A galette and a bolée of cider: in a crêperie, the two go hand in hand. But should you choose a brut, a sweet (doux) or a rosé? Here is a short guide to Breton cider, from the apple to the bolée.
How is cider made?
Cider is made by fermenting the juice of fresh apples. The main stages:
- The harvest, from September to December, of cider apples: sweet, bittersweet, bitter or sharp. The blend gives the cider its character.
- Crushing and pressing: sorted and washed, the apples are crushed and then pressed. This gives a juice called must (moût).
- Fermentation: yeasts gradually turn the sugar in the apples into alcohol, over a few weeks to several months. The further it goes, the drier and stronger the cider becomes.
- Natural sparkle (prise de mousse): bottled before fermentation has finished, the cider keeps fermenting, and the carbon dioxide produced stays trapped. These are its natural bubbles. Since 2025, the French label "effervescence naturelle" has been reserved for ciders whose bubbles come only from fermentation; others are carbonated by adding carbon dioxide.
Brut, demi-sec or sweet: what's the difference?
It all comes down to fermentation. A sweet cider (doux) is stopped early: it keeps more sugar and less alcohol. A brut (dry) cider ferments for longer: it is drier and stronger. Demi-sec (medium) sits in between.
| Sweet (doux) | Demi-sec | Dry (brut) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sugar | sweetest | medium | driest |
| Alcohol | 3% ABV maximum | in between | often 3.5 to 6% ABV |
| Taste | fruity, round, light | balanced | crisp, more tannic |
There are also extra-brut ciders, drier still. For a long time, the benchmarks were set in sugar: more than 35 g per litre for a sweet cider, less than 28 g for a brut. Since the French decree of 20 February 2025, these terms are based on the cider's density, which reflects its sugar content, and on its alcohol content.
What about rosé cider?
Since 1 January 2026, the term "rosé" has been reserved in France for pink-coloured ciders made from a must obtained by pressing red-fleshed apples. Rather fruity, it is served chilled, as an aperitif or with a red-fruit dessert.
Cornouaille cider, Brittany's only PDO cider
In 1996, Cornouaille cider became the first Breton product to receive a designation of origin, now a PDO (AOP). It is produced in some forty municipalities in southern Finistère, spread over four areas: the Aulne valley, the Pays Bigouden, Fouesnant and the Odet valley, and Pont-Aven.
Made from pure juice, unpasteurised and naturally sparkling in the bottle, it owes its golden to orange colour and tannic flavour to bitter and bittersweet apples, which make up around 70% of the blends. Brittany also has a Label Rouge cider, Royal Guillevic. Neighbouring Normandy has its own appellations, such as Pays d'Auge and Cotentin.
The bolée, a Breton tradition
In a crêperie, cider is traditionally served in a bolée, an earthenware or ceramic bowl, often with a jug. It has become a symbol of the Breton crêperie; in Normandy, cider is more often served in a stemmed glass. To appreciate the aromas of an appellation cider, a stemmed glass is indeed a good idea.
Which cider with galettes and crêpes?
- With galettes: brut. Dry and slightly tannic, it balances the butter, egg and cheese of a Complète, a 3 Fromages or a Roquefort. It is the classic crêperie pairing.
- With crêpes: sweet. Sweeter and lower in alcohol, it goes with a Spéciale du Faouët with salted butter caramel, a lemon crêpe or a Normande with caramelised apple.
- Rosé, fruity, matches red-fruit crêpes such as the Sous bois or the Mélusine.
- Alcohol-free, the non-alcoholic Galipette cider or an apple juice go just as well with a galette.
Cider cocktails and other drinks from western France
The Kir breton replaces the white wine of a kir with cider, with crème de cassis (blackcurrant liqueur). Ours (12 cl, €5.20) combines dry (brut) cider, Calvados and crème de cassis. Calvados itself is a Norman cider brandy. Our menu also offers three cider cocktails (30 cl, €8.50):
- Cidropolitain: rosé cider, lime, Cointreau and raspberry;
- Apérol breizh: Aperol, dry cider, Calvados, lime and sparkling water;
- Cidrocello: sweet cider, limoncello, Martini Bianco and sparkling water.
Two other drinks are part of the landscape of western France, although you won't find them on our menu: poiré (perry), cider's cousin made from pears, a Norman speciality protected in particular by the Poiré Domfront PDO; and chouchen, Breton mead, made by fermenting honey and water.
Our cider menu
Our Val de Rance ciders come in three versions, from an 18 cl glass to 75 cl:
| Cider | ABV | 18 cl (glass) | 25 cl | 50 cl | 75 cl |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry (brut) | 6.0% | €3.10 | €4.40 | €7.00 | €12.00 |
| Sweet (doux) | 2.0% | €3.10 | €4.40 | €7.00 | €12.00 |
| Rosé | 2.5% | €3.10 | €4.40 | €7.00 | €12.00 |
For an alcohol-free option, the non-alcoholic Galipette cider is served in 33 cl, at €4.60.
Even sweet cider is still an alcoholic drink: enjoy it in moderation, and choose an alcohol-free option if you are driving.
Come and taste
At 14 rue des Tondeurs, right in the centre of Mulhouse, our 100% buckwheat galettes and our crêpes are cooked one by one, to order, serving all day from Tuesday to Saturday from 11:30 am. And to tell them apart, read what sets a galette apart from a crêpe.
Discover the menu and book your table by phone on 03 89 45 79 43.
Alcohol abuse is dangerous for your health; please drink in moderation.