Cider Chat

Kurant Cider is back on Cider Chat discussing the opening of a Tasting Room in the area of Philidelphia called Fishtown. Cider will be available to go in can and growlers at the 436 E. Girard Ave location. The production facility will remain in Perkasie, PA Kurant Cider is co owned by Joe Getz and Michael Meyers. Joe is the head cidermaker at Kurant and the Vice President of the Pennsylvania Cider Guild, the commonwealth's organizing body for cider producers and apple growers in PA. In this chat, Joe tells us about lessons learned over the past two years in regards to what is a cidery startup needs to pay attention to, news on the PA Guild work on having cider recognized as a "zone commodity" and where to find Kurant Cider this summer. Kurant has moved around a bit finding a home from one brewery to another. Kurant sources local juice and is able to make cider year-round. Kurant Ciders, currently being offered on draft at many great bars in Philadelphia Daily 5.5% Earth 5.5% Bees 5.5% Tropic 5.5% Farm 5.5%

Gypsy Circus Cider Company founders and makers, Stephanie & Aaron Carson, are helping to put cider on the map in Tennessee. They have two facilities with one dedicated to barrel aging ciders and the main production site which is also the location for their Gypsy Circus Taproom. The cidery opened for business in April of 2016 and has produced over 16 ciders each with whimsical names that connect to the backdrop of their gypsy lifestyle (the couple like to travel) and to the circus life. Names like; Whilring Deverish - a coffee cider make with Nashville based Frothy Monkey coffee took home a gold from GLINTCAP in 2017 Shadow Puppet - a barrel aged wild cider garnered a silver medal at GLINTCAP The Carson's pay attention to detail not only with their ciders, but also their branding. Take a look at a can of their dry cider Raindancer and listen to Aaron talk about the hidden graphics that they put on the label. Part of the couple's success is that they are keenly aware of how the beverage market works. Aaron

Tin Hat cidermaker Teddy Weber is stewarding a 25 year old orchard in Waitsfield Vermont. This musician by trade got his taste for cider in the UK during his music gigs while there. He teamed up with Sue and Gib Geiger who own the orchard that Teddy has been stewarding and where this chat takes place.  In this chat, Teddy and I walkabout in the orchard in Waitsfield and discuss the beginnings of Tin Hat, apple varieties, working with culinary apples for cider and culinary pears, cultured yeast vs wild yeast. His enthusiasm for apples is contagious. Apples in this Chat Northwestern Greening Kerr Crabapple Atlas Barry Red Honey Gold Scott Winter Golden Russet Dolgo Crab Lodi Yellow Transparent Red Astrican Duchess of Oldenberg Northern Spy Pears Nava Luscious Cidermaking techniques used cyro-extraction - getting the juice directly from a frozen apple cyroconcentration - the apple is pressed and then you freeze the juice Tin Hat Ciders (currently) Ole Pome Traditional still cider, unfiltered, wild fermente

Tandem Ciders is the result of two hearts coming together in one spot of Ciderville (the east coast) and finding their way to Michigan. In the late 1990's Dan Young who was the co-owner and brewer at The People's Pint in Greenfield was full on with the craft beer scene. It was at The Pint where he met his future wife Nikki Rothwell while she was working towards her Ph.D. at the University of Massachusetts. With Nikki's roots in Michigan(she now works at Michigan State University's Extension specializing in Agriculture and Fruits) a trip to the UK during the courtship and the abundance of Michigan apples it was only a matter of time before Dan set his sights on cider. Tandem Ciders buys most of their juice for their cider making locally, but they also press apples using an Oesco rack and cloth press. Ciders: Smackintosh Early Day The Crabster Pretty Penny Cherry Oh Ida Gold Pomona Handcrafted Sodas Ginger Ale - I've had Dan's Ginger Ale that he made when at The Pint and it was fantastic! Sparkling Apple Da

The Mayador cider brand came about from a lot hard work and ingenuity. Manuel Busto Amandi born in 1906 founded his cider business originally as M.Busto in 1939. Between that time and 1966, Manuel's ingenuity kept the business growing. He had a number of innovation that were ground breaking for the cider industry. From the Mayador History Book: - He was the first to engrave the brand (M. BUSTO - 1959, certified by the Patent and Trademark Office in June 1946) on his cider bottles, produced in the old glass factory in Gijón. He was forty years ahead of a measure that would eventually become compulsory in the sector. -He also promoted using 10-bottle boxes, while all other presses preferred the customary 12-bottle box; and he was a pioneer in trading cider vinegar in Spain, which up to then had only been of domestic use. -He was also the first to produce sterile apple juice in 1971. But that is not all: he invented a machine to pour cider and registered it on December 4, 1964, under Patent No. 280.757. In the e

