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Ticketed Session: Cost $10
There are several carbonation methods available for cider makers to employ, and choosing between these methods means considering consumer expectations, sensory impact, production cost, taxes and more. This session will address how to carbonate your produce consistently and successfully through forced carbonation, traditional method, and bottle conditioning. We will discuss how to measure CO2 and how it impacts taxes and labeling rules. Finally, we will explore the sensory impact of carbonation with tips on how to select techniques and levels appropriate for your style goals, with a tasting to illustrate those differences.
This session presents a proposal for a Systematic Approach to Tasting Cider using a method of consistently describing aromas, flavors and structure of cider. The method can be used by all those involved in creating, producing, promoting, marketing and selling cider – from intermediates to experts. (Although similar, this is not a review of the systemic approach used for the Certified Pommelier™ exam. There is a review of the exam’s approach Friday afternoon).
National Beer Wholesalers Association Chief Economist Lester Jones will examine where the Cider Industry and alcohol beverages has been and where we headed following a wild roller coaster ride in 2021 and 2022. He will present on a wide variety of data and insights that explain how consumers, retailers, suppliers, and policy makers view the industry. Participants will get a unique perspectives on the economic and demographic factors shaping the cider and alcohol industry in 2023 and beyond.
This session will include a step-by-step walkthrough of TTB forms including the winery operations report and permit application forms.
Ticketed Session: Cost $10
In 2017, the Glynwood Center, NY Cider Association, and Angry Orchard planted 5,000 cider apple trees across 12 orchards in NY’s major fruit-growing regions. Experienced orchardists have recorded tree growth/survival and yields each year since, and in 2020, a panel of cider professionals evaluated single-variety, single-estate cider samples for similarities and differences based on sensory attributes. In this session we will present our results so far, exploring the factors that go into determining a regional taste of place or terroir.
Scaling up your commercial production is a big step to make, and it’s important to make the proper investments in tools and systems when transitioning to larger production. This session will provide tips for equipment to purchase when shifting from hobby to professional production, designing and building out your space, setting up an in-house lab, and scaling up efficiently.
Small cider producers may think that most Quality Assurance and Quality Control content is not relevant to them. Craft products may vary greatly from year to year, and you certainly can’t afford to have a person on staff to manage all of the bureaucracy QA and QC are essential elements of successful cider production for businesses of any size, and should be considered when starting up and/ or when you’ve been producing for years. This session will review elements of QA and QC program establishment, maintenance, and evaluation. Speakers will define and offer practical tips for Good Manufacturing Practices, Hazard and Critical Control Point Analysis, and the importance of establishing Standard Operating Procedures to meet safety, legal, sustainability, economic, and quality objectives with a special focus on techniques for smaller businesses.
Ticketed Session: Cost $10
This session will outline a variety of ways to enhance the aroma of your cider, from the quality of the fruits to a number of processing options with a particular focus on the alcoholic fermentation management.
Ticketed Session: Cost $7
Volatile phenolics, either from apples or created during the fermentation process, can produce the distinctive cidery, funky flavours that many people enjoy in cider. On the other hand, other phenolic and non-phenolic aromas produced by spoilage organisms can go beyond ‘funk’ and cause a fault or consumer rejection. In this session, we’ll explore five different aromatic compounds found in funky, faulted, or phenolic ciders and you can decide for yourself which you like and which you don’t. If you decide you don’t, we’ll cover how to avoid them in your cider.
Date & Time: Tuesday, January 31 4:00-6:00pm
Ticketed Session: Cost $60
Start your CiderCon® journey off right with happy hour in the gorgeous penthouse suite. Enjoy curated pairings of delicious ciders and locally inspired tapas with just a touch of education, and a lot of fun. This is the perfect event for aspiring Pommeliers™ and anyone in the cider community.
Ticketed Session: Cost $10
More and more cider producers are exploring pét-nat carbonation, but what is it really? This advanced session will lean on lessons from the wine industry and discuss how this bottle conditioning technique differs from other methods and how pét-nat derives its fizz. What are your production goals for exploring this technique, and how can you market this low-tech, artisanal style of cider to an increasingly curious and knowledgeable consumer base? Speakers will address all of these topics, as well as TTB regulations and tax considerations for your product. Participants are encouraged to attend the “Guide to Carbonation Methods” session as a primer to this deep-dive into pétillant naturel.
