cider.

Vermont Hard Cider Co. President and Chief Executive Officer Bret Williams estimates that when he joined the Middlebury, Vt.-based company in 1996 as its first sales associate that the company shipped approximately 300,000 cases a year. In 2012, the company shipped 3 million cases of its Woodchuck Hard Cider brand, he says.

Inspired by the European tradition of elderflower cordials, The Boston Beer Co. launched Angry Orchard Elderflower Cider.

 There’s no denying that this time of year can be quite busy.  

Angry Orchard Cider Co., a subsidiary of The Boston Beer Co., launched Angry Orchard Iceman and Strawman as part of a new line of artisanal specialty ciders called the Cider House Collection.

Vermont Hard Cider Co. brought back its seasonal Woodchuck Private Reserve Pumpkin Cider for the fall.