Cider Chat

Kurant Cider co-owner and head cidermaker, Joe Getz’s business is expanding, just after one year into producing cider commercially in the eastern region of Pennsylvania outside of Philadelphia. Besides making cider at Kurant, Joe is also the Vice President of the Pennsylvania Cider Guild, the commonwealth’s organizing body for cider producers and apple growers in PA. Cidermaker Joe Gertz Kurant Cider In this Cider Chat  Kurant ciders and why he calls them untypical American style ciders. Finding a home for a cider via one brewery to another. A new move to Perkasie, Pennsylvania into Free-Will Brewing Company is the newest location. In 2016, Kurant is looking to ferment 1500-2000 gallons of cider. They source local juice and are able to make cider year-round. Find their cider on draft. Kurant Ciders, on draft Daily 5.5% Earth 5.5% Bees 5.5% Tropic 5.5% Farm 5.5% Cafe’ 3.5% Spice 5.5% Contact info for Kurant Cider Kurant Cider has closed its doors  Mentions in this Cider Chat Pennsylvania Cider Gui

Mechanical engineer and entrepreneur Ryal Schallenberger is helping cidermakers throughout the northwest by providing a mobile juicing service. He drives truck and trailer right in to the orchard and in 30-minutes is ready to start moving through 3 bins of apples an hour with a yield of 150-200 gallons of juice per hour. Northwest Mobile Juicing offered services to cidermakers for the first time in 2015 and there is no looking back. Ryal The Road to Mobil Juicing In 2016, Ryal is looking at expanding his portfolio of juicing trailers. This will require dedicated trailers in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and a fixed location in Montana. Ryal’s truck circa 2016 In this Cider Chat Ryal explains the juicing process from start to finish including the cost for starting up such a service. How it all began – It most likely started in Germany with innovation from the likes of Kreuzmayr Northwest Mobile Juicing provides: Pressing Pasteurization Packaging Inside a Mobile Juicing trailer Contact for Northwest Mo

Who is Randall Grahm Randall Grahm has been rocking the world of winemaking for over 30 years. He began commercially selling wine under the Bonny Doon Vineyard label in 1983 when he opened the winery’s tasting room in the hills north of Santa Cruz, California in the village of Boony Doon. He authored Been Doon So Long : A Randall Grahm Vinthology (2012), and has the title and responsibilities of being President for life of Bonny Doon Vineyard. He is a four time winner of the James Beard Award. Randall Grahm Randall’s accomplishments in the world of wine are as unique as the man himself. •    Aptly titled the Rhone Ranger of California for his work with Rhone varietals. •    Pioneered the use of screw on caps on premium wines. Read the most recent list of Randall Grahm’s accolades. In this Cider Chat While I have long enjoyed Bonny Doon wines, I was in Santa Cruz to chat with Randall about Bonny Doon cider •    2013 Querry – 750ml is made with pear, apple and quince •    Winter Nélis Sparkling Perry Both of

Wooden barrels are so 2014. What is old is new again as Castle Hill Cider has brought to the states an ancient fermenting vessel that was used for over 7000 years. Qvevri or Kvevri, as it is called on this Virginia estate, is best known to winemakers in the Georgia Republic. Traditional Methods for Fermentation from the Georgia Republic Where is the Georgia Republic? It is in Europe and lies to the south of Russia and to the north of Turkey.The Georgia Republic has a sprawling cave monastery from the 12th century called Vardzia and a wine growing region of Kakheti. Find out more about Georgia’s Qvevri traditional winemaking. The Castle Hill Cider Kvervi upon arrived! In this Cider Chat with Cellar Master Geoff Robinson Castle Hill Cider imported 9 kvevris from the Georgia Republic Only one broke in transit A Kvevri ranges in size from 250 gallons to 60 and 75 gallons These clay pots are buried in the ground with only the opening accessible via a small chimney. A Honey glaze is often used inside the pot