Ticketed Session: Cost $10
If you missed CiderCon® 2022 in Richmond, Virginia, this session is for you. Virginia is a top-apple growing state and has the 6th most cideries per state in the nation. We’ll be investigating the cider market, looking at new strategies to promote it, and tasting cider grown and made in Nelson County, one of America’s promising candidates for formal cider-region recognition. This will be a well-rounded session that will spark conversations about regional approaches to growing cider and promoting apples.
Ticketed Session: Cost $10
The sensory profile of cider is significantly associated with microbial activities and the quality of cider is dependent upon predictable fermentation outcomes and product monitoring during bulk aging to mitigate or eliminate possible spoilage contamination. This advanced-level sensory session will explore the efficacy of two tools cider makers have to eliminate or mitigate costly intervention of microbial problems before they are needed during bulk aging. A triangle test will be presented to participants and will be used to determine the sensory findings of the experiment. Speakers will discuss the goal and results of this commercial scale experiment, the economic impacts of unaddressed microbial growth and the quantity of aromatic and flavor compounds they produce, plus the time savings and efficiency improvements of adapting SOP’s based on the observed chemistry and sensory profiles from a previous chitosan experiment. Come help us answer the question: “What makes good cider?” and decide for yourself with this interactive tasting session.
An in-depth session on everything that goes into opening or revitalizing a taproom. Attendees will learn from professionals who have opened several respected taprooms, with experience in the field of hospitality, operations, and production. We will cover a range of topics including recruiting, company culture, taproom build out, operational systems management, creating a cocktail program, and mastery of budgets. Drawing from varied experience, we will help you construct a taproom that’s built to last, while highlighting your brand’s personality.
Ticketed Session: Cost $10
Participants will practice evaluating ciders using the ACA’s Structured Sensory Evaluation process guided by Certified Pommeliers™ Darlene Hayes and Tim Godfrey. This session will teach you how to objectively assess any cider, empowering you in the cidery and in assisting customers to find a cider they love while also helping you to prepare for the Certified Pommelier™ exam.
The person buying alcohol today cares more about flavor than you do—and they’re making decisions across categories because of it. What’s being fermented matters less for a drinker who is loyal to flavor experience and what it offers them.
Learn why the cross-category drinker’s apathy toward a base fermentable doesn’t mean they’re disinterested in cider and how today’s trends can help you:
- Decide what to make and not make
- How to talk about your brands
- Where to sell
With data and storytelling, understand how the consumer of beer, RTDs, spirits, and wine should impact how you think about cider.
Ticketed Session: Cost $10
Cidermaker, orchardist and historian Elizabeth Ryan will lead a guided tasting and historical exploration of some of New York state’s most cherished American heirloom apples and their impact on cider. This will include an expert panel presentation with thoughtful cider-tasting, pairing varietals from different locations. It is a recommended companion workshop to Cider’s Taste of Place: Trialing Apple Varieties and Regions in NY State, which will take a more scientific approach to investigating terroir in cider in New York.
Ticketed Session: Cost $10
Spontaneous fermentation is a series of microbial and chemical processes in succession. This session will explore what is actually happening during spontaneous fermentation and what leads to a successful fermentation through each transition. Speakers will discuss the presence and considerations of yeasts at different phases of the cider making process, microbiological reactions not related to yeast (temperature, pH, etc), the role of oxygen throughout fermentation, and apple characteristics as a precursor of success.
Ticketed Session: Cost $10
Single varietal ciders are popular and allow for producers and consumers to understand the characteristics of specific apples. Much of the art of cider making, however, is in blending. This session is a sensory exploration of the unique attributes of blends and single varietal ciders. Speakers will discuss when and how to blend, blending for acidity, alcohol, tannins, and balance, and what qualities to look for in the base juice. We will also address the pros and cons of single varietals and the consumer education and marketing of those ciders.
Renowned cider advocate and author Claude Jolicouer will discuss the traditional perry-making regions in the UK, France and Austria. He will delve into their unique features and respective perry styles, highlighting the special challenges of perrymaking compared to cidermaking, and consider how perrymakers in each region tackle these challenges.
The TTB Boot Camp for Cideries will include the following sections in more or less one hour chunks: TTB overview/updates and permits (originals and amendments; records, operational reports & tax returns; formulas; and labeling (including information on how to label cider with spirits added).
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