514: Doing More With Lees | Ryan Monkman

514: Doing More With Lees | Ryan Monkman

Author: Ria Windcaller: Award-winning Cidermaker, Podcaster | Craft Beer Columnist September 9, 2026 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 fermentation, élevage, and bottling.

Ryan digs into fine and gross lees, cracking lees, bâtonnage, autolysis, oxygen management, fault correction, bottle conditioning, and practical ways to decide which lees to keep and which to let go.

Timestamps

00:00 Cider Is Sensory

02:25 News From Ciderville

04:29 Back To CiderCon

05:29 Fine, Gross And Cracked Lees

07:58 Passive To Active Uses

09:29 Harvesting And Storing Lees

13:16 Cracking Lees

18:53 Why Crack Fresh Lees

21:46 Using Lees In Fermentation

26:15 Bâtonnage And Élevage

28:30 Using Lees To Correct Faults

31:10 Bottling, Canning And Kegging

35:22 Dosing Lees For Ancestral Cider

36:41 Traditional Method And Sur Lie

38:07 What To Watch For With Lees

39:55 Bâtonnage Timing And Technique

41:55 Bâtonnage And Oxygen

43:25 Cracked Lees And Autolysis

44:26 Building Three Cider Styles

47:03 Élevage Strategies

48:17 Bottling The Three Ciders

49:35 Lees, Yeast And Terroir

50:54 Ryan Monkman Wrap Up

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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

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