CiderCon
Creating Consumer Excitement with Food Pairing Suggestions
Pairing food and cider is an important key to helping people learn to love the complexities and nuances of cider, but we all understand that it can be tricky business. Join us for a dive into putting theory into practice in this session with our Cider Education Outreach Manager, Jennie Dorsey at CiderCon® 2022 in Richmond, Virginia from February 1-4, 2022.
Creating Consumer Excitement with Food Pairing Suggestions
We all know the “Four C’s” of food pairing, but putting theory into practice can be a little intimidating, especially for members of your tasting room staff that are just beginning their adventure with cider. In this session, cider and food pairing expert Jennie Dorsey will walk you through a pairing framework (with tasting samples!) that you can take back to your business, train your staff, and watch your sales grow.
About Jennie Dorsey
Jennie Dorsey is founding member of Pomme Boots Society for women in the Cider Industry and has held numerous positions since she first entered the Cider Industry over a decade ago. Jennie actually began her journey in the coffee industry where she was a nationally ranked competition barista and trainer specializing in sensory analysis with a focus on food pairings. The skills honed in competition led her on the path of beverage discovery, where she fell in love with cider and it’s unmatched pairing possibilities. Jennie is a working member of the Cider Certification team, and she was given the distinguished award of Cider Server of the Year in 2018 by the ACA. Jennie is passionate about food and beverage of all kinds, cinema, vintage lifestyle and can always be spotted by her brightly colored hair. She joined the ACA staff in 2021 as our Cider Education Outreach Manager.
An Intro to Holistic Orcharding for Novice Growers
Intro to Holistic Orcharding for Novice Growers
The American Cider Association is pleased to announce that Mike Biltonen will lead an Intro to Holistic Orcharding for Novice Growers workshop at CiderCon® 2022. In this seminar we will cover the basics of what to look for when you’re seeking a site appropriate for your orchard, whether it be in your backyard, on the adjoining hillside, or in the next county. We will discuss climate, land, and soil characteristics as well as horticultural considerations you need to ponder before you plant the first tree. We will also cover the steps for designing and planting your first trees, as well as the first year’s management focus.
This course will take place Wednesday, February 1, 2022 at the Richmond Marriott Hotel from 12:30-3:00pm. The cost to attend is $15. Be sure to add it on during registration.
About Mike Biltonen
Mike Biltonen has spent nearly 40 years in agriculture – working mostly with orchards, vineyards, and specialty veg and fruit crops. He specializes in all aspects of sustainable orchard production of apples, pears, and stone fruit. An early passion for sustainable agriculture evolved into a profound dedication to the principles and practices of ecologically-focused, biodynamically-driven farming. The last fifteen years Mike has worked as a consultant to novice and seasoned farmers and orchardists alike on all aspects of establishing and managing regenerative and integrated farmscapes. Mike also conducts workshops, seminars, webinars, and has a free newsletter for the truly dedicated. He co-owns Know Your Roots, a novel and innovative family-owned company, with his wife Debbie where they are synchronously using farming and herbalism practices to heal the Earth.
CiderCon 2022 Schedule Released
The American Cider Association is please to share the first draft of the CiderCon® 2022 Schedule! With tours, tastings, educational workshops, demos and more, CiderCon’s return to an in-person event is bound to be one of the most energetic CiderCons to date. Early registration numbers have been record breaking, with more than 400 people already signed up by November 15!
We’ve produced this draft schedule to help you with your CiderCon® 2022 planning. More session are being added each week and the schedule will be updated to reflect those additions. Session times may change as the schedule finalizes. Some sessions require separate registration which can be done during checkout. Details can be found on these sessions on the CiderCon® 2022 Registration page. Following our health & safety guidelines is necessary to participate.
For more details on all things CiderCon® 2022, you can head to the CiderCon® Website. You can download the draft schedule here.
Distributor Relationships & Social Media Advertising Sessions at CiderCon 2022
The American Cider Association is pleased to announce that Julie Rhodes of Not Your Hobby Marketing will present three sessions at CiderCon® 2022. Read on to learn more about Julie’s sessions and why you won’t want to miss them.
