Posts by Woodley Smith
Certified Pommelier Exam Prep Workshops Now Available!
We are bringing you two online Certified Pommelier™ cider evaluation workshops. The Certified Pommelier™ exam is a rigorous test of a beverage professional’s cider knowledge, including one’s ability to taste and evaluate an apple-driven cider. These workshops are an opportunity for students to practice using the formulated evaluation schema used in the tasting exam. The cost for each of these workshops is $35 for non-ACA members and $15 for members. The instructors will be teaching using a live evaluation of three featured ciders.
Certified Pommelier™ Guided Tasting – January 20, 2021 – $35 non-members, $15 members
The first workshop on January 20, 2021 will feature the Rare Apples Series: Variety 4-pack from Stormalong Cider. Registered students will be sent information on how to purchase those ciders. Cider purchases are entirely optional and are limited to states with amenable shipping laws. You can review the states that Stormalong can ship to here. The workshop will be led by Jenny Dorsey and Brian Rutzen. This workshop can be purchased here. *The deadline to purchase cider for this workshop on 1/20 has passed, but the workshop will be available on-demand and may be viewed at any time.
The second workshop will feature different ciders from three different producers (TBD). That workshop is tentatively scheduled for February 17, 2021. The workshop will be led by Darlene Hayes and Tim Godfrey. Purchase this workshop here.
Get to Know Your New Board Member: Philippe Bishop
Meet Philippe Bishop, who was elected to the board as an at large member in 2020!
Where do you work and what is your position?
I am a partner with my folks at Alpenfire Cider, primarily I handle our sales, designs and the marketing side of things… But as every small business owner I wear many hats when needed. For instance, I’m currently sitting on the ferry heading over to the orchard to off-load a trailer of bottles for our 2019 releases.
Do you work in cider full time? If not, what is your other job?
I am with Alpenfire full time.
How did you get into cider?
I blame my parents . My first sips of cider that I remember were around 1990 sailing up in the Gulf Islands of British Columbia. It was super sweet, came in a 2 liter plastic bottle and was flavored with peach or berries or something. Perfect for my young palate. That sparked my interest, then when we decided to get into the business and feeling the connection to the land after years of clearing it, working the soil, and planting trees is really what firmed up my love for cider. As time and Alpenfire progressed we needed ways to sell it, I jumped on that and haven’t looked back.
Why did you decide to run for a position on the board?
I am passionate about the cider industry and felt I could help give a voice to the über small orchard based producers out there.
What are your hopes for the future of the US Cider Industry?
For cider to grow, from the trees to the glass. I would like to see the industry help spur a younger generation into growing trees and working the land. I would like to see the cider lexicon educate the buyers, the media and the influencers, plus help consumers find a cider they like and realize not every cider is the same. I want people to want to learn about cider, know their apples and celebrate the differences from large to small and urban to orchard based producers like us.
How do you describe your cider region?
We have a lot of passionate good people up here making primarily modern interpretations of cider spurred by an abundance and availability of eating apples. It has closely followed the beer industry and the term “innovation.” I’m not a big fan of that word but it seems to fit where we are. We as a whole have done a great job of offering a wide selection to the consumers. That has paid off by a fair amount of shelf space and lots of taps dedicated to local cider but I feel we have a ways to go on the educational front and helping people to better understand cider.
What’s your favorite apple to work with and why?
Our Foxwhelp apple. It may not be the “real” one but it has all the great characteristics of the traditional bittersharp apple and does very well in our orchard. It is also a very large apple, so easy to pick though they have gotten smaller as our orchard has matured. It ferments well, and given the proper time (roughly 1.5 years), makes a stellar single varietal cider!
What is your favorite cider/food pairing?
Too many to list really! I believe what grows together goes together and being in the maritime climate 1/2 mile or so from the beach I really enjoy most seafood with our Pirates Plank Bone Dry. The earthy tannins, subtle acids, and hints of salinity make things like oysters POP!
What is your favorite nature/cider pairing?
Our Ember Bittersweet by the glow of a campfire.
What would you like our members to know about you that they might not know?
There’s life outside of cider? My wife Shannon and I live in Seattle with our kids Sierra & Cortland along with our old cranky dog Zephyr. I love and crave being outdoors, specifically either deep in the woods or at the beach. The further away from crowds I can get the better.
Learn about the rest of your board members HERE!
