497:Beginner Cider Makers Q&A | Advice from Professional Cider Makers (Archive)

497:Beginner Cider Makers Q&A | Advice from Professional Cider Makers (Archive)

Author: Ria Windcaller: Award-winning Cidermaker, Podcaster | Craft Beer Columnist April 1, 2026 Duration: 1:02:16

This archival episode of Cider Chat brings together five experienced cider makers answering real-world questions from beginners at CiderCon 2019.

Originally released as Episodes 174 and 175, this combined feature presents a comprehensive Q&A covering everything from fermentation and stabilization to business strategy, equipment, and scaling a cidery.

The discussion bridges the gap between hobby cider making and commercial production, offering practical insights grounded in real experience.

Panelists

Moderated by Cider Chat MC Ria Windcaller

00:00 Cider Choices Matter

01:27 Episode Setup

03:02 Ciderville Event News

05:41 Support The Podcast

06:31 Patron Shoutouts

10:34 Panel Introductions

14:34 Defining Cider

15:32 Lessons Learned

18:55 Residual Sugar Safety

23:51 Contract Vs Taproom

27:13 Ice Cider Deep Dive

33:11 Settling Juice Tips

34:40 Solids and Enzymes

35:06 Plastic Fermenters Tips

36:41 Profitability and Distribution

40:54 Learn on Someone Else

41:27 Core Ciders Strategy

45:43 Tasting Room Location

49:43 Funding and Crowdfunding

52:07 Essential Lab Gear

53:54 Filtration and Hopbacks

58:05 Fermentation Temperature Control

01:01:03 Wrap Up and Sign Off

Find the full show notes for Episode 497 at CiderChat.com

Direct Link at:https://ciderchat.com/podcast/497-beginner-cider-makers-qa/

Listen to wherever you get your podcasts and don't forget to subscribe so you never miss what's coming next in Ciderville.

Prefer to watch?
Find Cider Chat on YouTube for more cider stories, orchard adventures, and global cider culture.

💛 Enjoy cider? Help keep #ciderGoingUP - by supporting Cider Chat.
Your support helps keep the podcast on the air and makes it possible to share more conversations like this one.

 


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: 100

Cider Chat
Podcast Episodes
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…
504: Why Breweries Are Making Cider (and What It Means) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:20
What happens when breweries start making cider… not because they have to, but because they want to keep drinking beer? That question kicks off episode 504 featuring Dan Kramer and Ben Anhalt of Element Brewing Company. "…
502: Hungary Uncorked / Cider Going UP [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:39
Travel with Cider Chat to Hungary for audio snapshots from the country's first Cider Salon, featuring makers from across Central and Eastern Europe, orchard visits, and a look at why Hungarian cider is a region to watch.…
501: How to Taste Cider [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:35
Welcome to Season 11 of Cider Chat. After 500 episodes exploring how cider is made, Episode 501 brings it back to the glass—how to taste cider in a way that actually feels natural. No jargon. No pressure. Just a simple,…
How Cider Is Made | Lessons from 500 Episodes of Cider Chat [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:31
In this milestone Episode 500, we return to a simple question that has come up again and again over the past ten seasons of Cider Chat: How is cider made? After hundreds of conversations with cider makers, orchardists, h…
499: The Omnia Era of Cider | Pommes in Art Revisited [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:40
Episode 499 of Cider Chat looks at the "Omnia Era of Cider" - a time when everything is happening at once in modern cider, from traditional methods to new styles and experimentation. Using art history and the Pommes in A…
498: Heeman's Cellar | Somewhere Cider from Ontario [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:12:05
In this episode of Cider Chat, we visit Heeman Cellars in Ontario, where a multi-generational strawberry farm expanded into cider and mead production focused on heritage apples, terroir, and experimentation. We taste ble…
496: Liberty Ciderworks | Spokane, WA [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:28
Liberty Ciderworks in Spokane, Washington is an urban cidery focused on traditional methods. While located in the city, their cider reflects deep agricultural roots. Cider maker and founder Rick Hastings ferments with wi…