411: Curative Options for Cider Making Problems | CiderCon 2024

411: Curative Options for Cider Making Problems | CiderCon 2024

Author: Ria Windcaller: Award-winning Cidermaker, Podcaster | Craft Beer Columnist May 1, 2024 Duration: 1:01:51

Technical Tips for When Things Go Wrong with Cider Making

This episode features two cider professionals and a cider industry consultant, which is exactly who you need a direct line to when your cider has problems. Hear from Megan Faschoway who at the time of this recording was Senior Cider Maker at Sea Cider, Kira Bassingthwaighte Head Cider Maker at Western Cider in Montana and Nick Gunn of BenchGraft a cider consultation service based in Salem Oregon.

This talk took place in Portland Oregon at CiderCon, the annual cider conference hosted by the American Cider Association. The title of the talk was "What to do when things go wrong".

The focus was not on preventive measures, but as the title says – curative steps that one can take to try to mitigate a problem with a particular cider

In this Cider Chat on Cider Problems

  • Dealing with rotten egg smell from your cider
    • Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a negative off-aroma compound that can occur in cider and has a rotten egg smell. It's produced by the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae during cider fermentation.
  • Filtering cider
    • Using Reverse Osmosis (RO)
  • Tasting Panels for feedback
    • Dealing with a saturated cider maker's palate
  • Saving samples from each batch to create a library for potential cider problems down the road

Contact for Speakers on this Panel

  • Megan Faschoway

Mentions in this Cider Chat


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
267: Fermenting with Quince | A Panel Discussion w/Makers [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:09
Fermenting with Quince Was Aphrodite's Forbidden Fruit a quince or the apple? She's not talking, but cidermakers are in this panel discussion on "Fermenting with Quince" that was recorded for CiderCon2021. Quince a.k.a.…
266: Vermont Quince Co. Elevates a Forgotten Pomme [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:20
Vermont Quince Hosts the New England Quince Taste Test of 2020 Perhaps before you listen to this episode 266 you might like to go to episode 248 to hear the initial blind tasting to compare the notes with this episode. T…
265: Calvados with Étienne Dupont | Normandy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:10
Tasting Calvados with Étienne Dupont Étienne Dupont took over the Domaine Familial Etienne Dupont in the Pays d'Auge region of Normandy France from his father Louis and grandfather Jules in 1980. Episode 098: Jérôme Dupo…
264: Grandma's Perfect Apple Orchard | John Bunker [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:03
Grandma's Apple Orchard John Bunker, of Maine, Presents: Grandma's Apple Orchard: the perfect orchard with only twelve trees. How did she do it? John is a Colby alumnus and was presented the 2019 Commissioner's Distingui…
263: Apple Identification and Genetics [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:48
Science Based Resource for Apple Identification Up to this point we've all been reliant upon drawings and descriptions from historical books and "those in the know" to identify specific apple varieties. Today, as you wil…
262: Virtual Cidery | Building a Cidery Part 8 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:57
What is a Virtual Cidery? A virtual cider is a cidery managed out of someone's else's cidery, or winery and in some cases a brewery. This week's featured guest is Ryan Monkman of FieldBird Cider in Prince Edward County O…
261: Yonder & The Source | Building a Cidery, Part 7 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:00
What is Yonder? Yonder Cider is made at the production facility in Wenatchee, Washington. Cider are made with both culinary and classic cider varieties that co-owner Caitlin Braam, who is our featured guest in this episo…
260: Eris Brewery and Cider House | Building a Cidery Part 6 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:51
What is Eris? Eris is the name of the goddess of chaos. Her splendor in creating chaos is exactly why co-owners Michelle Foik and Katie Pizza named their craft beer and cider bar Eris, but there is more. Katie's "elevato…
259: Artifact Cityscape | Building a Cidery - Part 5 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:46
Artifact Cider Project Soham Bahatt and Jake Mazar co-founded Artifact Cider Project in 2014. The cidery was originally located in the city of Springfield, Massachusetts, then moved out towards Boston and eventually back…
258: Ragged Hill Design| Building a Cidery Part 4 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:57
Ragged Hill Cidery since 2017 Steve Garwood is the Head Cidermaker at Ragged Hill Cidery. He and his daughter Anne Garwood Hampp who manages Sales and Marketing and orchardist Keith Arsenault form the Ragged Hill Cider C…