409: Cider's Pilot Guy & Intel Girl | Olympic Bluffs, WA

412: Cider Dispatch | Big Fish, VA

Find the latest Cider Dispatch from Highland County Virginia

Cider Bon Vivant Reporter Al Sax provide a cider dispatch report from Monterey Virginia. This area of Virginia is known as Highland County and it is here that Big Fish Cider is located. One of the cool extras (beside cider) when visiting this region, is that it is a Dark Sky area. This means good star grazing due to the lack of night lights drowning out the night sky.

Al interviews Big Fish Cider Maker and Owner Kirk Billingsley. Kirk was last on Cider Chat in Episode 124. That recording took place in 2018 at CiderCon the annual trade conference for the American Cider Association

Ria with Big Fish pulled chilled from the stream

Changes at Big Fish from 2018 -2024

• 400 apple trees planted
• Can order Big Fish online
• Tasting room open Friday -Sunday

Contact for Big Fish Cider Co.

• Website:https://www.bigfishcider.com/about-us/
• eMail:[email protected]
• Telephone:(540) 468-2322
• Address
  • 59 Spruce Street, Monterey, VA 24465

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Cider Chat is looking for 20-25 minute cider dispatches. No prior podcasting experience required. Check out the page “Work with Cider Chat“, fill out the form and get published on the world’s #1 cider podcast as a Cider Reporter @ Cider Chat!

Mentioned in this Cider Chat

• Hear from Cider Chat’s newest patron Josh from Australia
• Who’s been cross promoting cider #xpromotecider
  • Abaliget Garden Projects – Cider, Perry and Fruit wines
  • Megan Faschoway –Junction Orchard and Ciderhouse
  • Rakkerpak Cider– Denmark
  • Thy Cider– Denmark
  • Big Fish Cider posted the Cider Chat info flyer in their tasting room √
• Only one seat left on theFrench Cider Tour 2024
• Work with Cider Chat– Record audio snap shots from your special spot in Ciderville
• @joshcreates
• Tom Oliver ofOliver’s Cider and Perry Ltdaudio clip!

Thy Cider in Denmark Cross Promotes Cider Chat

411: Curative Options for Cider Making Problems | CiderCon 2024

Technical Tips for When Things Go Wrong with Cider Making

This episode features two cider professionals and a cider industry consultant, which is exactly who you need a direct line to when your cider has problems. Hear from Megan Faschoway who at the time of this recording was Senior Cider Maker at Sea Cider, Kira Bassingthwaighte Head Cider Maker at Western Cider in Montana and Nick Gunn of BenchGraft a cider consultation service based in Salem Oregon.

This talk took place in Portland Oregon at CiderCon, the annual cider conference hosted by the American Cider Association. The title of the talk was “What to do when things go wrong”.

The focus was not on preventive measures, but as the title says – curative steps that one can take to try to mitigate a problem with a particular cider

In this Cider Chat on Cider Problems

• Dealing with rotten egg smell from your cider
  • Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a negative off-aroma compound that can occur in cider and has a rotten egg smell.It’s produced by the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae during cider fermentation.
• Filtering cider
  • Using Reverse Osmosis (RO)
• Tasting Panels for feedback
  • Dealing with a saturated cider maker’s palate
• Saving samples from each batch to create a library for potential cider problems down the road

Contact for Speakers on this Panel

• Kira Bassingthwaighte,Western CiderHear Kira onEpisode 295

• Megan Faschoway

• Nick GunnBenchGraftHear Nick and Dave White of Whitewood Cider onEpisode 004

Mentions in this Cider Chat

• French Cider Tour September 2024
• Oliver’s Cider and Perry Company– UK Cider in Herefordshire, Tom Oliver audio clip
• The Whose Who of #xpromotecider in this episode? Join the fun and download the info flyer on Cider Chat offerings at theSupport Page! Post, share and social media and tag Cider Chat! Cider’s XPromoters will be featured on an end of year episode!
  • De Gerdenner Cider, Netherland
  • Northwest Cider AssociationrepostedEpisode 410with Olympic Bluffs Cider and Lavender Farm
  • Ross on Wye Cider and Perry Company posted last week’s Episode 410 Perry Panel
  • Dragon’ Head Cider
  • Camra Cider and Perry
  • American Cider Association – CiderCon

410: International Perry Panel | CiderCon 2024

Cider’s Best Friend is Perry

Enjoy this panel discussion “Pear Necessities: International Perry recorded at CiderCon 2024. The panel was moderated by drinks writer, Adam Wells of the UK. Sitting to his right was Tom Oliver of Olivers Cider and Perry Ltd (UK), Laura Cherry of Dragon’s Head Cider (Washington State), Albert Johnson of Ross and Wye Cider and Perry Company (UK) and cider critic and blogger Natalia Wszelaki (Germany).

