Cider Chat

The Publican at Tattiebogle CiderWorks Cidermaker Curt Henry has been envisioning a future cidery in Acme Pennsylvania overlooking the lowland valley in southwestern portion of this commonwealth for years.  In 2017 he had already planted a cider orchard on the site and this year the tasting room at Tattiebogle opened to the public. As Curt says, "This isn't my first rodeo (read: running a successful enterprise)" and it shows as this modern and traditional cidery continues to grow with big plans for expansion in the coming year. Not everyone can embody the role of a Publican, because it requires not only taking ownership of a bar, but also offering up a welcoming site and actually being on site to greet patrons. Curt does it all! What to expect at Tattiebogle Modern and Traditional cider on tap and to go Indoor and outdoor seating A spectacular view A hitching post for your horse Pulbican Curt Henry https://ciderchat.com/290tattiebogle/ Contact for Tattiebogle Ciderworks Website: https://www.tattieboglecid

The Makers at Big Hill Ciderworks Troy Lehman and Ben Kishbaugh are long time friends who originally met while working in the automotive industry. Years later they team up on a very new career path as cidermakers! Both men were not originally orchardist, but that didn't stop them from purchasing farms about a 1/2 mile apart (as the crow flies). Troy purchased his farm in 2010 and Ben's family moved into their farm/orchard in 2013. Troy Lehman ] Ben Kishbaugh   Falling for Cider at Big Hill Originally Troy and Ben had gotten into cider with the hope that the cider market was going to continue to grow and that it was a sure fire slam dunk. They then found out you have to be in this business for the long run verses short term.  "Cider is the road less traveled", says Troy, "And that is the one I usually take." Topics in the Chat Cider market today Building a destination cidery vs growing out and expanding Favorite ciders Fermenting wild barrel aging Big Hill bottles to go[   Big Hill tap list July 2021 Men

Who is Spacetime Mead & Cider Works Dan Schreffler had been home brewing and fermenting for many years before opening Spacetime Mead & Cider Works in 2018. He is a self proclaimed science nerd, which is part of the reason why he went with the name "Spacetime" (listen to the full story behind his fantastic branding in this episode).  After beating a cancer diagnosis in 2010, he began wondering what the new 2.0 model of Dan would be moving forward. He said there are 2 side effects from cancer. Patience and Perspective. He and his wife took a cross country trip and made many stops along the libations trail across the US and saw the happiness in people’s eye who were making mead and said to himself, “I can do this!” A bit of Mead, Wine and Cider at Spacetime Spacetime is located right on the main drag going through the town of Dunmore, Pennsylvania. It is a lovely shop that has an amazing amount of Cider, Mead and Wine available on site. You can place an order ahead for pick up or have the product shipped

"Every hand that touches the apple has a story to tell." Who is Elizabeth Ryan? She is the founder of Hudson Valley Farmhouse Cider, but that is only part of the story. At heart she is a farmer having grown up in Iowa on a family farm. She moved east to Ithaca to study at Cornell University to originally study engineering. Life had other plans for her and she soon found herself involved in farm activism and food rights which eventually led her switching her study to the Pomology at Cornell. In 1977 she left Cornell to work in Washington DC to work with communities on food sustainability. Elizabeths network in the food scene and farming inspired her to move back to Cornell and finish her degree and get her own farm. Elizabeth and Farming In 1984, Elizabeth and then husband Peter bought a farm on the east side of the Hudson River called Breezy Hill. Today Breezy Hill has a tasting room (that will reopen post the pandemic), a cidermaking production room and a large orchard. In addition to Breezy Hill, the Hudso

The quest to find the Language of Cider Richie Brady is a graduate of the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) who also happens to have a love of cider. This scholarly Irishman used his shelter in place time during Covid to take a deep dive into cider's history on the Emerald Isle where the first known writings on cider dates back to 1115! On this journey to he has found that cider and wine both share a similar fate - there is no absolute language to describe the fermented juice of apples and grapes. The questions become one of defining "How to taste cider" and as such how does one delineate and then describe the wide range of cider styles. He found that the lexicon of cider like wine still has a long way to go as it develops a vocabulary. In short, there is no common lexicon or language for cider. In this chat we discuss: The Brehon Laws which are first set down on parchment in the 7th century and were named after wanderings lawyers, the Brehons. The Brehon Laws include details on the top trees to honor

