209: CiderCon2020 Insider Tips

209: CiderCon2020 Insider Tips

Author: Ria Windcaller: Award-winning Cidermaker, Podcaster | Craft Beer Columnist January 22, 2020 Duration: 42:25

The 10th Annual American Cider Association trade conference CiderCon will be held in Oakland California, January 28th through to January 31, 2020. This episode provides an overview on the following topics:

  • Oakland weather in winter & What to wear
  • How to get to CiderCon via public transportation and using BART to get around Oakland and San Francisco
  • Where to find morning coffee and bagels
  • Madison Park's morning Tai Chi session in Oakland
  • The Bay Area Cider Week

Oakland graffti on the Marriott Hotel where CiderCon will take place Oakland graffiti on the Marriott Hotel where CiderCon will take place

Oakland Marriott City Center where CiderCon is held

  • 1 block from the 12 Street/City Center BART stop.
  • 7 blocks (0.4 miles) to Crooked City Cider Tap House.
  • 9 blocks (0.6 miles) to Jack London Square.

Oakland Weather in late January

  • Low 60s Fahrenheit, 15 Celsius
  • Dress in layers and always bring a cap to wear as it usually drops down to the 40s in the evening.

Transportation options BART or Ferry Service

  • Via BART - aka the metro line
  • Oakland Airport to CiderCon is 30 minutes - $2.60 one way
  • San Francisco Airport to CiderCon - expect an hour ride - $2.60 one way
  • Use Bart to San Francisco and to Redfield Cider Bar get off at the Rockridge stop. Redfield is a 500 foot walk from the Rockridge stop.
  • Crooked City Cider And Taphouse is an 11 minute walk and there will be evening events through the week

Jack London Square archway Jack London Square archway, within view of Crooked City Cider. Go here to board the San Francisco Bay Ferry

Take a ride on the San Francisco Bay Ferry from Oakland to the SF historical Ferry Building

  • The commuter ferry leaves form jack London Square, which is about a 12 minute walk from CiderCon.
  • $7.20 one way
  • $5.40 with Clipper Card - but you need to keep a balance of $5.40 on your card.
    • Clipper Card

      https://www.clippercard.com/ClipperWeb/getTranslink.do

      Order online: https://www.clippercard.com/ClipperCard/order.jsf

      Buy in-person:

      Need a card right away? Get an adult card in person at:

      • Many Walgreens, and Whole Foods Market stores and other participating retail locations
      • Transit agency ticket offices and Clipper Customer Service Centers
      • Muni Metro and Golden Gate Ferry ticket machines and SMART fare machines (minimum value required)

      There is a ticket machine at the Coliseum station, and at 12th St / City Center station.

      There is a Walgreens at the 12th St / City Center station.

      [Looking back at San Francisco via the SF Bay Ferry Looking back at San Francisco via the SF Bay Ferry.

Morning Coffee and Bagels

  • 5 min walk from the Marriott/CiderCon location to Awaken Cafe which opens at 7:30am to 3pm
  • 10 min walk to Beauty Bagels Shop - opens at 8am - 3pm
  • 16 min walk to Farleys Coffee Monday - Friday 7am-8pm, Saturday- Sunday 8am-8pm
  • Clear you cider palate with some bitters via craft beer
    • Along the way, 1/2 block off Broadway is The Trappist (Belgian & specialty beer cafe), Beer Revolution (bottle shop and tap house), Federation Brewing (brewery).

Chat with Michelle McGrath, the Executive Director of the American Cider Association

  • Michelle provides an overview of key speakers at CiderCon

Get the Conference App - Attendify

  • This app provides contact info for speakers, sponsors, and fellow attendees
  • Check your reservation to CiderCon to get the code for the Attendify CiderCon program

Check out cider events happening all week long during CiderCon

Bay Area Cider Week begins January 25 and run through to February 1, 2020

Bonus Sightseeing Tip:

If you have a car, take a drive to Almeida about 15 minutes from the Marriott and visit the USS Hornet. This is a fantastic place to catch the sunset with San Francisco in the background. The big battleships are quiet and you will find yourself right on the water with barely a person around.

USS Hornet museum in Almeida, California USS Hornet museum in Almeida, California. San Francisco can be seen in the distance. This is a powerful spot to catch the sunset, but you will need a car to get to this little know battleship area. It is super cool and puts you right on the bay with spectacular views.

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.


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
358: Apple History, Terroir and Cider of New York | CiderCon 2023 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:14
Newtown Pippin, Northern Spy and Esopus Spitzenberg apples and cider in New York A pre-recorded seminar from CiderCon 2023 with 3 influential panelist based in New York. [caption id="attachment_8097" align="aligncenter"…
357: Purchase Cider Online | Press Then Press [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:09
Meet the Storie and Erik of Press Then Press Storie Madrid first connected with Ria at Cider Chat via Twitter. In this niche market it is easy to get close to people of similar interests and passions. Storie has recently…
356: Holistic Fruit Growers Roundtable | Maine Apple Camp [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:06
Discover Holistic Growing Practices Enjoy this roundtable discussion moderated by Glen Koehler with 4 holistic practitioners. This roundtable was recorded at Maine Apple Camp 2022. Holistic Panelist Eric Shatt - Redbyrd…
355: CiderCon Recap and Awards 2023 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:15
Chicago Cider Week, Cider Tours, Interviews, Awards and Cider Summit The week of January 30th - February 4th was packed with cider related events all based in Chicago. CiderCon, the annual conference hosted by the Americ…
354: Preserving Historical Varieties of Apples & Pears [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:19:23
Are Historical Apple and Pears varieties at of becoming Extinct? It appears it is not a question of if, when historical varieties are no longer with us as climate change and other mitigation factors such as land developm…
353: Apple Historian John Bunker Q&A | Maine Apple Camp [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:59
Preservation Tips from an Apple Historian John Bunker is a self identified Apple Historian and an Apple Detective, Author of numerous books on the topic of Apples and Founder of FEDCO Trees. In the previous podcast episo…
352: Apples in Gravel? Maine Heritage Orchard | Part 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:09
John Bunker on Maine Heritage Orchard: Successes and Challenges over the First Ten Years This is Part 1 with John Bunker, who is both an author, Founder of FEDCO Trees, an Apple Historian and a key person behind the Main…
351: Cidermakers' Roundtable | Maine Apple Camp [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:53
Enjoy this Roundtable Discussion w/4 makers from Maine Kris Hogg formally of Perennial Cider Bar in Maine moderates this panel discussion that was held at the Maine Apple Camp in August of 2022. The topics are wide rangi…
350th Episode Celebration at Cider Chat [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:22
Season 7 and the Episodes of Cider Chat This episode marks the 350th episode of this weekly podcast and the end of Season 7. The Nose and Ria sat down for a dinner chat and looked over the past season. The dinner was des…
349: Super Power of Bradford Pear with Eliza Greenman [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:02
Any relation to the Greenman's of Mystic, Connecticut? When fruit explorer and horticultural historian Eliza Greenman received a call from owners of an overgrown orchard asking if she was related to the Greenman's who pl…