How to teach Cidermaking 101 is fairly straight forward:
Have on hand:
- Fresh pressed apple juice
- A carboy or some sanitized vessel to hold the juice, with enough room for it to ferment and not bubble over.
- An airlock to release CO2 and keep out Oxygen
That is the basics, but in truth there is more to consider before you start publicizing your Cidermaking workshop.
When Matthew Somerville reached out to me in September 2018 to speak with me on a cidermaking course he was setting up in his area of Ontario (Port Perry), I gladly jumped at the chance to have a chat.
This episode features that conversation as we discuss all the particulars of setting up a cidermaking course for non professionals.
Matthew Somerville and Andy Paul own Two Blokes Cider in Port Perry and Toronto, Canada. Port Perry is a 1 hour drive from Toronto
They are newly licensed in 2019. To prep for that moment they planted 2000 apples trees - cider varieties- in 2015 on a family farm.
What follows below is an overview of tips from our conversation.
How to teach Cidermaking 101
The goal: Make cidermaking as simple as possible.
Basics of what to have on hand
- Recommend 2 demos - one with dry yeast and the other liquid ( recommend sweet mead and making a cyser, by adding up to 3 pound of honey per 5 gallons - the new makers will be pleased with the results. I have found this to be a fail safe cyser to make during demos)
- Have 2 glass carboys pre filed with cider (half filled, so it can be easily moved after the workshop to your cellar)
- Have airlocks pre sanitized and enclosed in a ziplock bag.
- If adding honey (as I usually did with one batch) have a sanitize funnel to make pouring the yeast.
- Have cider on hand for folks to taste and to discuss what you did last year to make that cider. Having a taste of cider will definitely elicit questions.
Options on set up
- pick your own apples and press on site
- do a bulk pressing and prepare the cider before hand by setting up the ph and sulfite before the course begins.
- Ria’s favorite way to go - don’t worry about the ph and don’t worry that the cider is cool. It won’t be absolutely perfect but that is the beauty of cider. Use the fresh pressed juice on hand, plop in the yeast and spend a bit of time on primary fermentation and the first initial racking.
Yeast:
- Pick a yeast that leaves a bit of residual sugar.
- Recommend 2 yeast for a demo
- Sweet Mead Yeast - buy it in liquid form
- And 71B
Be prepared post the workshop for incoming emails as the new cidermakers go home and begin wondering if what they are doing is right.
Final Goal: Have people wanting to keep coming back to cider.
Matthew’s inspirational read for cider making Craft Cider: How to Turn Apples into Alcohol.
Main tips to glean from this chat
- Keep it simple
- Avoid getting too technical
- Entice the newbies to make it not only once but again and again.
Mentions in this Chat
Nigel and Natasa O’Connor of Militsa Apple Cider