How Cider Is Made | Lessons from 500 Episodes of Cider Chat

How Cider Is Made | Lessons from 500 Episodes of Cider Chat

Author: Ria Windcaller: Award-winning Cidermaker, Podcaster | Craft Beer Columnist April 22, 2026 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, historians, and fermentation experts around the world, this episode brings together the core lessons shared across 500 episodes - from orchard to bottle.

This episode walks through the cider making process step by step, including:

  • Apples and cider apple varieties
  • Milling and pressing
  • Fermentation and yeast
  • Malolactic fermentation
  • Barrel aging and lees aging
  • Blending
  • Bottling and conditioning
  • The science behind cider making

Throughout the episode, listeners are directed to past Cider Chat episodes where these topics are explored in depth with cider makers and experts from around the world.

Episode 500 also reflects on the growth of Cider Chat, the global cider community, and the people who make up Ciderville.

Thank you for listening, supporting, and being part of the journey to 500 episodes.

00:00 Welcome Episode 500

00:36 Season Voices Montage

01:51 Why Cider Chat

06:12 Cider Back To Basics

08:07 Orchard And Apples

11:10 Apple Stories And Resources

13:11 Milling And Pressing

16:57 Fermentation Essentials

18:27 Barrels And Oak Choices

19:30 Blending Art And Science

24:58 Time Bottling And Patience

25:43 Episode 500 Reflections

28:15 Thanks And Season Eleven

29:14 Outro And Bonus Banter


Find the full show notes for Episode 500 at CiderChat.com

Direct Link at: https://ciderchat.com/podcast/500-how-cider-is-made/

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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: 100

Cider Chat
Podcast Episodes
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…
495: Cider Barrels Speak | Bâtonnage & Barrel Aging [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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 Cide…
494: Humboldt Cider and the Historic Orchard of Albert Etter [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:53
In this episode of Cider Chat, we hear from Tom Hart of Humboldt Cider Company, located in Eureka, California along the rugged Pacific coastline behind what locals call the Redwood Curtain. We also discusses preserving t…
493: Cider as a Sport | Sidra in Asturias (Archive Edition) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:28
What is Asturian cider? Asturian cider (sidra natural) is a traditionally fermented apple cider from Asturias, Spain, served through a high pour (escanciado) and shared socially in small servings called culines. This epi…
492: Absolem Cider Company | Maine Cider Energy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:23
This episode of Cider Chat explores the growing Maine cider scene through Absolem Cider Company in Winthrop, a farm-based cidery helping shape New England's evolving cider identity. Located on a 60-acre farm in Winthrop,…
491: Revisiting Randall Grahm | Cider Exploration Without Hesitation [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:35
An early conversation that explored possibilities cider was only beginning to consider. As Cider Chat moves toward its 500th episode, we revisit conversations from the earliest seasons, taking a long view of the moments…
490: Let Cider Lead [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:32
An editorial on leadership, scarcity, and why cider no longer needs to borrow authority from beer or wine. In Let Cider Lead, host Ria Windcaller steps back from interviews to offer a clear-eyed reflection on the state o…