312: Angels Dressed Like Bears | Michael Phillips 1957-2022

312: Angels Dressed Like Bears | Michael Phillips 1957-2022

Author: Ria Windcaller: Award-winning Cidermaker, Podcaster | Craft Beer Columnist March 23, 2022 Duration: 1:05:19

Tribute to Author and Orchardists Michael Phillips

I spoke with his long time friend Alan Surprenant of Brook Farm Orchard in Ashfield, Massachusetts on a cool March day a little over two week's after the unexpected passing of Michael Phillips.  The two men met originally at a New England Organic Farmers Association (NOFA) conference that was being held at Hampshire College and they soon became fast friends. It was Alan who first contacted me with the news of Michael's unexpected passing and I knew he'd be perfect to speak about the life of one of America's premier apple writers and teachers.

Cider Chat ep 312 Chair Tribute for Michael Phillips Michael's book placed in tribute to his passing a few days earlier at the 2022 Berkshire Roundtable

 

Michael died in his orchard in the Lost Nation area of New Hampshire on February 27, 2022. He was in the process of writing his fourth book and building out a Speakeasy where friends could gather to sip cider on his land that he shared with his wife Nancy and where they raised their daughter Grace.

I expected to talk a bit more about Michael with Alan, but we kept rolling back to talking about orchard care, a topic that was close to Michael's heart and certainly his life's work. It was fitting because both men held in common the work of helping homeowners and budding orchardist learn the basics of orchard care. For Michael it was his full time work writing books, consulting and presenting on the topic. He was the anchor of the Berkshire Roundtable, which is a yearly meetup of apple growers and more recently cider makers.

Cider Chat ep:312 Alan Surprenant in his orchard Alan Surprenant

Pay tribute to Michael Phillips by Planting a Tree

Michael Phillip's Books

Cider Chat Ep 312 Michael Phillips books(300 × 200 px)

Contact Info for Michael Phillips Books and Network

Contact for Alan Surprenant

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

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…