Posts by Michelle McGrath
Breaking News! ‘Bubble Bill’ Introduced to the Senate
U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer of New York introduced the Bubble Tax Modernization Act to the Senate (S.5442) on December 5, 2024. The American Cider Association applauds this as the next step toward carbonation parity which is critical for the future growth of the cider industry.
“There is no reason that craft cidermakers should get hit with a whopping 1,400% tax increase if they want to make bubblier cider or cider that is mixed with other fruits which has soared in popularity. It hurts our craft cidermakers, hurts consumers, hurts our growers, and is slowing the growth of this booming industry in Upstate NY,” said Senator Schumer. “That is why I am proud to support the Bubble Tax Modernization Act to finally pop this convoluted carbonation tax hamstringing the craft cider industry.”
In states like New York and others, where diversified farms are plentiful, putting a carbonation cap on fruit ciders limits opportunities for collaboration, innovation, and success with consumers for both growers and cidermakers. Products like Nine Pin Cider’s blueberry cider, made with a blend of apples from nearby Samascott Orchards and blueberries from Indian Ladder Farm, are a prime example of profit extension for local farms through year-round value-added agriculture.
Additionally, extreme weather events can create gaps in apple harvest, making co-fermentation or blending with other desirable fruits necessary in certain harvest years. “Flexibility in fruit is an important disaster mitigation option for growers,” says Michelle McGrath, CEO of the American Cider Association. “We’ve seen an uptick in co-ferments and fruit blends driven by consumer interest, but also driven by necessity. If your harvest was demolished by a freeze or a hurricane or a heat dome, why wouldn’t you consider blending with other fruit that had a better harvest? The bubble tax makes it harder to pivot when needed,” McGrath continued. “Frankly, bubble taxes are a needless snub at America’s fruit farmers. Don’t they have it hard enough?”
The American Cider Association is encouraging its members to reach out to their Representatives and Senators to ask them to sign on to the Bubble Tax Modernization Act. Our action tool has been updated to target both the House and the Senate, so you can send your message with the click of a button:
The ACA will continue working hard on this and other advocacy priorities to remove critical barriers that are preventing the cider industry from reaching its true potential. We can’t do this work without the support of our members like you. So please email your congresspeople and urge them to sign onto the Bubble Tax Modernization Act. Already emailed them earlier this year? Please email them again. We want their inboxes flooded with messages from cider industry folks around the country encouraging them to support the Bubble Tax Modernization Act.
Cider Judges Reflect on Historic GABF Competition
The American Cider Association was honored to support the historic inaugural cider competition as part of the Brewers Association’s Great American Beer Festival this fall in Denver, Colorado. The cider categories were developed through ACA’s partnership with GABF and input from experienced cider sensory professionals. The ACA was pleased to share our expertise with the competition, and cider felt respected throughout the event and the planning. The GABF solicits category feedback as part of its annual process, so next year descriptions will be even more improved.
The ACA worked with GABF to ensure that the judges were exceptionally well qualified to evaluate cider. It was a diverse pool of judges by geography, age, race, profession and gender, and cider viewpoints were well rounded. All of the judges were either Certified Pommeliers, senior BJCP cider judges with cider judging experience, or cider experts with years of cider sensory experience. This included the entire ACA Education Committee who was pleased to join this history-making cider judging crew at GABF.
Cider was judged on balance of structural components (acid, sugar, and if relevant to the category, tannins), integration and harmony of flavors, fermentation quality, fruit perception, and alignment with category descriptions. There were 5 categories for cider this year, and hopefully more in the future as entries grow.
