Cider Chat

  Bâtonnage is a winemaking technique that is also used in Cidermaking. It involves raking the lees or what is seen as the heavy particulars of yeast cells that fall out of solution and down to the bottom of the barrel during primary fermentation. Bâtonnage is all about stirring the lees back into solution. Makers like Ryan Monkman of FieldBird Cider and Lee Baker of Keint-He Winery and Vineyards discuss and demo this technique in this episode #132 Go to Cider Chat YouTube Channel and view clip Ryan demonstrating the stirring in of the lees - Bâtonnage. Key topics discussed in this chat What is Malolactic Fermentation: The sounds of cider and what it is telling you during fermentation Barrel Cellar design Comparison between two barrels to manage the barrel One did not go through Malolactic fermentation (MLF) manage the ferment by adding sulfur to stop the MLF from happening. The other did go through malolactic fermentation. Managing the Lees | Lees contact What does lee contact on the cider provide? Bâton

Cider Barrel Maintenance The craft of making an oak barrel is called “cooperage” and the person who applies this craft is called a “cooper”. The skills of this trade have been passed down through the centuries. The tree and the wood chosen to become a barrel has to meet specific criteria, such as having a tight grain and flavor profiles that lend the tannin qualities often sought in a cider barrel. From the classic wide belly barrels to oval shaped vessels, the shape of wooden barrels have changed very little over time. Quality control over the wood used and the intricacies of heat, stave bending, and maintenance of cider barrels continues to evolve. This episode 131 was recorded in Saint Catharine, Ontario during a dinner chat with Ryan Monkman of FieldBird Cider, Thierry Lemaire of Nuance Winery Supplies and Louis of Radoux, a cooperage based in Santa Rosa California and France. All three men have extensive knowledge on barrel use with wine. As the cider market continues to grow and both the consumer’s and

Cider Voices from Grand Rapids Cider Week and the Great Lakes International Cider and Perry Competition On the evening of May 14th Joby Willson, Mark Gryska, Charlie Olchowski and William Grote and myself headed out in a big old van to Grand Rapids, thanks to Mike Beck who invited us and hosted us throughout the week. Beck who he is lovingly called by all manages GLINTCAP and hires a team of people to run the program. Look to the GLINTCAP link to see the whole team. Once we arrived in Grand Rapids the guys stayed on one side of the river at their flat and I got to hang out with Michelle McGrath, Executive Director of the United States Association of Cider Makers, Michelle Pagona aka The Brew Babe and Darlene Hayes, author of Cider Cocktails; Another Bite of the Apple. That evening we headed to Uncle Johns Hard Cider for dinner. Nicole Ward of Forgotten Ciders (listen to Nicole and Rafe Wards chat #74), Brian and Ambrosia from Chicago's cider bar The Northman, Helen Thomas "Weston" of Weston Cider, UK and Bob

Carlo Hein has always loved cider. That cider love and perhaps his work in renovation and sustainable energy spurred him and his friends to start a cidery. Upon noticing the fallen fruit and neglected apples trees in his area of Luxembourg. He realized, “We need to save these orchards” And so he did. Ramborn Cider Co began selling cider in 2015 and is Luxembourg's only cidery. To make cider he first called Peter Mitchell, who is renown worldwide for his classes on cidermaking. Carlo asked Peter if he would help Ramborn. Peter replied that first you must take my course and then we will discuss making cider for Ramborn. Today Peter Mitchel still consults to Ramborn Cider, which undeniably lends a good amount of UK profile to each of the ciders. What is the traditional word for cider in Luxembourg? Viez Where did the name of the cidery come from? Rambo is an apple known in France and Sweden and in Luxembourg. Like so many wonderful cider blends, Ramborn Cider Company is part Rambo apple and the town “Born”. Up

Cider won big at the 23rd Annual Home-brew Competition held in Boston and put on by the Wort Processors - a home-brew club. Tom Bell’s New World Cider won both Best in Show for cider and placed 3rd in the Best Overall in Show. This means that Tom’s winning cider was placed in the final competition for Best Overall with 37 winning beers. Best of Show Winners Circle 1st Maurice Dalton’s -  Gueze 2rd Matthew Border -  German Pils 3rd Tom Bell - New World Cider 4th Brett Smith : Chocolate Raspberry Milk Stout Honorable Mention - Peter Bowers: Specialty Wood Aged Tom’s cidermaking tools & techniques for this cider A garbage disposal for grinding up apples Added Pectin Aid Macerated the pressed apples for 24 hours Pressed in a basket press Wild yeast - then EC118 for the bottle fermentation Initial gravity: 1.064 Racked every 10 point drop in the gravity and to separate the cider from the lees Everything was going great until a Pectic Haze showed up For the haze Tom used Scott’s Lab Spectrum It didn’t take car