New CiderCon® Session: Artisan Japanese Cooking with Japanese Craft Cider
Japan is home to centuries old culinary tradition that is still thriving. It is also home to a relatively new but growing cider scene. Join Lee Reeve of inCiderJapan and world renowned cookbook author Nancy Singleton Hachisu for this exploration of cider today in Japan and how it can be incorporated in both traditional and modern Japanese food traditions. Lee will open this session with a review of what’s happening in Japan’s cider scene and it will be followed by a cooking demonstration with Nancy.
Nancy Singleton Hachisu is a native Californian, Stanford graduate who has lived with her Japanese farmer husband in a 90-year-old farmhouse in rural Saitama since 1988. Author of four cookbooks: Japanese Farm Food (Andrews McMeel, Sept. 2012), Preserving the Japanese Way, (Andrews McMeel, Aug. 2015), Japan: The Cookbook (Phaidon, April 2018), and Food Artisans of Japan (Hardie Grant, Nov. 2019). Hachisu’s work has been translated into French, Italian, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Dutch, Chinese, and Japanese.
Hachisu appears frequently in Japanese media, documenting her preserving and farm food life as well as visits to artisanal producers in more remote areas of Japan to advocate for Japan’s disappearing food traditions. Recipient of a James Beard award, she has written for The Art of Eating, Lucky Peach, Saveur, Food & Wine, Travel & Leisure, National Geographic Food, BBC Travel, and Fool Magazine.
Hachisu also assisted on and appeared in the Salt episode of Netflix’s runaway hit: Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat.
Lee Reeve is the Owner-operator of inCiderJapan G.K., a marketing & promotion creative consulting company, as well as an importer, retailer, and producer of cider and cider-related goods. He is also the publisher of inCiderJapan, Asia’s first and only bilingual magazine dedicated to all things cider.
Lee is widely regarded as a leading authority on Japan’s cider scene, market, and industry, and is often asked to present seminars on said topics. He has been a keynote speaker for several distinguished conferences including the Australian Cider Festival (2018), Second World Beverage Conference & International Symposium on Beverage Crops in Xi’an, China (2018), and was scheduled to speak at the Global Cider Forum (2020) before its cancellation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, Lee is the representative for Japan at the international cider tourism network, Ciderlands, as well as co-organizer of the Global Cider Connect project, a world-first six-nation cider collaboration to be held in Japan in 2021.
What’s New for CiderCon® 2021 This Week!
The 11th annual CiderCon is happening during February 3-5, 2021. Ready to grab your tickets? Click here! (Ask us about bulk discounts for your company.)
Each week we’re highlighting a few of our talented speakers and CiderCon® features with you. It’s going to be a virtual cider extravaganza!
Stephanie Hartman
For more than 20 years, Stephanie Hartman has provided Leader, Team and Organization Effectiveness support to large and small businesses in wide ranging industries such as financial services, technology, B2B professional services, restaurants and home services. Her client experience spans the range of large corporations to small family farms. Through her consulting firm, Catalyst Consulting, Stephanie has adapted planning and team development methods typically used in large corporate settings for practical use by small businesses. Stephanie’s presentation is brought to us by the sponsorship of Ciderpros.com
Julie Rhodes
Julie Rhodes is an authority on beverage sales, marketing, team management, distributor partnership management, supply chain logistics, and customer service. She is the owner of Not Your Hobby Marketing Solutions, a consulting company that offers online educational programs and customized coaching services designed specifically to teach business skills to craft beverage professionals. We’re excited to bring Julie to CiderCon as a featured speaker. If you missed her dynamite webinar on managing distributor relationships, check the webinar archives on our member page.
Belinda Kemp, PhD
Belinda is the Senior Staff Scientist in Oenology at CCOVI, Brock University, and Adjunct Professor of the Department of Biological Science, in the Faculty of Math and Science at Brock University, Ontario. As well as a wine scientist, Kemp gained previous practical still and sparkling winemaking experience in commercial wineries in NZ and the UK. Her current research is focused on the Maillard reaction in sparkling wines, wine flavor chemistry, the impact of sugar on wine aroma and flavor, leaf removal strategies according to grape variety and wine style, the influence of sour rot on sparkling and still wine flavors, and phenolic management of sparkling and red wines.
5 Things to Consider before Using Ground-Harvested Apples for Cider
By Bri Valliere, Fermentability Consulting & Education
While the fruit this time of year begins to disappear from tree branches, there still may be plenty on the ground. Before you pluck up those apples and throw them into the press, you should know some of the basics of turning these ground-dwellers into your favorite drink.
