310: D.O.P.E. Cider House & Winery | Youngstown, OH

310: D.O.P.E. Cider House & Winery | Youngstown, OH

Author: Ria Windcaller: Award-winning Cidermaker, Podcaster | Craft Beer Columnist March 9, 2022 Duration: 52:44

The DOPE Brand

Hannah Ferguson is giving us all a reason to visit Youngstown, Ohio. Her DOPE brand is helping to introduce the city to cider like never before. The bio says that the DOPE brand is about a "Winemaker, Marketing, Event planning, other business services" but this only stays in step wit how she is keeping the door wide open for opportunity.  This Winter and Spring she is busy getting her new cidery up and rolling. It is located next to Penguin Brewing Company. The two business are both revving up the neighborhood where the wildly popular  Youngstown Flea [market] is located too. Expect the brewery and DOPE cidery next tood to all be open this year 2022. 

Cider Chat 310 Feature DOPE 300x200 Hannah Ferguson

The message behind DOPE

DOPE stands for Dwell on Positive Energy and Hannah radiates this vibe! Hear her story on how she got there and how she is able to stay there in this episode.

Per the DOPE website:

"DOPE isn't only a cider and wine manufacturer, but a lifestyle brand that takes pride in creating connections and experiences uniquely through cider and wine. DOPE brands LLC was established in 2017. Most importantly D.O.P.E. is about empowering underrepresented minorities in the industry as well as enthusiasts."

Contact for DOPE Cider House & Winery

Website: http://www.dopethebrand.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theDOPEbrand

Instagram: @dopethebrand 

Mentions in this Chat

Support these Sponsors of Cider Chat so they can continue to support this podcast and help you make great cider!

  • Fermentis - Yeast and Fermentation Solutions for Cidermakers
  • Sraml - Food Processing and Cidermaking equipment specialist
  • Ciderganza April 15th-18th Ross on Wye Cider and Perry Co.

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
139: New Zealand's Cidermaking Calendar w/Alex Peckham [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:17:04
New Zealand's Peckham Cider is featured in this podcast episode #139. I was able to sit down with Alex Peckham at CiderCon2018 held in Baltimore, Maryland. CiderCon is the annual trade conference put on by the United Sta…
138: Chairman Richard Liu | Ontario Craft Cider Association [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:32
Richard Liu is the Chair of the Ontario Craft Cider Association and owner of Ironwood Cider and Sunnybrook Winery. This chat was recorded while I was on tour with Ryan Monkman of Fieldbird Cider (Prince Edward County) wh…
137 Ontario's County Cider Story | Jenifer Dean [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:14:08
County Cider based in Prince Edward County in the Canadian Province of Ontario began selling cider in 1996. It was launched by Grant Howes a formidable man considered the Grandfather of Cider in Ontario. In 2000 Jenifer…
136: Cidermaker of the Year 2018 - Tells All [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:29
This is a mini version of the main podcast this week - as I am super duper busy - so I call this "Cider Chat Live" which is a mini me version of the main podcast - Subscribe to Cider Chat Live too via https://anchor.fm/c…
135: Viejo High Pours in Fishtown | Philadelphia [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:40
Viejo is a barrel aged cider made by Joe Getz of Kurant Cider. This cider is a single varietal cider made with Winchester apples. Described on Kurants website as: "a blend of wild fermented ciders created by using some o…
134: Medlars "Pomme Rock Stars" &  Judging Cider [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:38
What are Medlars? Medlars are pommes. It can be either a tree or a large bush. The small brown medlars are picked in the fall. Because Medlars are eaten in the winter months they were very popular at a time when fruit wa…
133: Cider's Chemical Fingerprints [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:15
Attention Cider Makers! Understand Your Cider's Chemical Fingerprints John Edwards presented "Cider's Chemical Fingerprints" at the United States Association of Cider Makers (now referred to as the American Cider Associa…
132: Barrels & Bâtonnage [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:25
Bâtonnage is a winemaking technique that is also used in Cidermaking. It involves raking the lees or what is seen as the heavy particulars of yeast cells that fall out of solution and down to the bottom of the barrel dur…
131: Cider Barrels with a Cooper, a Maker & Thierry Lemaire [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:21:16
Cider Barrel Maintenance The craft of making an oak barrel is called "cooperage" and the person who applies this craft is called a "cooper". The skills of this trade have been passed down through the centuries. The tree…
130: Cider Voices from Grand Rapids & #2GLINTCAPorBUST [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:07
Cider Voices from Grand Rapids Cider Week and the Great Lakes International Cider and Perry Competition On the evening of May 14th Joby Willson, Mark Gryska, Charlie Olchowski and William Grote and myself headed out in a…