Ten Minutes with Cidermaker Mike Beck of Uncle John’s Hard Cider

In which he shares his thoughts on the subtleness of dry ciders and the brotherhood of cidermakers

cidrbox
2 min readMay 24, 2016

In the cider industry everyone knows Mike Beck, the sturdy heartwood of Uncle John’s Hard Cider and Cider Mill in St. John’s, Michigan, past president of the United States Association of Cider Makers, and the only American cidermaker to take home a gold medal for his perry from the British Cider Championships at the Royal Bath & West Show competition.

I sat down with Mike just after his seasonal Apricot Apple cider picked up Best in Class in the Fruit Cider category at GLINTCAP 2016 to ask him a few brief questions about cider and its makers:

Q. What are your favorite qualities in a cider?

A. I like a dry cider — I appreciate their subtleness…

“Ciders made from straight up apples are rather subtle”

Q. What are your favorite qualities in a cider apple?

A. Well, if we had more tannic apples available …

On the qualities of a cider apple

Q. How would you describe the chief characteristics of Uncle John ciders?

A. Almost all of them are drier than their counterparts…

“I have a sharp tongue, so I don’t mind a sharp cider”
GLINTCAP Best in Class Winner, Uncle John’s Apricot Apple Cider

Q. What are your favorite qualities in a yeast?

A. My favorite qualities in a yeast are ones that have low nutrient qualities…

Mike Beck on his favorite qualities in a yeast used for cidermaking

Q. What do you most appreciate about the cider making community?

A. Here it’s all about brotherhood…

The cider making community

Q. What are the challenges confronting cidermakers today?

A. There’s always challenges…

The challenges confronting cidermakers

Q. If you weren’t making cider what would you be doing?

A. I would still be a farmer…

What would you do if you weren’t making cider?

Q. Which cidermakers do you most admire?

A. There’s a lot…

On cidermakers

Q. What ciders have you tried recently that really amazed you?

A. Left Foot Charley’s Henry’s Pippin has been really cracking good lately…

Stand out ciders
Mick Beck introduces Eric West at GLINTCAP in Grand Rapids, MI
Uncle John’s Cider Mill is located in St John’s, Michigan

Cidrbox.com connects people seeking orchard-driven cider with the artisans who make it. Each month we visit a single, distinctive American heritage orchard — where small producers grow, harvest, press, ferment and refine their cider — and we ship their cider to our subscribers. We also sit down for a tasting with the maker, and we share that tasting with you at cidersessions.com.

p.s. When we say cider, we mean hard cider: Artful fermentations of heirloom apples by master cidermakers. You must be at least 21 to drink what we deliver, and you will be asked for your ID and signature at the door.

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