235: Maxim Brecht  Russian Cider | Part 4

235: Maxim Brecht Russian Cider | Part 4

Author: Ria Windcaller: Award-winning Cidermaker, Podcaster | Craft Beer Columnist August 19, 2020 Duration: 33:03

Maxim Brecht didn't grow up thinking he wanted to become a cidermaker. Cider in Russia is barely known. Maxim says, "People think of cider as being very acetic and dry."

Maxim Brecht, Максим Брехт Maxim Brecht

His path towards cider began when he saw the surplus of apples in the country. He had heard the word cider and thus started researching online, which led him to taking a cidermaking course in England, by Peter Mitchell. His time in England made him a fan of English ciders.

Today, he is planting orchards and making three kinds of ciders under his name Maxim Brecht, which looks like Максим Брехт, in the Russian alphabet.

Maxim's Traditional Méthode Champenoise, (6.0%) was delicious! A perfect representation of what cider can bring to a table! I wanted to drink the whole bottle, but my better self said, "Share this one of a kind with other cider fans." I saved a 1/3 of the bottle and a reluctantly, but happily passed it on."

Максим Брехт, Traditional Methode Champagnoise

Maxim also makes a Still Ice Cider and Sparkling Ice Cider. I did have a bottle of his Still Ice Cider too. Though it wasn't as remarkable as the Traditional, it was still quaffable. Note in this episode we talk a bit about climate change affects on apples world wide and in Russia.

A big tip of the glass to Maxim for organizing the 4 Part Series featuring Russian makers. He can be heard on all 4 episodes acting as translator. We met at Cidrexpo 2020 held in Normandy, France on February 14th.

Contact info for Maxim Brecht

Website: https://ciderbrekht.typeform.com/to/MVR1RA

Instagram: @cider.brekht

Listen to Part 1 - 3 on Russian Makers

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
199: Bellwether Cider since 1996 | NY [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:37
In 1996 Bellwether Hard Cider and Wine Cellars opened for business in a repurposed chicken hatchery in upper New York state in the Finger Lakes regions surrounding Lake Cayuga. Now in its 23rd year of business, this fami…
198: Becoming a Pomologist w/ Dr. Peck [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:02
Gregory M. Peck of the School of Integrative Plant Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York is the featured guest on episode 198. Greg in Peck lab Greg's chat begins at…
197: Top 5 Picks for Franklin County CiderDays [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:13
Top 5 Picks for Franklin County CiderDays Franklin County CiderDays takes place on the first weekend of November every year as it has been for the past 25 years. Yes, this November 1-3, 2019 is the 25th Annual and the nu…
196: Goat Zen to Cornell | FLX, NY [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:15
Audio snap shots of the cider region of Cayuga Lake, a 38 mile long lake located in the Finger Lakes region of New York state. CiderweekFLX took place September 27- October 6, 2019. This region has: 10 cider producer sur…
195: Fly Be Night Cider | 0% Sh**, UK [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:37
Look close into the label and you will see, words of wisdom, fun and glee! ...There are no surprises, just a straight up fact - this cider contains - 0% Shit Episode 195 features a chat with John Michael Leslie Edwards,…
194: The Reason for Being | Ross on Wye Cider & Perry, UK [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:48
Episode 194: The Reason for Being | Ross on Wye Cider & Perry, UK Mike Johnson grew up on Broome Farm picking up apples with his grandmother, in the rural country known as Herefordshire in the United Kingdom. Thirty Five…
193: Cider's Museum, Mythology, and Fans | England [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:42
A Museum for Cider, Cider Mythology of May Hill and Cider Loving Fans are all featured in this episode. This is the third episode of Cider Chat featuring my trip to the United Kingdom. Go to episode 192: London Got Cider…
192: Oak Barrel Smoker, Cheese & Cider | UK [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:42
Kate and Toby Lovell are raising Shropshire Sheep and Friesian Sheep at Handcocks Meadow Farm The Shropshire Sheep don't debark trees which make them excellent for use in orchards. They also have a flock of Friesian Shee…
191: London Got Cider | Cider Chat Live [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:59
Here is the first dispatch from the United Kingdom, specifically London where my journey began. "The Talking Pommes" (The Medlars, Mr. Quince, Perry Pear) and I arrived at Heathrow and went our separate ways. The Pommes…
190: Cider Revitalizes 1750 Colonial Orchard | Massachusetts [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:35
In 1968, Carol B. Hillman bought a colonial era estate that overlooked the Quabbin Reservoir, Boston's water source, in New Salem, Massachusetts. Originally attracted to the home onsite which is a classic colonial style…