I just got back from the UK, where I took a cider and perry production course — and my brain is very full in the best possible way.

I went hoping to learn more about how cider is made, beyond making it my basement. I came back with a much deeper appreciation for just how much biology, chemistry, sensory awareness, and problem-solving live inside a glass of cider.

A few things really stuck with me.

First: cider is more technical than many people realize. There are important guardrails around fermentation, acidity, stability, and process — but there is also a lot of room for style, creativity, and individual decision-making. I loved that balance. Structure and experimentation. Best practices and personal expression.

Second: faults are fascinating. One of my favorite parts of the course was getting to smell and taste specific cider faults. That kind of sensory experience is hard to get otherwise, and it made the troubleshooting side of cidermaking feel much more real and practical. Not just theory. Actual “ohhhh, that’s what that smells like” learning.

And honestly, my favorite part may have been the people.

There were 27 of us from 8 different countries, with experience levels all over the map — from large cider companies to smaller producers to basement fermenters like me, and even a few people who hadn’t made cider yet. That mix made the course feel especially generous. Everyone brought a different perspective, and there was so much to learn from hearing how other people approach production, problems, scale, and style.

We also visited a working cidery and the NIAB research site in East Malling, which was a highlight for me. Seeing the apple gene bank, getting hands-on with fermentation work, and learning from researchers and producers in the same week was pretty special.

What I’m taking away from it all is this:
there are good guardrails for making sound cider, but there is no single right way to begin.

There are many ways to start.
Many ways to set up production.
Many ways to make something thoughtful and delicious and share it with other people.

That felt encouraging.

I’m back home with more knowledge, more questions, and even more excitement about what cider could become here — especially in places where it’s still underappreciated.

More cider notes to come.

If you want to follow along as I keep learning, experimenting, and writing about cider, you can sign up to receive emails.

I know how to make cider in my basement.

Commercial production, though? Different animal.

I wanted to better understand what happens when you move from small-scale experimentation to actual production: tanks, transfers, cleaning systems, kegs, cans, workflow, equipment choices, and all the practical realities that don’t show up in a one-gallon jug on a basement shelf.

So I got an apprenticeship at a brewery.

Part of it is curiosity. Part of it is me being a very hands-on learner. And part of it is that I want to understand what this work really asks of you — physically, operationally, and creatively.

Because it’s one thing to think, I’d love to make cider commercially someday.
It’s another to start learning what commercial production actually looks like.

I’ve wanted to get a better feel for questions like:

• What makes a setup efficient?
• What do people love about their equipment?
• What do they wish they’d done differently?
• What are the best practices that matter most?
• Where do things get harder at scale?
• What does the day-to-day work really feel like?

So far, the experience has been incredibly helpful.

It’s giving me a better understanding of the physical side of production, for one thing. This is very different from sitting in front of a computer all day, which I’ve done for years and years. There’s movement. Process. Cleaning. Repetition. Problem-solving. Attention to detail. And a whole lot of things that need to happen in the right order.

I’m also seeing something I’m always drawn to:
there are guardrails, procedures, and systems — but there’s still room for creativity.

Beer, like cider, is science and art.

That balance fascinates me.



I’m learning a lot just by being in the environment, asking questions, paying attention, and getting my hands involved. And I have a feeling this kind of learning — practical, messy, embodied, real — is going to shape how I think about cider for a long time.

I’ve loved cider for a long time.

From my first one at New Holland Brewery in Michigan to discovering an actual cidery – Sociable Cider Werks in Minneapolis – cider has had my attention for years. I’ve made it a point to visit cideries when I travel, and I’ve now been to more than 20 cideries in 12 states.

What keeps me hooked is how much range cider has. It can be crisp, tannic, structured, funky, bright, or delightfully weird. It’s part agriculture, part science, part sensory experience, and part art. Yes, please!

I wanted to become a Certified Pommelier so I’d have the street cred to say what I’d already been thinking: some breweries that try to make a cider ... could do better.

So now I make cider in my basement too, running experiments with temperature, yeast, pitch rates, and additions that affect acid, tannin, and flavor.



And underneath all of it is one big hope:
I want cider to be a thing in Louisville, Kentucky.