412: Cider Dispatch | Big Fish, VA

412: Cider Dispatch | Big Fish, VA

Author: Ria Windcaller: Award-winning Cidermaker, Podcaster | Craft Beer Columnist May 8, 2024 Duration: 42:28

Find the latest Cider Dispatch from Highland County Virginia

Cider Bon Vivant Reporter Al Sax provide a cider dispatch report from Monterey Virginia. This area of Virginia is known as Highland County and it is here that Big Fish Cider is located. One of the cool extras (beside cider) when visiting this region, is that it is a Dark Sky area. This means good star grazing due to the lack of night lights drowning out the night sky.

Al interviews Big Fish Cider Maker and Owner Kirk Billingsley. Kirk was last on Cider Chat in Episode 124. That recording took place in 2018 at CiderCon the annual trade conference for the American Cider Association

Cider Chat 412 - Ria with Big Fish pulled chilled from the stream 200x300 cider dispatch
Ria with Big Fish pulled chilled from the stream

Changes at Big Fish from 2018 -2024

  • 400 apple trees planted
  • Can order Big Fish online
  • Tasting room open Friday -Sunday

Contact for Big Fish Cider Co.

Work with Cider Chat – Provide Cider Dispatches Too!

If you enjoy sharing your love of cider and also have a knack for conversation? Why not share some of your local cider hot spots and interview a favored maker.

412 Cider Dispatch with Al Sax at Big Fish

Cider Chat is looking for 20-25 minute cider dispatches. No prior podcasting experience required. Check out the page "Work with Cider Chat", fill out the form and get published on the world's #1 cider podcast as a Cider Reporter @ Cider Chat!

Mentioned in this Cider Chat

Cider Chat Episode 412 Thy Cider #xpromotecider for Cider Dispatch 300x200
Thy Cider in Denmark Cross Promotes 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
257: Courthouse Creek "Garagistes" | Building a Cidery Part 3 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:58
We are Garagiste! Liza and Eric Coffi - Courthouse Creek Garagistes Liza and Eric Coffi jokingly call themselves 'Garagistes' of the cider world. Courthouse Creek is a family-run, small agri-business committed to respect…
256: Securing a Trademark | Building a Cidery Part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:03
Securing a Trademark This episode is Part 2 of the series "Building a Cidery". In Part 1 episode 255 "What is a Trademark" and "Why it matters" was presented by attorney Kevin Regan. Both episodes on Trademark Law were o…
255: Trademark Defined | Building a Cidery Part 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:57
Trademark Defined This episode kicks off a new series called "Building a Cidery". This episode and #256 are both on Trademark Law as presented by attorney Kevin Regan at CiderCon 2020. If you would like to view the power…
254: Blending as Maker Like Chef | Albemarle [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:32
Blending as Maker like Chef Blending is a key part of cidermaking. It can take place at the pressing of the apple juice prior to ferment or after the cider has finished fermenting. Knowing when to blend is not something…
253: #GrowQuince | Part 2 The Harvest [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:21
Harvest the brightest fruit on the Quince Tree In late 2019, Vermont Quince Company was awarded USDA-funded Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funding through the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets (VAAFM) to…
252: #GrowQuince Tips | Part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:38
#GrowQuince - it is easy to do! In late 2019, Vermont Quince Company was awarded USDA-funded Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funding through the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets (VAAFM) to support commerc…
251: Irish Expat in Germany | Kertelreiter Cider [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:51
Kertelreiter Cider Kertelreiter Cider is based in the village of Schefflenz in North Baden, Germany. The cidery came about when Irishman Barry Masterson fell in love with a German lass and moved to her homeland to raise…
250th Cider Podcast Celebration [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:57
We are celebrating the 250th episode of Cider Chat. Each season we invite The Nose to come on into the Cider House recording room and have a chat. We also have the opportunity to hear a bit more on how The Nose became Th…
249: Old School Cider for Modern Times [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:23
Old School Cider for Modern Times episode 249 is about this cider podcaster's backstory on making cider over the course of 26 years. This episode was inspired by my good friend Ryan Monkman of FieldBird Cider in Ontario.…
248: New England Quince Taste Test [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:40
The New England Quince Taste Test 2020 was hosted by Vermont Quince. Nan Stefanik founded Vermont Quince in 2012 and coined the hashtag #growquince Her passion for this pomme is contagious and her quince based products h…