And that’s a wrap! As the fourth annual Cider Week NYC draws to a close, we’re still looking for great “fancy” ciders, as Beer Sessions Radio™ host Jimmy Carbone prefers to call the ciders that were featured during the annual 10-day festival (and if you’re still seeking ciders, check out the GBS bars in this Time Out NY list). For the past two weeks, Beer Sessions Radio™ could have been renamed “Cider Sessions Radio,” as a bevy of cider experts descended on Roberta’s in Bushwick to talk about the all-mighty apple.
From what to call cider (fine cider? artisanal cider? craft cider?) to how to start a cider apple orchard (Farnum Hill‘s Steve Wood’s advice? “Don’t!” I guess his orchard isn’t called “Poverty Lane” for nothing!),
First up, on episode 236 (listen here), we are talking with an incredible panel of guests about the Kingston Black varietal during a bunker crop year (you cannot always make cider from this finicky apple!). In the studio tasting a bevy of different ciders all made from the Kingston Black varietal are Steve Wood of Farnum Hill Cider; Rowan Jacobsen, author of Apples of Uncommon Character; Dan Wilson of Slyboro Cider House; Gay Howard of United States of Cider; Kay Michaels, cheesemonger at Eataly (listen for the moment when Steve becomes her instant fan!); and Sabine Hrechdakian and Sascha Anderson of Glynwood, founders of Cider Week NYC. Go beyond the glass and learn about all that goes into producing one of the hottest beverages around these days!
Then, on episode 237 (listen here), Jimmy welcomed two great writers into the studio, frequent guest Josh Bernstein shares interviewing duties as one of the nation’s most accomplished cider writers, Chris Lehault, discusses the massive growth expected in the world of cider making (“We’ve projected that cider making will be 1000 times the size it is now…”) to up-and-coming cider regions (e.g. the area west of Colorado’s mountains). Josh discusses his upcoming tour of the Nassau Brewery lagering caves (this time with cheese and cider!). Also in the studio is Virtue Cider‘s Michael McAvena, who talks about Virtue’s three-year effort in cider making and how forming a cidery is much more challenging than f0rming a brewery (the cider maker at Virtue is Greg Hall, formerly of Goose Island).
And right in between the two episodes, Beer Sessions Radio™ helped co-produce a new event called Ciderfeast that featured more than a dozen cider makers pouring close to three dozen different ciders. It was a great day down at the Seaport, and if you missed it (or didn’t), you can see more photos from Ciderfeast and all our Cider Week NYC fun on our Facebook page.