Neutral Cider Hotel

Join Producer Scott as he chats with drummer and NCH Host Grant Hutchison on this special episode of the Neutral Cider Hotel podcast!

Stop #4 on his trip through the UK finds Producer Scott heading north...to the coastal town of Anstruther in Scotland to spend some time with a cider rockstar and literal rockstar as well as a cider shop owner, Grant Hutchison.

Over the adorable squeals of his baby daughter Wren, Grant and Producer Scott got right into a proper chat and spoke about how he's been getting on for the past year. They also talked music and Grant's feelings about getting back into it after Frightened Rabbit ended. You see, last year Grant joined this Scottish band called The Twilight Sad as their drummer and soon after joining, they went on a massive worldwide tour opening for a little band called The Cure!!! So, it was really interesting to hear how that came about.

They also talked about his ambitions to expand cider in Northern Scotland, an exciting bit of news about his legendary cider shop Aeble, and his aspirations for the future of the Neutral Cider Hotel.

It was so nice hearing two longtime friends (and a wee baby) have a proper catch-up. We hope you enjoy the conversation as much as they did.

Please do check out the other conversations from this trip in the podcast feed or any other episodes you've missed. Our socials are a great place to stay connected with us (links below), or send us your voice messages and let us know how you’re doing!

Thanks for listening to the Neutral Cider Hotel podcast!

The Team:
Gabe is a cider expert: The Ciderologist
Grant has two cider businesses: Re:Stalk and Aeble Cider Shop
Martyn loves to write about cider: CiderShit
Executive Producer/Editor: Scott Riggs

The Rest of The Team:
Music: Billy Kennedy

Connect:
Instagram: NeutralCiderHotel
Facebook: NeutralCiderHotel
Threads: NeutralCiderHotel
Twitter: NeutralCiderPod
YouTube: NeutralCiderHotel
Listen and share episodes on our website: https://www.neutralciderhotel.com/
Leave us a voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/neutralciderhotel 
Email: neutralciderhotel@gmail.com

Join Producer Scott as he chats with Tom Oliver of Oliver's Cider & Perry Company on this special episode of the Neutral Cider Hotel podcast!

The third stop on his trip through the English countryside finds Producer Scott still wandering about in Herefordshire, but this time with Tom Oliver at his cidery and farm.

The conversation delves into what sets Oliver's Cider and Perry apart from the rest, the challenges of the new UK cidertax scheme and Tom's perspective on the biggest challenges facing cider today.

They also explore Tom's passion for music and his long tenure as a tour manager and sound mixer for loads of popular bands including The Proclaimers, Everything But The Girl, Van Morrison and so many more.

Finally, Tom explains his love for American Football and his favorite team, the Pittsburgh Steelers.

It's a fascinating conversation with a brilliant man that we hope you enjoy.

Please do check out the other conversations from this trip in the podcast feed or any other episodes you've missed. Our socials are a great place to stay connected with us (links below), or send us your voice messages and let us know how you’re doing!

Thanks for listening to the Neutral Cider Hotel podcast!

The Team:
Gabe is a cider expert: The Ciderologist
Grant has two cider businesses: Re:Stalk and Aeble Cider Shop
Martyn loves to write about cider: CiderShit
Executive Producer/Editor: Scott Riggs

The Rest of The Team:
Music: Billy Kennedy

Connect:
Instagram: NeutralCiderHotel
Facebook: NeutralCiderHotel
Threads: NeutralCiderHotel
Twitter: NeutralCiderPod
YouTube: NeutralCiderHotel
Listen and share episodes on our website: https://www.neutralciderhotel.com/
Leave us a voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/neutralciderhotel 
Email: neutralciderhotel@gmail.com

Join Producer Scott as he chats with James and Susanna Forbes of Little Pomona Orchard and Cidery on this special episode of the  Neutral Cider Hotel podcast!

The second stop on his trip through England finds Producer Scott in Herefordshire where he spent the day with James and Susanna at their cidery, in their orchards and sampling as much as of their cider as he could.

Their discussion includes what they've created over the last year, what their working on this year, some exciting new products outside of cider they are working on (including vinegar!) and what they see on the horizon for their business and cider in general.

Some things of note in the episode:
Scott's new favorite cider: Little Pomona's To Boldly Go
Website to find English ciders in the US: https://store.anxodc.com/ship-anxo-imports

We hope you enjoy these special check-in episodes and we definitely plan to get things going again as soon as we can. Until then, please do check out our socials, and send us your messages to have your say in where the guys go next, what happens in the future, and just let us know how you’re doing!

Thanks for listening to the Neutral Cider Hotel podcast!

The Team:
Gabe is a cider expert: The Ciderologist
Grant has two cider businesses: Re:Stalk and Aeble Cider Shop
Martyn loves to write about cider: CiderShit
Executive Producer/Editor: Scott Riggs

The Rest of The Team:
Music: Billy Kennedy

Connect:
Instagram: NeutralCiderHotel
Facebook: NeutralCiderHotel
Threads: NeutralCiderHotel
Twitter: NeutralCiderPod
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBWwLBb4m47T-9fbEA6XIYg
Listen and share episodes on our website: https://www.neutralciderhotel.com/
Leave us a voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/neutralciderhotel 
Email: neutralciderhotel@gmail.com

Join Producer Scott as he chats with The Ciderologist and NCH host Gabe Cook on this special episode of the  Neutral Cider Hotel podcast!