Who is Cider Chat? In Part 4 of this series on Cider's Media it is time to talk about Cider Chat - the podcast that is hosting this series! As you listen to this episode you will hear Ria discussing and reading from her interview for RealBrew a magazine that features Cider in one issue per year. Note RealBrew publishes their hard copy magazine 6 times per year. The heading of the interview is: Cider Chat - A Touch of Experience The story about one of the most famous talk projects dedicated to cider. I am a fan of quality libations and come from a family that upholds the tradition to starting each holiday gathering with a raised glass and toast. As a child I was taught that it was an honor to drink with my grandfathers and not one that they nor I abused or took for granted. These same grandfathers were at one time known as Bootleggers during Prohibition and my paternal grandfather always had a barrel of cider at his farm. The apple tree in his backyard had 5 different varieties grafted onto that one tree and

Who is Cider Scene? Identical twins Trevor and Nolan O'Malley launched Cider Scene in 2016. They describe it as not quite a publication, but more of a "focused blog", marketing company, and a little bit of a publication. Cider Scene is designed for the average drinkers who like a little bit of everything. Nolan and Trevor It all began with a winning ticket The O'Malley's entered a contest to win tickets to CiderStock a summer cider and music festival hosted by Woodchuck Cider Company in Vermont. Thus began the deep dive into cider and also propelled them to start their cider news blog. Cider Scene Publishing Schedule and Topics Subscribe to get the Tuesday and Thursday postings of Cider Scene in your mailbox. Sign up for Cider Scene's biweekly newsletter by going to the site and signing up. Find profiles of cidermakers Travel tips Cider Reviews Pairing cider with food Cider Cocktails Contact for Cider Scene website: https://www.ciderscene.com/ Mentions in this Chat Northwest Cider Club - cider from th

Who is Cidercraft Magazine Cidercraft Magazine was launched in 2014 and provides a wide array of articles on the topic of cider. Kristin Ackerman Bacon the Founder of Cidercraft is not a newbie to the publishing world having worked in the field for 20 years and this magazine is not her only publication. She along with her sister Melissa Ackerman Miller, started SIP Magazine which is geared towards wine enthusiasts in 2010. Kristin credits James Coan of Wandering Aengus Cider (Oregon) who at the time was also the President of the United States Association of Cider Makers (now known as the American Cider Association) for encouraging her to start Cidercraft. Kristin Ackerman Bacon Cidercraft today Initially Cidercraft had 2 print issues per year. Today there is one hard copy issue sent out in January and 4 digital issues per year. The January issue is meant to coincide with the ACA's annual trade conference CiderCon which is held in late January or early February each year. Who is the Audience? Unlike SIP

Who is Cider Culture Mary Bigham Owner and Publisher of Dishworks LLC, founded Cider Culture in 2014 which is an online publication that has weekly cider news post for newbie cider fans to commercial makers. Mary is a Pennsylvanian who also happens to live in the largest apple growing region of the state, Adams County. Cider Culture is her passion project and having recently partnered with the American Cider Association (ACA), a US based trade organization, all proceeds once bills are paid go directly to the ACA. [caption id="attachment_6369" align="aligncenter" width="224"] Mary Bigham Emily Kovach is the Editor of Cider Culture and also has been living in Pennsylvania since 2004. Along with her work as editor she is also the co-owner of Lunar Inn and Tiny Bottle Shop in Philadelphia. [caption id="attachment_6368" align="aligncenter" width="214"] Emily Kovach What's offered in this online Cider News Cider News Cider Cocktails Recipes Meet the Cidermakers Cider Education Cider Reviews In this episode We dis

Cider Fueled Road Trip Day 1 We begin the road trip in New York state on the west side of the Hudson River at Stone Ridge Orchards one of the three farms that is under the umbrella of Hudson Valley Farmhouse Cider. The other two orchards are Breezy Hill, on the east side of the Hudson River and Drumlin located in Milton, NY, on the west side of the Hudson River. I first meet Ted Knight at the Stone Ridge farm shop, who shows me a beautiful view of Stone Ridge Orchards and then I am off with Elizabeth Ryan, a Cornell trained Pomologist and a champion of orchards and farms in the region along with being a cidermaker and so much more via her business Hudson Valley Farmhouse Cider. Ria in the Cider Mobile[/caption] Road Trip Day 2 On ward to Pennsylvania with a stop at Spacetime Mead and Cider Works located in Dunmore. I was so happy to finally have a chat, taste some cheese and tour his front storefront and the backroom cidery with Dan Schreffler That evening I camped in my  Cider Mobile and was able to enjoy t

