What makes a cider a cider? Explore the fruits and chaos-inspired ingredients behind ERIS’ biggest hits in this cider science deep dive.

Michelle Foik, co-owner of ERIS Brewery and Cider House, shares her journey to opening her historic establishment before delving into the art and science of cidering. She starts by discussing how her career took her from Goose Island Brewery and Revolution Brewing to opening the first female-owned brewery and cider house in Illinois in a historic Masonic temple. She also discusses the history of cider in Chicago and in the United States, the cultural revival of cider post-Prohibition, and how cider is actually made.

After the beer break, Michelle delves into how Amburana barrels impart a variety of spice flavors into beverages, why beer brewers aren’t allowed to make cider, and how ERIS combines ciders and beers to make unique snakebites. She also shares the incredible story behind their GABF award-winning hazy IPA Foiken Haze, the unique characteristics of their Pepper Jam cider, and their barrel-aged Malort cider. 

ERIS Brewery and Cider House is a women-owned brewery, cider house, and restaurant in the Old Irving Park neighborhood of Chicago. Learn more on their website at https://www.erischicago.com/ 

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You can learn more about Crafty Brewers and get in touch with us on our official website, https://craftybrewerspod.com 

Crafty Brewers is a production of Quantum Podcasts, LLC. Is your brewery or business looking to capture a loyal audience to drive business results with the power of podcasting? Then visit https://quantum-podcasts.com/ to learn more.

Our executive producer and editor is award-winning podcaster Cody Gough. He insists that we tell you that in this episode, you’ll learn about: Chicago cider house, Illinois craft beer, cider brewing techniques, balanced ciders, cider history, cider apples, Van Van Mojo cider, mosaic hops cider, Pepper Jam cider, arbol pepper cider, Euphoria cider, Umbriana barrel-aged cider, cider festivals Chicago, CiderCon, Cider Summit Chicago, Michigan apples, cider fermentation process, cider vs beer, semi-sweet cider, dry cider, blending cider with beer, culinary cider flavors, craft beer trends 2025, Chicago brewpub, Malort cider, unique Chicago beverages, collaboration brews Chicago, barrel-aging cider, and cider food pairings.