Social Media Advertising 101: How to Get Started with FB & IG Ads
Social media marketing should be a major component within your strategic business plans. But with organic reach of social media posts declining, that means less eyeballs on your cider brand. Learning how to formulate a paid social media advertising structure to add to your current organic content can help boost visibility, help build brand awareness and allow you to observe the purchase habits of your best customers. Join Julie Rhodes, owner of Not Your Hobby Marketing Solutions, for an interactive social media advertising presentation and workshop that will get you started with social media advertising.
Distribution Management for Beginners
Making the leap from on site sales to selling your cider products in retail is a big step, so wouldn’t it be helpful if there was some type of guidebook or instruction list for how to make this transition? Yes! Only that doesn’t exist, but lucky for you, this session on Distribution Management for Beginners led by Julie Rhodes of Not Your Hobby Marketing Solutions does. Learn the ins and outs, ups and downs, and best practices for those that are just getting started creating relationships with their distribution partners.
Distribution Management: Advanced Concepts
If you’ve been selling your cider brand with a distributor or wholesaler for a while, but are feeling a bit lost when it comes to strategic sales planning, this breakout session is right for you. Keeping your brand top of mind with your distributor personnel is vital if you want to succeed in the wholesale channel, but it’s how you accomplish this that seems to be a mystery to most. This session will explore the ways that you can implement strategic sales plans, interactive training, digital marketing, and advanced analytics to ensure that you’re building a long-term, profitable relationship with your distributor partner.
Julie Rhodes, Not Your Hobby Marketing
With over 20,000 hours of experience on the business side of the specialty beer industry, from field sales to digital marketing to regional management, a BA in Marketing from Texas State University at San Marcos, and more than 15 years of experience in the service industry, Julie Rhodes is an authority on beverage sales, marketing, sales team management, distributor partnership management, supply chain logistics, and customer service. She is the owner of Not Your Hobby Marketing Solutions, an educational services and consulting company that teaches sales, marketing & distribution management strategies to craft beverage professionals.
Tiffanie Barriere, aka The Drinking Coach, to speak at CiderCon 2022
We are thrilled to announce that Tiffanie Barriere, aka The Drinking Coach, is speaking at CiderCon 2022 in Richmond, Virginia! Tiffanie is no stranger to cider, which is why we’ve asked her to demonstrate how to make killer low-ABV cider cocktails in her workshop at CiderCon. She’ll walk you through the steps so you can take these cocktails back to your tasting room program. Beyond the perfect cider cocktail, Tiffanie will also be weaving the history of Black bartenders in America into her presentation. Whether it’s cocktail construction or American alcohol history, walk away aware and A LOT smarter under The Drinking Coach’s tutelage.
Tiffanie Barriere is the bartender’s bartender, an influencer and educator who has been awarded with some of the beverage industry’s highest honors. The Bar Smart graduate is a Tastemakers of the South award-winner who spent seven years as the beverage director of One Flew South the “Best Airport Bar in the World.” As an independent bartender she is known for creative and innovative cocktail menus for pop-dinners and bar consultancy clients; hosting mixology classes around the nation, and connecting culinary and farm culture with spirits. As a leader, she is a member of the Tales of the Cocktail Grants Committee, the James Beard Beverage Advisory Board, and a member of the Atlanta chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier.
“The Drinking Coach” Barriere has graced the demonstration stages of prestigious food and hospitality events such as the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival, Charleston Food & Wine Festival, BevCon, Tales of the Cocktail, Savannah Food & Wine Festival, Music to Your Mouth and more. As an author-contributor, Tiffanie’s cocktail recipes can be found in the Southern Foodway Alliance Guide to Cocktails by Jerry Slayter, Jubilee by Toni Tipton Martin, and Road Soda by Kara Newman.
Her reputation as a public historian has opened doors for her to speak on panels at such venues as Fire, Flour & Fork, Southern Foodways Symposium, and the Soul Summit, and she has interpreted the cocktails of African American and women firsts in spirits at the James Beard House in New York City.
The culinarians and chefs she has worked with reads like a Who’s Who in the Culinary Arts: Duane Nutter, Todd Richards, the late Darryl Evans, Kevin Mitchell, Deborah VanTrece, Jennifer Hill Booker, Suzanne Vizethann, Erika Council, Todd Ginsberg and Asha Gomez.