Matt DeLong grew up making cider and what he once called “Apple Wine”. Western Michigan has what is known as the wine trail and there are lots of fruit wines, so it is no surprise that Matt first considered a career in the wine industry. Things started to change around 2009 - 2010 when he noticed a whole lot of ciders in his area of west Michigan popping up. He credits the support of his wife Valerie for helping him hone his vision and open Ridge Cider Company in 2014. The cidery is based in the town of Grant, Michigan in a building that was once used to process onions. Time Line of change for Ridge CiderCo - to Ride Cider LLC Matt teamed up with Bruce Rasch in 2014, one of the largest apple growers in the same region Matt began selling cider commercially in 2015. Not discussed in this chat is that Ridge Cider Co. sold its majority share to RC Investors, in April of 2017. RC is an investment firm owned by Dick Devos, husband of Betty Devos - the current U.S. Education Secretary in the Trump Administration.

Little Pomona’s makers, Susanna and James Forbes have a long history with libations. James worked as a wine buyer and marketer, while Susanna who started in physics became one of the UK’s leading libation writers. Do check out her website and blog Drink Britain, it will be time well spent. Listen to this chat with Susanna and James as they tell their tale of moving out of city and into the country to begin selling Little Pomona commercially in 2015. The orchard is located in Herefordshire, in the town of Bromyard. Little Pomona Ciders There is no doubt that these ciders are stepping out! Read: not your typical UK cider. James’ background in wine is certainly influencing the profile of each cider produced. If ever there was a cider that would be worthy of buying one now to drink and 5 more to cellar, Little Pomona is the cidery to choose. Delicate, yet bold, each cider that I tasted during this chat was complex, tannic and not your typical UK cider. Little Pomona Ciders coming up for 2018 Old Man and The Bees

Paul Vander Heide opened Vander Mill a cidery based in Spring Lake Michigan in 2008. Some might think that 3000 square feet is a good size for a start up cidery and they would be right. But as Paul reminisces in this chat, they had to expand quickly when they had to move outdoors to continue production. In 2016, a new location was open in Grand Rapids. Both locations have a Tap Room and Restaurant. Vander Mill makes both modern ciders and Heritage ciders. Go to 31:57 in the podcast to hear Paul discuss the question of what is a Heritage apple in the US. At CiderCon2018 Paul was elected as the new President of the United States Association of Cider Makers.  He is very optimistic about cider in America and speaks about embracing the diversity of makers in the US, which range from traditional, modern to a blend of both. For Vander Mill the consumers informed this maker on the styles that they make, says Paul “ It was the consumer that drove our business into a wide range of styles for Vander Mill. The cidery mak

Kirk Billingsley has been charmed by cider ever since he was a kid. Coming home from school he fondly remembers being mentored by his dad who had a barrel of sweet cider (non fermented apple juice) outside the family’s home in the same county of Highland where he still lives today. In 2015 he opened Big Fish Cider Company after making cider non commercially for 25 years in his home. This chat was recorded at CiderCon2018. Sarah Collins Simmons who works with Kirk also joined us and offered a great perspective on the orchard care of all the trees helping Big Fish make such delicious cider. Big Fish Apples Varieties at the main apple orchard Golden Russet Northern Spy Jonagold Ashmead Kernel Dolgo crab apples In total Big Fish has around 300 trees to pick from. Most, if not all, are heritage trees that were planted over a 100 years ago on farmland that was long forgotten. On any given day they are pressing 250 gallons of cider. Cidermaking technique used at Big Fish: Slow & cold ferment With an occasion

Poiré Fermier is French for Perry Farmer, which is only part of the story for the featured guest in this episode 123. Cidermaker Philippe and wife Marie-Claire Derouault also manage a herd of dairy cows who graze and laze among orchards of apples and pears on their 120 hectares (297 acres) situated in Loré, France. There are 14 Poiré producers in this region of southern Normandy and the Perry they make is known as Poiré Domfront. Here Calvados is made with a base of Poiré rather than cider. The standard is to have up to 70% Poiré in this region's Calvados which has the following appellations an AOC or Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (since 2002), an AOP(*) or Appellation d’Origine Protégée, is equivalent to the AOC in Europe (since 2006). Pears used in this region Normandy Plant de Blanc - up to 40% of the juice for Poiré must come from this pear. Rouge Vigné Gros Blot Plant Roux De Cloche Gaubert Here the pear trees are hundreds of years old. Notably, Pear trees were already growing in Normandy in the 11

