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
59: Ciderville Tales | Monterey Bay, CA [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:59
The farmers of Monterey Bay California have been growing apples since the state constitution was first ratified in1849. The primary apple of the region is Newtown Pippin due partly to the demand for this apple by Martine…
158: CiderCon2019 | M. McGrath - USACM Exec Dir [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:30
Please 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. ---------------------- The United States Association of Cider Mak…
157: County Cork's Killahora Orchards | Ireland [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:44
Killahora Orchards of County Cork is located on the southern tip of the Emerald Isle a.k.a. Ireland and was once the center of the world butter market. Historically it is also known as the "rebel city". Today it is a thr…
156: Not all lees are gross [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:50
Lees: When should we love them and when should we leave them? And what the heck is "lees" anyways? The main chat in this episode begins around 10 minutes in and features Curt Sherrer presenting his workshop titled "All L…
155: Sex(ism) in the Cidery [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:46
Sex(ism) in the cidery was a panel discussion moderated by, Franklin County CiderDays committee chair April Woodard on November 3, 2018. The goal was to take the larger context from the MeToo Movement to the cidery commu…
154: Turning Straw into Gold | Apple Falls Cider Company [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:42
Matt Oskamp and Amelia Campbell started Apple Falls Cider Company in 2017. The cider house is situated alongside the farm store at Campbell Orchards located in Prince Edward County, Ontario. Campbell Orchards is owned by…
153:  Journey to the World's Largest Apple Tree | Kazakhstan [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:17
In this episode author of "The New Cider Makers Handbook" Claude Jolicoeur presents an overview of his trip to Kazakhstan in August of 2017. This presentation was recorded at the 24th Annual Franklin County CiderDays on…
152: How to teach Cidermaking 101 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:48
Teaching Cider Making is fairly straight forward: Have on hand: Fresh pressed apple juice A carboy or some sanitized vessel to hold the juice, with enough room for it to ferment and not bubble over. An airlock to release…
151: The Sweet and Sour Side of Cider Podcasting [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:07
Dave Carr makes cider using wild yeast and oak barrels (primarily). Raging Cider and Mead is based in San Marcos, California, which is about 15 minutes in land from Oceanside and based in San Diego County, California. Da…
Hallelujah! 150 Episodes of Cider Chat! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:55
In this episode 150 The Nose visits the Cider House Recording studio and helps Ria look at "What is possible" in the coming year. With now a 150 episodes there is a lot to review and reminiscence after meeting so many wo…