Author: Meredith Collins

Cider News – July 8, 2016

by Meredith Collins

Happy Friday:

Here’s a recap of the best cider news worth sharing:

Courtesy of WineFolly
Courtesy of WineFolly


1) If You Had a Wine [Cider] Job, What Would It Be? I had a lot of fun with this and have considered at least three of those end points already! What results do you get?

2) The United States Association of Cider Makers just announced their first ever Executive Director: Michelle McGrath!

3) CiderCulture‘s got two neat articles up: Q&A with Woodchuck to celeb.rate 25 years of making cider posted at Cider Culture and Women Making Waves in the Hard Cider World Part 3.

4) There are always some fantastic innovations and traditions happening in the world of cider making: Citizen Cider has been working on Arrested fermentation to avoid back sweetening, Blue Bee Cider company took time and patience to make their Firecracker, and Lookout Farm Cider brought cidermaking to their farm after more than 350 years of agricultural production.

5) Apps about apples and cider? What an exciting thought. here are two: Prune and Sidra Mayador.

6) Hard cider got plenty of 4th of July press, including this piece from NPR: Hard Cider, Chamber Pots And Leeches: Living Like A Founding Father.

7) Here are some podcasts about cider! First, Micro Brewr spoke about the future of cider last year and Cider Chat sat down with Eric Foster of Stem Cider.

8) The Good Food Awards entry period just opened July 5th. And check out their other fascinating categories as well.

9) Summer is the time for cider festivals! Check out Beer on the Wye XII and Festival de la sidra – Ayuntamiento de Nava, both happening July 8-10. And coming next month, Summer Cider Day in Port Townsend, Washington.

10) And as always, let’s finish up with a round up of cider reviews. CiderSays has two review offerings: Gabbie’s Premium Cider Semi Dry and the Pacific Northwest Cider Awards Tasting Notes.  Then my own Along Came a Cider reviews  Vander Mill Cider’s Totally Roasted. And finally, Real Cider Reviews takes on Chaplin and Corks Somerset Gold Cider.

Have a fantastic weekend!

Meredith

Cider News – June 3, 2016

by Meredith Collins

Good morning Cider Lovers,

Here’s a recap of the best cider news worth sharing:

Credit - Golden Fire
Credit – Golden Fire

1) The Cider Institute of North America formed recently; the focus will be on cider making education. The group has Nick Gunn of Wandering Aengus Ciderworks attached to project as well as connection to existing university cider educational programs.

2) I know folks want to see results for the British Cider Championships. Judging just happened on Thursday, so keep checking The Bath & West site for results. The Cider Workshop has a few early tidbits.

3) I’d be remiss if I didn’t share the publication of Finding Good Cider – by Alan Stone. This book covers cider, Somerset history, pubs and events. And June 7th, Golden Fire (a film about cider) launches in Hereford.

4) Lost Valley Cider Co., Milwaukee’s first hard-cider bar, opens Wednesday in Walker’s Point.

5) Cider Chat posts part two of the conversation with the fine folks at Farnum Hill.

6) I was chuffed to see Raise A Glass To Perry, Craft Cider’s Pear Cousin on The Salt by National Public Radio. And Good news for Canadian cider makers and cider lovers as, Feds, Ontario sweet on craft cider, to invest $220K in industry.

7) Did you know that today is the first World Cider Day? Real Cider Reviews introduces us to this brilliant idea. Join in by using the #WorldCiderDay hashtag if you’re raising a glass on on Twitter today.

8) I’m always eager to hear about women in the cider world, and this article does tell us just  that: Women making waves in the Hard Cider World  in Cider Culture by Holly Tennant.

9) This is the opening weekend of Cider Week Hudson Valley. There are plenty of events throughout the region; it looks like at least ten in just the next week, including At the Bar – Snowdrift Cider (WA) at Wassail.

10) The Cider Journal reviews 101 Cider House Black Dog Super Dry, Cider Steve takes on Headless Man and Broome Farm Cyder CiderSays tastes Birds and the Bees as well as Somersby Citrus Fruit, and I (Along Came a Cider)  review Wolffer Cider’s No. 139 Dry Rosé Cider.

Have a great weekend!

Meredith

Cider News – May 27, 2016

by Meredith Collins

Happy Friday Cider Lovers,

Here’s a recap of the best cider news worth sharing. I’m helping out Eric West this week as he’s doing some cider travelling of his own.

Credit - Holm Cider /Facebook
Credit – Holm Cider /Facebook

1) Ria Windcaller of Cider Chat Chats on Cider – The Cider Journal,  and on Wednesday she shared her conversation with Steve Wood, Louisa Spencer, and Nicole Leibon of Farnum Hill Cider in 32nd Episode of Cider Chat.

2) BBC News explores Why Hereford wants to shake off its apple orchard image.

3) Ramborn Cider Co. is bringing cider back to to Luxembourg, and they’re determined to do so using organic apples. Luxemburger Wort writes about their process in Rediscovering the craft of local cider & perry.

4) SiidriMaja in Tallinn, Estonia is a bottle shop that stocks a range of European ciders. Owner Kaire Jakobson has posted photos and writeups (in English) of her recent UK cider adventure that included visits to cider expert Andrew Lea, Neil Worley of Worley’s Cider, Barny Butterfield of Sandford Orchards, and Chris Beardon of Winkleigh Cider.

5) Holm Cider—Scandinavia’s first cider shop—opened in Copenhagen last weekend. Check out their Facebook page for pictures from their grand opening! Welcome to the cider world.

6) Lake Chelan in North Central Washington is one of the under-appreciated apple growing regions contributing to the modern cider renaissance. Learn more in Hard cider production flourishes in the Lake Chelan Valley. And the Finger Lakes, another quickly developing cider region,  gets some in depth coverage in Hear the Cider Boom: The Finger Lakes region has some advantages.

7) Finnriver Farm & Cidery opens its new Orchard & Cider Garden with a full slate of farm walks, orchard tours, tastings, wood-fired pizza, oysters, and paella. Learn more about Finnriver’s new location in Chimacum, Washington from The New School.

8) Ontario Craft Cider Week kicks off with the opening of Her Father’s Cider Bar + Kitchen, the Appleseed Cider Festival, and other events throughout the Greater Toronto Area. For an overview of cider’s growth in the province, read Cider sales soar in Ontario as consumers choose alternatives to beer from Global News and Toronto’s appetite for craft cider surges from NOW Toronto Magazine.

9) Also on tap: The Welsh Perry & Cider Festival and the Clytha Arms Cider Festival in Monmouthshire, the British Cider Championships at the Bath & West Showground in Somerset, and The Pressed Conference festival in Denver as Colorado Cider Week comes to a close.

10) Real Cider Reviews tries 2 Brothers Little Apple Cider. Cider Steve reviews two ciders from Ampleforth Abbey.  CiderSays reviews 2 Towns Imperial Hop and Stalk and Colorado Cider Company Ol’ Stumpy. And, whether or not, I should share my own work, Along Came a Cider did review something very special, Foggy Ridge Cider’s Serious Cider.

Have a fantastic weekend! And if cider is any part of it, cheers.

Meredith