110: Eric & Katie | Rider Ranch Ciderworks, CA

110: Eric & Katie | Rider Ranch Ciderworks, CA

Author: Ria Windcaller: Award-winning Cidermaker, Podcaster | Craft Beer Columnist January 3, 2018 Duration: 1:02:08

A $900 Price Drop for the Totally Cider Tour to the UK in April 25 - May 2, 2018. Join Ria and other awesome cider friends on this tour of a life time. Go to https://form.jotform.com/73186243884970 and register now!

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Eric and Katie Rider are making cider on the hillside of the Santa Cruz mountains. They are dry farming their apple trees and also using apples from Five Mile Orchard in Corralitos. (Jake Mann whose family own's the orchard will be on an upcoming Cider Chat.) Eric and Katie's home and cidery is smack in the middle of an old Stagecoach route between San Jose and Santa Cruz, California.

Imagine for a moment stagecoach riders snacking on plums from San Jose and tossing out the plum's pits along the way. As a result this mountainside cidery and homestead has plum trees growing all around the property. Katie makes a Plum Port from the surround trees, that she likes pouring into a glass of cider as a cider cocktail called Plum Jerkum.

Their ciderhouse is 120 square feet (10' x 12') with variable cider tanks ( a stainless tank with a floating top that rises and lowers as the cider flows). This small shed is fully tricked out with air conditioning and all the needs for making a range of ciders at Rider Ranch.

The current cider offerings at Rider Ranch are ciders made from apple trees that were planted pre-Prohibition, which provides a specific niche to their branding of using only trees that are 90 years or older. However, it looks like they will have a cider made with 75 year old trees coming up in 2018. Either way their ciders are rock solid, tasty delights!

Ciders at Rider Ranch

  • Pre-Prohibition Pippin
  • Dry Farmed Pippin
  • 75 year old Pippin

Contact for Rider Ranch Ciderworks

Website: http://www.riderranchciderworks.com/

eMail: mailto:info@riderranch.net

Mentions in this Chat

Jake Mann - Five Mile Orchard LLC, Corralitos California - Jake will be on an upcoming episode of  Cider Chat

February 11, 2018 - New York International Beer Competition (NYIBC) is accepting cider entries NOW! NYIBC is using the United States Association of Cider Makers new cider categories for this competition. The judges at this competition are in the trade of buying and selling cider and thus judge the cider on the merits of taste and price point.

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

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