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
129: Cider Dinner w/Carlo Hein | Ramborn Cider Co, Luxembourg [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:41
Carlo Hein has always loved cider. That cider love and perhaps his work in renovation and sustainable energy spurred him and his friends to start a cidery. Upon noticing the fallen fruit and neglected apples trees in his…
128: Cider Wins Big | Beer Competition, Boston [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:09
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…
127: Western Michigan's Ridge Cider [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:26
Matt DeLong grew up making cider and what he once called "Apple Wine". Western Michigan has what is known as the wine trail and there are lots of fruit wines, so it is no surprise that Matt first considered a career in t…
126: Little Pomona's Big Ciders | Herefordshire, UK [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:10:36
Little Pomona's makers and founders, Susanna and James Forbes have a long history with libations. James worked as a wine buyer and marketer, while Susanna who started in physics became one of the UK's leading libation wr…
125: Prez. Vander Heide | USACM & Vander Mill [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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 cha…
124: No input apples at Big Fish Cider | Virginia [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:41
Kirk Billingsley has been charmed by cider ever since he was a kid. Coming home from school he fondly remembers being mentored by his dad who had a barrel of sweet cider (non fermented apple juice) outside the family's h…
123: The Perry Farmer in Loré, France [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:41
Poiré Fermier is French for Perry Farmer, which is only part of the story for the featured guest in this episode 123. Cidermaker Philippe and wife Marie-Claire Derouault also manage a herd of dairy cows who graze and laz…
122: Cider Behind the Scene in Normandy, France [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:47
Find this episode with photos and show notes and all episodes at the page for Cider Chat's podcasts. Cider enthusiast Michel Dargent hosted Ria at his home in September 2017. Monsieur Dargent is a cider aficionado, makin…
121: Keeving Perry | Tieton Cider Works, WA [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:18
Tieton Cider Works was founded by Marcus Roberts and is based in Yakima Washington. Tieton works with Harmony Orchards which has 55 acres of cider apples and perry pears. Marcus who takes a scientific approach to making…
120: Trevor Baker | Noble Cider, North Carolina [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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 ciderma…