Cider Con 2016: My Personal Highlights

Usually in winter, I travel with my husband to Florida to see friends and thaw out a little from the upstate NY temperatures. But at last year's Cider Con in Chicago, we learned that this most amazing of cider gatherings would be happening in February in Portland, Oregon. I knew I had a different sort of escape from winter.

Though the sign seems more Vegas, this is a lovely welcome to Portland

Not only did I get to attend Cider Con, I got to present! This was a huge honor for me because I have so much appreciation and respect for the cider community (and the beverages produced thereby). Eric West (of Cider Guide http://www.ciderguide.com)

Tuesday

While many folks were out touring orchards and ciders, I didn't arrive in time for their early departures. Still, I had an excellent time walking around Washington Park (http://explorewashingtonpark.org/) which is home to the International Rose Test Garden, Portland Japanese Garden, and my favorite: Hoyt Arboretum. Just seeing so much green in February is good for my soul. 

You cannot know how much I bemoaned baggage check fees when I saw this

But I had plenty of time to check out the cider selections at a grocery store or two and still make the 2 Towns Ciderhouse(http://www.2townsciderhouse.com) Tap Takeover at Cider Bite (http://ciderbite.com/). It was a casual gathering, but I saw so many unfamiliar ciders. Tasting in a different region than your own is an exciting experience. Plus, I ran into a few cider luminaries which never hurts an evening, particularly when they are as charming as Tom Oliver (https://oliversciderandperry.co.uk/) or as welcoming as Dave Takush (of 2 Towns).

And we were glad to be there!

Wednesday

The start of my official day wasn't until the United States Association of Cider Makers (USACM) business meeting. While I am not a voting member of the USACM, I alway relish the chance to meet with members and learn about what the organization has been up to. In 2015, the big headline was the CIDER Act.

I volunteered at Bill Bradshaw's session on UK Cider. Bill is an amazing archivist and photographer of ciders and cider cultures both in the UK and all over. If you're a cider lover you simply must get your hands on his book, World’s Best Ciders: Taste, Tradition, and Terroir. You can see some of Bill's photo and read about this IAMCIDER project here: http://billbradshaw.co.uk/photography/iamcider

The Crowd for Bill Bradshaw

This led smoothly into the Cider Con Reception with tacos, pizza, tapas, and countless ciders all served in the in the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. What a setting and what a party! They completely turned us loose in a museum while letting everyone taste ciders from all over the world. I have almost no photos because I was simply too enthralled by this night. I'm sorry. Kind of.

Thursday

We stated the day with one of my favorite activities from last year's cider con, the Clicker Survey. What I love about this is we were all asked pretty basic questions about who we are, what we do, where cider makers get fruit or juice, who is planting orchards, who is getting fruit from their orchards, and whether or not we want to support academic research or apples or cider. 

I got a similar takeaway as I did last year too. If you are growing apples, don't start a cider business on your own; partner with a fermenter. If you love to make cider but have no apples, don't just go on the market; find a grower or three and work with them for the long run. I think a lot of business strength can be gained by folks working together on all steps from sapling to glass.

Next came the General Session, or as I like to think of it: "The Big Talk with Grocery Store Cider Purchase Data." I don't find that data nearly as complete or representative of my cider life or even my cider region as some, but its heartening to see cider growth in every region of the nation.

Ian Merwin and Greg Peck: Two Fabulous Academic Advocates for Cider

But my day was not so secretly about my session with Eric West: "Engaging Your Core Audience Through Writing." We had a packed room and an appreciative audience who asked great questions. Our topic ranged from online brand presentation to working with mailing list applications and many places between. It all came down to communicating effectively online and why using the writing and internet is so potentially helpful for cider companies. 

Giving the talk was a great experience, and it started many conversations for the rest of the conference. Consider me completely grateful. 

That evening we had the first meeting of Pomme Boots (https://www.facebook.com/pommeboots) a new professional organization for women who work in the cider industry in one role or another. Meeting everyone was inspiring; there are so many awesome women making, selling, and promoting cider. 

Friday

With the talk over, I could focus more completely on the session I attended as an audience member. And I got to spend a lot more time just relaxing and meeting awesome folks  One stood out for me on Friday. The first was "Finding Your Brand Strategy - West Coast Perspective" by Alan Shapiro. What he brought was not only a west coast perspective for understanding how folks understand and buy cider, but also the historical context of his decades distributing wines and beers. As soon as links go up to his presentation, I'm sharing them!

