027: Aaron Anderson | Austin Eastciders, Texas

027: Aaron Anderson | Austin Eastciders, Texas

Author: Ria Windcaller: Award-winning Cidermaker, Podcaster | Craft Beer Columnist April 20, 2016 Duration: 37:14

Austin Eastciders is helping to make Austin Texas a cider mecca in a land where the apple root faces harsh growing conditions. Aaron Anderson is the R&D Coordinator at this growing cidery. He sat down for a chat with me at CiderCon2016 in Portland Oregon during the United States Association of Cider Makers conference. The head cidermaker is Preston Nickens.

cider Chat Ep: 27 Aaron Anderson of Austin Eastciders
Aaron Anderson

Austin Eastciders opened in 2011 and is distributed in cans and draft throughout Texas and into Oklahoma, New York and New Jersey. The cider is selling so fast that come June of 2016 they will be moving into a much larger production facility.

Austin Eastciders ciders available

  • Texas Honey Cider, with wild flower honey sourced from Texas 5%
  • Original Dry Cider 5%
  • An English cider called Gold Top was produced but at that point Texas cider drinkers weren't ready for a bittersharp/sweet cider. That cider is still being produced, but is barrel aging.
  • There is also a hopped cider made with full cones.
  • The juice from the cider is sourced from the UK, France, Italy, and the Pacific Northwest. It is easy to taste the bittersharp and bittersweet apples in each can that was tried during this interview.

Contact for Austin Eastciders



There’s a whole world in a glass of cider, and Cider Chat is your invitation to explore it. Hosted by award-winning cidermaker and writer Ria Windcaller, this podcast travels far beyond the bottle to meet the people who make the global cider culture so vibrant. Each conversation is a journey-you might find yourself in a heritage orchard learning the history of forgotten apple varieties, in a bustling taproom with an importer explaining regional traditions, or in a kitchen with a chef pairing cider with unexpected foods. The discussions get into the delightful nuances, too, whether that’s the semantics of what we even call this drink or how the concept of terroir translates from soil to sip. It’s not just about production; it’s about the community, the travel, and the stories that fermentation unlocks. This is for anyone curious about the craft, history, and sheer enjoyment of fermented apple juice in all its forms. So, pour a glass and settle in for a series that feels like a wide-ranging, informative, and genuinely good-humored chat with friends who happen to be obsessed with cider. You’ll come away with a deeper appreciation for every effervescent, tart, or sweet sip, hearing directly from the growers, makers, and enthusiasts who are shaping this drink’s exciting present and future.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 501

Cider Chat
Podcast Episodes
258: Ragged Hill Design| Building a Cidery Part 4 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:57
Ragged Hill Cidery since 2017 Steve Garwood is the Head Cidermaker at Ragged Hill Cidery. He and his daughter Anne Garwood Hampp who manages Sales and Marketing and orchardist Keith Arsenault form the Ragged Hill Cider C…
257: Courthouse Creek "Garagistes" | Building a Cidery Part 3 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:58
We are Garagiste! Liza and Eric Coffi - Courthouse Creek Garagistes Liza and Eric Coffi jokingly call themselves 'Garagistes' of the cider world. Courthouse Creek is a family-run, small agri-business committed to respect…
256: Securing a Trademark | Building a Cidery Part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:03
Securing a Trademark This episode is Part 2 of the series "Building a Cidery". In Part 1 episode 255 "What is a Trademark" and "Why it matters" was presented by attorney Kevin Regan. Both episodes on Trademark Law were o…
255: Trademark Defined | Building a Cidery Part 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:57
Trademark Defined This episode kicks off a new series called "Building a Cidery". This episode and #256 are both on Trademark Law as presented by attorney Kevin Regan at CiderCon 2020. If you would like to view the power…
254: Blending as Maker Like Chef | Albemarle [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:32
Blending as Maker like Chef Blending is a key part of cidermaking. It can take place at the pressing of the apple juice prior to ferment or after the cider has finished fermenting. Knowing when to blend is not something…
253: #GrowQuince | Part 2 The Harvest [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:21
Harvest the brightest fruit on the Quince Tree In late 2019, Vermont Quince Company was awarded USDA-funded Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funding through the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets (VAAFM) to…
252: #GrowQuince Tips | Part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:38
#GrowQuince - it is easy to do! In late 2019, Vermont Quince Company was awarded USDA-funded Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funding through the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets (VAAFM) to support commerc…
251: Irish Expat in Germany | Kertelreiter Cider [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:51
Kertelreiter Cider Kertelreiter Cider is based in the village of Schefflenz in North Baden, Germany. The cidery came about when Irishman Barry Masterson fell in love with a German lass and moved to her homeland to raise…
250th Cider Podcast Celebration [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:57
We are celebrating the 250th episode of Cider Chat. Each season we invite The Nose to come on into the Cider House recording room and have a chat. We also have the opportunity to hear a bit more on how The Nose became Th…
249: Old School Cider for Modern Times [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:23
Old School Cider for Modern Times episode 249 is about this cider podcaster's backstory on making cider over the course of 26 years. This episode was inspired by my good friend Ryan Monkman of FieldBird Cider in Ontario.…