Noble Cider’s first official blog!
Back in June of this year, I attended the certification course for the commercial production of cider and perry sponsored by the National Association of Cider Makers–NACM for short. The class is taught by Peter Mitchell, an English cider producer with 25 years experience, and is offered twice a year. The class is so popular that I was only able to get in due to a cancellation. So, some last minute travel plans involving airfare and accommodations and I’m off to Mt Vernon, WA! Here’s a nice pic of the esteemed ‘Class of Summer 2012.’ That’s me in the blue shirt:
But let’s back up a minute. Hard cider? Where the hell did that idea come from? Well, getting laid off works wonders for one’s imagination. Anything is possible at that point. Those nagging questions like ‘what am I doing with my life?’ are too easily assuaged with a steady paycheck. Mark my words–NEVER again. Hard cider was one of three employment ideas that sounded satisfying to the soul.
And quite honestly, I don’t know when the hard cider idea first came to us. Joanna, my lovely wife, is gluten intolerant; so cider is the obvious choice to replace beer. In passing, we talked about starting a hard cider company, but with no real energy put towards the idea. We did a lil’ research on the topic, but nothing more. Months (maybe a year?) later and freshly laid off, I’m sitting down with Joanna, Lief and Meda at the Universal Joint in West Asheville and the hard cider idea was revisited. This time the idea latched on like a pitbull. The possibility seemed very plausible. . .let’s frickin’ do it!
The very next day, I was googling hard cider news and found the NACM class offered in June. Needless to say, I enrolled–only to be put on the waiting list. Third on the waiting list actually. With good luck and persistance, I managed to weasel myself a spot.
Booyah! Now I’m back from the class, forming a partnership with Lief, Meda and, of course, Joanna, and looking for a space to get going.
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