
Cider Chat
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! See you in Ciderville!
Latest episodes

Aug 31, 2022 • 1h 2min
334: Laird's & Co. Apple Jack & Brandy Barrel Aging | Part 2
Gerard from Laird's & Co. joins the podcast to discuss the current state and future of the company. They talk about Laird's product line, the oak barrels used for aging, and their Virginia based distillery. They also clarify misconceptions about their Apple Brandy and share plans for a museum and tasting room. If you're interested in the history of Laird's, check out Part 1 in Episode 333.

Aug 24, 2022 • 1h 5min
333: Laird's Apple Distilling History 1698 - 2022 | Part 1
America's Oldest Distillery is Laird's & Company Lisa Laird Dunn and Cider Chat MC Ria Windcaller had a sit down chat at the main offices of Laird's & Company in Scobyville, New Jersey. They met in what was once the Laird's family's home ( a couple generations ago), but which is now the main headquarters for the company. Lisa is a the 9th generation Laird, her son Gerard who you can hear on Part 2 of this two part series and now working on site is a 10th generation Laird. Lisa's father Larrie Laird, who is an 8th generation Laird, will be heard talking about the production and barreling of their apple brandies in Part 2 episode 334. Laird's has the choice position of being America's first licensed distillers (note the No 1 on the door below). The fact that they are well known for their Apple Jack, made back in 1698 and have survived for over 300 years is commendable and speaks volumes of their family and products and is a cider podcaster's dream interview! Laird Family in front of door bearing the distilling licensed No 1! Walls behind is black due old still that was situated next door to this room which released gas that coated the building. l to r - Lisa (9th generation), Larrie (8th generation) , Gerard (10th generation Laird) Larrie, Gerard, Lisa In this chat Lisa Laird Dunn's role at company - Global Ambassador and Chief Operating Officer Historical overview of Laird Family history in distilling to present day Laird Family time line from 1698 to 2022 Did Robert Laird give George Washington the Apple Jack recipe as request and noted in Washington's diary? Getting a federal license to distill during Prohibition Production numbers (capacity) from 1780 to today - to show the growth Family anecdotes of growing up a Laird? Tips on maintaining a family legacy and keeping future generation engaged? Apple Jack distillation technique in 1698 vs today in North The Lisa Cocktail made with Laird's Straight Apple Jack 86 Contact for Laird's & Company Website: https://lairdandcompany.com/ Mentions in this Chat CiderDays 2.0 November 4th & 5th, 2022 Calvados and American Apple Brandy Guided Tasting November 4th CiderDays 2.0 Cider Dinner November 5, 2022 Episode 265 Calvados Tasting with Étienne Dupont | Domaine Dupont 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

Aug 17, 2022 • 55min
332: Cider Planet (2022) w/author Claude Jolicoeur
The inspiration behind Cider Planet With author Claude Jolicoeur on this newest book that is being released on September 23, 2022. Claude has authored to previous books on cider. Du pommier au cidre The New Cider Maker's Handbook Cider Planet: Exploring the Producers, Practices, and Unique Traditions of Craft Cider and Perry from Around In this Chat we discuss Who is Cider Planet written for? Cider Curious, Makers commercial or amateur? What readers can expect from Cider Planet How is the book laid out? Is there a key region that is propelling cider forward or is it a combination of regions What do you hope readers take away from this book? Do you have a favorite style of cider? What is it? Past Cider Chat Episode with Claude Jolicoeur Episode 153: Journey to the World's largest Apple Tree Claude here is wearing a traditional jacket as worn by men in Kazakhstan. Contact Claude Jolicoeur website: http://www.cjoliprsf.ca/ Support Sponsors of Cider Chat so they can continue to support this podcast and help you make great cider! Fermentis - Yeast and Fermentation Solutions for Cidermakers Mentions in this Chat CiderDays 2.0 November 4th & 5th, 2022 Calvados and American Apple Brandy Guided Tasting November 4th CiderDays 2.0 Cider Dinner November 5, 2022 Episode 328 with Chef Paul and Episode 329 with Judith Maloney 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

