495: Cider Barrels Speak | Bâtonnage & Barrel Aging

495: Cider Barrels Speak | Bâtonnage & Barrel Aging

Author: Ria Windcaller: Award-winning Cidermaker, Podcaster | Craft Beer Columnist March 18, 2026 Duration: 58:24

In this archive episode of Cider Chat, we go in a barrel cellar in Prince Edward County, Ontario, with Ryan Monkman of FieldBird Cider and Lee Baker of Keint-He Winery.

Listening to Fermentation

What Is Bâtonnage in Cider?

Find Key Takeaways for Home Cider Makers

Barrel Room Glossary

SO₂ Calculator

00:00 Barrels as Dance Partners

00:29 Episode 495 Replay Setup

01:40 Ryan Monkman Spotlight

04:06 Ciderville News and Cider Salons

06:21 UK Blossom Time Tour Plans

08:18 Entering the Barrel Cave

10:38 Cellar Terroir and Humidity

13:33 Malolactic Fermentation Explained

15:32 Listening to Fermentation

17:51 Comparing Barrels With and Without Malo

21:50 Yeast Trials and Complexity

23:48 Lees Contact and Benefits

26:24 Bâtonnage Tools and Routine

30:47 Bâtonnage Demo in Action

33:49 Hands On Stirring and Smelling

34:17 Stirring The Lees

35:26 Blending For Complexity

36:47 Aging Timeline And Autolysis

38:47 Barrel Faults And Oxygen

41:58 Managing Flor And SO2

44:09 Measuring pH And Sulfur

49:56 Cleaning And Storing Barrels

53:03 Citric Sulfur Storage Method

57:04 Closing Notes And Farewell

Find the full show notes for Episode 495 at CiderChat.com

Direct Link at: https://ciderchat.com/podcast/495-barrel-aged-cider-tips/
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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: 50

Cider Chat
Podcast Episodes
514: Doing More With Lees | Ryan Monkman [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:39
Lees are more than sediment at the bottom of a tank. Recorded at CiderCon 2026 in Providence, Rhode Island, cidermaker and fermentation consultant Ryan Monkman explores how cidermakers can put lees to work throughout fer…
513: Still Cider, Single Apples and Time | Sowams, Rhode Island [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:34
What happens when a cidermaker decides to do less and give cider more time? Spencer Morris of Sowams Cider Works in Warren, Rhode Island, makes cider with more than 70 apple varieties, old mechanical rack-and-cloth press…
512: Plant the Damn Apple Tree | Special Edition [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:10
Cider Chat MC Ria Windcaller reads her August eCiderNews editorial, Plant the Damn Apple Tree, reflecting on entrepreneurship, uncertainty, abundance, and what an apple tree might teach us about the time in between. FROM…
511: Hungarian Cider Comes of Age | Bright Cider [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:15
Hungary may not have a centuries-old cider tradition like England or France, but that is exactly what makes its modern cider movement so exciting. In this episode, Cider MC Ria Windcaller travels to Budapest to meet Andr…
510: From Barrels to the Pub | The People's Cider Co., Michigan [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:44
Most cider makers dream of expanding their barrel program. Jason Lummen did the opposite. In Episode 510, Ria Windcaller visits The People's Cider Company in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where Jason explains why he shifted fr…
509: Mr. Plūme | In the Heart of Latvia's Fine Cider [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:03
Episode 509 takes us to the heart of Latvia to meet Dace and Māris Plūme, the husband-and-wife team behind Mr. Plūme, an award-winning orchard cidery known for both still and naturally sparkling ciders. Their journey beg…
507: Expand Your Universe | Woodfolk Cider, Ontario Canada [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:19
Sometimes all it takes is one sip. It happened to the founders of Woodfolk Cider, Martha Lowry and Alistair Whitehead, and it can happen to YOU! What began as a shared love of food, drink, and hospitality eventually led…
505: Cider Senseis: Discipline, Craft, and the Cost [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:25
There is a question that keeps coming up in cider, small business, and independent media: Is this sustainable? In this episode, Ria sits down with Adrian Luna, known as the Hard Cider Guy, for a conversation that goes we…