322: Nat West of Reverend Nat's Cider Takes a Craft Brewer's Approach to Cider Making

Reverend Nat’s Cider has helped change peoples’ assumptions about craft cider in the Pacific Northwest, over their past 12 years of operation. The iconoclastic cider maker has adopted a flavor-forward, reverential-but-forward-looking approach to cider making that has ruffled some feathers and changed default narratives, but one thing it’s never been is boring or cautious.

A few weeks ago, West announced that he was winding down operations of Reverend Nat’s Cider. Rather than let that experience and perspective fade into the ether, we engaged with Nat to capture his creative approach to cider making in a way that could be preserved for perpetuity. In this episode, West discusses:

his beer-centric approach to cider making

flavor and innovation within the very locally-focused cider sector

making cider with beer yeast and selecting yeasts that work with the flavors of cider

using hazy IPA yeast in cider making

filtration and stability in cider

achievements and regrets after a dozen years of making cider commercially

approaching the closure with intention and passion

And more.

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