At lunch, Congressman Earl Blumenauer spoke with us about the CIDER Act, and he was the warmest and funniest politician I've ever seen speak. He earned two standing 

We ended Cider Con with the Grand English Cider Tasting, easily the most socially invigorating part of Cider Con for me. The photo below shows the ciders that were shared at each table in the ballroom. We tasted through together with the guidance of Tom Oliver, Neil Worley, and Bill Bradshaw. They brought insight and crackling personality such that folks were nearly falling out their chairs laughing (and it wans't just the cider).

These UK Cider made my evening, and shocked several palates

Saturday

Perhaps the most exciting part of the trip for me happened after Cider Con. The USACM is developing a Cider Certification Program along with interim program director, Eric West. I signed up eagerly to be part of the inaugural class for Level One.

Eric West talking about cider styles

We had a slew of experts presenting material about apple growing, cider making, cider tasting, and other topics on Cider Certification Program Level 1. This inaugural class also got to learn about storing, serving and pairing cider: all topics close to my heart. The day was long but fascinating. I look forward to the progress of this program and hopefully participating in all coming levels.

Our messy table of learning

It was a long trip and a fabulous one! The education, the ciders, and most of all the people made it a delight each and every day. We grew the event by more than 450 attendees (by my unofficial observations) this past year, and I think its going to continue to grow and improve. If you care about cider and want a educational, enriching trip in February consider joining us next year!

Read more about Cider Con returning to Chicago in 2017 here: https://ciderconference.com

Less than a month till CiderCON 2015!

I woke up on a recent morning to a most amazing email. My request to cover CiderCON for this blog and to photograph the event was accepted! Best news of 2015! I cannot even imagine better news yet.

So, what is ciderCON you might ask? It is the professional gathering of cider folks in the United States and this year it is happening in Chicago from February 3rd-6th, 2015. This event comes to us through the hard work of the United States Association of Cider Makers (USACM). Read about the organization, its programs, goals, and achievements on the website: http://www.ciderassociation.org/

The USACM describes CiderCON by saying, "CiderCON was created to offer the commercial cider industry an outlet to meet, share ideas, collaborate and effect positive changes in cidermaking and cider fruit production best practices, the cider market and cider regulations.  CiderCON is organized by the United States Association of Cider Makers."

Obviously this is important and interesting stuff. There look to be fantastic panels on orchard processes, cider making, business issues, marketing, pairing, and who knows what else. We'll be tasting and talking and analyzing cider for four straight days! Mind you, it is in Chicago, in February. Whoa, cold and windy. But, I'll take the dubious with the fabulous.

You can follow them on Twitter: https://twitter.com/cidercon
 If you cannot come to this gathering but want to keep up with our shenanigans from afar, keep your eyes peeled for a twitter hashtag related to CiderCON. I know several folks will be doing their best to livetweet the whole experience.

Immediately following the conference, Chicago will be hit by the largest cider tasting event in America: Cider Summit Chicago. This event for the public brings together more than 150 different ciders from around the world. Obviously, this amazes me to my very toes. I so wish I could be there, but I must be back home serving cider myself by that day. You guys still in Chicago, go for me! tell me all about it. Take notes! Take pics. Make me super jealous. It won't be hard. The details: This happens on Saturday, February 7, 2015. You can taste deliciousness either from 11am-3pm or from 4pm-8pm in the Grand Ballroom at Navy Pier.

The rest of the details can be found here: http://www.cidersummitnw.com/chicagoeventinfo.html
(You can even see who some of the folks pouring cider will be! I can see 8 favorite producers already!)

My excitement goes beyond all bounds. You see, I am a huge nerd, and nerds love cons. So this, a con about cider, is basically the best thing ever. I always enjoy getting together with fellow cider freaks, but doing that with this much serious learning. Be still my heart.

I'll try to post a few more real reviews before then, but, basically, I'll just spend a little while jumping up and down in pure joy.

Franklin County Cider Days 2013: A Few Photos and Highlights

Starting with a maple tree and not with apples? Sacrilege, I know, but I wanted to share the amazing atmosphere and weather that attendees of Franklin County Cider Days enjoyed. It was perfect, and all of the locations I saw were beautiful. I enjoyed the town of Shelburne Falls so very much with its cute local shops and classic rural MA houses and amazing fall foliage. It made a great setting for Franklin County Cider Days.

I'd been looking forward to this weekend full of cider events for a few months, and it did not disappoint. People were friendly, informative, and welcoming. I learned so much about cider and good event planning from this brilliant weekend, and I didn't get to see half of all the amazing events that had been put together. I recommend Franklin County Cider Days to any cider enthusiast. It is a mandatory event for professionals in any aspect of the industry. Next year will be the 20th annual Cider Days weekend, and I hope to see you all there.