Barriere and her cocktails have been featured in such publications as Imbibe magazine (print and online), Difford’s Guide, Creative Loafing, Forbes, Essence, Southern Living, The Bitter Southerner, Cherry Bomb, Washington Post, Thrillist, Eater, Vine Pair, Food Republic, and Garden & Gun. In 2020 Tiffanie was featured on Food Networks The Kitchen showcasing her creativity on how to batch for more than 2 people. She also received the Tales of the Cocktails Dame of the Year award in 2020 and the cover photo of Imbibe Magazine for the Top 75 for Imbibe.
The Louisiana-Texas native is the trustworthy mentor of some of the best bartenders and mixologists in the world. Tiffanie’s main goal is education, service and fun with every pour.
5 Reasons to Register for the Certified Pommelier Exam
CiderCon® is right around the corner, and that means so is your next chance to join the elite crew of Certified Pommeliers™ that are spreading the good word about cider around the country. The exam itself will take place on February 1, 2021 during CiderCon® at the Richmond Marriott Hotel. That leaves plenty of time to prepare and we have plenty of resources to help you (see below)!
5 Reasons to Register
Still on the fence about taking your exam? We can think of a few reasons why you should:
- Research. That’s right, drinking lots of different ciders (as if we needed a reason) will actually help you prepare for your exam!
- Mastery. You too can be a master of the language of cider and help share that knowledge with others.
- Prestige. Pass your exam and show the world that you are one of the top experts in the cider industry.
- Experience. By learning more about the intricacies of cider you learn to love cider even more.
- Camaraderie. When you pass your exam you will join an amazing group of cider professionals that love cider and spreading the love just as much as you do.
- Okay, we said 5 reasons, but really, we thought mentioning research (a.k.a. drinking cider) again might be worthwhile.
Register Now!
For ACA members, the exam is $125 per attempt. There is a discount code that members can access to receive the exam at the membership rate of $125. That discount code can be found here. For non-members, the exam is $200. You can register for the exam here.
Get Studying!
Now, about those resources we mentioned. When you sign up to take your Certified Pommelier™ exam, you will be provided with a study guide and access to webinars to help you develop your knowledge and skills.
There are several books that will also help you further develop your understanding of cider, apples and history. We have created a list with our recommended reading materials. You can access this list by clicking here.
And there’s a dedicated Facebook Group with prep materials and in depth peer conversations.
Want more to fortify your cider knowledge? We highly recommend interviewing cidermakers and cider tenders to help prepare. Blind tasting flights are also good prep. See research in our list above!
Questions?
Contact our Cider Education Outreach Manager Jennie Dorsey with any questions you might have.
Don’t miss out on you chance to join this elite community of cider professionals by taking the Certified Pommelier™ Exam at CiderCon® 2022 in Richmond, Virginia in February!
A huge thanks to our CCP and Certified Pommelier™ sponsor:
CiderCon® Early Bird Registration Extended
Who needs some good news? Yes, Mercury is no longer in retrograde. But that’s not our news. We know our members are busy making cider right now, so we’ve decided to extend early bird CiderCon® 2022 registration pricing until Halloween. We can’t wait to see all of you for our beloved CiderCon® in Richmond, Virginia in February!
The extension means an extra 11 days to lock in the early registration fee of $395 for you and all of your employees for what promises to be an awesome return to CiderCon® in-person.
We are happy to have renowned cidermaker Diane Flynt join us as our Keynote Speaker. You can read more about Diane in our blog. This year’s workshop tracks include: (1) Cidermaking (2) Apples & Orcharding (3) Sales & Distribution (4) Better Business (5) Flavor & Terroir (6) Legal & Compliance (7) Marketing & Trends and (8) History.
The famous CiderCon® trade show is shaping up to be a great place to meet the amazing vendors who help support our industry. Are you a vendor that would like to join us? Do you know a business that you would love to see at the trade show? Contact Ellenfor details.