Find this episode with photos and show notes and all episodes at the page for Cider Chat's podcasts. Cider enthusiast Michel Dargent hosted  Ria at his home in September 2017. Monsieur Dargent is a cider aficionado, making the two night stay at his gîte (bed & breakfast) the perfect stop on Ria’s cider tour of Normandy. Listen in on this intimate conversation as we discuss the ancient pear trees in the Domfront region, blood sausage and a very special cidermaker. Monsieur Dargent made the evening dinner with all local products from a nearby farm and served each dish with a cider (cidre) and perry (poiré). Régis Angot, the maker, will be one of the stops on the upcoming Totally Cider Tour to Normandy September 23 -29, 2018. Click here to for reservations. Mentions in this Chat Blog: Wild Child Cellars | #ciderGoingUP in Turners Falls Massachusetts Episode 20: Curt Sherrer | Millstone Cellars, Maryland Graft Cider, New York Cider Competitions: May 5, 2018 23rd annual Boston Homebrew (...and cider & m

Tieton Cider Works was founded by Marcus Roberts and is based in Yakima Washington. Tieton works with Harmony Orchards which has 55 acres of cider apples and perry pears. Marcus who takes a scientific approach to making cider and perry, is the General Manager of Tieton Cider Works overseeing both a modern and traditional approach to cider making. In this chat Marcus shares how Tieton using the technique called keeving to make Perry. Why make Keeved Cider or Perry? Keeving provide a sweet profile without needing to add sugar (back sweetening) when bottling. Growing Perry Pears Tieton has eight different varieties of Perry Pears and uses a trellis system for the pear trees. Marcus is testing the old adage “growing pears for your heirs” finding that by using a trellis system for growing in 4 years, the trees grew 12 feet! Tieton plants trees 12 feet across and 5 feet between trees - a 12 x 5 trellis system The limbs are trained down the wire on the trellis system. Picking Perry Pears Color pick the pears. Pick

Noble Cider in Asheville, North Carolina opened in 2013 after Trevor Baker lost his job in online retail. He wasn’t a cidermaker at the time, but he and his wife Joanna both enjoyed drinking cider. After taking a cidermaking course with Peter Mitchell at WSU Mount Vernon, he delved straightaway into getting his own commercial cidery with his wife and business partner Lief Stevens. Noble was started with around 17 grand! Having a “good business plan with a good business model” says Trevor, “Helped us secure an economic development loan of $40,000." Before Noble became fully permitted they juiced apples and froze them in IBC totes, which are large plastic containers used throughout Ciderville around the globe for making cider. The Tasting Room and production facility is a little outside of downtown Asheville, but this summer there will be a brand new Tasting Room right in the heart of the city. Expect 20 taps that include 6 beers and seasonal small batch ciders at the current location Noble makes both modern c

Find this episode and all episodes at the page for Cider Chat's podcasts. Prevention & Correction of Sulfur-Off Odors in Cider Production was presented by Rebecca deKramer, cider specialist at Scott Laboratories at CiderCon2018. Become an eCiderNews subscriber to download the Power Point Presentation that goes along with this presentation. Click download This chat begins at approximately 9 minutes in. Rebecca presents on the following topics Defining Sulfur-Off Odors Causes of Sulfur-Off Odors Methodologies for preventing Sulfur-Off Odor formation Methodologies for correcting Sulfur-Off Odors What kind of strains of yeast to use Temperature for fermentation How much yeast to use? Chemical Elements impacting cider Sulfur - H2S (hydrogen sulfur) mercaptans from by the break down of certain amino acids if they oxidize, Dimethyl sulfide (DMS) or methylthiomethane is an organosulfur compound with the formula (CH3)2S can be produced. DMS is aromatic and can not easily be removed by copper - Rebekka speaks o

The main chat with Gitche Gumee begins at 12:00 minutes. Please Help Support Cider Chat Please donate today. Help keep the chat thriving! _________________________________ Cider pairs well with food, especially Ethiopian dishes that have spicy overtones. In this chat, Phillip Kelm and I were both attending CiderCon2018 in Baltimore thus the opportunity to dine at Ebenezer’s Ethiopian Restaurant and chat cider. This restaurant was chosen because it offered a Bring Your Own Bottle (BYOB) option. I wanted to be able to try Phillip’s bottle of Entropy while dining. Phillip begins with a pour of the “wild ferment” Entrophy. We delve into his early beginnings in fermentation science... He started fermenting when he was 16 saying, “I couldn’t buy beer, but could buy a beer kit.” .. something that Phillip learned in Mother Earth News. He became a mechanical engineer and first worked in the nuclear industry before moving onto brewing. For most of his career he has been setting up brewing systems around the world via