Aug 10, 2022 • 57min
331: Bodacious Ciders, Cookbook & Treats | Carr's Ciderhouse, MA
Nicole Blum of Carr's Ciderhouse will be one of 6 celebrated women in cider speaking at the November 5th Cider Dinner at Hawks and Reed Performing Arts Center. Tickets for the Cider Dinner go live on September 3, 2022. Sign up now for eCiderNews to get emailings to Early Ticket Release dates. Wild & Tame Apples of Carr's Ciderhouse Jonathan Carr and Nicole Blum Nicole Blum and Jonathan Carr's first date was at a Creperie in San Franciso and as fate planned it, they drank cider. The two live in Ireland for a bit, where Jonathan was born for a spell and even planted a a few apple trees. Fate again had other plans and they found their way back to the states to settle in Hadley, Massachusetts. There they have both a working farm, what they call "Preservation Orchard" at Carr's Ciderhouse and a large rack and cloth press in the barn overlooking the Connecticut River Valley. In this Chat with Nicole and Jonathan Value added products at Carr's Ciderhouse Cider Syrup Shrubs Switchel Berries Chestnut trees Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Their Ciderhouse Cookbook: 127 Recipes That Celebrate the Sweet, Tart, Tangy Flavors of Apple Cider Carr's Cider Tasted during this Chat White Jersey Golden Russet Dabinet A blend of all three Contact Carr's Ciderhouse Website: https://www.carrsciderhouse.com/ Support Sponsors of Cider Chat so they can continue to support this podcast and help you make great cider! Fermentis - Yeast and Fermentation Solutions for Cidermakers Mentions in this Chat CiderDays 2.0 November 4th & 5th, 2022 CiderDays 2.0 Cider Dinner November 5, 2022 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

Aug 3, 2022 • 29min
330: Let's Go To Apple Camp
CiderDays 2.0 ~ November 4th & 5th, 2022 at Hawks and Reed Performing Art Center in Greenfield, Massachusetts. Sign up now for the eCiderNews to receive notifications to your in box on CiderDays 2.0 schedule of events and early ticket release dates, links and a special coupon for eCiderNews subscribers. western Mass Cider Week begins October 30th through November 4th, 2022 Apple Camp The Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners (MOFGA) is hosting Apple Camp on the weekend August 19th-21st, 2022. In this chat hear from Laura Sieger, the Orchard Manager at the Maine Heritage Orchard in Unity Maine. Laura is working with the Apple Camp team to bring an well paced weekend of apple friends. Find out the schedule, speakers and what to expect Contact for MOGA Apple Camp Website: https://www.mofga.org/event-calendar/mac2022/ Mentions in the Chat Episode 328: Chef Paul | Author, Maker & CiderDays OG Episode 329: Cider's Heroine Judith Maloney | West County Cider 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