Utrecht cider importer Margot Sanderse brings in ciders from the UK and Wales via her mobile bar and online shop Het Ciderhuis. She is an entrepreneur who is touting cider to the Dutch and slowly helping transform their palate. Margot Sanderse | Het Ciderhuis Utrecht is between 30-40 minutes from Amsterdam, and is a bustling arts city. Bars that serve cider mentioned by Margot Cafe de Zaak Cafe de Rat Den Haag a.k.a. The Hague Den Haag is best known for its International Court of Justice, and because of the presence of so many international embassies, it is also a hot spot for food and drinks. Margot recommended in The Hague the following 2 bars serving cider. Fiddler Cafe de Paas Contact Info Margot Sanderse |Het Ciderhuis Website: https://www.hetciderhuis.nl/over-het-ciderhuis/interviews-artikelen-het-ciderhuis/interviews-artikelen-het-ciderhuis-2/ Mentions in this Cider Chat The Club de Keet where this recording took place is no longer open – Massi is still in Amsterdam and the big hare that was

Who is Angry Orchard? Angry Orchard is the #1 cider brand in the US and there is a very good reason why it holds this coveted place. Undoubtedly, being a subsidiary of Boston Beer Company means connections to Jim Koch’s brewery empire a.k.a. Samuel Adams Boston Lager. But to think that Angry Orchard is merely tapping into the US cider mania would be short sighted. yes – this is exactly how the Angry Orchard entrance looks – no photoshop! Back History on Angry Orchard Boston Beer Co. has been researching cider since the early 2000s with the help of Alan Tringham, a retired cidermaker from the European brand known as Bulmers. I had the opportunity to meet Grant Wood from Boston Beer Co. who was working with Tringham at the time to “create the perfect cider for the American public”. They both stopped by my cidermaking workshop at CiderDays back in 2004. Hoo wee! Imagine presenting cidermaking to the likes of the now late Alan Tringham. Angry Orchard Inovation Center and Cider House, Walden NY the first cid

Les Vergers de la Colline, Quebec Now Cidrerie Milton This epsiode was recorded in person with the team at that time of this Quebec based cidery. Note: The name of this cidery has changed since the time of this recording. This was in part due to the the difficulty of pronouncing Les Vergers de la Colline. So the owners took on the town name and shorten it all to Ciderie Milton! I, Ria, had the pleasure of interviewing four guys from Quebec who are passionate about cider making. Quebec is a french speaking province so were quite kind in helping each other and helping me understand what they are making at Les Vergers de la Colline. I know you will enjoy this Cider Chat! Cider making Team Les Vergers de la Colline of Quebec Canada Les Vergers de la Colline opened in 2003 and is now called Ciderie Milton Ciderie Milton’s team The team is headed by Marc -Antoine Lasnier, whose family owns this Quebec cidery. Marc’s family has been growing apples since 1926. They made cider during the Canada’s prohibition and it

David and son Robert have spearheaded an organically certified cidery right in the heart of the wine country in California. Sonoma Cider is located in Healdsburg California, a bit east and north of San Francisco in the a region well known to wine connoisseurs. David was a commercial winemaker for 20 years and the first commercial cidermaker in California back in 1992.  He and Robert opened Sonoma Cider in 2013. Says David, "We are making cider for the Millennials." But don't read to deeply into that statement because Sonoma Cider is a delicious cider for all generations and new cider drinkers will be impressed by their range of offerings. In this chat David discusses: Cider nomenclature and how it impacts consumer education US Cider Makers Association  Cider Con Cider Act Cidermaker or Cidermaster The Cider Certification Program Sonoma Cider's Cider Club And Sonoma Cider's love of good comedy...I asked David for a good cider joke and am still waiting....If you have one, please send it to ria@ci

Paul Zocco, of Zok’s Homebrewing and Winemaking, is a 12 time winner of the title “New England Cidermaker of the Year” and he is discussing  cider recipes and trends in this episode. Paul Zocco, New England Cidermaker of the Year with Ria Paul has been running Zok’s Homebrewing and Winemaking Shop for the past 16 years. Over that time he has seen a growth of the homebrew shift from beer to cider grow exponentially. In this episode, Paul chats... Pasteurized versus not pasteurized apple juice How to choose sweet cider from a cider mill ...Go to the cider mill and buy a pint of the fress pressed juice. Go out to the parking lot and try it. If it is good, go back and make a deal to buy 5 gallons. It is simple as that. What does Paul uses to chop up his apples? Answer: A machete Paul chats about Angry Orchard, Woodchuck and their sweet ciders…and the benefit for new drinkers of cider. Listen to Paul describe how to make classic New England Cider: Key additives: Brown Sugar and Raisins Links or Cidermaker's m

