Cider Chat

Sometimes all it takes is one sip.

It happened to the founders of Woodfolk Cider, Martha Lowry and Alistair Whitehead, and it can happen to YOU! What began as a shared love of food, drink, and hospitality eventually led them to plant orchards, build a cidery, and welcome visitors to their 87-acre farm in Ontario, Canada.

Today, their orchard-based cidery sits among forests, rivers, rolling hills, and rows of young cider apple trees and the open invitation to expand your universe one glass at a time.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 The Cider Discovery Moment 00:52 Meet Woodfolk Cider 02:23 French Cider Tour Update 04:49 Secret Tap at Four Phantoms 07:53 eCiderNews Roundup 10:33 Welcome to Woodfolk's Orchard 12:18 The Farm and Family Origins 13:03 From Music and Brewing to Cider 15:09 Distilling, Spirits and Ontario Taxes 17:38 Building the Tasting Room Experience 18:17 The Woodfolk Cider Lineup 19:19 Introducing Tannic Cider to New Drinkers 21:17 The LCBO Challenge for Farm Cideries 24:14 Pressing Apples and Growing Orchards 26:51 Perry Pears, Climate and Terroir 29:22 Harvest-Based Fermentation 29:49 Barrel Aging and Neutral Oak 30:57 Learning From Happy Accidents 32:00 Yeast Choices and Orchard Diversity 33:48 Tasting Meadowland 34:54 Harvest Dates and Labeling Rules 36:23 Cider, Stewardship and Community 40:06 Modern Love Cider 40:39 Copper Moon and the Art of Blending 43:54 Food Pairings and the "Aha" Moment 46:33 Looking Five Years Ahead 48:17 Final Thoughts on Woodfolk Cider 49:55 French Cider Tour Reminder 51:04 Closing Theme Song

• Website: woodfolkcider.com

Located near Orillia, Ontario, approximately 90 minutes northwest of Toronto.

• Totally Cider Tours
• eCiderNews
• French Cider Tour 2026
• Cider Going Up Patreon

Find the full show notes for Episode 507 at CiderChat.com

Direct Link: https://ciderchat.com/podcast/507-woodfolk-cider-ontario/

Listen 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.

Your support helps keep the podcast on the air and makes it possible to share more conversations like this one.

https://patreon.com/ciderchat

Richard Yi of Brooklyn Cider House isn't interested in making cider that appeals to everyone. He's interested in making cider with personality and if you've ever enjoyed hearing a cider maker tell the story behind the glass, you're going to enjoy this conversation.

In this epiosde, you'll hear how a young man who once imagined a future in engineering found his way into the family cider business. Richard shares the influence of his father, Peter Yi, the evolution of Brooklyn Cider House, and why embracing the unpredictability of fermentation has become central to his philosophy.

Along the way, we discuss:

• Growing into a family cider legacy • The transition from engineering to fermentation • Why cider doesn't need to taste the same every year • Orchard expression and vintage variation • The role of trust in fermentation • Brooklyn Cider House's approach to craft and authenticity • Building a cider culture that values difference over uniformity

Whether you're a cider maker, orchardist, or simply someone who enjoys discovering what makes a cider unique, Richard offers thoughtful insights into the balance between tradition, experimentation, and family.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Cider With Personality: Richard Yi's Approach to Craft Cider

01:34 Ciderville Standards Update

03:19 French Cider Tour 2026 Preview

04:50 Meet Richard Yi of Brooklyn Cider House

05:44 Family Roots, Wine, and the Path to Cider

07:23 Richard's Food Pairing Philosophy

09:31 Working Inside Brooklyn Cider House

10:43 Succession Planning and Learning the Craft

14:23 Building the New Paltz Farm and Orchard

17:28 Creating a Destination Tasting Room

18:27 Pizza, Barbecue, and Growing Crowds

21:10 Events and Community Building

23:15 Celebrating Korean Culture Through Cider

25:21 Craft Cider Versus Commodity Production

26:05 Native Yeast Fermentation and Cider Making

30:03 Wild Fermentation Versus Cultured Yeast

30:44 Small-Batch Ciders and Limited Releases

31:25 The Story Behind Nomad Cider

33:19 Nomad Cider Tasting Notes

35:24 Apples, Oak, and Barrel Aging

37:37 Sherry Cask-Aged Cider Explained

39:28 Lopez de Heredia and Winemaking Influence

42:15 Dance: A Basque-Inspired Fruit Co-Ferment

43:58 Dance Cider Tasting Notes and Technique

48:31 Innovation, Growth, and Consumer Trends

49:56 The Legacy of Peter Yi

51:17 Tandem Ciders Joins the CiderGoingUP Campaign

53:21 Cider Chat Summer Schedule and What's Next

• Tandem Cider in Michigan joing the #ciderGoingUp campaign
• 2026 French Cider Tour
• Ganzenhof Cider – Belgium
• eCiderNews

