Pommes and Pints

Today’s episode was recorded live at Seattle Cider Summit 2026. I chat with Spork, part owner and resident cidermancer of Slightly Furry in Seattle Washington and Chris Hodge, Sales director for Oregon Fruit Products. We get a brief history of Slightly Furry and Oregon Fruit Products. We dig into the origins and process of the Cider Summit fruit challenge, while talking innovation, using pure fruit, cofermenting with key lime, fruit trends in cider, decision making in cider formulation, and their visions and hopes for the industry. It’s a packed minisode!

Today’s episode is a moderated panel titled "Getting Your Cider on Restaurant Menus" that was recorded during the 2026 Northwest Cider Symposium put on by the Northwest Cider Association. You won’t hear much from me in this episode as we listen to this moderated panel of beverage professionals including: wine directors Yakira Batres of Tomo and Dana Frank of Langbaan as well as Zach Geballe host of the VinePair Podcast. They discuss where cider fits on today’s menus as well as how to approach buyers, navigate pricing, understand restaurant expectations, and build lasting on-premise relationships.

In today’s episode I chat with Colin Schilling, Co-Founder and CEO of Schilling Cider. We talk about making small batches of wild fermented ciders in the root cellar with his parents in rural Idaho, to making 5 gallon batches under his dorm room bed while going to school for business, and starting a cidery in less than 6 months from idea to distribution in 2 states. We dig into his thoughts on increasing quality while scaling up, making approachable ciders, using British and French cider apples, “failing often, failing fast, but only failing once”, having a goal and vision, putting people first, storytelling in cider, National Cider Month, going carbon neutral, how having hippie parents changes your world view, wrapped vs digital print cans, keeping wild spaces wild, drinking less but drinking better, and the future of cider.

In today’s episode, I chat with Alan Shapiro, co-founder and lead producer of Cider Summit. We dig into how he went from beer and cider importing to producing a series of cider festivals across the US over the last 15 years. From wine coolers, to Aspall cider, to taking cues from the craft beer movement of the 80s, using cider festivals as educational opportunities. How Cider Summit grew from a dozen vendors with 40 selections to 40 plus vendors with 125 selections. We talk about what he’s learned over the years, adjusting during the pandemic shutdowns, festival disasters and highlights, about connecting to industry leaders and consumers, and where the festival goes next. Pommes & Pints listeners get a special promo code for $5 off admission for the Seattle 2026 festival. Listen to the episode for the code.

In today’s episode I chat with Jenna Boucher, head cider maker at Geo Cider and licensed educator for the American Cider Association. We dig in to how she went from social worker to brewery cellar hand to cider maker, vacations with family, attending youtube university, making cider coast to coast in Canada, how she became a licensed educator, the certification options of certified cider guide and pommelier, upcoming taste like a pro workshops, the meaning of HAGS, cider faults and flaws, how mouse doesn’t belong in cider, and moving the industry forward through education.

In this episode we’re diving into Cider Con Providence 2026 as a solo episode. We’ll dig into all the parts of Cider Con from tours to sessions, networking events to after hours extravaganzas. Plus answer the question, what is Cider Con? As this is a recap episode, I will only be giving insight on what I attended, but if you’re intrigued, check out the ACA website for more Cider Con information!

In today’s episode I chat with Gidon Coll of Original Sin Cider. This month marks 30 years of Original Sin, so why not celebrate with an interview? Gidon is an elusive enigma and very hard to pin down, but lucky for me, I am persistent and persuasive and was able to get him to agree to sit down with me during Cider Con this year. He did have one condition though, no pictures or video, which I gladly agreed to. In the episode we dig into his 30 years of cider, from family dairy farm to his Hudson Valley Apple Project. We talk about his beginnings in self distribution during a time when cider was not on the menu, walking the streets of New York, his fascination with apples, the evolution of taste, the value of single varietal ciders, the difficulty of entrepreneurship, growth, change, and the importance of events like Cider Con. Again, this was recorded during Cider Con 2026, where I promptly lost my voice and was raspy for a week, so enjoy!

In today’s episode I chat with Ben of Ploughman’s Cider. We dig into 10 years of cidermaking on the family’s 7th generation farm. We talk about making slow cider with wild yeast, using a degree in agriculture ecology to grow cider specific varieties using sustainable practice, the annual reset button, being innovative while paying homage to cider’s roots, farmer’s markets, and who the most important people in a cidery are.

In today’s episode I meet up with Abram, former owner of Cider Riot in Portland, Oregon, and current head cider maker for Alde Sider in Norway. We caught up while at the American Cider Association’s Cider Con in Providence, Rhode Island. We chat about his journey from making cider with a cheese grater in his dorm room to becoming an award winning cider maker, how he uses his creative writing degree, government shut downs mucking things up, cider: the red-headed step child, right sizing a business, and the differences between US and Norwegian cider. I lost my voice while at Cider Con, so enjoy my hoarse, raspy, barely there voice for most of this episode!

In today’s episode I chat with Adam, owner and founder of Offset Ciderworks in Edmonds, Washington. We talk about creating sessionable modern ciders with a pear apple blend, building momentum by raising capital, the advantages of using culinary apples and pears, creating consistency in agricultural products, the importance of market research and a business plan, keg washing debacles, and how can size really does matter.