342: Cider Celebrities in the House & Bottles | CiderDays 2.0 ~ Part 2

Cider Chat

Celebrities in Cider flocking to CiderDays 2.0

CiderDays and has now been dubbed as CiderDays 2.0 and the celebrities attending can both be found in the bottles and the new and familiar face of cider today at this November 4th -6th. Finally the return of in person events and friends from afar flocking to western Massachusetts to raise a glass.

Bookmark the Schedule Page for CiderDays 2.0

Celebrities in the Bottle

Let's start with what is in the bottle first cuz there are a whole bunch of additions to the menu of tastings.

• Calvados and American Apple Brandy Guided Tasting
  • A 7th Apple Brandy has been added to this November 4th 6-8:30 pm event
    • Apple Brandy from Beaver Pond Distillery in Petersham, MA
    • Yes, 7 pours of Brandy!

4 Calvados (France) and 3 American Apple Brandies

• The Château Du Breuil Calvados was aged in a Port cask!
  • This is quite unique and makes one wonder if the French are taking cues from American makers where anything goes with fermentation! On the French Cider Tour 2022 we tasted Calvados with Etienne Dupont out of Scotch Whisky barrels and Cherry wood barrels. The future is here!
  • The Port cask leaves an ultra smooth finish to this 6 year old Calvados from Pays d’Auge, Normandy.

Thanks to David Catania, Spirits Category Manager at Burke Distributing Corporation for helping out with this project!

Bottle Celebrities at the Cider Dinner

The Cider Dinner Menu has some very special releases

• Heirloom Barrel Aged Ice Cider from Eden Specialty Cider in Vermont.
  • This is a never before released Ice Cider which used barrels from Laird’s and Company - America’s Oldest Distiller dating back to 1698. 9th Generation Laird, Lisa Laird Dunn who is attending the dinner and also presenting at CiderDays 2.0 doesn’t yet know about this Ice Cider and how her family’s used oak barrels were used to condition this special blend. The Ice Cider will now accompany the dessert, which is an Apple Crisp with the whipped cream infused with Laird’s Straight Apple Jack. Eden is owned by the current President of the American Cider Association Eleanor Leger, who is renown both in the US and Internationally as the Ice Cider Queen. The dessert was already delicious but the side glass of this Heirloom Barrel Aged Ice Cider is going to bring it completely over the top - bridging 2 celebrated makers in America.
• We will also be having a Special Release of a single varietal cider from Eden made with Golden Russet apples
• Special Release from Ragged Hill Cider in West Brookfield Mass called Flora. Flora is a blend of Roxbury Russet, Cortland, and McIntosh apples. It has a high gravity (alcohol by volume) that is much like wine at 11.7%. Ragged Hill used a blend of a fruit from 2018-2020 using the Solera method of winemaking where you make fractional blending to produce a final product. Flora is going to captivate the diners at this premier dinner.

Celebrities in Attendance

• CiderDays Founder Paul Correnty who wrote one of the first books on cider called the Art of Cidermaking (1995) will be attending all the CiderDays 2.0 events. Raise a glass with him at the Wheelhouse Cider Tap Take Over on Friday Night November 4th where you can taste his newest creation "Simply Dry". Chef Paul, as he is known, is now Head Cidermaker at Carlson Orchards in Hudson MA. He will be pouring samples of cider from Carlson’s at The Pushkin Cider Pop UP on November 5th from 2-4:30 pm
• Mo’s Fudge Factor of Shelburne Falls will also be at Cider Pop UP dipping apples on a stick in her signature fudge.
• Vermont Quince will have an assortment of Quince jams and be there to answer your quince questions. Yes Quince is related to Apples and used in cidermaking.

Morris Dancing from 1-2pm next to the Greenfield Common.

• One of the groups is called Wake Robin and is an all women group of dancers.

Mentions in this Chat

• Episodes
  • Fermentis by Lesaffre - 4 SafCider yeast cultures
    • 336 Cider Yeast Choices with Fermentis
• CiderDays 2.0 - Tickets on sale and updates

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