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
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…
Q. What are your favorite qualities in a cider apple?
A. Well, if we had more tannic apples available …
Q. How would you describe the chief characteristics of Uncle John ciders?
A. Almost all of them are drier than their counterparts…
Q. What are your favorite qualities in a yeast?
A. My favorite qualities in a yeast are ones that have low nutrient qualities…
Q. What do you most appreciate about the cider making community?
A. Here it’s all about brotherhood…
Q. What are the challenges confronting cidermakers today?
A. There’s always challenges…
Q. If you weren’t making cider what would you be doing?
A. I would still be a farmer…
Q. Which cidermakers do you most admire?
A. There’s a lot…
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…
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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.
