New duty rules:

(1) it doesn’t penalize still cider (which tends to be the typical craft ciders), with even a strong still craft cider usually being below 8.4% abv.

(2) plenty of craft beers <= 3.4% abv, e.g. milds, many bitters, and the highest rate doesn’t kick in until 8.5%. Nice beers don’t have to be strong.