Author: Eric West

  • Raising Your Cider IQ – Taste

    This is Part 1 of a series that aims to increase your understanding of and appreciation for well-made cider. These posts are written with a US audience in mind, but many of the suggestions will apply wherever you reside. 1) Taste – Find and try as many ciders as you can. 2) Evaluate – Translate…

  • World Map of Cider Update – July 2013

    There were 33 new entries on The World Map of Cider for July, pushing the total number of mapped locations to 1,068 in all. Many of this month’s entries are members of CIDREF and part of the AOP Cornouaille region in Brittany. Can’t find what you’re looking for on the map? Leave a comment below or email map [at]…

  • Pour The Core Cider Festivals

    On my recent trip through New England and Quebec I arranged to meet with Andy Calimano, an event organizer and promoter based on Long Island, New York. Andy’s company Starfish Junction Productions has recently begun organizing cider tasting festivals in Philadelphia and on Long Island called Pour The Core. Andy also publishes Hard Cider News, a monthly…

  • World Map of Cider Update – June 18, 2013

    Lots of recent activity on The World Map of Cider, pushing the total number of entries well beyond the one-thousand mark. Seems like each day brings news of another American cider producer going commercial, particularly from Cascadia (Pacific Northwest). And there are a number of operations just below the radar, still searching for funding and/or…

  • New Cider Books and Apple Books

    There’s an exciting crop of new books about cider and apples set for release later this year. I’m confident that every single one belongs on your bookshelf, and I hope that you’ll join me in pre-ordering copies today! Here they are, ordered by their scheduled release date. Cider, Hard and Sweet (3rd Edition) Preorder: Amazon.com, Powells.com, Amazon.co.uk…