The GABF medalists in cider this year were:
- No/Low Tannin Cider
- GOLD, The Russets, Snow Capped Cider (CO)
- SILVER, Gravenstein, Snow Capped Cider (CO)
- BRONZE, 10th Anniversary, 2 Towns Ciderhouse (OR)
- Tannic Cider
- GOLD, Classic Dry, Gowan’s Cider (CA)
- SILVER, Cedar Valley Blend, Paha Cider Co. (IA)
- BRONZE, 2022 Cidre Bouché, 2 Towns Ciderhouse (OR)
- Fruit or Botanical Cider
- GOLD, Blackberry, McMennamin’s Edgefield Winery (OR)
- SILVER, Ozark Strawberry Rhubarb, Ozark Beer Co. (AR)
- BRONZE, Pineapple Cider, 2 Towns Ciderhousese (OR)
- Experimental or Barrel-Aged
- GOLD, Rosé Cider, Gowan’s Cider (CA)
- SILVER, 2019 Pommeau, 2 Towns Ciderhouse (OR)
- BRONZE, 802 Barrel Aged, Vermont Cider Co. (VT)
- Single Varietal
- GOLD, Mountain Rose, Haykin Family Cider (CO)
- SILVER, Macintosh, Gowan’s Cider (CA)
- BRONZE, Glow – Airlie Red Rosé, Alpenfire Cider (WA)
Let’s hear from a few judges about what it was like to make cider history at GABF!
Max Finnance
Beverage Consultant, Certified Pommelier, Master Cicerone, 5x GABF Judge
“I had a blast judging this inaugural class of ciders at GABF ’24, and consider it an honor to have been included. Hearing the incredible conversations among some of the cider world’s leading minds, and helping to select the best of the best over three days of judging, it only makes me more excited about the future of cider at GABF. As consumers continue to get more diverse with their beverage choices, a partnership like this between the preeminent cider and beer organizations in the country makes a ton of sense to me, and has the ability to help catapult the best cidermakers into visibility for a whole new audience. I guarantee that Gowan’s, 2 Towns, Haykin Family, and the rest of the winners all experienced a spike in web queries over the weekend, something that other cideries will be smart to strive for in future years.”
Brighid O’Keane
Executive Director at Cider Institute of North America, Certified Pommelier
“This is a year for the history books! It was a great opportunity for cider to be recognized in the prestigious and rigorous GABF competition. The winners presented stellar products and we look forward to continued partnerships and increased involvement in the years to come.”
Lester Koga
Co-Founder at Barebottle Brewing Co., Certified Pommelier
“As a brewer/cidermaker/beer judge/Certified Pommelier, it was an honor to help judge the first GABF cider competition. In the world of beer judging, we have very established guidelines in which we judge each beer category (over 100+ styles). There’s a lot of rigor around the adherence to specific aroma/ flavor characteristics, typical of style. With cider spread across a manageable 5 categories, there was a lot more opportunity for broader style expression within each. We were able to judge on technical merits, but also on the artful execution of each cider. Without question, there were so many unique and wonderful examples that awarding medals was not easy. Beer and cider often have a place at the same table and it’s encouraging to see them share a podium as well.”
Kate Pinsley
Senior Director of Beverage at Schilling Cider, Certified Pommelier, and longtime cider nerd
“GABF is such a legendary beer festival with a respected and meticulously run competition, and it warmed my heart to have cider and cidermakers and cider drinkers so enthusiastically welcomed into that space. I was inspired by the open-mindedness of Serious Beer People in bringing cider to the table and taking care to understand and respect its unique and diverse characteristics. The cider community will only get stronger from having more of these conversations about what cider is, and what good cider is. It was an honor to be part of cider’s introduction into GABF, and I look forward to building a tradition of cider at GABF — let’s get more categories and more cider into GABF 2025!”
Leah Dienes
Partner, Head Brewer at Apocalypse Brew Works, BJCP Beer and Cider Judge, President of Kentucky Guild of Brewers
“I was extremely excited to find out when I arrived at GABF that cider would be a part of the judging. I was pleased to be asked to judge the ciders and to extend my BJCP cider knowledge with the new categories presented at the competition as well as learn from the expertise of the American Cider Association judges. The discussions during the competition and especially the medal rounds were enlightening and got me excited to want to study, drink and create more ciders in my brewery. It was a great experience that I hope to extend to the next competition and to spread more cider information to our breweries in Kentucky.”
“Cider Excellence Award” Winners Announced at CiderCon® 2024 in Portland, Oregon
The American Cider Association (ACA) announced the recipients of their annual Cider Excellence Awards at CiderCon® 2024 in Portland, honoring individuals, businesses, and organizations from around the country for their achievements in, and contributions to, the U.S. hard cider industry.
