366: Acclaimed Cider w/Minimal Intervention Tom Oliver

Cider Chat

Not only is the cider acclaimed, so too is the Maker

Tom Oliver is just as acclaimed as his cider which makes Oliver's Cider and Perry Co. a global hit on two fronts. He is affable, engaging and knows his way around social media likely due to his work with the Scottish Rock Rock Band, The Proclaimers. Cidermakers are not well known for reposting news stories about themselves and their product, but Tom is a master of this one simple act that keeps Oliver's in the news and endears him to media. That singular step alone is just one of many giveaways that Tom provides to the slow moving cider industry.

This topic is key for makers looking to up level their online presence, but it was not the topic of conversation in this episode. Instead Ria and Tom caught up after the world shut down for the past 2 plus years at CiderCon 2023 held in Chicago.

In this chat

• How minimal intervention is key for Oliver's Cider and Perry
• What is Farmhouse cider
  • Spontaneously fermented - wild yeast
  • Tannic cider and Perry Pears

At Oliver's there is no measuring of sugar or fiddling with the cider. In fact, Tom can be heard in most interviews saying "Don't fiddle with cider."

What's new for this acclaimed makers and cidery?

• More c0-ferments and collaborations!
• Bâtonnage
  • This is a technique used by winemakers, where the lees (yeast cells) are stirred into solution.
  • • Nano proteins are the biggest benefit of Bâtonnage
      • They release into the cider providing a perception of sweetness and body with out the sugar
    • Need at least 9 months to a year to get the nano proteins

    There are short term benefits.

    1. Yeast produces less carbon dioxide and bubbles.
       • They slow down after the first primary ferment.
       • Fermentation may have stopped but there is still sugar left.
    2. Lees absorb off aromas, except for H2S rotting egg smell.
    3. Bâtonnage helps to maintain a reductive state.
       • Full reduction - rotting smell is a type of reduction. Which helps protect the cider from oxidization and protect the flavor components.

Find out more about Bâtonnage by going to Episode 233: Ask Ryan Quarantine Quad Series where Ryan Monkman of Fieldbird Cider in Prince Edward County Canada provides an in depth overview of Bâtonnage and Maderisation (where the barrels are cooked).

Contact info for Oliver's Cider and Perry Company

• Website: https://www.oliversciderandperry.co.uk/

Mentions in this chat

• Send your questions to [email protected] about fermentation and yeast for an upcoming Q&A with Fermentis - Yeast and Fermentation Solutions for Cidermakers
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