125: Prez. Vander Heide | USACM & Vander Mill

125: Prez. Vander Heide | USACM & Vander Mill

Author: Ria Windcaller: Award-winning Cidermaker, Podcaster | Craft Beer Columnist April 25, 2018 Duration: 1:01:08

Paul Vander Heide opened Vander Mill a cidery based in Spring Lake Michigan in 2008. Some might think that 3000 square feet is a good size for a start up cidery and they would be right. But as Paul reminisces in this chat, they had to expand quickly when they had to move outdoors to continue production.

In 2016, a new location was open in Grand Rapids. Both locations have a Tap Room and Restaurant.

Vander Mill makes both modern ciders and Heritage ciders.

Go to 31:57 in the podcast to hear Paul discuss the question of what is a Heritage apple in the US.

At CiderCon2018 Paul was elected as the new President of the United States Association of Cider Makers.  He is very optimistic about cider in America and speaks about embracing the diversity of makers in the US, which range from traditional, modern to a blend of both.

For Vander Mill the consumers informed this maker on the styles that they make, says Paul " It was the consumer that drove our business into a wide range of styles for Vander Mill. The cidery makes both Heritage and Modern ciders.

And while the cider drinker's palate slowly changes towards more subtle notes, Paul is not waiting on planting cider apple varieties. He credits Vander Mill's partnership with a local grower who has put in a large block of cider apples for making the future look quite bright….or…er…full bodied and tannic. :)

Find Vander Mill ciders, distributed in:

  • Michigan
  • Wisconsin
  • Ohio
  • Indiana
  • Illinois

Draft accounts throughout Michigan and Chicago with a sprinkling of draft accounts throughout the other states

Contact Vander Mill

Spring Lake location

  • Telephone: 616-842-4337
  • Address for Tap Room & Restaurant
    • 14921 Cleveland Street Spring Lake
    • Michigan, 49456
      • Hours:
        • Sunday Brunch 10-2pm
        • Wed & Thurs 2-9pm
        • Fri 2-10pm
        • Sat 11-10pm
          • 2-4pm snacks, 4pm dinner starts

Grand Rapids Tap Room, Restaurant & Production

  • Telephone: 616-259-8828
  • Address for Tap Room & Restaurant
    • 505 Ball Ave NE
    • Grand Rapids, MI 49503
      • Hours:
        • Sunday Brunch 9am-3pm
        • Mon-Thurs 11am-11pm
        • Fri-Sat 11am-12am

Mentions in this chat

6-degrees of Cider - share the news on the Totally Cider Tour headed to Normandy France September 23-29, 2018

Allan Hyland maker at Door Peninsula Winery who sent a box of 3 ciders to Ria.

  • Mimosa
  • Modern
  • Heritage

Virtue Cider - view the unboxing of the Rosé ciders sent to Ria.

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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
  13. Ironbark Ciderworks, Claremont, California

Join the #ciderGoingUP Campaign today! 

 


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
029: At The Hop | Oliver's Cider and Perry, UK [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:49
Tom Oliver shares his approach to hopped cider and the best of what the US and UK have to look forward to in the cider market. What he saw in US hopped ciders back in 2013 ignited his desire to try his hand at adding hop…
028: John Bunker | Apple Identification [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:48
When John Bunker talks or teaches Apple Identification he doesn't begin with the apple. He always goes back to the root of the tree…unless it is one of the Eric Clapton apples, i.e., you immediately recognize it as a var…
027: Aaron Anderson | Austin Eastciders, Texas [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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…
026: Neil Worley | Worleys Cider, UK [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:28
Keeving Made Simple, but oh so Dandy at Worleys Cider Neil Worley's makes cider in the area of Great Britain called Somerset. Climb the high hill at the farm and your can see the Bristol Channel. It is a remote location…
025: Jim Wallace | Cider Pairing with a Cheese Maker [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:51
Jim Wallace is a cheese maker and cheese tech a.k.a the "Cheese Guru" at New England Cheesemaking Supply in Ashfield Massachusetts. When not helping the cheese world sort through problematic cheeses, he teaches classes a…
024: Leonard Koningswijk | Bear Cider, Netherlands [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:29
Leonard Koningswijk owner/cidermaker of Bear Cider in the Netherlands is turning his country towards cider one palate at a time. The idea was sprouted at his family home in the rural village of Beerze on the border of Ge…
023: Alec Steinmetz | Buskey Cider, Virginia [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:04
Alec Steinmetz, Will Correll and Matthew Meyer are sharing their story of starting an urban cidery. This is Part 1 of what will be an ongoing story of the start-up Buskey Cider of Richmond, Virginia. The cidermaking tank…
022: Gregory Hall | Virtue Cider, Michigan [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:17
Getting to cider for Gregory Hall, was one part luck and a whole lot of beer. When his father John Hall founded the Chicago based Goose Island Brewery in 1988, it took only 3 years before Greg was at the helm of brewing.…
021: Bill Bradshaw | Bill Bradshaw Photography, UK [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:21
Bill Bradshaw is a photographer, an author of three cider books and consider by many to be a Cider Ambassador for UK ciders. I met with Bill at the United States Association of Cider Makers annual conference in Portland…
020: Curtis Sherrer | Millstone Cellars, Maryland [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:58
Curtis Sherrer is barreling aging single variety apples at Millstone Cellars. An old grist mill dating back to the 1850s houses the Tasting Room. "We will have 50 barrels and then settle on 15 to pick from to blend for t…