Cider Chat

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/
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.

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 Art story as a guide, this episode explores how we often don't realize we are living in an important era until years later.
This episode serves as a pause before Episode 500, where we return to the beginning and talk about how cider is made.
00:00 Episode 499 Prelude
01:00 Chaos Then and Now
03:31 Omnia Era Explained
05:46 Art as Cider Lens
06:13 Michelangelo David
08:45 Renaissance to Cider
11:13 Arcimboldo Fruit Portraits
13:35 Pomona and Vertumnus
16:35 Sack of Rome Shift
18:29 Mannerism and Omnia
23:17 Talking Pommes Banter
25:53 Looking to Episode 500
Find the full show notes and photos for Episode 499 at CiderChat.com
Direct Link at: https://ciderchat.com/podcast/499-the-omnia-era-of-cider/
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.

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 blends, single varietals, and rare apples including Wayne, Swayzie – Pomme Grise, Yarlington Mill, and crab apples while discussing Ontario cider history, barrel aging, Pet Nat cider, and what it means to make cider that comes from somewhere.
00:00 Somewhere Cider Idea
02:17 Episode Setup Tom Heeman
03:44 Cider Travel Updates
06:16 Road To Episode 500
10:19 Heeman Farm Origins
11:18 Orchard Plans Partnerships
12:04 London Ontario Location
14:13 Apples Bees Cider Bug
15:28 Cider Mead Beginnings
17:18 Launching During Covid
19:58 Style Shift Toward Dry
23:26 Ontario Terroir Apples
25:48 Family Buy In
27:51 Tasting Flight Begins
30:10 Magic Apple Story
34:52 New Traditions Pet Nat
36:14 Somerset Blend Deep Dive
37:55 Ontario Blend Origins
38:23 Aging Takes Time
39:04 Yarlington Mill Pour
40:28 Terroir and Acid Balance
41:51 Somewhere Cider Philosophy
42:12 Happy Space Mission
45:16 Wayne Apple Discovery
47:13 Old World Notes Explained
51:32 Swayze Pomme Grise
55:15 Ontario Apple Golden Age
58:59 Sweet Crab Apple Shock
01:04:21 Clamping and Carbonic Trials
01:08:27 Wrap Up and Credits
Find the full show notes for Episode 498 at CiderChat.com
Direct Link at:https://ciderchat.com/podcast/498-heeman-cellars/ 
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.

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

Marcus Robert – Tieton Cider Works, Washington
Tim Godfrey – Golden State Cider, California
Eleanor Leger – Eden Specialty Cider, Vermont
Brent Myles – Sly Clyde Cider, Virginia
Ben Calvi – Vermont Cider Co, Vermont

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.

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 wild yeast, ages cider for 3 to 12 months, and source fruit from nearby orchards. This approach creates cider with structure, balance, and regional identity.

This interview is with Jamie, who is a certified pommelier, and her husband Ben Pratt who both partnered with Rick in 2019. This interview was recorded at CiderCon in 2026.
00:00 Cider Eyes Open
00:40 Meet Liberty Cider
01:58 Ciderville News Kanga
04:46 Western Mass Cider Stop
07:51 Tour Prep And Pacing
12:53 Spokane Urban Cidery
15:09 Orchards And Sourcing
17:20 How They Joined Liberty
21:54 Tasting Room Third Place
23:29 Cider Series And Flights
29:33 Educating New Drinkers
31:07 American Apples Lineup
32:01 On The Table Golden Russet
32:22 Golden Russet Terroir
33:22 Tasting Notes Compared
35:31 Wild Yeast Unfiltered
38:43 Reserve Versus Core
39:19 Cider Club Shipping
41:59 Future Growth Strategy
44:14 Visit Spokane Taproom
46:38 Events Puzzle Festival
49:21 Barrel Program 55 Chain
52:39 Wrap Up Ciderchat
54:13 Closing Orchard Song
 
Find the full show notes for Episode 496 at CiderChat.com
Direct Link at: https://ciderchat.com/podcast/496-liberty-ciderworks/
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 and support this podcast Cider Chat.
Your support helps keep the podcast on the air and makes it possible to share more conversations like this one.