Jul 27, 2022 • 56min
329: Cider Heroine Judith Maloney | West County Cider, MA
CiderDays 2.0 Cider Dinner on November 5, 2022 with 6 outstanding women producers from the east coast at the Hawks and Reed Performing Art Center in Greenfield, Massashusetts. Dine with Judith Maloney of West County Cider (MA), Lisa Laird Dunn of Lairds & Company (NJ), Louisa Spencer of Farnum Hill Cider & Poverty Lane Orchard (NH) , Eleanor Leger of Eden Specialty Ciders (VT), Nicole Blum of Carrs Ciderhouse & Preservation Orchard and Farm (MA), and Anne Garwood Hampp of Ragged Hill Cider (MA). Sing up now to receive notification to your in box on CiderDays 2.0 schedule of events and early ticket release dates and links. Judith Maloney on being America's First Cidery in 1984 In 1984 there were no commercial cidermakers in the United States. Only S. Martinelli & Co. based in Watsonville California was able to hold onto their license up to 1979, but gave it up when revenue from sales was only 1% of their overall business of offering apple juice products. Listen to John Martinelli discuss his family's story in episode 162 Terry and Judith Maloney in the early days of West County Cider Judith Maloney Today In this Cider Chat Hear Judith backstory of her family's start from London to America in the 1940's. How she met Terry Maloney Making wine in the late 1960's with grapes from Rene di Rosa in the Carneros region or California How Judith and Terry ended up in Colrain, Massachusetts The paperwork to sell cider under a winery license and working with Agent Ernie (Ernest) Giuliani of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF) Getting scion for their orchard and the Redfield Apple Getting cider into stores, at a time when quality cider was unknown with Chef's like Jasper White Meeting Dewey the cidermaker Farm Cider in western Massachusetts Steve Wood of Farnum Hill Cider in NH helping Judith when Terry unexpectedly died in 2010 Starting CiderDays in 1994 and the building of community of makers and friends West County Cider Today Judith's son Field Maloney and a silent partner are now the owners of West County Cider. They continue to work with Pine Hill Orchards in Colraine, make Redfield Cider and other single varietal ciders that Field's father Terry showcased. Judith still travels to Boston and loves going to Formaggio Kitchen in Boston where she brings West County Cider products to sell for her son and marvel at the wide range of selections and loves tasting cider with the cheese monger there. Contact for West County Cider Website: http://westcountycider.com/ Address: 208 Peckville Rd, Shelburne Falls, MA 01370 Mentions in this chat Historical Cider Chat episodes on cider's history in America 317: How the "Cyder" Teapot Fueled the American Revolution 162: S. Martinelli's & Co. | 150 years of Cider Hear Field Maloney on Episode 001 of Cider Chat 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

Jul 20, 2022 • 47min
328: Chef Paul | Author, Maker & CiderDays OG
News on CiderDays 2.0! Orchards can be as small as 2, 5 or 10 trees. Get tips on how to manage a small scale orchard at CiderDays 2.0 with John Bunker on November 5th at 9am. Get updates and ticket information by following Cider Chat and signing up for the eCiderNews. In this Chat with Chef Paul's Paul with Three Brothers Cider from Carlson Orchards Paul's journey to cider His wife's family links to the first orchard in Harvard Massachusetts History behind New England Apple Products and Very Fine Juice company Carlson Orchard Cidermaking at Carlson's Orchard The book the Art of Cidermaking How Paul met Judith Maloney Founding CiderDays in 1994 Paul at CiderDays 2016 Contact for Carlson Orchards Website https://carlsonorchards.com/ 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 Haven't downloaded this episode yet? Here it is again for your listening pleasure.

Jul 13, 2022 • 58min
327: Variety Tips from the Quince Queen
Orchards can be as small as 2, 5 or 10 trees. Get tips on how to manage a small scale orchard at CiderDays 2.0 with John Bunker on November 5th at 9am. Get updates and ticket information by following Cider Chat and signing up for the eCiderNews. Edith Walden is the Quince Queen On Guemes Island in Washington state, Edith Walden started her quince journey in 1995 and soon became known as the Quince Queen. The island is short ferry ride from Anacortes and the land itself where Edith has her orchard of quince, apples, pears and more fruit was once the homestead of the Mathew Brothers and dates back to 1858. As such there is a 160 year old Gravenstein apple tree that sits in the center of the orchard. Edith calls it the Mother Tree. The Quince Queen founded Willowrose Bay, Inc selling her magnificient quince to Whole Foods and regional cider makers Edith to the left with friend harvesting quince In this Chat How Edith became the Quince Queen Growing Quince She spaced her trees 9’ and 12’ apart Quince pests Varieties of Quince and their viability for retail and cider Aromatnaya Cooke's Jumbo -Golden and breed by California grower Havran, Havran II, Havran III (unknown true variety) Kuanching - Chinese Kuganskaya - Russian Meech's Prolific -bred by Mr Meech, tasty - has a black spot on it - good for cider Queen's - sweet by not prolific, maybe better grown in other areas Smyrna - too small for retail - though sweet Tashkent - Turkish Van Deman - bred by Luther Burbank in California Zvezdnaia - Russian , Jerry Lehman out of Ohio, said great for cider - huge & apple shape The future of WillowRose Bay Inc. The quince orchard of Willowrose Bay Inc Quince Books Quince Culture: An Illustrated Hand-Book for the Propagation and Cultivation of the Quince Author Willam Meech, named a quince variety after himself. This is the consummat book on growing Quince and dates back to the 1800's Simply Quince by the Queen of Quince, Barbara Ghazarian, a quince cookbook Contact for Willowrose Bay Inc eMail: willowrosebayinc@gmail.com 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