Award winners this year included:
- Award for Significant Impact on the Industry | Emily Ritchie, Executive Director, NW Cider Association
- Award for Significant Impact on the Industry | Brighid O’Keane, Executive Director, Cider Institute of North America
- Apple Advocate Award | Representative Earl Blumenauer, Oregon
- Apple Advocate Award | Jake Mann, Five Mile Orchard, California
- Member of the Year | Ploughman Cider, Pennsylvania
- Member of the Year | Seattle Cider, Washington
The highest honors given each year are the awards for “Significant Impact on the Cider Industry,” which this year went to Emily Ritchie of Northwest Cider Association for her admirable work promoting the cider industry for the Northwest region (OR, WA, ID, MT & British Columbia), and Brighid O’Keane of Cider Institute of North America for her global efforts to provide rigorous education on quality cider production.
In addition, US Representative Earl Blumenauer of Oregon was awarded the “Apple Advocate Award” for his enduring commitment to level the playing field for cideries through legislation, as well as orchardist Jake Mann for his ongoing partnership with the cider community through his historic family ranch in California, Five Mile Orchard. “Member of the Year” awards were given to both Seattle Cider of Washington and Ploughman Cider of Pennsylvania for their ongoing efforts to give back to their communities and the cider industry.
“This is one of my favorite moments at CiderCon® each year, when we gather together as a community to celebrate people committed to moving the dial for cider,” says Michelle McGrath, CEO of the ACA. “It’s truly humbling to see how much passion and hard work goes into supporting and growing this industry.”
Now in its 9th year, the Cider Excellence Awards were held on January 18th, 2024 at CiderCon®, the ACA’s annual conference, which took place this year in Portland, Oregon from January 17 – January 19, 2024.
2024 Cider Excellence Awards from the American Cider Association
Significant Impact on the Industry | Emily Ritchie is the Executive Director of the Northwest Cider Association, a trade nonprofit that brings cideries and cider lovers together to learn, experience, and enjoy the Northwest cider culture. Representing 100 commercial cidermakers from throughout Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and British Columbia, the group is dedicated to supporting, promoting, and growing its thriving industry. Emily’s vision of a vibrant, collaborative industry where anyone can share in the success and joy of cider, is brought to life through her strategic thinking and hard work. Her efforts have successfully helped put the Pacific Northwest at the heart of the craft cider movement.
Significant Impact on the Industry | Brighid O’Keane is the Executive Director of the Cider Institute of North America (CINA). CINA is a nonprofit organization of cider industry professionals and educators with a mission to create a quality-driven and sustainable cider industry through education and research. Brighid’s dedicated work to develop curriculum and procure funding for research has helped grow the cider industry by empowering cidermakers through expertise and experience around the globe. Her extensive efforts have helped usher improved quality through CINA education for new and experienced cidermakers alike, thus helping to elevate the reputation of the US hard cider.
Apple Advocate | Representative Earl Blumenauer (OR) is a US Congressman (OR-D) who has advocated for the US Hard Cider Industry for more than a decade by introducing impactful legislation. In 2015, he introduced the Cider Act, which supported American cideries by lessening an unfair tax burden, removing unnecessary red tape, and allowing cider to be more competitive internationally. And this year, he has introduced the Bubble Tax Modernization Act, to amend a minor carbonation tax disparity that has historically had major negative impacts to cidermakers. Earl Blumenauer has championed small businesses and spoken at length about the immense positive impact craft industries have on the economy. (Find out more about the Bubble Bill here: https://ciderassociation.org/reps-blumenauer-kelly-introduce-bubble-bill/)
Apple Advocate | Jake Mann (CA) is rooted in farming. His family has been growing apples in the fertile Pajaro Valley two hours south of San Francisco near Watsonville since the mid-19th century. This unique place has long specialized in growing Newtown Pippins. Jake also actively pursued relationships with cidermakers so that more and more Newtown Pippin single variety ciders made by cideries throughout Northern California proudly announce the Five Mile Orchard as the source of their fruit. An active participant in CiderCon® for many years, Jake is always ready with a smile and an infectious eagerness to continue his family’s legacy by growing amazing apples for cidermaking.