- Regulations & Food Safety
Make sure you know what’s legally allowed and not allowed in your country. In the U.S., growers must follow the Food Safety Modernization Act’s Produce Safety Rule. The Produce Safety Rule clearly states that covered produce – including apples – may not be used for human consumption unless it has undergone sufficient processing to eliminate food safety concerns. Fortunately, there are many steps that both apple growers and cidermakers can take to ensure safe practices and products when using ground-harvested fruit for cider. One of the best steps is fermentation, as high ethanol concentrations and the low pH of the cider together help eliminate human pathogens.
2. Method of Harvest
Gathering the fruit from the ground needs to happen relatively quickly to prevent further rot or animal scavenging. The quickest, most efficient way to scoop up your apples is to use a mechanical sweeper on your orchard floor, though this may be a major capital investment. The other option is to pick up the fruit manually. Regardless of if you’re using machine power or human power, make sure you’re able to get there soon after the apple meets the earth.
3. Immediate Sorting and Processing
One of the downfalls of windfalls is that the fruit can get bruised and beaten on its journey from the branch to the ground. While apples can usually be stored for weeks or months before processing (depending on the fruit maturity at harvest), ground-harvested fruit may quickly begin to rot and must therefore be processed immediately. Make sure that you also sort out any “bad apples” before crushing and pressing. Also, mature apples can be softer than their earlier-harvested counterparts, so be sure to build in some extra time for troubleshooting your crushing and pressing operations.
4. Cidermaking and Fermentation
Apples fall from the trees when they’re ripe, so ground-harvested fruit may have more sugar (and therefore a higher alcohol potential) than when fruit is harvested and processed earlier in the season. The presence of fruit rot may also result in higher levels of acetaldehyde, a compound that affects SO2 binding. If molds take hold, they can raise the pH, so it’s extra important to sort out rotten fruit and make pH adjustments if necessary. You might also notice different flavors and sensory characteristics!
5. Sustainability
Cider business owners must always be aware of their triple bottom line (profits, planet, people). Using dropped apples may be good for the planet by reducing food waste and for your business by making full use of available resources. However, will your employees develop injuries from bending down to pick up apples repeatedly? Will you lose significant time (and therefore money) if you have to stop frequently to clean out the gummy apples from the crusher? What additional steps will you need to take to ensure your product truly is safe from foodborne pathogens, and what will they cost? Make sure your use of ground-harvested apples is sustainable for you, your environment, and the people who depend on you.
There’s no one-size-fits-all solution for making cider with ground-harvested fruit. However, if you keep in mind these 5 points, you are well on your way to having some serious dropped knowledge.
Get to Know Your Board Member: Talia Haykin
Here’s another installment of Get to Know Your Board Member. Meet Talia Haykin, representing the Mountain West Region, including the states of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, South Dakota, North Dakota, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas.
Where do you work and what is your position?
I own Haykin Family Cider with my husband Daniel. He is the cidermaker and I basically do everything else. We joke that I am the CEO/COO/CMO/CFO/CSO and any other C’s you can think of along with – salesperson, packaging expert, club manager, inventory specialist, and occasionally, bartender.
Do you work in cider full time? If not, what is your other job?
These days I mostly work in cider though I maintain my freelance business doing marketing, social media strategy, content creation, and occasionally website building. Oh and being a mom. That’s my other full time job.
How did you get into cider?
It was a complete accident. We made our first batch on October 30, 2013 just for fun and it spiraled into a business. We swore up and down that we would never professionally make cider and here we are.
Why did you decide to run for a position on the board?
I have worked in non-profit management for a long time. My last position was as the CMO of a large Jewish non-profit. I have worked in conjunction with and served on boards for a long time but not in the past few years. I worked with Michelle and the marketing committee as well as the CiderCon committees and really enjoyed it.
What are your hopes for the future of the US Cider Industry?
I hope we will be fully recognized as a legitimate and historical beverage. I hope people will see the stratification of our industry in similar ways that they view wine, beer, and spirits. There’s something for everyone and it doesn’t always boil down to “dry” and “sweet.”
How do you describe your cider region?
Impressive. Not only from a cider perspective (Colorado really pulls our weight at competitions and on the market) but also from an apple perspective. We grow exceptional fruit here in Colorado. Sometimes an early or late frost knocks us out completely but when we have the apples, they are amazing.
What’s your favorite apple to work with and why?
