Beer Sessions Radio: Summer Cider Guide

Cider can be a complex drink category, but thankfully, Jimmy Carbone from Beer Sessions Radio has been reporting on the industry since 2011, and is here to guide you through it all.

This playlist is designed to be a roadmap, taking you through the ins-and-outs of cider. Starting from the beginning, episodes recorded as early as 2011 are full of  experts, here to offer a great introduction into producing, tasting, and creatively experimenting with cider. You’ll watch the cider industry quickly rise in popularity through the years, with more recent episodes diving deeper into specifics, including “place-based” apples, “harvest-based cider,” unidentified apples, and barrel aging. So whether you're interested in learning the basics or diving into the details, Beer Sessions has plenty of in-depth episodes to get you up to speed on the sweet world of cider.

By: Caroline Fox

Beer Sessions Radio Episode 70: Cider, Brewpubs, and Hops: This week on Beer Sessions Radio Jimmy is joined by Jen Schwertman of Blind Tiger and Dave Broderick. The session begins with a discussion of cider, artisanal hard cider to be exact. Then Penny Pink from Portneuf Valley Brewing who recounts how she began and built her own brewpub out in Idaho and describes what exactly grog is. Later the conversation gets hoppin with Michael Roffman from Atlantic Hops who talks everything from growing to drying. 

Beer Sessions Radio Episode 186: The Culture of Cider: Jimmy Carbon is in the studio with a full house of beer enthusiasts to talk cider! Today's guests include Sean McCain of Bronx Brewery, Sam Smith of Samuel Smith Brewery, Ben Sandler of QUeens Kickshaw, John of Rowan Imports, Begonia Medio of Asturias, Spain, and David Spies of Angry Orchard. Tune-in to learn more about different ways to produce cider, what to look for when trying cider, and which cider breweries to look out for during the continuing Cider Week New York. How does cider making differ from traditional brewing methods? How has cider's popularity changed recently in today's food and drink industry? 

Beer Sessions Radio Episode 237: Serious Cider: Jimmy Carbone is joined by Chris Lehault, Serious Eats cider writer, Michael McAvena of Virtue Cider, Josh Bernstein, author/journalist and George Motz, founder of the Food Film Festival. This week's cider chat is about the seriousness of the category. Do big brands help or hurt craft cider? What makes cider artisanal? This is guaranteed to be one of the more interesting cider conversations out there right now! 

Beer Sessions Radio Episode 300: Cider Cocktails!: The cider celebrations continue on Beer Sessions Radio! This in-studio show is all about cider cocktails, as Jimmy Carbone is joined by an all-star panel of guests. Hear from Eric West of Cider Guide, Yoni Rabino of Neversink Spirits, Jade Brown-Godfrey of Wassail, Bianca Miraglia of Uncouth Vermouth, Darlene Hayes of All Into Cider and author Cider Cocktails andamp; Stephen Valand, co-host and co-founder of Brooklyn Brew Shop. Hear what makes cider such a great cocktail ingredient, why the cider movement is like the cocktail movement 15 years ago and what the future holds for cider!

Beer Sessions Radio Episode 347: Power to the Cider: Jimmy Carbone is joined in the studio by Ryan Burk, Tom Oliver, John Reynolds and BR Rolya to talk cider. Ryan currently heads up Angry Orchard's new experimental orchard-cidery-visitor center in Walden, NY. There, he's crafting small batch ciders to test out new recipes, ingredients and techniques, and to push the boundaries of barrel aging and wild fermentation. Tom Oliver and BR Rolya both represent Shelton Brothers, while John Reynolds is in on behalf of Blackduck Cidery in Finger Lakes, New York. The consensus in this group: cider deserves a spot at the food and drink pairing table, no matter where you're drinking.

Beer Sessions Radio Episode 387: East Coast vs. West Coast Cider: Beer Sessions welcomes Nat West (Rev Nat cider), Dan Pucci (Wassail), Gidon Coll (Original Sin cider), and Matt Molletta (Crux Fermentation Brewery) to talk about ciders on opposite coasts. 

Beer Sessions Radio Episode 404: Cheese and Cider: On this special episode of Beer Sessions Radio, Jimmy sits down with Bronwen and Francis Percival, authors of the new book Reinventing the Wheel: Milk, Microbes, and the Fight for Real Cheese. Also joining them are Greg Blais, host of Heritage Radio Network's Cutting the Curd, Steve Millard of Murray's Cheese, and Nina Stein White of Bobolink Dairy & Bakehouse.Tune in to hear them talk milk, microbes, and the fight for real cheese.

Beer Sessions Radio Episode 406: Still Cider & Cider Week NYC!: Beer Sessions is celebrating Cider Week NYC with some great guests including Steve Selin from South Hill Cider in the Finger Lakes, Maria Kennedy from The ARTS Council of the Southern Finger Lakes, and Peter Li from Brooklyn Cider House. Our good pal Brendan Palfreyman also joins us all the way from Syracuse.