Member of the Year | Ploughman Cider (PA) is a Pennsylvania-based cidery with a long history of supporting their community and helping lift up the cider industry in their state. As active leaders in their state’s cider guild, Ploughman Cider has had a tremendous impact on shaping the local industry. They have also served as an incubator for fledgling cidermakers with their creative collaborations. They are actively committed to the ACA’s mission and mission-related programming, and the ACA is proud to recognize Ploughman Cider for their contributions to both Pennsylvania and the cidery industry at large.
Member of the Year | Seattle Cider (WA) is a Washington-based cidery that has repeatedly stepped up as a leader in the cider world. Their commitment to giving back to their community through thoughtful collaborations, like their partnership with the nonprofit City Fruit, has lifted the bar for what’s expected. They proactively work to create a welcoming environment for all through their taproom programming and several of their team members serve on committees and boards for both the American Cider Association and the Northwest Cider Association. Seattle Cider is being recognized as Member of the Year for their immense contributions to their local community and the cider industry.
About the American Cider Association
The American Cider Association is an organization of cider and perry producers in the United States. It gathers and shares information about cider production, regulations, and apple growing to help members improve their operations, raise awareness, and advance cider in the market. The organization was founded in February 2013. Learn more at ciderassociation.org.
Meet Your 2024 ACA Board of Directors
Last Friday, the American Cider Association (ACA) announced the results of their annual Board of Directors Election at their 2024 industry trade conference, CiderCon®, held this year in Portland, Oregon. There were two At-Large positions up for grabs, with 7 candidates in the running.
Josie Mielke of Urban Orchards Cidery in Asheville, North Carolina and Shannon Edgar of Stormalong Cider in Sherborn, Massachusetts were elected as Directors At-Large. Both new board members bring a shared passion for the land and communities that they are a part of. Their unique perspective of establishing and growing their cider businesses within the last 10 years will meaningfully contribute to the perspective of the ACA Board of Directors and how the ACA can support the cider industry.
New ACA Board Members
Josie Mielke is the Operations Director and founder of Urban Orchard Cider Company in Asheville, North Carolina. She was trained in the art of cider making in the United Kingdom at the Cider and Perry Academy in 2012 and opened Urban Orchard in the fall of 2013. Through Urban Orchard, Josie has championed North Carolina agriculture, by committing to purchase apples from North Carolina. Her cidery has only purchased juice from Hendersonville, North Carolina in the 11 seasons they have produced cider. Josie strongly believes in promoting the local economy, supporting local farmers, and knowing where your food comes from.
Shannon Edgar founded Stormalong Cider in 2014 in the pursuit of making ciders that showcase the unique flavors fermented from cider-friendly apples. Taking inspiration from the hard cider history in his adopted home of Sherborn, MA, the historical nature of some of these apple varieties and their connection to New England history has always been an interest to him. Over the last 9 years, Stormalong has grown into a passionate team of “Cider Geeks” evangelizing cider with a deep appreciation for apples and their craft.
2024 Officers Announced
The ACA Board Officers were also chosen by the incoming board of directors last week. The ACA is excited to announce:
-Christine Walter of Bauman’s Cider in Oregon as Board President
-Sarah Hemly of Hemly Cider in California as Vice President
-Dave Takush of 2 Towns Ciderhouse as Secretary
-John Behrens of Farmhaus Cider in Michigan as Treasurer.
Eleanor Legér, ACA Board President 2021-2024
Eleanor Legér of Eden Cider in Vermont was elected by her fellow directors as Board President in 2021. She is rotating off the executive committee to empower other leaders but will remain on the board in her continued role of Eastern Chair. First elected to the board in 2015, the ACA is incredibly grateful for her long and dedicated service to our mission and our members. She has served the role with honor!
Retiring Directors
Soham Bhatt and Brooke Glover are both retiring from their service as directors this year. The ACA is extremely grateful for their service and the unique perspectives they brought to the board.
Soham Bhatt served on the ACA Board of Directors in an At-Large position from 2021-2024. He started Artifact Cider Project in 2014, with co-founder Jake Mazar, with the desire to create exceptional cider that expresses the Northeast as it is today. With this philosophy and a commitment to helping sustain local orchards, especially in western Massachusetts, they started Artifact as a boot-strapped passion project that crisscrossed the state.
