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The Williams family has been farming apples and stone fruit on Colorado’s Western slope for more than 100 years, and today their Snow Capped Cider is one of the winningest American cideries, notching big honors at GLINTCAP, the world’s premier cider competition, while cleaning up again at the annual Cidercraft awards. The secret, says owner, creative force, and cidermaker Kari Williams, is the quality of their fruit.
Growing apples for cider on their own estate isn’t novel, but doing so at an elevation of more than 6,000 feet certainly is, and the extreme growing conditions produce apples with more vivid contours as well as more sugar, which provides Williams a saturated palette with which to paint.
In this episode, Williams discusses:
- the multigenerational family approach to farming and now cidermaking
- the benefits and challenges of growing apples at high elevation
- maintaining tight farming control for perfect apples, while benefitting from the luxury of time
- an apple-driven creative process inspired by flavors in that year’s crop
- terroir and flavor expression in apples, and the impact of different farming locations
- extensive trialing with 200 fermentation tests in any given year
- building a perception of sweetness in dry ciders
- aging certain apple varieties before juicing
- balancing acidity, astringency, and sweetness in fine ciders
And more.
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ProBrew is the industry partner that brewers trust to take their operations to the next level, especially when it comes to canning their product for distribution. By partnering with ProBrew, brewers can fill and seam their canned product at ranges from 100 to 600 cans per minute. Our unique filling process also ensures low dissolved oxygen pickup and focuses on product quality during the entire process. For more information, visit probrew.com or email us at [email protected]. ProBrew, Brew YOUR Beer.
Are you struggling to source affordable citrus ingredients because of market fluctuations? Try Old Orchard’s flavored craft juice concentrate blends, which mimic straight concentrates at a better price point and with a more reliable supply. Old Orchard’s citrus-flavored blends include Blood Orange, Grapefruit, Lemonade, Lime, and Tangerine. To learn more and request your free samples, head over to oldorchard.com/brewer.
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Can seams should not just be handled by the OEM. Relying on outside help to confirm your product is shelf-ready puts your final product and your bottom line at risk. Take back control with RSS MACLIN. We provide the training and resources breweries of all sizes need to ensure the exceptional quality of your product remains the same from beginning to end. For more information, visit RSSMACLIN.com or email [email protected].
If you’re a brewery or distillery in planning, or interested in adding a brewery or distillery to your existing craft beverage business, visit breweryworkshop.com now and secure your spot in our upcoming Brewery and Distillery Workshop, this September in Fort Collins, Colorado. Opening or purchasing a brewery or distillery today is rife with challenges, and the things you don’t know that you don’t know could be the difference between failure and success. Invest in the success of your business with this four-day intensive filled with panel discussions, small group sessions, technical tours, and more. Learn more at breweryworkshop.com.
Indie Hops breeds new hop varieties to help brewers captivate beer lovers. Brewers worldwide trust Indie’s unique varieties—Strata, Lórien, Luminosa, Meridian, and Audacia—to modernize, brighten, and diversify their beer lineup. Indie also offers classics that thrive in Oregon terroir such as Chinook, Crystal, and Sterling. Thoughtfully crafted and selected hops to meet your brewing needs. Visit indiehops.com/podcast to discover what’s new in hop flavors. Indie Hops—Life is short, let’s make it flavorful!
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