Somerville’s Union Square is preparing for it’s first-ever tap room take-over, solely dedicated to hard cider. Yes, you heard right – cider. The Boston Globe reported today that the local cider company, Bantam Cider, “will showcase eight taps dedicated to oak aged, smoked, sour, and other experimental ciders.”

As you may have noticed (especially last fall) hard cider’s popularity grew considerably over the last few years. Dana Masterpolo, co-founder of Bantam, even admitted to the Boston Globe that “Bantam entered the booming cider market at the right time.”

And according to the Boston Globe, “Cider production grew 70 percent from 2011 to 2012, attracting major players like Anheuser–Busch InBev, the world’s largest brewer, who now distributes the Stella Artois Cidre line.”

The booming hard cider market has been good for both brewers and consumers, alike. Before last year, I can’t say that I knew anything about hard cider – I simply didn’t drink it. But now, it seems as though Bostonians don’t think twice about ordering a hard cider, a sweeter alternative to a beer and less assuming alternative to glass of wine (especially at a sports bar).

The Bantam Cider tap room in Somerville is described as an “industrial space with a comfortable feel…views of fermentation tanks and racks of barrels,” according to the Boston Globe. The tap room is expected to open in March, offering pours, flights, tours and merchandise.

Check out some of Bantam Cider’s current offerings below and get excited!