Posts Tagged ‘events’
August 30th Certified Pommelier™ Sensory Training Workshop for Canadian Beer Cup Judges
A new workshop for judges at the Canadian Beer Cup has just dropped!
Join us for a sensory deep dive into the world of cider and learn to taste cider through the lens of a Certified Cider Professional.
This immersive, hands-on session will give you the tools to calibrate and understand your own palate, while also providing you with more knowledge around cider’s key structures: acid, tannin, and sugar. Walk away with new vocabulary specifically designed for cider, and learn all about how you can become a Certified Cider Professional!
Price: $45 Non-members, $35 ACA members (Member Discount can be found in the Resource Hub)
Location: 5555 76 ave se, Calgary AB, T2C 4L8
Schedule:
- Welcome & Introduction (10 min)
- Part 1: Foundations of Sensory Tasting (25 min)
- Part 2: Structured Tasting Practice (60 min)
- Part 3: Identifying/Understanding Common Cider Faults (20 min)
- Part 4: Elevate Your Tasting Vocabulary (15 min)
- Wrap-Up + Q&A (20 min)
Pressing Matters Webinar Series June 11th: No Hype AI for Cideries
Practical Tools, Real Workflows, Immediate Applications
Artificial intelligence is everywhere right now but for many cidery owners and operators, it’s still unclear what AI actually does in a real-world cider business.
At the same time, MIT reports that 95% of business AI projects fail to deliver meaningful ROI, often because companies chase hype instead of practical application. This webinar is designed to cut through the noise and focus on realistic, accessible ways AI can support cider businesses today.
Join Patti Wilcox of Awestruck Ciders for a grounded, hands-on conversation about how cideries can begin using affordable AI tools to save time, streamline workflows, improve communication, strengthen marketing efforts, and support everyday operations without needing a technical background or major capitol investment.
Drawing from real industry experience, Patti will walk through practical examples and demonstrate how modern AI tools can help cideries:
- Generate and organize marketing content
- Streamline customer communication
- Build social media and email workflows
- Support event planning and promotions
- Analyze business information more efficiently
- Create branded assets and messaging faster
- Improve internal organization and idea generation
- Save time on repetitive administrative tasks
Participants will leave with eight actionable workflows and practical ideas that can be implemented immediately using low-cost tools, bringing capabilities once reserved for large beverage companies within reach for independent cider producers.
Whether you are AI-curious, overwhelmed by the conversation, or already experimenting with tools on your own, this session is designed to provide realistic insight, practical takeaways, and a better understanding of where AI can actually create value inside a modern cidery.
$5 registration for members and $20 for non-members. All registrants receive access to a recording of the workshop to access and rewatch at any time. Members can find their discount code in the Resource Hub.
June 22nd Certified Cider Guide™ Workshop at The Hop Inn
Join us for a Level 1 Certified Cider Guide™ Certification and Sensory Workshop at The Hop Inn on 22nd June 2026!
The American Cider Association is so excited to collaborate with The Hop Inn to host this Certified Cider Guide™ in-person certification workshop and tasting experience. This workshop is open to all and is the first level of the only global gold standard cider education program, Certified Cider Professional™.
We have a wonderful afternoon planned, including a Certified Instructor-led in-person training session and an “introduction to sensory evaluation” tasting experience featuring ciders from the cider families. Participants in this workshop will also have the opportunity to earn their certification by passing the online exam immediately following the training or within 30 days post-workshop.
The cost per person is $189, which includes in-person training, an instructor-led tasting experience, a downloadable study guide, and the online exam fee. Please note that ACA members will receive $50 off registration. The ACA member discount code is available in the Resource Hub.
All are welcome to earn their certification! Please share this event with anyone who sells cider, works in a tasting room or retail shop, chefs, sommeliers, cicerones, buyers, and cidermakers who are interested in cider education or in adding a cider certification to their accreditation.
The topics covered in Level 1 CCG are:
- Apples, Pears, and Orchards
- Cider Production
- Families and Flavour
- Evaluating Cider
- Keeping and Serving
- Cider and Food
- Social Responsibility
Schedule:
9:30 Arrival and Check-In
10:00 Presentation Begins
11:30 Break
11:45 Presentation Continues
13:15 Lunch Break
14:15 Sensory Analysis Tasting Experience
16:00 Optional Online Test Taking Time