There’s a plethora of add-on options available this year. We have tours, tasting, t-shirts, cider share and more available. You can learn more about these options on our registration page. Definitely check out the incredible tours and tastings before they sell out!
You can learn about all things CiderCon® 2022 at our website, and we’ll have more exciting announcements soon.
We’ll see you in Richmond!
Michelle, Woodley & Ellen
P.S. Wanting to up your cider street cred? You can take your Certified Pommelier™ exam at CiderCon®! The exam will be held Wednesday, February 1, 2021 at the Marriott Hotel in Richmond. You can learn more and find links to register in our blog!
P.P.S. Don’t forget to book your rooms in the CiderCon® block at the Marriott. You can book them here.
Thank you to our premier sponsor:
CiderCon 2022 Registration Now Open
The American Cider Association Presents CiderCon® 2022 in Richmond Virginia!
February 1-4, 2022
The American Cider Association is pleased to announce that registration is now open for CiderCon® 2022! We are thrilled to be planning to gather in person in Richmond, Virginia from February 1-4, 2022. Register before October 31 to lock in early bird pricing!
Click below to learn about:
Cider Tasting/Cidermaking Workshops
Thanks to our premier sponsor:
CiderCon 2022 Tasting Sessions
We are thrilled to offer several tastings at CiderCon® 2022! Seating is limited in CiderCon® workshops, including tastings. Read our full Health & Safety Guidelines. Sign-up for tastings available during registration.
NEW! Top of the Mitten: High Latitude Ciders from Northern Michigan
Moderator: Nicole LeGrand Leibon
Speakers: Dan Young, Tandem Cider; Dion Stepanski, Presque Isle Farm; Left Foot Charley, Bryan Ulbrich
Price: $10 Thursday, 1:45-2:45pm
Already registered for CiderCon® 2022 but you’d like to add on this tasting? Register here.
This session will be a guided sensory exploration of ciders from near or north of the 45th parallel. We’ll explore the impact of the Great Lakes, the soil, orchard history and more on these ciders from Northern Michigan.
400 Years of American Alcohol: Cider, History, Cocktails and More
Presenter: Tiffanie Barriere, The Drinking Coach
Price: $10 Thursday 10:30-11:30
Already registered for CiderCon® 2022 but you’d like to add on this tasting? Register here.
Alcohol has a tasty history in America. Cider was seen as early as 1622. We are still counting and discovering some of the historical names that helped alcohol become what it is today. With the help of original records from the service industry we are able to explore many stories on alcohol production, service and even cocktail incorporation dating back hundreds of years. To explore this history, Tiffanie Barriere–a renowned mixologist, author, speaker and researcher–brings this mash-up session to CiderCon. Her workshop will be one part history and one part inspired cider cocktail creation. She will talk about important names, historical figures, legendary Black bartenders and she will also teach you how to make amazing cider cocktails.
Fruited Ciders: Beyond the Apple – SOLD OUT
Moderator: Christine Walter
Price: $8 Thursday 10:30-11:30
Fresh, frozen, puréed, essenced? Before, during, after? Answers to all of your questions, plus sourcing ideas and tasty examples to making excellent fruit ciders. This session is designed for cidermakers just getting their start. Featured Cider Makers: TBA
Creating Consumer Excitement with Food Pairing Suggestions – SOLD OUT
Presenter: Jennie Dorsey, Cider Educator
Price: $10 Thursday 2:00-3:00
We all know the “Four C’s” of food pairing, but putting theory into practice can be a little intimidating, especially for members of your tasting room staff that are just beginning their adventure with cider. In this session, cider and food pairing expert Jennie Dorsey will walk you through a pairing framework (with tasting samples!) that you can take back to your business, train your staff, and watch your sales grow.
