July 28th - 30th at the Ashokan Center in the Hudson River Valley (on the west side of river) is the first ever NY Apple Camp!
Elizabeth Ryan of Stone Ridge Orchard who is producing this event catches us up on the scheduled events and talks.
Special Kickoff tour
The weekend begins with an optional tour on Friday focusing on the life of Andrew Jackson Downing. The tour goes to the original site of the Downing Nursery and Downing Park. Then a 2 hour lunch with cider and off to Esopus - where the Esopus Spitzenberg originated from.
Hear about all the great happenings at NY Apple Camp
Meet one half of the family team at Botanist and Barrel
Botanist and Barrel is a family owned and operated cidery. Kether Smith and brother Lyndon and their respective spouses Derick McGuffey and Amie Fields make the magic happen at this eclectic cidery. They began selling cider commercially in 2017 and they all enjoy making cider.
Lyndon Smith and Amie Fields
There are two tasting rooms. Production happens at the Cedar Grove Location and in Asheville you can visit the Botanist and Barrel Tasting Room.
In this Cider Chat
Lyndon and Amie were interviewed while attending CiderCon 2024 in Portland Oregon. They provide tips on how to approach their products when visiting the tasting room.
Meet the Founders of Presque Isle Farm Cider a.k.a PIF
Molly and Dion Stepanski are the founders of of PIF Cider with an inviting Tasting Room located in Alpena, Michigan. They met in New Orleans where Dion was working as a Jazz muscian and Molly in a store. In 2014 they move to farm vegetables at Dion’s family farm in Posen, MI. There they planted a one acre orchard which Dion describes as high density, but not trellised. They sources their apples from Michigan’s TraverseCity area which is to the west of Alpena.
Dion and Molly
From the outset they wanted to make English Style Ciders and by all accounts they are hitting this target straight out producing delectable ciders that please the palate and made this cider podcast host swoon with delight.
In this Cider Chat with PIF Producers
The backstory of PIF and the Stepanski’s journey to cider
Cider making techniques at PIF
Native yeas
Barrel program
Blends and Single varietal
The cider fans of Presque Island and the surrounding area.
What can guests expect when visiting.
How to get PIF products!
PIF Cider Tasted
2022 Farmhouse 8.2%
Kingston Black
Bulmers Norman
Brown Snout
Northern Spy
Label by their son
Kingston Black and Bulmers 50/50
Made in Stainless
Single Varietal Spitzenberg 2021 12.5%
Aged for 2 years in Bourbon Barrel
Clean Ciders meaning pitched yeast
Golden Russet, Harrison blend 9% semi dry
Bulmers Norman and Coxs Orange Pippin
Farmhouse back sweeten with French Bittersweet concentrate
This is in a can and is a slight variation from the 750 ml bottles
Chef Brian Duffy is one of the culinary’s industry’s most dynamic and innovative personalities.
Chef Brian Duffy
With a career that spans decades, He has been captivating audiences with his infectious passion for food and his unique approach to the culinary arts. He is well known for his appearances on the tv and the series “Bar Rescue,” where Chef Duffy helped transform struggling bars, offering expert advice and renovations to revitalize their business and create successful, thriving establishments.
In this episode of Cider Chat we are tapping into Chef’s contemplative side and getting his thoughts on the both cooking with cider and pairing cider with food.
In this Cider Chat with Chef Brian Duffy
We taste through 4 ciders
Sweet
Coyote Verde 4.25% Back Sweetened Tart Granny Smith Apple
Let’s talk PH when pairing cider – Most bars serve high acid pub food/dishes with drinks. For those who want to balance acid and alkaline offerings, what are the options? Looking for pub/restaurant dishes that you would recommend.
3 tips for a success restaurant or cidery serving food
This episode is a special valentine to Ciderville with a little bit of help from the Talking Pommes and an eventful appearance by The Nose!
We are in the Cider House reviewing the last year and have written a special card to everyone out there in your special spot in Ciderville.