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. ______________________________ In 2000 Rob Miller and his family moved to Frederick County, Maryland after having bought the property that is now called Distillery Lane Ciderworks via an auction. With cider on their mind they immediately got to work creating an 11 acre orchard by planting apple trees In 2010, Distillery Lane Ciderworks began selling "hard cider" commercially. Some of the varieties found in the orchard. Tremlett's Bitter Bulmers Norman Porters Perfection Kingston Black Visiting Distillery Lane Ciderworks This cidery does offer tours. Golf flags are set up throughout the orchard where you can stop and read about apple and cidermaking. Stop in an shop - there is a cider store where you can try samples of nearly all the ciders made. Where to find/buy Distillery Lane ciders? Baltimore and DC Virgnina West Virginia Pennsylvania Tour the or

Find this episode with complete show notes & photos and all episodes at the page for Cider Chat's podcasts. _____________ Rick Moreno opened the doors of Newtopia Cyder in San Diego County California in January 2017. He comes into the trade as an entrepreneur and owner of Tornado Seattle, a bar with a craft beer and spirits focus, also serving cider and food. Say’s Rick of his new venture with Newtopia Cyder that is both a cidery with Tastig Room, we are “making our own new American style”. He takes an engaging approach to educating and meeting the San Diego beer palate by having a set standard flight of ciders called “Four Core” Rick says, “I created a Four Core (flight of ciders) that hits every part of your palate. We use old world wine processes and blend them with new world beer ingredients” One side of the cidery is flanked with stainless steel tanks for making modern ciders. This variety can be made in 4-6 weeks and usually have a fruit or flavored component. The wall on the other side of the cider

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. Listen also at iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher (for Android), iHeartRadio and Spotify or wherever you love to listen to podcasts. Follow on twitter @ciderchat Baltimore Speaks Cider recaps this podcaster's travel to CiderCon, while at CiderCon and the trip home from CiderCon. I left on Sunday (Day 1) traveling as far as Bethlehem PA. The next day Monday (Day 2) I was set to meet with Joe Getz of Kurant Cider at the Free Will Brewing Company in Perkasie PA. Joe and I sipped on cider and visited the barrel room. From Kurant, I headed straight to Frederick Maryland. That evening I was pulled over by Officer Kind. A fun little story - that I will save for you to listen to in the podcast. Day 3 - I headed to Distillery Land CiderWorks - to record a podcast and also had a chance to see Chuck Shelton of Albemarle CiderWorks in Virginia. After lunch I headed into Ba

Lee Reeve arrived in Japan in 2003 as an artist from the United Kingdom Today in Yokohama, he is still crafting his magician skills, but his love of cider has led him into Japan’s growing cider market. We chat on the current pulse of cider in the country and what Lee is doing to help inspire cider  makers and consumers alike. And: What kind of apples are used in Japan to make cider and is this changing. French vs English cider Cider events in Japan Lee sees that cider being package in primarily large bottles 750ML as a deterrent to the general public at large not reaching for cider when it is only packaged in large bottles And, the world “cider” in Japan usually refers to a carbonated alcopop versions of cider. Yet, there are many French cidres (the Japanese do use this kind of spelling widely for cider) available, but as mentioned, Lee being from Scotland means he obviously has a hankering for ciders styles that harken back to his homeland. All this cider love lead Lee to meeting Clive Poole the owner of t

Jake Mann’s family legacy goes back to the early days of the Apple growing in the California. His parent’s ranch Five Mile Orchard is a locally known historical location, where his great, great grandfather Sam L. Mann settled and built the apple storage facility and orchard in the early 1920’s. The family ranch is located five miles north of the city of Watsonville, thus the name, “Five Mile Orchard”. 17 varieties of apples are grown with the majority being Newtown Pippin. The Gravenstein apple is the first variety on the market in late July, followed by Gala, Golden, Red Delicious, Winter Banana, Bellefleur, Mutsu, Empire, Granny Smith and the Newtown Pippin. In this chat we tour the Apple Storage facility at Sam L Mann Co and ride out into the orchard. Sam L Mann Co provides apples to the following cideries. Rider Ranch Cider Co. Listen to Eric and Katie Ride on episode 110 Santa Cruz Cider Co. Listen to Nicole Todd on episode 60 Tanuki Cider Co. Listen to Robby Honda on episode 103 https://www.lassencider