Tasting and Terroir of True Crabs Non- Malus Domestica Apples – SOLD OUT
Moderator: Dan Pucci, Author
Price: $12 Thursday 3:30-4:30
Malus Domestica is not the only game in town. The Malus genus is diverse with apples native to biomes across the world, wild, feral or bred with intention. Typically valued more for their flowers than fruit, cider is adapting them into its diverse tool box. This talk will look at how these apples perform in a wide range of different growing environments and how they can be used in a wide range of different cider making styles. Featured Cider Makers: TBA
Survey of Yeast-Derived Characteristics and Hands-On Blending – SOLD OUT
Moderator: Aaron Homoya
Price: $10 Thursday 3:30-4:30
Take your experience with the possibilities of flavor and aroma contributions of yeast strains to the next level with this tasting panel of cider made from one juice and a range of yeasts. Featured Cider Makers: TBA
Southern Cider Apples: A Recipe for Complex Flavor & Changing Climate – SOLD OUT
Moderator: Diane Flynt, Apple Grower and Cider Maker
Price: $12 Friday 10:30-11:30
Diane Flynt will set the stage for exploring southern cider apples with historic context for old southern cider apple varieties. Presentation will include color slides of southern apple varieties. The panel discussion will touch on fruit cultivation but will focus on the use of older southern varieties in cider.
Panel discussion topics: Varietal characteristics of old southern apples in cider; Cidermakers’ experience in using old southern apples in cider; Consumer response to cider made with old southern apples; Optional: apple tasting and cider tasting. Featuring: David and/or Ann Marie Thornton, James Creek Cider House, Tim Wright, Wise Bird Cider, Will Hodges, Troddenvale Cider
A Cider Among the Faults – An Aroma-Based Sensory Workshop
Presenter: Nicole Leibon, Chris Gerling, Jocelyn Kuzelka
Price: $12 Friday 10:30-11:30
Already registered for CiderCon® 2022 but you’d like to add on this tasting? Register here.
Take a good look at this line-up of five suspect ciders and put your detective (and detecting) skills to the test. Only one is innocent, the other four are fatally faulted by the usual (and maybe unusual) suspects. Discussion will include detection and rejection thresholds, their impact on how ciders and faults can be perceived differently, and ways to avoid or fix the faults found in the line-up.
Introductory Palate Training – SOLD OUT
Presenter: Darlene Hayes
Price $10 Friday 2:00-3:00pm
When learning the art of evaluating a cider it can be helpful to start by familiarizing your palate with individual structural elements. In this session, you will experience first hand the flavor and texture differences between several types of acids typically found in cider as well as different sugar levels and types of tannin. Give yourself a great foundation from which to take your tasting skills to the next level.
Best Practices for Producing Ciders with Residual Sugar – SOLD OUT
Moderator: Brighid O’Keene
Price: $10 Friday 2:00-3:00pm
This tasting session will explore methods and tips for producing cider with residual sugar. You will hear from cider makers producing at various scales and with different equipment about how to successfully make sweeter cider. We’ll explore downstream processing and safe bottling with a focus on best practices. Featured Cider Makers: TBA
Wild, Clean & Free: Harnessing the Beauty of Wild-fermenting, Without the Flaws – SOLD OUT
Moderator: Christine Walter
Price: $12 Friday 3:30-4:30pm
This tasting session will be a deep dive into making the most of traditional and pet-nat processes while producing a cleanly fermented sparkling cider. Featured Cider Makers: TBA
New and Updated Cider Share Returns to CiderCon!
UPDATE 01/25/2022: The 4:00pm Cider Share is Sold Out. If you are already registered and would like to add the 6:00pm Cider Share on to your registration please email Ellen and she will add you and you can pay when you check in at the registration desk. If you are not registered, Cider Share can be added on during the registration process.
CiderCon® is thrilled to present an in-person conference and trade show in Richmond, Virginia from February 1-4, 2022 for American Cider Association members. Our beloved welcome reception, Cider Share, is also back!
There are two Cider Share receptions on Wednesday, February 2, 2022, a 4:00pm salon and 6:00pm salon. Tickets to Cider Share will be $20 per person. Each Cider Share time slot will be limited to 200 people. Please read the complete Health and Safety Guidelines for more information about the American Cider Association’s COVID-19 protocol for CiderCon® 2022.
Each Cider Share Salon will feature 25 different cideries, representing cider from around the US and the world. Featured cideries will be chosen using a lottery along with considerations of geography and style. If you would like to be considered as a featured cidery at Cider Share 2022, please select that choice during the CiderCon registration process. The lottery drawing will be held in early November and those selected will be notified via email with further details.