120: Trevor Baker | Noble Cider, North Carolina

120: Trevor Baker | Noble Cider, North Carolina

Author: Ria Windcaller: Award-winning Cidermaker, Podcaster | Craft Beer Columnist March 21, 2018 Duration: 1:06:54

Noble Cider in Asheville, North Carolina opened in 2013 after Trevor Baker lost his job in online retail. He wasn't a cidermaker at the time, but he and his wife Joanna both enjoyed drinking cider.

After taking a cidermaking course with Peter Mitchell at WSU Mount Vernon, he delved straightaway into getting his own commercial cidery with his wife and business partner Lief Stevens.

Noble was started with around 17 grand! Having a "good business plan with a good business model" says Trevor, "Helped us secure an economic development loan of $40,000."

Before Noble became fully permitted they juiced apples and froze them in IBC totes, which are large plastic containers used throughout Ciderville around the globe for making cider.

The Tasting Room and production facility is a little outside of downtown Asheville, but this summer there will be a brand new Tasting Room right in the heart of the city.

  • Expect 20 taps that include 6 beers and seasonal small batch ciders at the current location
  • Noble makes both modern ciders and traditional ciders.
  • Both can be enjoyed in the Tasting Room and be bought in bottles to go.

The modern cider made year round at Noble

  • The flagship cider is a called The Standard Bearer. It is a crisp, dry cider at 6.9%
  • Village Tart - Cherry Cider
  • Spice Merchant - Chai Cider
  • Golden Arrow - Ginger Cider
  • There is a spring seasonal Blueberry with honey and rosemary

In 2017 the Noble Team began planting heirloom trees - Harrison, Wickson, Roxbury Russets and others

Annual production is around 100,000 gallons a year, up from 2000 gallons the first year.

Contact Noble Cider

Website: www.NobleCider.com

Phone number: 828-575-9622

Address

356 New Leicester Highway

Asheville, NC 28806

Mentions in this Chat

  • Spoke + Spy - Middletown, Connecticut cidery with Ron and Kimberly Sansome
  • Ciderthon - April 29th in the UK - a run that includes drinking cider along the way
  • Totally Cider Tours: Normandy September 23-29, 2018

Normand Cows - totally cider

 

Ask for the following ciders - By supporting these cidermakers, 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
  10. Tanuki Cider Co. Santa Cruz California episode 103
  11. Ross on Wye Cider and Perry, UK
  12. Process and Analytical NMR Services - John Edwards provides analytics of cider - stay tuned for his Chemical Fingerprints workshop coming up on Cider Chat

Join the #ciderGoingUP Campaign today! 

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Follow on twitter @ciderchat

 


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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