The US cider market share in 2017 is growing. This episode on Cider Trends in the US and abroad is a replay of a webinar from April 5, 2017 presented by Danny Brager and Matthew Crompton of the Nielsen Company. The webinar was originally aired by the United States Association of Cider Makers (USACM) for their members. The USACM and Nielsen graciously provided Cider Chat with the main recording so that this critical cider trend data could be shared even more broadly. Danny is the Senior Vice=President, Beverage Alcohol Practice. Matthew is the Associate Client Director at Nielsen. Together they speak during this 53 minute presentation in conjunction with a visual aide that I recommend you download the pdf file below as it follows along seamlessly with the presentation and provides excellent visuals of Danny and Matthews overview. Click on photo to view the slides the data charts and visual aides that are referred to throughout this presentation. What is covered in the podcast episode? What does Nielsen do?

Lou and Sue Chadwick of Second Chance Farm in Greenfield Massachusetts are what I consider the "Apple Pied Pipers". For nearly as long as CiderDays (the oldest cider event in the US) has been running I have seen the Chadwicks touting the bounty of apple varieties. This means they have dozen of fresh picked apples on a long table, that they set up outside no less in early November and welcome everyone to stop by  to take a look and try a taste of a Razor Russet, Baldwin or Arkansas Black. If you get a chance to attend CiderDays make sure you say hi to this lovely couple. In this week's chat I recorded a walkabout with the Chadwick's at their Second Chance farm where for the past 12 years they have been nursing small apple varieties and grafting an assortment of rare cider apples ( at least rare right now in 2017 for the US). Lou made a Rind Graft, a V Graft and an Omega Graft. Take a look at the Cider Chat YouTube channel to see Lou in action. See the photos of this chat via ciderchat.com post link here The Ch

Alan Shapiro wasn't looking to get involved in cider, being a craft beer enthusiast, one sip at the right time changed his mind and he isn’t looking back. He is founder of the widely popular Cider Summits that takes place currently in 4 major US cities (with a 5th city expected to come on board soon). His roots in libations began taking stock while working as one of the first sales representative for Pete’s Brewing Company ( does Pete's Wicked Ale sound familar?) which helped him cultivate a relationship with Mark Browner, whom he credits with planting the seed for today's Cider Summits. In 2003 he founded SBS Imports and secured the rights to import Aspall Cyder of Suffolk, England . He says after a visit to this legendary cidery in Suffolk,  “I had what I call a ‘Wow Moment’ when I realized that cider has more to offer than what I had expected. In 2012 Artisanal Imports of Austin acquired SBS Imports. The first Summit had already taken place two years earlier in 2010. From the start that first Summit was a

Nicole and Rafe Ward of Forgotten Ciders are celebrating 3 years of cidermaking this April of 2017.  This Michigan cidery has over 1000 variety of apples growing on 16 acres, many of which are cider varieties and red fleshed to boot! Rafe's Grandfather Douglas Eastman and Uncle John Eastman started planting apples trees 30 years ago to what would one day become Eastman Antique Apples.  Eight years ago Rafe, his parents and brother bought the apple orchard. After getting involved in the family's orchard, Rafe Ward began making cider in their basement and then realized that the fruit could be transformed in to liquid gold. Rafe says, "It was a happy day when I realized I own an orchard and I could make alcohol out of them apples." Nicole mentions, "It was good fortune that the family didn't pull up the apple trees thinking that because they didn't taste good they weren't worth growing." Forgotten Ciders are made out of a 100% fresh pressed apple juice. Aside from adding yeast, there is no back sweetening or sug

Shea Comfort began dabbling in home brewing in 1996. This History of Art and Philosophy major didn’t choose to become a Yeast Whisper. Some names can’t be chosen, they just come along. Having read extensively the books of the day he is, suffice to say, a self taught technical  yeast expert. “You realize you have to get some type of competency in science…basic formulas, concepts, ideas and just get use to it [the language of science].” But, “You can be really good with science and the numbers and still make average wine.” In 2011, Shea began focusing on cider. “You need tools to do the job.” Shea began with trials with yeast, oaks, tannins. Around 7-8 years ago (2010) after stepping away from a winery startup, Shea was looking for a job. It was during this time, that friends began calling him a “Yeast Whisper”. The name stuck and it was then that he began working with Lallemand, a manufacturer of yeast. “If you want to get competent on this and learn more and go deeper about this you have to have an understand