President John Adams chats cider & podcasting! Cider Chat MC Ria chats with the 2nd US President John Adams about cider and podcasting - via this mini promo/spoof for "Thanks, Podcasting".  Welcome to “Thanks, Podcasting!” where you’ll get to hear stories of inspiration, transformation and impact because of podcasting. My name is Ria Windcaller from Cider Chat over at CiderChat.com Listen to the Bubbling Carboys in the background That bubbling in the background is the sound of sweet, fresh pressed apple juice transforming into qualfable cider or what some folks in the US call hard cider. It is a fact of US history and World history that cider has been both an inspirational drink that has transformed the lives of many.  John Adams who was both a founding Father and became the 2nd president of the United State and who worked with Thomas Jefferson on the Declaration of Independence was known to have a pint of cider every single day. And, I am sure if John Adams was joining me on this special edition of “Tha

Gunn and White on a Cider Road Trip Nick Gunn of Anthem Cider and Wandering Aengus in Oregon (as of 2024 both cideries have closed – Nick is now with BenchGraft a cider consulting business) and Dave White, Whitewood Cider in Washington sat back for a chat about west coast ciders and the cider trend in the US Nick Gunn has been in the cider business for eleven years working two labels: Anthem Cider and Wandering Anegus. He is married to Mimi Casteel the winemaker and member of the founding family at Bethel Heights Vineyard. Says Nick, “Winemaking is basically same thing as cider making. We are making a tank fermented chardonnay more or less, but are using apples instead of grapes.” Dave White started the cider blog “Old Time Cider Blog” years ago, but knew he was always destine to make his own cider commercially. He launched Whitewood Cider Company, in Olympia Washington in 2012. Dave describes Whitewood as a nano cidery. l to r, Dave White of Whitewood Cider Co. Olympia Oregon and Nick Gunn of Anthem Cider &

Robert Colnes, of New Salem Preserves wanted to build a ciderhouse for the farm's bountiful orchard. Little did he know when he started that he was on journey that would take him two years to complete. New Sale Preserves is situated on the edge of the Quabbin Reservoir, which provides drinking water for the city of Boston. Robert tells his tale of what it took to jump through the federal, state and local hoops to build the ciderhouse. Carol B. Hillman the owner of New Salem Preserves wanted to maintain the aesthetic of the old New England homestead. By the way, Carol is an author and her recent book Sense of Place is a photographic book of the farm and show's her warmth and connection to the place. She also has an amazing cookbook for Garlic lovers.  Contact Carol directly, if you are interested in either books, via the link to New Salem Preserves. I hope you enjoy this special tale as Robert and I journey into the orchard and out to the Ciderhouse. Please follow us along on Twitter @ciderchat Find photos and

Wouter Bijl's opened CiderCider in 2009 online and then as the first cider store for the Netherlands. The Dutch can now proudly proclaim cider has arrived. Proost! This cider chat goes back and forth to the US to the Netherlands discussing the range of the ciders available, country styles, and the current and future state of cider in the Netherlands. Wouter is a cider importer who is helping cider get its footing in the land of tulips and cheese. Grab a glass and join the chat! on twitter @ciderchat

Field Maloney of West County Cider Field Maloney of West County Cider Terry, Judith and Field Maloney – American Cider Pioneers West County Cider, of Colrain Massachusetts was one of the very first producers of cider post prohibition in the US, starting back in 1984. Terry Maloney made the cider on the side while continuing to work as head of the local hospital’s ER. Terry Maloney He and wife Judith worked tirelessly selling their notable ciders and were founders of a yearly event in November called CiderDays one of the first cider fests in the US (1994-2019). In 2020, CiderDays felt the weight of the pandemic and muddled leadership that pressed the organizing Committee to dissolved. Before West County became named a cidery It was a long road for the family, even with write ups in the New York Times and Ebony magazine touting their ciders. Just as cider was beginning its long awaited comeback, tragedy struck the family in 2010. Terry died when a valve released on a tank of gas throwing him back into

Welcome! Let’s begin the journey to Ciderville! Interviewing cidermakers importers, orchardists, foodies, farmers and cider enthusiasts around the world. Let’s delve into the semantics of cider…or is it hard cider, cidre, sidra or fermented apple juice? The truth is out there in Ciderville and we are going to find it. We toast in celebration of cider; As a libation, a gift from the gods, a taste of terroir, and a hard pressed good time. Ready to quench your thirst? Grab a glass and join this chat!