Grab the slippers, the house is on fire! In February of 2021, Nicole and Felix Todd had a chimney fire at the their home and the damage done made it unlivable. Having a fire even in the best of times is an ordeal, but during a pandemic is a whole other ball of wax. Felix ran out of the house in his socks, because fires are that scary and when it is raining embers you don't have time to lace up your boots. Which is why he ended up wearing a pair of slippers that evening after the Cal Firefighters brought him a choice of Nicole's Doc Martens (boots) and her fuzzy slippers. Later they learned that was a bit of firefighter humor. But that is only part of the story for this endearing couple. I first met the Todds back in 2015 when I record episode 60 featuring the cidery that Nicole and her sister Natalie founded called Santa Cruz Cider Company. Today, the cidery has a Tasting Room located 1 minute from Highway 1, which is the coastal route that stretches along the coast. It is open Friday, Saturdays and Sundays a

An Apology? By a Cider Judge Busted! I am the cider judge who has been holding onto a memory from nearly 20 years ago. At that time there were very few commercial makers of cider and in turn there were very few entries into competitions. The apology stems from my time back then when I was one of the rare cider judges here in the states, thinking I knew something about cider. Looking back now I keep repeating the same phrase - "I wish I knew then, What I know now... about cider." The competition was called the Great International Beer & Cider Competition, but honestly I don't think cider was even included in the name in 2003 or 2004.  Despite that, we had three ciders to judge and likely 300+ beers. Why an Apology? Up to that point I had only tasted cider made here in the states. Despite having 10 years of experience with cider, I had no idea what a Normandy apple or cider tasted like. UK ciders were definitely not a thing in the US and are only recently becoming more available. It is only more recently th

Gone Fishing Ok, so maybe I'm not full on fishing this week, but if I get a chance you know where I will be - out on the water with my fishing pole...actually the heat is so high this week that maybe I will just take a floaty and leave the pole home. Cider Chat will return with another mini episode on July 7th. Find out in this episode what I have been doing since episode 277 and where we will be going next! Meanwhile down by the Fishing Hole There are nearly 300 episodes for your listening pleasure at the Cider Chat archive pages https://ciderchat.com/podcast/ 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 , Spotify and wherever you love to listen to podcasts. Follow on Cider Chat's blog, social media and podcast Twitter @ciderchat Instagram: @ciderchatciderville Cider Chat FaceBook Page Cider Chat YouTube  

Getting Cider into the Spotlight This episode is Part 4 of the 4 Part series from CraftCon 2021 panel discussion on Bringing the Bellies to the Bar. In Part 1 we discussed "Who is Cider's Audience?" and "Who would you like the Audience to be?". In Part 2 we delved into Strategy for marketing cider. In Part 3 we we hear what both entices the panelist and what is disagreeable or in other words - Are you tempted by cider? In this episode we finish up this 4 part series by sharing our tips on how makers can get their cider into the "Spotlight" or "How do you catch the attention of Cider Writers, Podcasters, Pommeliers and bottle shop owners?" Listen to : Part 1 of this 4-part series by going to episode 274: Cider's Audience. Part 2 at 275: Cider Strategy Part 3 at 276: Tempted by Cider This recording took place at the virtual conference hosted by the Three Counties Perry and Cider Association  in April 2021. Ticket holders to this conference can view the entire conference on line. For this panel, I (Ria) moder

Tempted by Cider This episode is Part 3 of the 4 Part series from CraftCon 2021 panel discussion on Bringing the Bellies to the Bar. In Part 1 we discussed "Who is Cider's Audience?" and "Who would you like the Audience to be?". In Part 2 we delved into Strategy for marketing cider. And in this episode we hear what both entices the panelist and what is disagreeable....anyway you slice the apple it is all about - Are you tempted by cider? Listen to Part 1 of this 4-part series by going to episode 274: Cider's Audience. And Part 2 at 275: Cider Strategy This virtual conference was hosted by the Three Counties Perry and Cider Association took place in April 2021. Ticket holders to this conference can view the entire conference on line. For this panel, I (Ria) moderated and spoke with fellow panelist Cath Potter who hails from Manchester, which is North of London. I know Cath best for her enthusiastic good cheer for cider. She is a certified Pommelier and also a member of the UK group called Cider Women. Adam W