“Soham has been a very engaged and committed board member. He asks good questions and has a mind for strategy. He’s been critical to our education committee, and we’re excited that he will stay involved with our work to grow the Certified Cider Professional program moving forward,” said ACA CEO, Michelle McGrath.
Brooke Glover served on the ACA Board of Directors in an At-Large position from 2018-2024. Brooke is one of the owners of Swilled Dog Hard Cider, a family-owned company based out of West Virginia. Brooke is a Certified Cider Maker through CINA, Level I certified in Spirits through WSET, and a frequent lecturer at WVU. Her passions include dogs, family, learning, adventures, and tater tots.
“Brooke didn’t miss a single board meeting in her 6-year tenure on the board of directors. She has served on several ACA committees and has been a tremendous member of the ACA Executive Committee in her role as ACA Vice President,” McGrath said.
The ACA would like to thank all of the 2024 board candidates for their hard work and dedication not only in this election process but within the industry as a whole. We look forward to continuing to work together to push the envelope forward for cider in America.
IWSC International Wine & Spirit Competition Applications Due June 7
This summer, the IWSC, in partnership with Cider Is Wine, is bringing its international drinks awards to Somerset, South West England, to judge cider, perry, and fruit wine made from 100% juice, not from concentrate.
Renowned for expertise, influence, and personal approach, the IWSC is proud to champion entrants from across the cider category.
Learn more and apply today: https://iwsc.net/alternative-drinks/cider
Making An Impact During Pride Month Through Company Culture
In the United States, pride marches and parades trace their roots back to 1970 when they were created to mark the anniversary and commemorate the 1969 Stonewall Riots in New York City. Today Pride Month is celebrated every June across the country as a means to create a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community to be visible and wholly themselves. But what if there are ways you could create that space within your cider company culture all year long?
Learn more about the LGBTQ+ acronym
This Pride Month, we invite you to create a work environment that makes your LGBTQ+ employees feel safe and valued. In all of these examples, your entire organization will be better poised to thrive by pursuing the steps outlined.
- Review company policies that impact leadership and employee pipelines for LGBTQ+ employees: Do your anti-discrimination policies mention LGBTQ+ individuals? Have you evaluated your employee pipeline to see if you are creating opportunities for leadership development with your LGBTQ+ employees?
- Support your staff’s mental health. Provide paid mental health days and create opportunities for mental health-restoring company group activities. Support human resource speakers talking to your team. Consider formal mental health benefits. Be aware of anti-LGBTQ+ events highlighted on the news and how that might emotionally impact employees.
- Offer paid parental leave regardless of gender or biological/adoptive birth.
- Commit to learning and using the proper language. The language about the LGTBQ+ community evolves fast. Showing a commitment to using the right terms goes a long way in earning trust.
- Center the Trans experience in your inclusion efforts. As a leader, using your pronouns when you introduce yourself is validating for your transgender staff. Don’t make pronouns mandatory (some employees may not be out as trans individuals) but create space for others to follow suit when they are comfortable to do so. When pronoun wishes are shared by staff, honor them. Have a gender-neutral bathroom available.
- Take an affirmative public position on LGBTQ+ inclusion and belonging. This can be through events, social media or partnerships. Some great examples include Seattle Cider Company partnering with Queer Mountaineers to support a safe space for outdoor enthusiasts of all backgrounds, genders, and sexualities; Diskin Cider Co. hosting Drag Brunch in Nashville and partnering with Tennessee-based LGBTQ+ affirming organizations to do so; and 1911’s PRIDE Cider connecting back to the Sylvia Rivera Law Project (a NY-based organization promoting free gender expression and working to improve equal access to quality social, health, and legal services). Avoid “rainbow washing” by creating and standing by policies that will protect and uplift the LGBTQ+ community.
You can find more in-depth resources for creating a workplace that is inclusive below:
- Sign up for your Crafted For All account (included with your ACA membership benefits!)
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Nominations for 2022 ACA Board of Directors Open
Running for the ACA board of directors is a great way to get involved in lifting our industry up. We are actively recruiting individuals from US-based cider companies to run for the board of directors. These are volunteer positions with a three year commitment. Active membership of the association is required and candidates must be permanent employees or owners of active bonded-cideries to run. Board seats up for election this year include:
- “At Large” (Open to all regions and cidery sizes)
- LARGE Cidery (>1M gal produced in 2020)
- Southern Regional Chair (AL, AR, DC, DE, FL, GA, LA, MD, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV)
- Eastern Regional Chair (CT, MA, ME, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT)
Interested candidates should complete the self-nomination form by January 25:
Have questions about board service? Reach out to Michelle.
