Comparison
Fault vs style feature
When is a cider faulty and when is it just traditional?
In short
A fault list is a list of compounds and conditions that can spoil a cider. It is not a list of things that must be absent. Volatile acidity, oxidative character, phenolic notes from Brettanomyces and lactic character all appear at low levels in ciders that are considered exemplary of their tradition.
Three things move a compound from feature to fault. Concentration: above threshold it stops adding complexity and starts dominating. Integration: a note that sits apart from the rest of the drink reads as contamination. Trajectory: a compound that is still increasing in the package is a problem regardless of its current level.
The judgement is also style-relative, and that is not a loophole. A trace of ethyl acetate is expected in Asturian sidra natural and is a defect in a clean modern cider, because the two are made to different specifications. What is never style-relative is a cider that is actively deteriorating.
The two things being compared
Each side described in its own terms first, so the table below has something to hang on.
Fault
A compound or condition present at a level that dominates, sits apart from the drink, or indicates ongoing deterioration.
Style feature
The same compound at a level that adds complexity, integrated with the rest of the drink, and consistent with what the tradition intends.
Where they differ
Dimension by dimension. Where a row needs a qualification, it carries one rather than being simplified until it fits.
| Dimension | Fault | Style feature |
|---|---|---|
| ConcentrationSensory thresholds vary between people and are strongly matrix-dependent, so the boundary is a band rather than a line. | Above the level at which it dominates the drink. | At or below the level at which it contributes. |
| Integration | Sits apart, reading as something added to the cider. | Part of the whole, and hard to isolate. |
| Trajectory | Still increasing, which means the cider is deteriorating. | Stable. |
| Intent and control | Unintended, and the producer cannot reproduce or prevent it. | Sought, and reproducible. |
| Style expectation | Out of keeping with what the cider claims to be. | Part of what the tradition is understood to include. |
| Where the judgement is not relative | Safety issues, and any cider that is actively spoiling, are faults in every tradition. | No tradition treats deterioration as character. |
Notes under a dimension name qualify the whole row, not one column.
When Fault is the relevant one
The circumstances in which this is the thing being described, rather than a reason to prefer it.
- The compound dominates, sits apart, or is increasing.
- The producer neither intended it nor can control it.
When Style feature is the relevant one
The circumstances in which this is the thing being described, rather than a reason to prefer it.
- The character is integrated, stable and consistent with the tradition.
- You are assessing a cider against its own style rather than against a clean-ferment default.
A misconception worth clearing up
This comparison exists partly because of the claim below, which is repeated often enough that most readers arrive holding it.
Any detectable Brett, volatile acidity or oxidation makes a cider faulty.
What is actually the case: Threshold-level presence of these compounds is normal in several respected traditions and contributes to their character. What makes a fault is the level, the integration and whether the cider is still changing — not the mere presence of the compound.
Related comparisons
Distinctions that turn on the same thing, or that this one is routinely confused with.
Oxidation as fault vs oxidation as style
Controlled slow oxidation during maturation develops colour, softens tannin and adds complexity; uncontrolled oxidation strips fruit aroma, browns the cider and pushes it towards acetaldehyde and vinegar.
Brett as character vs Brett as fault
*Brettanomyces* produces volatile phenols that read as farmyard, leather and spice at low levels and as sticking plaster and horse at high ones — and it keeps working in the bottle, which is the real problem.
Volatile acidity vs ethyl acetate
Volatile acidity is acetic acid, which tastes and smells of vinegar; ethyl acetate is its ester with ethanol, which smells of solvent and pear drops. They usually arrive together but they are different compounds with different thresholds.
Haze vs sediment
Sediment is material that has settled to the bottom of the container; haze is material that stays in suspension. The distinction matters because settled material is usually benign and a persistent haze usually is not.
What people ask next
Questions readers ask about the things this page mentions. Each one goes to the section that answers it rather than to a page written to receive the question.
Where to go next
- All comparisons — The rest of the pairs, grouped by what kind of difference is at stake.
- Glossary — Either term on its own, defined without a second thing to hold it against.
- Learn about cider — The background these pages assume, written from the beginning.
Sources
What this page rests on. Where a source is marked as registered rather than read, CiderHQ is recording that the body is authoritative on the subject without claiming to have worked through the document itself. See our evidence policy for what each state means.
The Science of Cidermaking and associated technical writing
Andrew Lea · reference work · passage verified 2026-08-24
Written by a food chemist who worked at Long Ashton on apple phenolics. Unusual among specialist cider writing in that it is primary-research-adjacent: the author is describing work he did, and cites the literature. This is why it is registered at tier 1 for chemistry while a general cider book is not.
Cider and perry production technical training material
Peter Mitchell / Cider and Perry Academy · reference work · registered as competent for this subject
Searched again on 2026-08-25 and it remains the one printed source here that a bibliographic check cannot fix, because it is not a published work with an edition. It is course material issued to participants of a training programme, so there is no catalogue record to verify, no ISBN, and no lawful public copy. Its state stays `registered` for that reason rather than through inattention.
Peer-reviewed literature on apple phenolics and cider sensory perception
Various journals · peer-reviewed literature · registered as competent for this subject
Registered as a class rather than as one paper, because the mechanisms CiderHQ describes — tannin chain length driving the split between bitterness and astringency, salivary protein precipitation, enzymatic browning — are established across many studies rather than resting on any single one. Individual papers are cited where a specific number is quoted.
BJCP Beer Style Guidelines — cider and perry categories
Beer Judge Certification Program · classification framework · retrieved 2026-08-24
Opened on 2026-08-24, and the edition matters. CiderHQ registered the 2015 cider guidelines; BJCP has since published a 2025 cider edition, and the old URL now redirects into the current guidelines index. A competition style guide is a dated framework rather than a standing definition, and citing the wrong edition of one is the same class of error as citing a superseded specification. CiderHQ treats BJCP as one competition framework among several and never as the universal cider taxonomy.