Cider Chat

What happens when a cider region has the apples, but not centuries of rules telling cidermakers what cider is supposed to be?
Recorded at CiderCon 2026 in Providence, Rhode Island, this World of Cider session brings together three Latvian cider makers and Asnāte Ziemele of Baltic Cider.
The Baltics have a long apple-growing heritage, but their modern cider movement is remarkably young. That gives today's makers room to experiment with local heirloom apples, wild seedlings, European cider varieties, pét-nat, still cider, wild fermentation and more as they develop their own Baltic cider identity.
In This Cider Chat
Why Baltic cider is something of a blank slate
Northern climate, orchards and local apple varieties
Wild seedlings, crab apples and European cider varieties
Pét-nat, still cider and wild fermentation
Building consumer understanding of real cider
Organic orchard practices and wildlife pressure
Cider regulations, ABV and taxes
Food pairings and where to find Baltic cider
Building a Baltic cider identity without fixed traditions
Featured Panel
Asnāte Ziemele | Baltic Cider
Jānis Matvejs | Abuls Cidery
Mārtiņš Knipšis | Pienjāņi Cidery
Māris Plūme | Mr. Plūme Cidery
 
Timestamps
00:00 Baltic Cider Blank Slate
01:16 Host Intro and Cider Tours
03:17 Why the Baltics Now
04:05 Meet the Baltic Cider Association
04:52 Origins After 1991
05:57 Climate and Growing Conditions
08:17 Orchards and Apple Types
10:22 Styles and Ingredients
11:39 Challenges and Marketing
12:07 Abuls Cidery Story
14:36 Abuls Orchard and Pét-Nat
16:30 Pienjāņi Orchard Journey
19:47 Conservative Dry Cider Approach
21:51 Mr. Plūme Philosophy
26:17 Wild Fermentation Method
28:01 Audience Q&A and Sweet Cider
28:45 Real Cider Education
29:59 Selling Sweet and Natural Cider
30:16 Restaurants Build Awareness
31:09 Organic Orchard Practices
33:03 Wild Apples and Bitters
33:46 ABV Limits and Taxes
35:37 Building a Baltic Cider Identity
36:49 Apples in Latvian Life
38:54 Food Pairings with Cider
40:01 Where to Drink Baltic Cider
41:17 Market Niches and Bottles
43:11 Baltic Cider Association Communication
44:28 Regulations and Labeling
47:20 Fences and Wildlife Pressure
47:57 Grafting and Tree Sourcing
48:58 Closing Thanks and Signoff

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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

Mentions in This Cider Chat

eCiderNews Cider led the August Beer Purchasers Index for the first time, coming in ahead of imports.
Michigan's important fall cider season
An update to the remembrance of cider author and advocate Ben Watson, with additional reflections from his longtime friend Annie Card.
Subscribe to eCiderNews for the latest cider news and analysis.

Totally Cider Tours | France Ria is heading back to France with Totally Cider Tours for an autumn journey through French cider country, with more stories from the orchards and cideries coming to Cider Chat.

CiderFeast Brooklyn CiderFeast returns to Brooklyn on October 3, bringing cider makers and cider fans together in New York City.