Do you know who is on the current board? Meet them HERE.
Developing a more diverse and equitable cider industry and association is a long-term project that requires conscious iterative investment at every stage. Our board is actively working toward goal development in this area (read a blog post from our board vice president, Brooke Glover). We believe that representation matters in reaching those goals and we are thus encouraging diverse candidates including women, BIPOCs, LGTBQIA+, veterans and people with disabilities to run for the board of directors.
CiderCon 2022 Health and Safety Guidelines
The American Cider Association is taking utmost precautions to create a safe CiderCon environment. Our health and safety guidelines require all persons present at CiderCon 2022 to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by January 21 or to provide a negative PCR test within 3 days of arrival or to provide a negative antigen test within 24 hours of arrival. One of these two things, proof of vaccine or a negative test result within the above timeframe, will be required to attend CiderCon 2022. Verification will happen outside registration at the Greater Richmond Convention Center. Absolutely no exceptions will be made.
Per Virginia Department of Health and CDC recommendations, we are currently strongly urging attendees to receive booster shots against COVID-19 by January 21, 2022. The CDC recommends receiving a booster shot if it has been 6 months since your second mRNA or first Johnson & Johnson shot.
Additional precautions:
- Masks must be worn at all times at indoor CiderCon events with the exception of during meals and tasting events where specific safety protocols will be in place. This includes tour buses.
- Security and staff will enforce mask adherence.
- CiderCon staff and volunteers will participate in daily health screenings.
- At this time, the hotel and the Greater Richmond Convention Center require their staff to wear masks.
- Tasting sessions will be in expansive rooms and will be socially distanced as much as possible.
- The Cider Share welcome reception is being divided into two sessions, with featured cideries rotating off. We will be capping attendance of Cider Share to 200 per session. The room has the capacity for 600, and we will encourage social distancing.
- Thursday’s and Friday’s lunches are box lunches so you can easily opt to eat where you would like. Tables will be set at less density than normal.
- Please do not attend CiderCon with symptoms.
We are working closely with the hotel, the Greater Richmond Convention Center. and the Virginia Department of Health to ensure all possible safety precautions are taken. The list above is not exhaustive and we will be sure to update registrants as things evolve.
We are carefully monitoring the COVID-19 restrictions in Richmond and Virginia. Your safety matters to us.
Let’s take care of each other, get boosted, wear our masks, and have the safe in-person CiderCon reunion we are all craving!
Advocacy Update: In Support of Harvest Dates
The American Cider Association (ACA) recently sent a letter to the TTB voicing the ACA’s support of a specific proposed labeling rule included in Notice 176, published in late 2018.
NOTICE 176
The notice contained proposed rules for modernizing wine (including cider), spirits and malt beverages labeling and advertising regulations. The ACA, many regional cider guilds and dozens of our members submitted comments on the notice during the official comment period. The comments included support for many but not all of the proposed rules.
Some positive change has resulted from those comments. We are hopeful our letter will usher further TTB announcements in favor of our official comments first made in 2019. This letter is our third mention of our support of harvest dates since our official comments posted.
OUR LETTER
The ACA’s recent letter to the TTB reiterated our support for the Notice 176 proposal to allow the use of harvest dates on qualifying wines and ciders. Harvest dates would create an important opportunity to distinguish a maker’s cider from season to season. Read our letter for further details of the proposal and our reasons for supporting it.
THE VOICE OF THE INDUSTRY
Our members’ support allows the ACA to amplify the voice of cider and to develop relationships with the TTB and others for the benefit of our industry. Through the collective power of our members, we have a stronger voice for cider when it matters. Our recent letter in support of harvest dates is one example of our commitment to advancing the needs of all cider producers, big or small.
We are grateful for the TTB for seeking the input of industry members regarding the proposed rules in Notice 176, and we eagerly await further announcements regarding the creation of harvest dates.