Pre-conference PDX Audio Clips – Cider Chat Live 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 … Read more
The Vodraska Brothers Chris & Matt of Bent Ladder In the midst of a rich farming legacy emerged Bent Ladder Cider and Wine, based in Doylestown Ohio. Chris and younger brother Matt Vodraska are following in their father Dale’s footsteps. Chris is the orchardist and viticulturist and Matt is the cidermaker. The farm is the … Read more
Meet Chris Rylands of Renaissance Orchards First there was Cider Supply and then Chris founded Renaissance Orchards with his wife Melinda. This move was a natural progression of a series of events that include resources needed for making a keeved cider and the thirst for a particular style of cider. The orchards and the Rylands … Read more
Searching for Cider’s Universal Life Force a.k.a: Ki Of course Cider has Ki , as it is related to the Japanese martial art Aikido. It all began when four words “Bravey, Wisdom, Love and Friendship” were spoken at New York Apple Camp in the summer of 2023. Apple Historian, author and well known apple detective … Read more
Cedar Hannan began selling his ciders branded as “Wildbranch” in 2020 He both forages apples and has a small orchard planted that he planted four years ago on his farm based in Craftsbury, Vermont. The ciders are both wild ferments and occasionally have cultured yeasts too. He sells locally at Vermont farmers markets and doesn’t … Read more
Meet the Madrids of Press Then Press Storie Madrid first connected with Ria at Cider Chat via Twitter. In this niche market it is easy to get close to people of similar interests and passions. Storie has recently found out that she was gluten intolerant and was jumping down into the cider rabbit hole! Husband … Read more
Four Phantoms Learning from Historical Ferments Head Brewer and owner Drew Phillips of Four Phantoms Brewery in Greenfield Massachusetts spoke on Folks Traditions and the Co-Fermentation of Wort and Apple Juice and a co-ferment called Old Gods (8.0%). There were two talks on the subject, with the first being November 3rd and the second on … Read more
Cider Pairing with Food “One must taste, taste, taste to know.” say maker Eric Bordelet when pairing food with cider. Yes, it is not as simple as seeing the menu, but also knowing how both the Chefs in the kitchen and the Maker in the cidery work with their ingredients at hand. In this Cider … Read more
Normandy to Brittany on the French Cider Tour The 2022 French Cider Tour that took travelers from across North America on a trip of a life time was a trip of a life time. Not only were the apple and pear trees laden with fruit, but the hot and humid weather pattern finally broke and … Read more
How the Laird Family honed the making of Apple Jack In Part 1 of this two part series on Laird’s & Company, we met with 9th generation Lisa Laird Dunn. Lisa is the COO and Global Ambassador of this family business. In that episode #333 Lisa shared the family’s 324 year history beginning in 1698 … Read more
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