 

The home brewers event was my first event of the weekend. People sampled home brewed cider, and discussed it. Judges critiqued and compared the ciders and folks got into the nitty gritty of fermentation science, fruit selection, and all sorts of facets to home brewing great cider. Since I've never made my own cider, I felt like an observer and not a participant, but this was a great window into a thriving and vibrant community that is clearly producing all kinds of interesting cider.

 

This picture is from the amazing apple table. At the marketplace, one vendor set this up and allowed people to taste from dozens and dozens of unusual and heritage types of apples. I must have fallen in love about ten times. This is a must try event for everyone because I know of no other way to try so many rare apples. It was amazing.

 Another fun thing worth mentioning, is the cool companies who represented their work in fun ways. I love this vehicle modification for the Urban Farm Fermentary, and though I didn't get a picture, Citizen Cider made a real impression by having a cadre of their folks all wearing the same cool shirt. This is a great opportunity for brands to build up enthusiasm before the Cider Salon, and it really added to the atmosphere.

The Cider Salon

Attending the Cider Salon has to be a highlight for almost everyone who comes to Franklin County Cider Days. It is one of the largest cider tastings that occurs anywhere with more than  75 cider producers and a handful of intrepid cider importers as well. The event is so popular that it has to be divided into two tasting sessions because the tent won't hold enough people for everyone to taste at once. Even with two sessions, people are crushed a bit. My brave companion and I attempted to work counter clockwise through the room, but didn't make it to all the tables. All the more reason to attend again next year.

I attended the second session and tasted ciders from all parts of the United States and a few from Canada, Spain, France, and the United Kingdom. We got a tasting booklet with information on all of the companies who sent cider which helped guide our tasting choices. There were simply too many ciders there to taste them all. It was a cider lover's dream. I learned so much in that hour and a half and recalibrated my palate tremendously. For anyone who fears cellar blindness (changed expectations of cider because of much familiarity with one brand or style) this is exactly the kind of event to fix that.

The volunteers were crucial to making this work, and they poured with enthusiasm and good humor. Many thanks to them. They were facing a lot of empty glasses in those two sessions.

The Harvest Supper

Right after the Salon, we made our way to the Harvest Supper. Everyone sat at long tables in the Shelburne Buckland Community Center and made friends with our tablemates (or already had enough cider buddies to fill a table). Volunteers served us delicious food. I'll include the official description of the meal and menu for the sake of accuracy.

"The 2013 CiderDays Harvest Supper was held from 7 to 9pm on Saturday, November 2nd, and includes seasonal savory and sweet New England themed cuisine. Chef Paul Correnty celebrates the fall harvest by incorporating as many local ingredients as possible into our annual feast."

The 2013 Menu

On the Table Appetizers
: White bean and garlic dip with rustic bread from El Jardin Bakery
Seared sesame tuna with Real Pickles

Soup: 
Cup of Chunky Harvest Vegetable Soup

Salad
: Late Autumn Greens with Cider Vinaigrette

Entree: 
Roasted Vegetable Lasagne with Rosado Sauce and a side 
of Italian sausage

Dessert: 
Apple Crisp with Bart's ginger ice cream and cider syrup 
from New Salem Orchards and Preserves 

And much cider left over from the Salon was poured and enjoyed. I especially liked the soup and salad, but everything was lovely. The meat eaters at our table spoke highly of the Italian sausage, and I will vouch for everything else. I left well stuffed and well cidered and very satisfied.

Spanish Cider Tasting

Because my schedule had some limitations, I just got to try one event on Sunday, the Spanish Cider Tasting. This was led by James Asbel who has been inporting Spanish ciders for three decades as Ciders of Spain. He did a fantastic job along with two featured tasters and a moderator and of course a selection of 5 Spanish ciders that ranged from the genteel to the wild.

This event was a must attend for me because I feel like the Spanish style of cider that frequently focuses on acidity and funk without pronounced tannins is a weak spot in my range of cider experience. This tasting really contextualized Spanish ciders for me and, better yet, showed everyone who attended a range within the style. Sidras vary. Some are more woody, some have sparkle while others do not. Some are produced with the intention of export, others are not. The event deserves its own entry; I took copious notes. But I'll only make it an entry if it seems like someone besides me would find interesting. In any case, the event was marvelous and so educational.

Sadly, I had to leave after that and drive back home. But Franklin County Cider Days was an amazing experience that I cannot wait to repeat next year!