Smith - Craft cider: how to turn apples into alcohol

Bushwhacker Cider is, proudly, a mom-and-pop shop, and no one has been more of a supporter, friend, and ally than my wife, Erin. Pitching the idea of a cider bar to anyone else would have seemed crazy. Our company wouldnt be here if it wasnt for her love and support. So, for all the patience she shows me for all my dreams and ideas, this work is dedicated to her.

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ITS SOMETIMES SAID that starting a business is the scariest thing a person can do in life. But for me, it may have been writing this book.

When we started Bushwhacker Cider in 2010, the venture was essentially born out of two things: a hobby gone mad, and the desire to be my own boss. But never did I think Id be sitting in front of my laptop five years later, writing a book on cider. Its been a great experience, and one that has allowed me to share not only my own knowledge, but the wisdom Ive picked up meeting tons of amazing people in the business professionals and customers alike.

As I write this, were three weeks in from opening our second cider pub in Portland. The great success of our first endeavor made me excited to expand, and to build a kitchen in which to explore food pairings and complete the experience for the customer. Our first location is a cozy pub and bottle shop, now housing over three-hundred bottles of cider from all over the world. We have eight dedicated cider-only taps, and we only carry four beers.

Weve been fortunate to have been visited over the years by customers and producers from all over the world. At our tastings, Im often the first geek in line to talk to a visiting cider maker. Ive learned about cider cultures and techniques from British, Scottish, and even New Zealander cider ambassadors. That being said, I still get a thrill talking to a local home cider maker and hearing about the inventive ciders theyve come up with. Sometimes Im even lucky enough to be given a bottle.

Our second pub, Bushwhacker Woodlawn, is located in the northeast part of Portland and offers a completely different experience than our first pub. We offer a full menu, twelve cider-only taps, and a full liquor license; we can now start offering customers apple brandy, calvados, and the wonderful opportunity to explore the world of cider cocktails.

When designing the menu we kept cider in mind, of course, most if not all of the recipes incorporate our own cider or guest ciders.

Craft Cider , I hope, will be as informative and entertaining as a night in one of our establishments. Like our pubs, this book offers a unique look at the current market, as well as providing a history of cider and a few recipes Ive put together to help you make good cider on a budget at home.

If you find me at one of our pubs holding a pint, feel free to let me know what you thought of this book be it positive or negative. Ive learned that being open to criticism is an important step toward my goal of making sure everything we do at Bushwhacker leaves you wanting to come back. Or in this case, to read more.

Cheers,

JEFF

BRITAIN HAS ALWAYS BEEN ASSOCIATED with cider, just as America is with apple pie.

While were experiencing a strong resurgence in cider here in the US, England has been enjoying cider for over a thousand years. They have access to apples and not just any apples, cider apples. Its a relatively easy beverage to make, and references to cider appeared in ancient Rome, in documents from the time of Charlemagne, and in first-century BC Spain. In fact, Spain takes credit for producing some of the worlds first ciders, which is why, even now, they are respected the world over by cider enthusiasts. Orchards filled with traditional cider fruit have kept cider true to its roots.

Some fear that the growth of mass-produced cider will make these small producers, who continue to make cider in a traditional manner obsolete. But nothing could be further from the truth.

We find ourselves in an interesting era. New cideries are opening all the time, and the rush has even surprised lawmakers, whove changed outdated laws to reflect this new category.

There are a few big trends happening. The first a rather controversial one is breweries of all sizes getting into the cider business. Some see this as a bad thing, but I certainly dont. The most popular traditional-brewery cider comes from The Boston Beer Company, makers of Samuel Adams beer, with the ultimate find-it-everywhere cider: Angry Orchards.

Am I a fan of that particular cider? Not really. But I have a very dry palette. Do I think its good for the category? Absolutely! Cider is now in about every store or bar in the country, thanks in part to the huge advertising budgets of big companies like Boston Beer with Angry Orchards, MillerCoors with both Crispin and Smith & Forge, and Anheuser-Busch with Johnny Appleseed.

Cider purists can argue until sunrise about whether this mass production is good or bad for cider, but the cold, hard fact is that its here to stay. Whenever someone is buying a cider instead of another option, its good for cider as a whole. These large companies know business, and those of us on the commercial side can learn a lot from them. Personally, I dont think they take anything away from craft cider makers.

Were also seeing a lot of smaller, local breweries making cider. Here in Oregon, Rogue, Hopworks, and Widmer Brothers have thrown their hats into the cider ring. Its cool to see them inspired by what were doing, because god knows I have been inspired by all of them. Of course, the cynic says theyre just in it for the money, but I disagree.

Another positive trend is the increase of quality in draft cider options. Draft cider has often been, and sometimes still is, considered an inferior product by cider traditionalists, who believe a true cider should come in a bottle or in the European style of a bag in a box.

Bag-in-a-box cider is just that; think of box wine. There is a bag inside of a box, and the cider is dispensed through a spout. Obviously the bag contains still cider, as a bag cannot hold carbonation. A few of these bag-in-a-box ciders make it over to the states, but most US cider drinkers dont like to drink still cider. I do, and there are a lot of cider geeks like me who do too, but the masses want some fizz.