(L to R) Tom Oliver (Oliver’s Cider and Perry), Albert Johnson (Ross-on-Wye Cider), Laura Cherry (Dragon’s Head Cider), Natalia Wszelaki (Cider Explorer), Adam Wells (Cider Review)

Topics discussed during this Perry Panel

• Introduction of Perry Panel Speakers
• Overview of Perry in both Europe, the UK and America
• Tasting profiles of 4 Perry’s
  • Oliver’s Cider and Perry Ltd.(UK)
    • SHHH
  • Ross on Wye Cider & Perry Company(UK)
    • Thorn 2019 S.V. Perry
  • Kertelreiter(Germany)
    • Heiden 2021
    • Single Tree Perry
  • Dragon’s Head Cider(Washington State, US)
    • Sparkling Perry
• Perry critique of servings via Natalia a.k.aCider Explorer
  • Shared a bit of history of perry in Austria, Switzerland and Germany
• Pear Cider vs Perry – are they interchangeable

New Perry Book (May 2024)

Perry: A Drinker’s Guide,author Adam Wells ofCider Review

Mentions in this Cider Chat

• French Cider Tour September 2024
• Oliver’s Cider and Perry Company– UK Cider in Herefordshire, Tom Oliver audio clip
• The Whose Who of #xpromotecider in this episode? Join the fun and download the info flyer on Cider Chat offerings at the support page! Post, share and social media and tag Cider Chat! Cider’s XPromoters will be featured on an end of year episode!
  • Spacetime Mead & Cider Works, Dunmore, PA
  • The London Cider House
  • Rakkerpak Cider, Denmark
  • @snoopylovescider– referred to a Cider Chat episode with Stormalong Cider. There are currently two episodes with this Massachusetts based maker Episode036(Season 1) and236 Scrub a Dub Valves and Vesselswhich is part of the Season 5 Cider Making series.
• American Cider Association – CiderCon

409: Cider's Pilot Guy & Intel Girl | Olympic Bluffs, WA

Escape to Olympic Bluffs a Dream Vacation Destination

Olympic Bluffs Cidery & Lavender Farm is located on the northern coast of the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. The farm is on a bluff that overlooks the Salish Sea, which spans the international waters between British Columbia and Washington State. The location is dreamy with views of Mount Baker, a 10,000+ foot mountain, to the east and Victoria Canada to the north.

Olympic Bluffs was founded by Ginger and Scott Wierzbanowski, who found farm land years early on a trip to Washington State. Both are Air Force Veterans with Ginger serving as an Intel Officer and Scott as an Air Force F 16 pilot.

Scott and Ginger next to F 16 – note Scott’s name on plane

The two met in Korea, married in Denmark, and lived in Europe where in France they discovered Calvados. Years later their love of cider helped frame Olympic Bluffs Cidery and Lavender Farm which has an onsite Lavender shop, a cider production area, a Bed and Breakfast next door, and a commercial location where a future tasting room will be situated in downtown Port Angeles.

In this Cider Chat

• The Wierzbanowski’s backstory to cider.
• Why a cidery and lavender farm in Port Angeles?
• What does the location look like? When and how can people visit?
• Is there a best time?
• The orchards,
  • Size, terrain, soil type
  • Number of apple varieties and (pear?)
  • Orchard practices
• What products Olympic Bluffs currently sells
• Types of cider to expect?
  • What has informed your cider making styles?
• Future plans

Contact for Olympic Bluffs Cidery & Lavender Farm

• Website:https://www.olympicbluffscidery.com/
• Address:1025 Finn Hall Rd, Port Angeles, WA 98362
• Telephone:+13606707206

Mentions in this Cider Chat

• French Cider Tour September 2024
• Oliver’s Cider and Perry Company– UK Cider in Herefordshire, Tom Oliver audio clip
• The Whose Who of #xpromotecider in this episode? Join the fun and download the info flyer on Cider Chat offerings at the support page! Post, share and social media and tag Cider Chat! Cider’s XPromoters will be featured on an end of year episode!
  • Spacetime Mead & Cider Works, Dunmore, PA
  • Heartland Ciderworks, OR– watch the “Bottles On My Desk” review of Avalon
  • Rakkerpak Cider, Denmark
  • Know Your Roots, orchard consulting | NY

408: Cider's Pomological Life Coach | Know Your Roots, NY

Mike Biltonen and his wife Debbie founded Know Your Roots in 2008 and began offering a wide array of service for backyard and commercial orchardists in 2014.

Mike

This conversation tool place at the Berkshire Roundtable that was founded my Micheal Phillips 34 years ago. This annual meet up of orchardist and cider makers takes place in Massachusetts each spring. It is an informal discussion amoungst peers all on growing apples and assorted pomme fruits. Micheal Phillips was a renown orchardist and author of many books like The Holistic Orchard. Find all his books atCider Chat’s book page. Listen toepisode 312dedicated to Micheal.

In this Cider Chat

• The backstory of Know Your Roots
• Services offered by Know Your Roots
• What to consider before planting an orchard
• Mike’s background in Biodynamic (BD) orcharding
• Defining Holistic Orcharding
• Making a BD preparation
• Climate change – dealing with late season frost
• The future at Know Your Roots and…cider?

Mike and Ria recording this episode

Contact for Know Your Roots

• Website:https://knowyouroots.com/index.html

Mentions on this Cider Chat

• Rudolf Steiner
• Josephine Porter Institute for Applied Biodynamics(JPI)
• #xpromotecider in this episode
  • Listen toDan of Space Time Mead & Ciderworks
  • Bones and Bottles Review – on Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/boneandbottlereviews/?hl=en
  • Listen toEpisode 407 with Dan Gallagher of Frosty Twig Cider
• Follow Ben Kuenš on Chocalate Pears – listen to his episode#304 all on Sorbus Domestica