Perhaps the clearest indications that the American desire for cider is growing are the corporate efforts to enter the market. Stella Artois, the brewer owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev, now sells Stella Artois Cidre. For those who prefer beer that tastes like nothing, another Anheuser-Busch brand, Michelob, now sells Ultra Light Cider. Meanwhile, MillerCoors bought the Crispin Cider Company last year, while Angry Orchard cider is the fastest growing brand of Boston Beer Company, producer of Samuel Adams.

The panel was thrilled with the quality and range of the dry ciders we tasted. Juliette was particularly taken with the breadth of styles, from firm and austere to rich and fruity. If many of the ciders lacked the distinctiveness and complexity of the best European ciders, that will come in time as growers and producers gain skill and experience and as orchards mature.

“Cider disappeared just long enough that much of the knowledge is gone,” David said. “There’s lots of experimentation going on now.”

We decided for simplicity’s sake to limit our tasting to apple ciders. This meant omitting some fascinating new examples, like Querry from Bonny Doon Vineyard, a blend of pear, apple and quince.

If there was any doubt that appreciation is growing for serious cider, our favorite was in fact called Serious Cider, from Foggy Ridge in Virginia: pale gold, elegant, austere yet pure, with crisp, tart flavors. Like most of our favorites, Serious Cider is packaged to resemble wine, in 750-milliliter bottles, rather than the six-packs that many of the mass-market ciders travel in.

No. 2 was the Steampunk Cider made by Leonard Oakes Estate, a winery in Lyndonville, N.Y., near Lake Ontario. It was fresh and tangy with a honeyed character that reminded me of chenin blanc. It was also, at $11, our best value. Then came Dooryard Cider No. 1315 from Farnum Hill in New Hampshire: dry, tannic, complex and barely effervescent. The name Dooryard harks back to the tradition of selling cider straight from the farm, filling jugs with whatever was on hand. Farnum Hill’s Dooryard consists of small lots of various blends, each denoted by a batch number. The character of each changes, so consult the website for information.

Other ciders worth noting include the bold, slightly funky Wickson from Wandering Aengus in Oregon; the dry, assertive Belle de Boskoop from West County in Massachusetts; the delicate, fruity Dry Rosé Cider No. 139 from the Wölffer Estate winery on Long Island and the pretty Farmhouse Select Original ’91 from Woodchuck in Vermont.