Find the full show notes for Episode 506 at CiderChat.com

Direct Link at: https://ciderchat.com/podcast/506-richard-yi/

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.

#cidergoingup

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 well beyond cider. What starts as a discussion about content creation quickly turns into something deeper. Two practitioners, each with their own discipline, circling around the same hard truth: if you do not value your work, no one else will.

This is not about rejecting collaboration or generosity. It is about understanding the long-term cost of working for free, and what it takes to build something that lasts.

From orchard life to media strategy, from martial arts philosophy to the realities of burnout, this episode asks what it really means to take your role seriously, whether you are making cider or telling its story.

Timestamps

00:00 Is Cider Work Sustainable

01:28 Episode Theme and What's at Stake

02:12 Orchard Life and Spring Work

03:47 Planting, Grafting, and Growing Trees

07:02 French Cider Tour and Limited Spots

10:22 Meet Adrian Luna The Hard Cider Guy

11:20 The Cider Sensei Mindset

13:42 Finding Cider and Career Shift

15:51 Building the Hard Cider Guy Brand

17:21 From Scholarship to Cider Career

19:13 Too Many Hats Small Business Reality

20:53 Burnout in Cider and Media

24:20 Mission Statement Versus Making Money

26:03 Does Cider Need Independent Media

27:54 Should Creators Be Paid

29:32 Why You Should Not Work for Free

29:59 Martial Arts Discipline and Cider Ethics

30:50 Why Cider Media Needs Support

32:24 Finding Your Lane in Cider

33:16 Education and Audience Building

35:29 Hooks Versus Authentic Content

37:19 Discipline Through Adversity

42:33 Community Responsibility in Cider

48:15 Key Takeaways from the Conversation

49:12 Support Cider Chat and Keep It Going

50:12 Strange Apples Outro

Find the full show notes for Episode 505 at CiderChat.com Direct Link at: https://ciderchat.com/podcast/505-cider-senseis-media-value/

Listen wherever you get your podcasts and do not forget to subscribe so you never miss what is 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.

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.

"Most breweries probably see cider as a way to let them continue making beer."

That line says a lot. And it opens the door to a bigger conversation.

Breweries adding cider isn't just about diversification. It's not just about gluten-free taps. And it's definitely not just about adding another SKU.

Something is shifting.

In this episode, we dig into: • Why breweries are turning to cider right now • What changing consumer habits have to do with it • How cider fits into a beer-first business model • What this trend means for independent cider makers

At Element, cider isn't an afterthought. It's part of a strategy to stay relevant in a changing market and a window into where craft beverages may be heading next.

Time Stamps 00:00 Why Breweries Are Making Cider 02:01 Season Travels Recap and Road Notes 04:44 Tours, Travel Updates, and France Signup 06:44 Meet Element Brewing Company 07:07 From Brewing to Distilling: The Origin Story 10:43 Barrels, Aging, and Apple Brandy 15:37 Sourcing Cider and Apples for Production 19:23 Why Breweries Are Adding Cider Now 23:53 Branding and the Element Two Concept 25:44 South Deerfield Expansion Plans 29:13 Cider Making Mindset 29:40 Tasting a Dry Botanical Cider 30:36 Yeast Choices and Sweetness Strategy 32:15 Balance First: Building Flavor 33:38 ABV, Structure, and Serving Glassware 34:59 Learning Curve and Cider Books 35:50 Apple Varieties, Terroir, and Flavor 38:33 Experimentation and Small Batch Cider 41:12 Personal Palates and Fridge Favorites 42:40 The Bigger Shift: Breweries Moving to Cider 46:00 Advice: Make Your Cider Stand Out 48:53 Apple Brandy Toast 49:40 Why Independent Cider Media Matters 51:54 Tom Oliver and 500 Episodes 53:00 #CiderGoingUp Campaign 53:45 Final Sign-Off

Find the full show notes for Episode 504 at CiderChat.com

Direct link: https://ciderchat.com/podcast/504-breweries-making-cider-element/

Mentions in this episode: Totally Cider Tour to France

Listen wherever you get your podcasts

Prefer to watch? Find Cider Chat on YouTube

💛 Enjoy cider? Help keep #ciderGoingUP

Episode 503 takes you through England and Wales with audio snapshots from the UK Blossom Time Totally Cider Tour while exploring one big question: What is a proper cider?

