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
119: Stinky Cider Troubleshooting | Scott Laboratories [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:16
Find this episode and all episodes at the page for Cider Chat's podcasts. Prevention & Correction of Sulfur-Off Odors in Cider Production was presented by Rebecca deKramer, cider specialist at Scott Laboratories at Cider…
118: Cider Dinner w/Gitche Gumee Ciderworks | MI [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:53
The main chat with Gitche Gumee begins at 12:00 minutes. Please Help Support Cider Chat Please donate today. Help keep the chat thriving! _________________________________ Cider pairs well with food, especially Ethiopian…
117: Distillery Lane Ciderworks | Maryland [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:22
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. ______________________________ In 2000 Rob Miller and his family…
116: New American & Heritage Ciders | Newtopia Cyder, San Diego [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:10:46
Find this episode with complete show notes & photos and all episodes at the page for Cider Chat's podcasts. _____________ Rick Moreno opened the doors of Newtopia Cyder in San Diego County California in January 2017. He…
115: Baltimore Speaks Cider [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:21
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. Listen also at iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher (for Android), iHear…
114: Lee Reeve | World Cider Experience, Japan [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:37
Lee Reeve arrived in Japan in 2003 as an artist from the United Kingdom Today in Yokohama, he is still crafting his magician skills, but his love of cider has led him into Japan's growing cider market. We chat on the cur…
113: Jake Mann | Five Mile Orchard, CA [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:02
Jake Mann's family legacy goes back to the early days of the Apple growing in the California. His parent's ranch Five Mile Orchard is a locally known historical location, where his great, great grandfather Sam L. Mann se…
112: Maryland's Got Pommes [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:48
Yes, Maryland's Got Pommes and there is going to be some big time cider fun at CiderCon2018 in Baltimore! January 31- February 2, 2018. But first a reminder on: The $900 Price Drop for the Totally Cider Tour to the UK in…
111: Cidernomics "Breaking Bad or Breaking Even" w/Eleanor Leger [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:06
Budgeting money effectively is critical whether you are managing a household or a commercial business such as a cidery. In this episode of Cider Chat I speak with Eleanor Leger of Eden Specialty Cider based Vermont now i…
110: Eric & Katie | Rider Ranch Ciderworks, CA [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:08
A $900 Price Drop for the Totally Cider Tour to the UK in April 25 - May 2, 2018. Join Ria and other awesome cider friends on this tour of a life time. Go to https://form.jotform.com/73186243884970 and register now! ----…