Jul 6, 2022 • 26min
326: Orchards & People | Stories in Ciderville
Orchards can be as small as 2, 5 or 10 trees. Get tips on how to manage a small scale orchard at CiderDays 2.0 with John Bunker on November 5th at 9am. Get updates and ticket information by following Cider Chat and signing up for the eCiderNews. Orchards in Winter with Alan Suprenant Alan was last on Cider Chat in Episode 312: Some Angels Dress Like Bears a tribute to Orchardist and Author Michael Phillips who passed away suddenly in his own orchard this year 2022. In this week's episode, we hear what is called Stories in Ciderville, a recording that Alan sent my way this Spring. Listeners are welcome to send recorded stories that they wrote which reflect upon cider, apples, orchards, pears, basically anything pome related. In this episode we hear a recording from Alan that he wrote to share with his fellow parishioners in a congregation in Ashfield, Massachusetts that he attends. Orchards Lessons In this Stories from Ciderville, Alan shares his continuing grief over the loss of his dear friend Michael, but that is only one part of the story. The bigger picture is his encouragement to reflect upon our own personal caretaking and nurturing of relationships that feed us well, much like a well tended orchard. And conversely to prune that which no longer serves us. Most timely, is Alan's perspective of seeing the best in people, something that I can wholeheartedly embrace at a time when there is so much angst in the world. Enjoy this mini Cider Chat and special edition of Stories in Ciderville. Have a story to tell for the "Stories in Ciderville" segment? Must be 3000 words or less or under 4 audio minutes Apples and pommes must be integrated into the story line Send your essay and a recording of yourself reading your essay to info@ciderchat.com 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

Jun 29, 2022 • 57min
325: Mouthwatering Alma Cider | Washington
CiderDays 2.0 November 4th and 5th, 2022 - Greenfield, MA tickets for live August 1, 2022 Sign up for Cider Chat's eNews to get updates on CiderDays 2.0 Getting to Alma An affection to snow brought Dave Klawer to Washington State. Instead of becoming a professional snowboarder he became a nurse a while he continues to grow his cider brad Alma Cider. This year he finished his Masters in Agriculture to continue enriching his own wealth of knowledge in the field at Washington State University under the tutelage of Carol Miles. Alma Cider began commercially pressing apples to produce cider in 2019 Dave and Heather Covered in this chat western Washington state and the Skagit Valley and apple growing in this region How Alma leases equipment from Tulip Winery, which by the way had a cider back in 2007 under their other label Burro Locco win Best in Show at the Great Lakes Cider and Perry Competition (GLINTCAP). How Alma is able to produce award winning cider while waiting for their own orchard to bear fruit in the coming years Future for Alma Cider Shooting for 2024 to have own facility Alma won Best in Show for their Wood Aged Cider at GLINTCAP Alma won Best in Show for their Wood Aged Cider 2021 Alma's Flagship Cider Dry Semi Sweet Hopped Cider Rose Wood Aged Contact for Alma Cider website: https://almacider.com/ Get Alma on tap at Tulip Valley Winery Mentions in this Chat USDA RBS bank find scion wood for grafting FEDCO for scion wood 208 Calvados and Apple Brandy Tasting Please 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 Join the #ciderGoingUP Campaign today!