Lost Apples of the Quabbin is a presentation by Al Sax and Matt Kaminsky documenting their 2016 research and quest for mapping out the apple trees in this historical reservoir region. The Quabbin Reservoir was created to supply water to eastern Massachusetts. This construction required moving out the residents and unincorporating 4 towns Dana, Prescott, Enfiled, and Greenwich. Needless to say, this was an extreme hardship for the residents as people, homes and the entire landscape was changed to create the massive reservoir. How big is the Quabbin Reservoir? unlike what I said in the podcast (10,000 acres) it is 120,000 acres Al and Matt are looking for unknown apple varieties that might still be left on the hillsides and mountain tops that were left untouched so many years later. Al and Matt's main research tools" Binoculars Tick gators, as ticks carry an auto immune ideas call Lyme An apple picker, which is a long pole with a cup at the end used to reach for fruit high up on the tree. List of Apples tha

Jeppe Gents opened Fejø Cider in 1999. He calls himself a "cider farmer" having founded his cidery on an island 200 kilometers south of Copenhagen. You can take a 15-minute ride on a ferry to the island and visit this celebrated cidery. Fejø is an orchard based cidery with 18 hectares or approximately 44 acres of bitter, bittersweet, culinary apples. With nearly 20 years of cidermaking knowledge Fejø cidery is established well enough that it is now Jeppe's full time work. The cidery has won numerous awards and is currently exporting  60% of its products to such markets as Sweden, Germany, and now the US via the Shelton Brothers Importers. The first two pallets of cider were shipped to the Shelton Brothers in November 2016. They were ordered for Claus Meyer, the Danish gastro-entrepreneur. Meyer opened the Agern restaurant plus The Great Northern Food Hall in New York Grand Central Terminal. The Agern restaurant has got its first Michelin star now only one year after its opening, and the Food Hall has 3500 dai

Mattie Beason’s passion for cider led him to open Black Twig Cider House in 2016. This new cider bar is located in Durham, North Carolina right across the street from Duke University. A good location is a key factor as you need the foot traffic to help build the draw that you need to be successful. Mattie should know, as he had just finished presenting Why you should open a cider bar and not a cidery at CiderCon 2017 in Chicago. In this chat we discuss the offerings at Black Twig Cider House, a txotx (pronounced “Chotch”) which is a pour of Sidra from a barrel and some fine tips for anyone considering opening their own cider bar. From Spanish ciders to all cider traditions - Mattie found it was the right choice to open a cider bar and not cidery. Black Twig is 2400 square feet and has seating for up 90 people. Make sure to look at the event page on their website as there are lots of ongoing educational and fun events taking place every month. Or consider reserving this venue for your own special party as ther

Araújo Monte, Lda is Portugal's first commercial cidery for the country that borders Spain and its million of Sidra drinking fans. Marlene Sofia Sousa Araújo whom I speak to in this chat, with the help of Anzu Fernandez as translator, was trained to be a scientist. When she and Patrícia Araújo Monte entered into a contest for entrepreneurs and decided to look at making cider as part of this project, they had no idea that they would win. With the winnings they received basic infrastructure to help launch the cidery along with help for specialist such as enologist (winemakers). Today the cidery has three partners, Marlene,  Patrícia and Pedro Miguel Bravo de Faria Marlene has been making cider since 2011. She received her degree in Biotechnology at Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo [IPVC] thinking she was headed for a career in science. So suffice to say, she didn't plan on becoming a cidermaker. Araújo Monte, Lda is a costal cidery. They are currently using all sorts of apples and are trying to disting

This week's cider podcast episode is a mini recap of Chicago Cider Week events, CiderCon, and 20 chats w/Cider Enthusiasts including recordings from the The Northman on February 7, 2017. 20 chats! Dang that was amazing. I hope you enjoy going deep into Ciderville like I do. Go to this page to see the ciderchat.com show notes page with photos Ask for the following 6 #CiderGoingUP Campaign cider supporters - By supporting these cider makers, you in turn help Ciderville. Big Apple Hard Cider - NYC : listen to Danielle von Scheiner on episode 35 Kurant Cider - Pennsylvania : listen to Joe Getz on episode 14 Oliver’s Cider and Perry - Herefordshire/UK ; listen to Tom Oliver on episode 29 Santa Cruz Cider Company - California : listen to Nicole Todd on episode 60 The Cider Project - California Albermale CiderWorks : listen to Chuck Shelton on episode 56   Please Help Support Cider Chat Please donate today. Help keep the chat thriving! Find this episode and all episodes at the page for Cider Chat's podcasts. List

