484: Rethinking American Cider History with Patrick McCauley

484: Rethinking American Cider History with Patrick McCauley

Author: Ria Windcaller: Award-winning Cidermaker, Podcaster | Craft Beer Columnist December 31, 2025 Duration: 1:09:59
Meet Patrick McCauley, a Michigan-based cider maker and researcher, who is questioning some of the most common myths about American cider history. What Patrick uncovers is a far more regional, farm-based, and resilient cider story than the usual "cider died because of Prohibition" narrative.
 

00:00 Introduction to Cider and Prohibtion

00:23 Meet the Host and Guest

01:56 Listener Support and Community

04:51 Cider Salon Hungary, Uk & French Cider Tour

08:03 Featured Conversation with Patrick McCauley

10:25 Cider Production and Historical Insights

14:48 Regional Cider Production in the US

30:36 Impact of Prohibition and Industrialization

37:30 Challenges in Cider Production

38:33 Cider Culture and Consumer Perception

39:22 Historical Context and Regional Differences

42:08 Modern Cider Making Techniques

45:14 The Future of Cider

48:05 Historical Research and Discoveries

59:24 Reviving Lost Cider Traditions

01:05:58 Closing Remarks and Gratitude

 

Contact info for Patrick McCauley

Mentions in this Cider Chat

Cider Chat Patreon - join today!


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
089: Reusing Oak Barrels for Cider [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:51
Find this episode with photos and all archived episodes at the page for Cider Chat's podcasts Subscribe and Listen via iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher (for Android), iHeartRadio and wherever you love to listen to podcasts.…
088: In Tasmania w/Patrick Meagher of Simple Cider [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:52
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. Simple Cider's is located on the southern tip of Tasmania in a re…
087: Cyser or Cyzer? Kombucha & Mead - Oh My! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:18:28
Find this episode and all episodes at the page for Cider Chat's podcasts. Listen also at iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher (for Android), iHeartRadio and where ever you love to listen to podcasts. Follow on twitter @cidercha…
086: Cider Press History | Make Cider [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:09
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. Cider presses have come in a number of different shapes and forms…
085: Attorney Lindsey Zahn | Cider Law [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:48
Attorney Lindsey Zahn specializes in wine law, but there is no denying her interest in cider and the laws governing it commerce…and yes these there is a difference between wine and cider! Her wine blog On Reserve has bee…
084: The Elements of Cider | Sensory Analysis w/Charles McGonegal [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:42
Charles McGonegal has been teaches a workshop on Sensory Analysis for cider judges, makers, enthusiasts and at both CiderCon (the United States Association o Cider Makers annual conference) and GLINTCAP (Great Lakes Inte…
083: Charles McGonegal | AEppelTreow Winery & Distillery,  Wisconsin [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:12:09
Enter the Giveaway for 2 tickets to Cider Circus August 26, 2017 at Copper Mountain Ski Resort in Colorado http://cidercircus.com/ Enter by subscribing to eCiderNews and be automatically entered or become a Patron of Cid…
082: Joe Getz | Kurant Cider, Pennsylvania [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:49
Kurant Cider is back on Cider Chat discussing the opening of a Tasting Room in the area of Philidelphia called Fishtown. Cider will be available to go in can and growlers at the 436 E. Girard Ave location. The production…
081: Stephanie & Aaron Carson | Gypsy Circus Cider Co., Tennessee [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:40
Gypsy Circus Cider Company founders and makers, Stephanie & Aaron Carson, are helping to put cider on the map in Tennessee. They have two facilities with one dedicated to barrel aging ciders and the main production site…
080: Teddy Weber | Tin Hat Cider, Vermont [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:14
Tin Hat cidermaker Teddy Weber is stewarding a 25 year old orchard in Waitsfield Vermont. This musician by trade got his taste for cider in the UK during his music gigs while there. He teamed up with Sue and Gib Geiger w…