In this episode we say good bye to Season 8 while reviewing the uniques of cider, what we all need to do to keep relationships in Ciderville healthy, and how to help keep cider going up a.k.a #ciderGoingUP.
In Strängnäs Sweden, circa 2017, Johan Sjöstedt, Oskar Palm, and Patrik Svensk began selling ciders commercially under their brand Pomologik. They didn’t set out to make low alcohol cider nor even non alcoholic cider when they started, but a lot can change in a few short years.
Johan
In this Cider Chat
John Sjöstedt’s journery to cider
How a US cider bar encouraged Swedish cider makers
How a cider purist can shift perspective
Low alcohol by volume (ABV) ciders and Non Alcohol Ciders in Sweden
Saint Peterburg on Florida’s West Coast Welcomes Green Bench
Green Bench can boast being a microbrewery, meadery, and cidery in a region where palm trees rule! Despite that small inconvenience of no apples trees to speak of growing in Florida, maker Brian Wing has been rolling out the cider barrels since 2015. Green Bench itself has been producing select beers beginning in 2013.
Brian Wing
In this Cider Chat with Maker Brian Wing
Fermenting in Florida. Where is the production facility located. (Webb’s City Cellar?)
How did this all come about? Brewing begins in 2013 then 6 yrs later (2019) cider & mead.
Brian’s journey to cider
What are the challenges of cider making in FL (resourcing from…NY…)
Who are the cider fans in St. Peterburg and the surrounding area. Has this changed since you opened and if so, how.
Training of staff to pour and discuss cider – loved how you were planning for this on the tour
What can guest expect when visiting.
Is there a flagship cider that one should try first?
Malus is the Flagship cider – try this one first!
Cider styles and techniques
Fermenting with fruits from Florida for co-ferments
Florida honey ferments
Filtering using a centrifuge
Barrel program
Cider Tasted During this Interview
Chaconne
A dry cider made by Green Bench Brewing Company. It’s made with Wickson Crab, Yates, and Harrison apples, and has an ABV of 6.4%
Sean Kelly founded Wildcraft Cider Works in 2014. His journey to cider making began in 2008. It follows his botanicals passion, quest for tree resources & conservation, in concert with travels to Latin America where he learned how to ferment. He honors the preservation and the medicinal value of the plants and does a mighty fine job of capturing the essence of a wide variety of pomes, grapes and botanicals in the glass.
This Cider Chat Live features clips from CiderCon 2024 which took place in Portland, Oregon. What was particularly unique about this year was the ice storm that took place.
Pictured below is a car driven from the border of Oregon and California to PDX. It is incased in ice and is a testament of just how ferocious the storm was. Despite the ice, the cider kept pouring.
Enjoy this Cider Chat Live
Ander's car and its Ice Cap when he arrived at the main hotel
Bookmark this episode for loads of Portland Oregon a.k.a. PDX Tips
Oregon Cider Week and CiderCon 2024 are all converging in PDX and this episodes has all the tips you need arrive and hit the ground running. Portland resident Sean Connolly, who is also known as Cider Experience on Instragram and Facebook has delivered big time with tons of tips and insider knowlege to help everyone feel like a local.
Sean Connolly
In this Cider Chat on PDX Tips
Temperature
Highs 47 degrees
50/50 chance of rain or sunny
Bring layers
What to wear
Jeans and plaids work
Casual dress code and functional
PDX Tips to look like a local: Loose the umbrella and let your hair get wet! When using an umbrella, it is obvious you are from out of town!
Transportation
Airport (PDX) to CiderCon – The Met Red line is not in service beginning January 14th. Service will be still provided via shuttle buses which will take a bit longer than the 30 minute ride. It is still a great deal at $2.80
Tubing & a clothes pin ( a Ria tip to have on hand for clamping tubing as you go so it can be managed to insure that the tube doesn’t slip down into the lees and stir them up)