Cider Chat will be at the Chicago Cider Summit February 11, 2017 Llorenç Frigola of Mooma cidery, in the Catalonia province of Girona is an Agricultural Engineer by trade who works with a fruit cooperative that has been growing apples for the past 50 years. The cidery started in 2013. This area of Spain, unlike Asturias, the Basque region, or Cantabria has had no production of cider at all. Mooma looked to providing a value added product to their market. Their goal is to meet the local market that leans towards Champagne and Cava wine (a Catalonia wine made in the champenoise traditional method). Mooma, stores apples and presses throughout the year. The cider is fermented then micro filtered and the flagship cider and some sugar is added. It is bottled in both 12 ounce bottles and boxed cider as one would find in the UK. Mooma grew out of the desire to provide value added product to the cooperative's current offerings as Llorenç says, "Our goal is to show to the Cantalan people all that is possible with apple

Cider Chat at The Northman (Chicago Cider Bar) February 7, 2017 at 4:30pm Stop on by and let's chat! I have a list of fun cider topics to chat with you for an upcoming podcast.  Cider Chat at Chicago Cider Summit February 11, 2017 Look for the Cider Chat table where I will be recording mini chats with attendees and offering Cider Chat baseball caps. Luis Ravina Pisaca's title is enology or enologist, which means he is responsible for the cidermaking at Posma cidery in Tenerife, one of seven islands in the Canary Islands that are located in the Atlantic Ocean off the northwestern coast of Africa. Posma has been producing cider for 4-5 years. Luis was attending the International Hall of Gala Ciders in Gijon, Asturias in September 2016. We recorded this chat on the steps outside that all day cider fest. Posma makes a Sidra Natural which is actually a Brut.  Though named Sidra Natural don't expect the typical acetic taste that one might find in the many delicious Asturian Sidras. Posma produced 4000 bottles of th

February 7, 2017 at 4:30pm Cider Chat at The Northman    recording chats with patrons on Cider Stories! Brian Rutzen is the Cider Director at Chicago’s first cider bar, The Northman managing 20 taps of cider, 5 craft beers and in total over a 100 options of cider to partake at this 63 seat bar. We chat how The Northman helps patrons understand cider, how it is poured, cellaring cider, cider with food, and lots of tips for attendees heading to the windy city for CiderCon (the annual cider conference for members of the United States Association of Cider Makers). Chicago is a city of neighborhoods - with many of the names reflecting the immigrant groups that settled there. Pilsen for instance got its name from the Czech immigrants and is now housing many Mexican immigrants. Brian says “Chicago is setup as a grid.” Making it fairly easy to get about Go to this page to see the ciderchat.com show notes page with photos  O'Hare Airport apple history What does the airport code ORD stand for at this mighty Chicago hub

Bartosz Gałka is one of three partner at the Polish cidery "Slow Flow Group".  Along with Łukasz Sobór, Jakub Lorek and Jakub's father,Marcin Lorek, who makes wine and consults to this project  they are helping to put Polish cider on the world map. The cidermaking tradition in Poland dates back to the 16th century, but is only recently gearing up once again.. Slow Flow Group has been making cider since 2011 and marketing it since 2014. It took 2 years to get permitted to sell cider in Poland. I met up with Bartosz in Asturias, Spain in September of 2016 while we were both attending the International Hall of Gala Ciders. Slow Flow Group is using apples from local orchards, with most of the trees being 70-80 years old. There is no sugar nor sulfites added to this company's ciders. The primary Apples used by Slow Flow Group: Grochówka Kronselka Szara - Złota Reneta starking Pepina Malinówka Pinowa Antonówka They press apples using a Hydraulic press called "Big Mama" which is a basket press Polish terms in cide

Alvar Roosimaa turned towards cidermaking after deciding to move out of the capital of Estonia, Tallinn. He bought a country house approximately an hour and a half to the south Tallinn with his wife Veronika. It was at this country house that the name of the cidery was found. Alvar tells the story of finding a copper tube, which is a typical container used by Estonians for holding documents, in a rubbish pile onsite. Inside this tube the original deed of the house was placed along with a colored map of the property. The farm's name was Jannihanso! When you look at the label, you will see that the name "JanniHanso" is using the original old world German handwriting for the name The Jaanihanso cidery started commercial actives in 2013. In 2016, this Estonian cidery began working towards exporting. This past year (2016) they pressed enough apples to have 60,000 litters (15,850 gallons) of apple juice. Cider Tradition in Estonia? Cider is very traditional. Locals call it "apple wine". Every house has a small cru