Travel orchard roads through Somerset, Herefordshire, Gloucestershire, and Wales as tour guests share reflections on traditional cider, perry pears, wild fermentations, farmhouse hospitality, blossom-covered orchards, and the people keeping cider culture alive. From Ross on Wye and Oliver's Cider and Perry to Gwatkin Cider Mill and beyond, this episode captures the feeling of living inside cider country for a little while.

Time Stamps

00:00 Proper Cider Defined 01:42 Tour Craft and Group Flow 04:07 Season Updates and UK Teasers 07:22 Pouring Quince and Rolling Clips 08:50 Trevor's Tour Takeaways 13:25 George and Marla's Cidery Story 20:18 France vs UK Cider Culture 24:35 Tom's Cider Journey via Spirits 32:28 Richard and Elizabeth's Mountain Cidery 39:36 Tour Gratitude Recap 40:52 UK Apple Diversity Takeaway 41:39 Cider Kindergartner Graduates 44:19 Cheese Box and Stinking Bishop 45:55 Perry Pear Center Passion 46:43 Usk Castle Cider Picnic 47:27 Blossom Tour with Syracuse Duo 49:11 Far Orchard Mystique and Bees 50:22 Cask Cider Hospitality 53:03 Gwatkins Bag in Box Secrets 55:21 Why Guided Tours Work 59:16 Last Minute Traveler Gene 01:01:08 Farmhouse Cider and Beer Overlap 01:06:33 Proper Cider at Wilkins 01:10:24 Signing Off and Theme Song

Find the full show notes for Episode 503 at CiderChat.com

Direct Link: https://ciderchat.com/podcast/503-uk-blossom-time-proper-cider/

Listen 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.

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.

00:00 Budapest Travel Update

02:24 Cider Salon Plans

04:13 Litke Champagne Caves

06:34 Hungary Surprises and Lessons

09:44 Meet Andrew at St Matthias

11:35 Election Energy at Castle

16:13 Turul Bird and Innovation

18:53 Hungarian Cider Roots

22:23 Salon Maker Zuhatag

26:57 Asturian Sidra Reunion

30:06 Cidery Near Ukraine

31:27 Tom Oliver in Pécs

31:44 Why Hungary Matters

34:15 Cider Salon Worldwide

35:20 Natural Wines at Balaton

36:02 First Palinka Tasting

37:19 Teachers Cider Table

38:13 Czech Cidérka Spotlight

40:24 Dark Cider Origins

43:24 Bosnia Bohorina Ciders

45:43 Serbian Cider Shop

47:52 Cider Has No Borders

48:51 Orchard Visit and Paprika

50:36 Quince and Wild Ferments

52:47 Next Hungary Salon and UK Tour

54:12 Strange Apples Outro Song

Find the full show notes for Episode 502 at CiderChat.com Direct Link: https://ciderchat.com/podcast/502-hungary-uncorked/

Listen 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.

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, sensory approach:

• What do you smell?
• What do you see?
• What do you feel?
• Do you want another sip?

Includes a quick mention of Great Lakes International Cider and Perry Competition and why judging is very different from everyday drinking.

00:00 Pommeau Snowy Epiphany

01:26 Stop Overexplaining Cider

02:59 Taste With Feelings

04:05 Season 11 Kickoff

04:34 Tours And Community News

05:52 Glintcap And Judging

09:38 Pour A Glass Together

10:13 Aroma First Impressions

11:58 Look And Notice

13:34 First Sip Reaction

14:07 Structure And Mouthfeel

15:59 Memories Around The World

18:49 Finish And Another Sip

20:30 Buy A Second Bottle

22:32 Final Sip And Wrap

24:03 Strange Apples Outro

Find the full show notes for Episode 501 at CiderChat.com

Direct Link at: https://ciderchat.com/podcast/501-how-to-taste-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 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.