Beer style Alcoholic beverages made from the fermentation of sugars derived from non-grain sources are generally not called "beer," despite being produced by the same yeast-based biochemical reaction. Fermented honey is called "mead", fermented apple juice is called "cider", fermented pear juice is called "perry" (sometimes, "pear cider"), fermented plum juice is called "plum jerkum", and fermented grape juice is called "wine". Chinese "jiu" and Japanese "sake" are made using much the same process as beer with one additional step in the fermentation as well as using rice instead of primarily barley malt. Most beer styles fall into types roughly according to
Cider bottles with an alcohol content comparable to beer. "Sidra" was, due to the expense of imported Champagne, sometimes used as a substitute for New Year's Eve toasts in Mexico, as it is also a sweet, fruity drink. However, now the practice is to drink cider on Christmas Eve, celebrated with the family, and Champagne on New Year's celebrated with friends. Cider beverages form a very small share of the Mexican alcoholic beverage market, with the figures for 2009 volume sales amounting to only 3.8 million litres. In the United States, the definition of "cider" is usually broader than in Europe