222: Ask Ryan | Quarantine Quad Series | Part 2

222: Ask Ryan | Quarantine Quad Series | Part 2

Author: Ria Windcaller: Award-winning Cidermaker, Podcaster | Craft Beer Columnist May 6, 2020 Duration: 37:53

Part 2 of the Quarantine Quad Series called "Ask Ryan" continues with Ryan Monkman of FieldBird Cider, Ontario Canada answering questions from Cider Chat listeners on working with oak barrels.

Cider Chat 222 feature ryan monkman

Listen Part 1 of the Quarantine Quad Series

Ryan addresses:

Stacking Oak Barrels

At FieldBird they call climbing up stacked barrels: Monkey climbing, where they uses e barrels as a ladder.

Managing Head space in a barrel

Using a solid bung for a full seal and not a bung with airlock

How to sanitize a barrel that's been sitting for 6 months untreated.

  • First smell barrel - if not funky you likely are ok
  • Find out if it will hold water.
    • Can take 2-3 days for water to absorb into the staves.
    • Avoid chlorinated water or find a way to dechlorinate the water (Do reverses osmosis to remover the chlorine)
      • TCA  - is formed when oak is mixed with Chlorine
      • Also known as cork taint

The Gold Standard for cleaning an empty barrel is steam.

  • A winery may have a gamajet that is used to clean the barrels via steam.
    • Turn on for 15 minutes

Burning sulfur sticks or barrel disks in empty barrels to protect barrel from oxygen which deters spoilage from occurring.

  • Light on the sulfur on fire and seal the barrel
    • Hang the sulfur and avoid drop the disk of sulfur into the barrel

Ep 222 FieldBird burning sulfur disks Lighting sulfur disks to put into barrels

More caustic ways to clean oak barrels

  • In the US - Scotts Labs has oak restorer that can be used to clean barrels.
  • A caustic cleaner to mix with water
    • Citric acid and 300 ppm sulfur (Potassium metabisulfite - KMS)
      • KMS is water soluble. - should taste like lemon water hold unpleasant aroma out of wood and knock back the population of spoilage
      • Ryan has had to do this up to 3x to clean out the barrel
      • If using KMS - use 600 ppm - because 1/2 of KMS is sulfur

Avoid used Sodium Metabisulfite because is can cause instability in the cider and the sodium sticks around.

A Cooper can re-cooper a barrel, but this might cost more than a new barrel and should be a last resort

Contact for Ryan Monkman at FieldBird Cider

Mentions in this chat

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
378: The Inner Realm of the Ice Cider Queen | Eden, VT [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:19
Nothing Sharp about the "Ice Cider Queen" Eleanor Léger is affectionately dubbed the Ice Cider Queen by many followers, most notably this podcast. She founded Eden Specialty Cider in 2007, the year of the first harvest o…
377: Fable Farm Fermentory's Co-Evolution of Humanity & Apples | VT [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:00
Fable Farm Fermentory's Co-Evolution of Humanity & Apples The Apple Calls Us In | Fable Farm, VT started 15 years ago... In this episode hear how brother's Jon and Christopher Piana found their way to Fable Farm and how…
376: Orchard & Cider Variety Research at WHNO | Vermont [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:26
Walden Heights Nursery & Orchard (WHNO) was created in 1997 This 22 acre farm with 8 acres of orchards on a hillside outside of Hardwick, Vermont in the town of Walden was founded by Todd Parlo and Lori Augustyniak. It i…
375: Cider's Low Carbon Footprint | Wildbranch Cider, Vermont [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:51
Cedar Hannan began selling his ciders branded as "Wildbranch" in 2020. He both forages apples and has a small orchard planted that he planted four years ago on his farm based in Craftsbury, Vermont. The ciders are both w…
374: Bonus Episode! CCLive | NY Apple Camp News! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:04
Bonus Cider Chat Live on NY Apple Camp July 28th - 30th at the Ashokan Center in the Hudson River Valley (on the west side of river) is the first ever NY Apple Camp! Elizabeth Ryan of Stone Ridge Orchard who is producing…
373: Orchard Tips for Cold Climates [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:15:17
Orchardist Ben Applegate on cold climate orchard care Ben is the Orchard Manager at Eden Specialty Cider based in northern Vermont and shares his insight on cold climate apple varieties and orchard tips. This chat took p…
372: The Science Behind Spontaneous Fermentation [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:33
Cider and Spontaneous Fermentation The wild "ambient" yeast found on apples, in the air, on cider presses can all contribute to a spontaneous fermentation within the cider must, which is the juice that has been freshly p…
371: Save Your Back! Mechanical Harvesting of Apples [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:52
Small, Medium and Large Scale options for Mechanical Harvesting of Apples Cornell University Associate Professor of Horticulture Gregory Peck Ph.D and Angry Orchard Head Cidermaker Joe Gaynor provide an in depth study of…
370: Innovative Ciders of Domaine Marois | France [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:57
Antoine Marois is Tantalizing the Taste Buds of Cider Fans On a sloping hill on the east side of the picturesque village of Cambremer sits Domaine Marois. The lead up to the home is formidable with a long drive that lead…
369: Baba Yaga & Holistic Orchards | NC [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:28
Discover Kordick Family Farm and Baba Yaga Hear from Dorsey and daughter Brittany, the mother and daughter team at Korkdick Family Farm with Baba Yaga as their guide. Dorsey is a long time apple fan and even attended Pet…