128: Cider Wins Big | Beer Competition, Boston

128: Cider Wins Big | Beer Competition, Boston

Author: Ria Windcaller: Award-winning Cidermaker, Podcaster | Craft Beer Columnist May 16, 2018 Duration: 44:09
Cider Chat
ArtsCultureFoodPlacesSocietySociety & CultureTravel

Cider won big at the 23rd Annual Home-brew Competition held in Boston and put on by the Wort Processors - a home-brew club. Tom Bell's New World Cider won both Best in Show for cider and placed 3rd in the Best Overall in Show. This means that Tom's winning cider was placed in the final competition for Best Overall with 37 winning beers.

Best of Show Winners Circle

1st Maurice Dalton's -  Gueze

2rd Matthew Border -  German Pils

3rd Tom Bell - New World Cider

4th Brett Smith : Chocolate Raspberry Milk Stout

Honorable Mention - Peter Bowers: Specialty Wood Aged

Tom's cidermaking tools & techniques for this cider

  • A garbage disposal for grinding up apples
  • Added Pectin Aid
  • Macerated the pressed apples for 24 hours
  • Pressed in a basket press
  • Wild yeast - then EC118 for the bottle fermentation
  • Initial gravity: 1.064
  • Racked every 10 point drop in the gravity and to separate the cider from the lees
  • Everything was going great until a Pectic Haze showed up
  • For the haze Tom used Scott's Lab Spectrum
  • It didn't take care of the pectin on the bottom, but did clear the cider on the top of the pectic gel.
  • Bottle conditioned with 12 grams of dextrose

Here is the link to the crown cap conversation.

Many aspects of champagne style cider covered here including links to caps..

Contact for Wort Processor's Home-brew Competition

Website: http://www.bhc.wort.org/

Annual Boston Home-brew Competition

Wort Processors

Mentions in this Chat

GLINTCAP - Great Lakes International Cider and Perry Competition

Franklin County CiderDays 

Please Help Support Cider Chat Please donate today. Help keep the chat thriving!

Find this episode and all episodes at the page for Cider Chat's podcasts.

  • Listen also at iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher (for Android), iHeartRadio , Spotify and wherever you love to listen to podcasts.
  • Follow on Cider Chat's blog, social media and podcast
  • Twitter @ciderchat
  • Instagram: @ciderchatciderville
  • Cider Chat FaceBook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ciderchat/
  • Cider Chat YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-ycYg46higvb5lH8C-WGXQ

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

Official website RSS
instagramyoutubetiktokspotifypatreon
Cider Chat
Podcast Episodes
248: New England Quince Taste Test [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:40
The New England Quince Taste Test 2020 was hosted by Vermont Quince. Nan Stefanik founded Vermont Quince in 2012 and coined the hashtag #growquince Her passion for this pomme is contagious and her quince based products h…
247: Marijuana, Cider and the Law [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:49
Marijuana as of 2020 is now legal in 15 states in the United States. CBD products are popping up in can drinks nearly every where you look these days. Is it legal? Can cider now be fused with cider or at least CBD or per…
246: Becoming Pomona [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:54
Becoming Pomona was recorded at the 25th Franklin County CiderDays in November of 2019. The goal of this pomona panel discussion was to share personal stories on the inspirational effect of CiderDays on women in the cide…
245: Apples of New England [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:51
245: Apples of New England "Apples of New England" was presented by Russell Steven Powell Powell served as executive director of the New England Apple Association from 1998 to 2024 ( the NEAA closed it's doors on June 30…
244: Traveling the Cider Trail | Part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:53
Franklin County CiderDays now has a "Cider Trail" with 16 stops covering western Massachusetts and the Berkshires! This is part 2 of the series on traveling the Cider Trail and we will look at 10 stops along the trail. E…
243: Cider Trail 2020 | CiderDays Part 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:34
Plan the Perfect Cider Road Trip! This is Part 1 of a two part series on the new Cider Trail for Franklin County CiderDays 2020. The following is a recommended loop to visit 5 venues on the map. You can go in either dire…
242: Selecting Cider [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:41
Tips on "SelectIng Your Perfect Cider" With so many choices on the shelf, purchasing cider can begin to feel daunting! This episode will provide tips to help you make that choice when faced with a wide range of cider sty…
241: How to Bottle Cider at Home [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:26
How to Bottle Cider at Home is Part 6 and the final episode of the Cidermaker Series "Oh September" for 2020 Learn How to Make Cider at Home in Part 1 of this Cidermaking Series. Part 5 To Rack or Not To Rack is a must l…
240: To Rack or Not to Rack | Cidermaking Series Part 5 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:44
This chat provides a a sip of something for everyone, from makers who want to improve their skills to consumers who enjoy knowing why a cider tastes a particular way. In this Cider Chat, we look at the next step after pr…
239: Scrub-a-Dub Valves & Vessels [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:25
Cleaning considerations for 3 different cider operations - DYI, Farm Winery and Production with Stormalong Cider. (l-r) Ben Roberts-Sano, Bright McConnell, Shannon Edgar DIY - Home Cidermaking It is soak and scrub for th…

«1...222324252627282930...50»