513: Still Cider, Single Apples and Time | Sowams, Rhode Island

What happens when a cidermaker decides to do less and give cider more time?

Spencer Morris of Sowams Cider Works in Warren, Rhode Island, makes cider with more than 70 apple varieties, old mechanical rack-and-cloth presses, glass demijohns and a remarkably hands-off approach.

Explore still cider, single-varietal apples, long aging on the lees, native fermentation, and why some Sowams ciders aren't released until they are three or four years old.

Timestamps

00:00 Doing Less and Giving Cider Time

00:25 Meet the Guest

01:59 Single Varietal Cider

05:25 News from Ciderville

08:24 Fall Cider Festivals

10:29 Arriving in Rhode Island

12:55 Inside Sowams Cider Works

14:38 Spencer's Cider Story

18:38 Orchard and Rootstocks

22:37 Harvest Timing

24:55 Fermenting in Demijohns

31:59 No Sulfites, No Filtration

35:15 Aging Cider and Favorite Apples

37:07 Storing Apples Before Pressing

37:49 Concentrating the Fruit

38:30 Culling Apples and Sediment

40:53 Hands-Off Fermentation

42:07 Customers and the American Palate

46:15 Rhode Island Heritage Apples

48:53 Tasting the Orchard Blend

51:44 Serving Cider and Batch Numbers

55:03 Blending Apples at the Press

58:04 Tasting Rhode Island Greening

01:01:13 Weather and Vintage Variation

01:02:17 Visit Sowams and Final Thoughts

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🌐 Episode show notes: https://ciderchat.com/podcast/513-sowams-cider/

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