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🌐 Episode show notes: https://ciderchat.com/podcast/514-doing-more-with-lees/
📰 eCiderNews: eCiderNews
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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 presses, glass demijohns and a remarkably hands-off approach.
Explore still cider, single-varietal apples, long aging on the lees, native fermentation, and why some Sowams ciders aren't released until they are three or four years old.
Timestamps
*]:pointer-events-auto R6Vx5W_threadScrollVars scroll-mb-[calc(var(--scroll-root-safe-area-inset-bottom,0px)+var(--thread-response-height))] scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]" dir="auto" data-turn-id="f4dc7e49-9de6-4914-ad45-cd7bb6b521f7" data-turn-id-container="f4dc7e49-9de6-4914-ad45-cd7bb6b521f7" data-testid="conversation-turn-10" data-turn="assistant"> 00:00 Doing Less and Giving Cider Time
00:25 Meet the Guest
01:59 Single Varietal Cider
05:25 News from Ciderville
08:24 Fall Cider Festivals
10:29 Arriving in Rhode Island
12:55 Inside Sowams Cider Works
14:38 Spencer's Cider Story
18:38 Orchard and Rootstocks
22:37 Harvest Timing
24:55 Fermenting in Demijohns
31:59 No Sulfites, No Filtration
35:15 Aging Cider and Favorite Apples
37:07 Storing Apples Before Pressing
37:49 Concentrating the Fruit
38:30 Culling Apples and Sediment
40:53 Hands-Off Fermentation
42:07 Customers and the American Palate
46:15 Rhode Island Heritage Apples
48:53 Tasting the Orchard Blend
51:44 Serving Cider and Batch Numbers
55:03 Blending Apples at the Press
58:04 Tasting Rhode Island Greening
01:01:13 Weather and Vintage Variation
01:02:17 Visit Sowams and Final Thoughts





 



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🌐 Episode show notes: https://ciderchat.com/podcast/513-sowams-cider/
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If you enjoy independent cider journalism and conversations with cider makers from around the world, consider supporting Cider Chat.
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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 THE EDITOR'S DESK: SUMMER 2026 NEWS CYCLE REFLECTIONS
Cideries close. People in our community are passing. The weather is never dull.
And somewhere in all of that is a question:
Knowing how uncertain the outcome is, would you choose otherwise?
READ THE ORIGINAL eCIDERNEWS EDITORIAL
Plant the Damn Apple Tree
https://ciderchat.com/plant-the-damn-apple-tree/
EPISODE 512 TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Editorial Welcome
01:08 Maybe and the News
02:16 Why We Keep Trying
02:43 Cidery Closures Context
03:56 My Entrepreneur Ledger
05:45 Choosing Abundance
07:01 Plant the Apple Tree
07:52 Time and My Mom
08:48 Deal and Sign Off
09:50 Ciderville Outro Chant
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If you enjoy independent cider journalism and conversations with cider makers from around the world, consider supporting Cider Chat.
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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 András Kovács and Marcell Lukatsi, founders of Bright Cider, who are helping shape what Hungarian cider can become. From traditional method sparkling cider and heirloom apple varieties to the newly formed Hungarian Cider Association and the country's first-ever Cider Salon, discover how a new generation of makers is defining a distinctly Hungarian cider identity.
Along the way, you'll hear how two friends turned a shared love of cider discovered on ski trips into one of Hungary's most innovative cideries, why forgotten local apple varieties matter, and how cider can open the door to unexpected discoveries in art, history, and culture.
Timestamps
00:00 Hungary Cider Surprise
01:14 Show Intro and Guests
02:40 Ciderville News Roundup
04:48 French Cider Tour Preview
06:48 Tea Room Interview Setup
10:27 Bright Cider Origin Story
12:14 Naming Bright Cider
13:52 Founders' Backgrounds
19:29 Pandemic Launch and Team
20:31 Traditional Method Focus
22:07 Hungary's Heirloom Apples
26:17 Rosie and Product Lineup
29:24 Vranja Quince Blend
29:58 Cider Lineup Overview
30:43 Ice Cider Cryo Method
31:30 Yeast Choices Explained
32:47 Stainless Steel and Eco Focus
35:50 Events and Finding Bright Cider
37:45 Hungarian Cider Association
39:10 Defining Cider in EU Law
43:03 Apples, Pears and Orchards
47:13 Future Plans in Etyek
50:48 Travel Reflections and Signoff
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🌐 Episode show notes: https://ciderchat.com/podcast/511-hungarian-cider-comes-of-age/ 📰 eCiderNews: https://ciderchat.com/ecidernews 
Support Cider Chat
If you enjoy independent cider journalism and conversations with cider makers from around the world, consider supporting Cider Chat.
🍎 Become a Patron or Commercial Partner: https://www.patreon.com/c/ciderchat
Stay Connected
📬 Story tips: news@ciderchat.com 📱 Instagram: @ciderchatciderville