Tough question. Since we focus on single varietals, we get 40+ different apples to work with plus small batches of things that go into our blends. Honestly, my favorites are the ones that I can bring home to my kids. In season, we always have a huge box of Akane or Esopus Spitzenberg apples at our house. They also happen to make exceptional ciders.
What is your favorite cider/food pairing?
Again tough question. Daniel and I tend to focus so much on the flavor profile of the cider that we forget to eat with it. However, we have worked with some awesome chefs and foodies. Maybe cheese and cider? We did an awesome five-course cheese pairing with my friend Colleen from Behind the Rind and I was able to taste incredible flavors in both the cheese and cider that weren’t there on their own. I also like a cider that pairs well with a full meal. Our 2018 Dabinett was so awesome – we brought a magnum to Thanksgiving dinner and it paired perfectly from appetizers to dessert!
What is your favorite nature/cider pairing?
I do love chilled cider in a sparkling wine glass at a nice hotel in the mountains… 😉
What would you like our members to know about you that they might not know?
Coming from a family of generations of rabbis, my dad hoped I would follow in his footsteps but I was dead set on pursuing acting. Before marketing and cider, I was a professional actress. There’s still a video from a commercial I did for CZ-USA floating around the internet.
Get to know the rest of your board members at Who We Are.
CiderCon® 2021 Registration is Officially Open!
The 11th annual CiderCon® is happening during February 3-5, 2021. Ready to grab your tickets? Click here!
We are STOKED to start unveiling all the exciting components of this global virtual cider conference! Make sure you are following along on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook for fun CiderCon® updates throughout the coming months.
What’s new for CiderCon® next year?
The answer is A LOT! We’ll get you started with these highlights:
- We’re grabbing the virtual bull by the horns and taking full advantage of this opportunity to host CiderCon® online. Our Virtual Trade Show is not to be missed (Hint: Easter eggs. All the easter eggs!). Interested in having a booth at our virtual show? Reach out to Ellen!
- ACA is offering BULK discounts for companies purchasing multiple CiderCon® tickets this year! Individual member-priced tickets are just $95. Contact Ellen for your discount code today.
- A special VIP CiderCon® swag bag sale is helping us raise funds for the Cider Production Education Fund set up by the Cider Institute of North America (CINA). CINA will match all donations until they meet their goal of three full scholarships for their online Foundation class in 2021. Visit our website to learn more about this!
- Flexibility of the virtual stage is allowing us to jam pack CiderCon® with educational sessions from cutting edge beverage, business and cider experts from all over the world. We are confirming more and more speakers each week, but let us kick things off by introducing you to our THREE main stage speakers:
Justin Doggett
Justin is the owner and founder of Kyoto Black, a small coffee business located in Edgewater, Chicago. Kyoto Black focuses exclusively on the Kyoto style slow drip method of brewing. Though Kyoto Black sprang forth from a simple hobby it now employs both him and his wife. Justin was an early adopter in the cold brew coffee craze and Kyoto Black is set to emerge from 2020 even stronger than before.
Michael Uhrich
Michael is the founder and chief economist of Seventh Point Analytic, former chief economist at the Beer Institute and former head of marketplace intelligence at MillerCoors. His estimates, forecasts, and analyses have informed billions of dollars in investments and improved performance among countless businesses large and small.
J Nikol Jackson-Beckham, Ph.D.
Dr. J is a scholar, writer, and equity and inclusion strategist who provides consulting and training to individuals and organizations in craft brewing industries. She is the founder of Crafted For All, a platform that works to bring the diversity of craft beverages to people and the diversity of people to craft beverages.
Get to Know Your Board Member: John Behrens
Welcome to our next installment of Get to Know Your Board Member! This time we’re featuring John Behrens, who represents the Midwest region, including the states of Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Kentucky.
Where do you work and what is your position?
I am the owner of Farmhaus Cider Co. located near Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Do you work in cider full time?
Yes, I work in cider full time.
How did you get into cider?
I started out as a CPA, so it has been an adventure getting here. Cider for me started out as a fun challenge with friends, turned hobby, turned side project, turned business, turned full on way of life. I enjoyed the fact that it was niche and you couldn’t go to the store and purchase anything similar to what we were making, which was very different than was the case with beer at the time.
Why did you decide to run for a position on the board?
I believe there is still tremendous opportunity in cider. To see that opportunity we need to clear some legislative hurdles and focus strategically on how we as an industry market our products. I see the work of the American Cider Association in these two areas as critical to the long-term success of the industry.