Listen to Part 1 of this 4-part series by going to episode 274: Cider's Audience. Brand Strategy for Cider Brand Strategy has the same goal no matter what you are selling. In short it is to get your product or services out in front in the market place. The key is to have a strategy before you hang the "open for business" sign. This episode is Part 2 of a four part series from the panel discussion titled Bring the Bellies to the Bar as presented at CraftCon 2021. This virtual conference was hosted by the Three Counties Perry and Cider Association took place in April 2021. Ticket holders to this conference can view the entire conference on line. For this panel, I (Ria) moderated and spoke with fellow panelist Cath Potter who hails from Manchester, which is North of London. I know Cath best for her enthusiastic good cheer for cider. She is a certified Pommelier and also a member of the UK group called Cider Women. Adam Wells who is a writer and co editor with Cider Review, Graftwood and contributes to Full Juic

Who is your audience? No matter what business venture, knowing your audience (targeted consumers) is key to one's success and is the first topic of conversation for the panel discussion titled Bring the Bellies to the Bar as presented at CraftCon 2021. This virtual conference was hosted by the Three Counties Perry and Cider Association took place in April 2021. Ticket holders to this conference can view the entire conference on line. For this panel, I (Ria) moderated and spoke with fellow panelist Cath Potter who hails from Manchester, which is North of London. I know Cath best for her enthusiastic good cheer for cider. She is a certified Pommelier and also a member of the UK group called Cider Women. Adam Wells who is a writer and co editor with Cider Review, Graftwood and contributes to Full Juice and Distilled Spirits. Nicky Kong, the owner of The Cat in The Glass – which is an online bottle shop selling – of course cider! Please note that I broke this hour long panel discussion into 4 parts Audience St

Climb Every Mountain Wendy LeBlanc and Patrick Mann met in Washington State before moving to Germany to settle into the 1785 homestead owned by Patrick's parents. One would think that living near the 14,000 foot (4267.2 meter) mountains of the Pacific Northwest made this cidermaking couple inured to big mountains. They on the other hand blame the mountainous route over the highest peak in the Black Forest on Google maps, which considering so many other similar GPS gone wrong stories makes the most sense. In this edition of Stories in Ciderville, we get a behind the scene  tale of life as a cidermaking couple, beginning with an adventure in a VW Golf that has a trailer attached and loaded up with barrels. Hey when a good barrel deal comes your way you can't turn it down, even if the biggest snowstorm of the year is waiting for you on the return home. But wait it gets better, as these two makers of 1785 Cider (named after the year the home was built) share a second story of living in a multi generational house

Blend Cider is Like Building an Orchestra Ryan Monkman of FieldBird Cider in Ontario has helped Ria sort through the process of getting cider that has been conditon for over two years into the bottle! Now that we have learned how to make sure the cider is completely fermented, know the exact amount of sugar remaining in the cider and have done the math to determine how much sugar and what kind of yeast to add at the time of bottling to produce sparkling cider it is time to blend or not? Ryan and Nicole Monkman - FieldBird Cider Ryan describes this stage as building an orchestra. Knowing what musicians go well with others is key to making the perfect tune. For cider it means: Pulling samples from all your batches of cider and know that Tannins and acid work well together tannin though can mute aromatics when pushing aromatic - acid helps as does high alcohol Blending Taste Tips When tasting a lot of either sweet, or acid forward ciders the more your palate will become accustom to either profile. Tann

The Yeast and Sugar Slurry Ryan Monkman of FieldBird Cider in Ontario continue on with helping Ria get ready to bottle cider that has been conditioning for over 2 years! In this episode we discuss the amount of sugar to add, what kind of yeast to use and how to make what is known as a "slurry". The slurry - a mixture of water, yeast and sugar But let's first take a couple steps back....to episode 270 where Ryan offered tips for finding out if there is any sugar left in the cider. Knowing if there is any residual sugar even after 24 months is critical, especially if at the time of bottling you plan on adding a bit of what is known as "priming sugar" and yeast to create bubbles for an end product that is sparkling. After all, "bubbles help aromas pop" says Ryan and I certainly enjoy a bit of bubbles too in the glass. If the maker overlooks this step and adds too much sugar, the bottles will potentially over pressurize and may explode! No one in their good mind wants to make what is known as a bottle bomb, as