104: Chadd Cook | Cider Hill Cellars, MA

104: Chadd Cook | Cider Hill Cellars, MA

Author: Ria Windcaller: Award-winning Cidermaker, Podcaster | Craft Beer Columnist November 22, 2017 Duration: 58:46

Sign up now for Totally Cider Trip to the UK in April 2018!! - Come along with Ria the Producer and Host of Cider Chat as we travel through Somerset and Herefordshire in the UK visiting makers and drinking cider along the way! The trip begins in Bristol, UK on Wednesday April 25 and run through May 2, 2018. Go to this link to view the itinerary and contact Jodi to register today. This trip is expected to fill up fast so don't delay in signing up today. 

On this weeks chat: Chadd Cook comes from a multi generational family of orchardist. His grandparent tended apples on one side of the lane and his parents planted apples on the other side of the lane on their honeymoon.

This new commercial maker was a 2014 Gold Medal winner at Franklin County CiderDays competition. His products are just out, so stay tuned! One listen to this chat might make you agree that this guy is a virtual walking encyclopedia on cidermaking.

Chadd explains that he uses a partial wild ferment in every cider. Using up to .4 parts per million (ppm) of sulfite, which he says will inhibit most lactic acid bacteria and brettanomyces - but this amount of sulfite won't kill off all the wild saccharomyces yeasts. They let it get up to about 1% alcohol before introducing their own yeast at Cider Cellars.

All of Cider Hill Cellars products are named after a season like Spring Cider or Summer Cider and Frost Cider ( an ice cider)

Patrons of Cider Chat will recieve a special additional audio file on Chadd speaking on how to stop fermentation of Ice Cider and future tips for this special Apple drink!

Mentions in this Chat

Boston Wort Processors - homebrewing group

Ask for the following 9 #ciderGoingUP Campaign sponsors - By supporting these cider makers, you in turn help Cider Chat

  1. Kurant Cider - Pennsylvania : listen to Joe Getz on episode 14
  2. Big Apple Hard Cider - NYC : listen to Danielle von Scheiner on episode 35
  3. Oliver's Cider and Perry - Herefordshire/UK ; listen to Tom Oliver on episode 29
  4. Santa Cruz Cider Company - California : listen to Nicole Todd on episode 60
  5. The Cider Project aka EthicCider- California
  6. Albermale CiderWorks : listen to Chuck Shelton on episode 56
  7. Cider Summit : listen to Alan Shapiro founder of this cider fest on episode 75.
  8. Ramborn Cider Co. Luxembourg.
  9. Big Fish Cider Co. Virginia

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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
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