Are there styles of cider? How to distinguish them before opening the bottle? Mercifully, brewers label their beers with the style - lager, IPA, Hefeweisse, etc. But for whatever reason, the makers of hard ciders don't share the sentiment, and every single bottle will just call itself "cider" or if you're lucky "apple cider." 

This is something of an issue because I really like sweet ciders, and can't stand sour ones. But as far as I can tell, the bottle never reveals what type the cider is, and I have to open it and take a drink before I know if I will like it or not.

So what are the styles of cider, and how can I recognize them (and avoid the ones I don't like)?
There are different cider styles. BJCP cider style guidelines lists several distinct styles. 

However, many commercial ciders like Angry Orchard don't list a style beyond their brand names.