Beer Sessions Radio Episode 426: Brooklyn Cider House: We’ve got some great guests joining us tonight from Brooklyn Cider House including co-owner Susan Yi and cidermaker Lindsey Storm. Also sitting in is David Cascione, president and founder of Barrika Basque Country Cider.

Beer Sessions Radio Episode 473: The State of New York Cider: Hear about what makes New York cider special, the question of canning, the truth about dryness, and the definition of endangered apples while Jimmy checks in on the state of New York cider.

Beer Sessions Radio Episode 484: Cider, Uncultivated: Aaron Burr Cidery’s founder, farmer, and fermenter Andy Brennan joins Jimmy to talk about his new book, Uncultivated: Wild Apples, Real Cider, and the Complicated Art of Making a Living. Also in the studio are the book’s editor Ben Watson of Chelsea Green Publishing and the annual CiderDays celebration in Franklin County, Massachusetts, and Ron Sansone of Connecticut’s Spoke and Spy Ciderworks. They talk basement brewing, place-based apples, the history of Andy’s homestead farm—including how Aaron Burr was involved—and the true meaning of “Scrumpy.” 

Beer Sessions Radio Episode 503: Along Came a Cider: Jimmy talks to Ron Sansone of Spoke + Spy Ciderworks; Gidon Coll of Original Sin Cider; Paige Flori of Boutique Wines, Spirits and Cider; Tyler Graham of Kings Highway; Petra Paredez of Petee's Pie; and apple photographer William Mullan. Hear them discuss the market for single varietal ciders, the unidentified apple varieties living in the Hudson Valley, and the founding fathers' love of cider.

Beer Sessions Radio Episode 508: Cider and Land: In celebration of New York City's Cider Week, Jimmy talks to Melissa Madden of Good Life Farm; Rachel Freier of New York Cider Weeks; Maria Kennedy who writes the blog Cider with Maria; Jahil Maplestone of Descendant Cider Company; and Page Fiori and Gennaro Fiori of Boutique Wines, Spirits and Cider.  They discuss why the Finger Lakes are the promised land for growing apples, the debate about the word heritage, the demand for New York State cider, the complicated history of land in New York, and the graf (cider/beer hybrid) that Descendant made with Big Slice Brewing for Cider Week.  Plus, hear them react to cider made from the fruit of a single perry tree.

Beer Sessions Radio Episode 560: Cider Days with Ragged Hill and Headwater:Jimmy talks all things Cider Days with Anne and Steve Garwood of Ragged Hill Cider, Peter Mitchell of Headwater Cider, and Ben Watson of Chelsea Green Publishing. They discuss seasonal blends and suggest holidays pairings, while also diving into cider apples. Steve highlights some of his favorite apple varieties and Peter shares how he has grown 40 varieties at his orchard after starting out with only two. Plus they talk about terroir, ice cider, and the reasons why they believe cider should be included in the wine category, as opposed to beer. 

Beer Sessions Radio Episode 562: Autumn and Ezra of Eve’s Cidery: Beer Sessions welcomes Autumn Stoscheck and Ezra Sherman, who are partners in life and at Eve’s Cidery. When Autumn started out in cider, there weren’t many people doing it. She shares memories from the past 21 years since she started her orchard. Plus, Ezra and her talk about some of Eve’s Cidery’s big breaks - from getting their cider on the menu at Savoy to receiving a farm winery license. Hear about their take on a classic bitter sweet cider, the cider pet nat they have in the works, and the geological diversity that draws so many cider makers and cider lovers to the Finger Lakes.

Beer Sessions Radio Episode 566: Cider from the Place of Regenerative Ag, and the Case for Reparations in Finger Lakes, NY: Beer Sessions Radio dives into the cider scene in the Finger Lakes, NY with Autumn Stoschek from Eve’s Cidery in Van Etten, NY; Melissa Madden from Open Spaces Cider in Trumansburg, NY; and Deva Maas from Redbyrd Orchard Cider in Trumansburg, NY. 

Autumn, Melissa, and Deva each work on cideries and orchards that practice regenerative agriculture. They introduce Jimmy to this buzzy term, the legacy of problems existing on land and within society, and how cideries have become starting points to help members of the community engage and take steps towards making reparations. 

Beer Sessions Radio Episode 580: American Cider, Harvest Based Cider: On the show is Eleanor Leger from Eden Specialty Ciders in Newport, VT; David Thornton from James Creek Cider House in Moore County, NC; and Craig Cavallo and Dan Pucci, co-authors of American Cider: A Modern Guide to a Historic Beverage. Jimmy talks about different cider regions, the untold history of cider, “harvest-based cider,” and the influence of climate and land over cider production.