What are your hopes for the future of the US Cider Industry?
I want to see much more diversity in the industry: diversity in the styles of cider commercially available, diversity from the people involved in the industry, and diversity in how we position our products. To do this, we must continue to focus the majority of our efforts and energies as an industry outward instead of inward.
How do you describe your cider region?
The Midwest Region is fortunate in that we grow a huge amount of apples here, and apples that make fantastic ciders. The challenge is that the Midwest is also a very beer-heavy region which leads to a huge amount of choice for consumers in the beverage space.
What’s your favorite apple to work with and why?
That is a tough question because I prefer a blend of apples, but I have a soft spot for apples with a story. Forced to choose I would probably go Spitzenburg.
What is your favorite cider/food pairing?
Risotto made with a dry cider pairs perfectly with an off-dry keeved cider.
What is your favorite nature/cider pairing?
Sitting under a shady tree on the shores of Lake Michigan drinking a dry, sessionable cider is tough to beat.
What would you like our members to know about you that they might not know?
I love a great adventure – whether running with the bulls in Spain, bungee jumping in New Zealand or doing volunteer work with Elephants in Thailand – I’ve had many great adventures and look forward to many more!
Get to know the rest of your board members at Who We Are.
CiderCon® 2021 Will Be Online!
Is CiderCon® 2021 happening? YES!! CiderCon® 2021 will take place online in our exciting virtual platform from February 3-5, 2021. (New to CiderCon®? Check out our fact sheet for last year’s CiderCon® to get an idea of what we’re all about!)
When can I register? Registration is open! Check out all the latest updates and register on our CiderCon® 2021 website!
What will CiderCon® be like next year? The same informative mix of educational sessions, networking opportunities, and trade show from the ease and comfort of home!
Will there be a trade show? Yes! We are very excited to be offering a trade show as part of CiderCon® 2021. If you’re interested in a virtual exhibit and the leads that come with that, please get in touch with our coordinator, Ellen.
Much more info is coming soon!
Get to Know Your Board Member: Nicole Todd
Five new board members joined the American Cider Association in 2020. We wanted to give you a chance to get to know them better. First up is Nicole Todd, who represents the Pacific Region, including California and Hawaii.
Where do you work and what is your position?
Santa Cruz Cider Co. in Santa Cruz, California. Owner/cidermaker/janitor.
Do you work in cider full time? If not, what is your other job?
Yes, I do full time cider for my company and part time brewer for a friend’s local brewery.
How did you get into cider?
We were looking to buy a house and toured a property with over two acres of apples and a tiny house. We did not end up buying it, but there was no one living in the house and it was harvest time, so we went back at night and filled our truck bed with apples. We pressed them into about 80 gallons of cider and shared with friends. Everyone liked what we were making so we went back and helped ourselves to more apples. Soon after, our friend Dave ended up buying that same piece of property and gave us free reign over the apples. It was then that we learned about the different varieties and qualities of each type and my love for apples blossomed.
Why did you decide to run for a position on the board?
I love the cider industry and everyone in it! All of the folks I have met in the industry are down to earth, hard working, real people. I wanted to be more involved in the cider community and help it grow.
What are your hopes for the future of the US Cider Industry?
That it will continue to grow and educate consumers about the wide variety of ciders available.
How do you describe your cider region?
I live in Apple City. No joke, a hundred years ago Watsonville, CA was the number one grower, packer, shipper of apples in the whole world, thus its nickname of Apple City. We have a lot of old apple orchards with 5th generation apple farmers still growing apples. While a lot of the orchards have since been taken out to make room for berries, we still have Martinelli’s being made locally and keeping the demand for our local apples. The Pajaro Valley is mostly flat with some rolling hills that lead into the Santa Cruz mountains. Orchards are planted all over the county with sizes ranging from one acre to 200 acre orchards.
What’s your favorite apple to work with and why?
I think there is something really special about the way Newtown Pippins grow in our area, I think there is a true terroir here. They are a good blending apple as well as good on their own. They cold store well and are great fresh off the tree too!
What is your favorite cider/food pairing?
Cider and cheese for sure! Especially a nice hard, salty cheese.
What is your favorite nature/cider pairing?
Beach and a dry cider on a hot day.
What would you like our members to know about you that they might not know?
I love dogs! I have always had them at home and the favorite part of my bar shifts is getting to pet the dogs other people bring in.
Get to know the rest of your board members at Who We Are.