Producer Scott recently traveled to England to celebrate Gabe's marriage and while he was there in the English countryside, he cracked out his recording equipment to see what Gabe has been up to since the podcast went on hiatus.

Their discussion includes what Gabe's doing now, some ciders he's been enjoying over the past year, his view on where the cider industry is today, what it's like being a father and the future of the NCH podcast.

There will be five of these episodes (one new one each day of the week for the week of 18 September 2023) including:

Tuesday - James and Susanna from Little Pomona
Wednesday - Tom Oliver of Oliver's Cider
Thursday - Grant Hutchison
Friday - Martyn Goodwyn Sharman

We hope you enjoy these special check-in episodes and we definitely plan to get things going again as soon as we can. Until then, please do check out our socials, and send us your messages to have your say in where the guys go next, what happens in the future, and just let us know how you’re doing! Thanks for listening to the Neutral Cider Hotel podcast!

The Team:
Gabe is a cider expert: The Ciderologist
Grant has two cider businesses: Re:Stalk and Aeble Cider Shop
Martyn loves to write about cider: CiderShit
Executive Producer/Editor: Scott Riggs

The Rest of The Team:
Music: Billy Kennedy

Connect:
Instagram: NeutralCiderHotel
Facebook: NeutralCiderHotel
Threads: NeutralCiderHotel
Twitter: NeutralCiderPod
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBWwLBb4m47T-9fbEA6XIYg
Listen and share episodes on our website: https://www.neutralciderhotel.com/
Leave us a voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/neutralciderhotel 
Email: neutralciderhotel@gmail.com

Join hosts Gabe Cook, Martyn Goodwin-Sharman, Grant Hutchison and Producer Scott as they drink dentist cider in the Neutral Cider Hotel!

Firstly, congratulations are due for our very own Gabe, as he’s soon to be a dad, don’t worry we’ll make a new bell noise for his latest release, the guys unpack their suitcases with a lot of travels, and someone has had a pesky bout of something wicked…

The guys also have a little voice note thanks to the beautiful Producer Scott, and it definitely caps off the first part, before it's off to the news!

Gabe details the hot news, with the Cider Salon first up! With heaps of makers, great liquids and a whole host of fringe events, it's sure to be the highlight of the cider calendar for sure! Gabe brags about his new best friend James Acaster, before the guys chat World Cider Day. Martyn shares the good news in London with The London Cider House and Scott announces we've passed the 50 episode mark.

Then it's onto this week’s interview, who happens to be the founder of one of the USA’s most pioneering modern cider makers.  A self proclaimed die hard craft beer revolutionary, this Portland-based cider maker pushes the boundaries of flavour and process to make the most unusual ciders that (apparently) no one else will make! And if you’re really lucky, he might even officiate your wedding.  Checking in to the Neutral Cider Hotel, it’s Nat West from Reverend Nat’s Cider! The guys chat about everything, including the honeymoon suite, starting making cider, the ciders no one else will make, standing up for flavour and fermenting meat in your drinks! It’s a full on chat with a lot of flavour, even if it isn’t right up Grant’s street!

Then, the guys close out the show by playing a little game that Gabe created. Its less of a game and more a random stab at a list, and if that doesn’t excite you, you might be a young conservative!

And with that, the hotel closes for another month. Please do check out the socials, and send us your messages to have your say in where the guys go next, what happens in the future, and just let us know how you’re doing! Bye for now, from the Neutral Cider Hotel!

The Team:
Gabe is a cider expert: The Ciderologist
Grant has two cider businesses: Re:Stalk and Aeble Cider Shop
Martyn loves to write about cider: CiderShit
Executive Producer/Editor: Scott Riggs

The Rest of The Team:
Music: Billy Kennedy

Connect:
Instagram: NeutralCiderHotel
Facebook: NeutralCiderHotel
Twitter: NeutralCiderPod
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBWwLBb4m47T-9fbEA6XIYg
Listen and share episodes on our website: https://www.neutralciderhotel.com/
Leave us a voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/neutralciderhotel 

Join hosts Gabe Cook, Martyn Goodwin-Sharman, Grant Hutchison and Producer Scott as as they do a deep dive on Star Wars in the Neutral Cider Hotel!

Grant Hutchison is back on the podcast explaining why he missed the previous episode’s recording. Gabe lets the guys know that he’s recently won CAMRA’s Campaigner of the Year Award  and we’re all so proud of him and his relentless cider (and self) promotion. Finally, Martyn shares a wonderful story of drinking culture in the UK and a night of fun capped off with a vomit shower.

Then, it’s onto the news where Gabe details a new release from Strongbow that’s edging into the Hard Seltzer world with their new Dark Fruit Ultra. There’s also a discussion of some of the big cider competitions that are back on this year including GLINTCAP, Hereford Cider Museum and Royal Bath and West Show. Grant reveals that his cider shop (Aeble) has launched a new cider subscription service offering high quality ciders for subscribers throughout the UK. Finally, Gabe and the guys raise a glass to Gabe’s former boss Alex Peckham from Peckham’s Cider in New Zealand as Alex recently passed away from illness. Cheers to you, Alex. RIP.

Then it's onto this week’s interview and, as Producer Scott likes to say, it’s a doozy! This week, the guys invite onto the show a couple of committed environmentalists and permaculture practitioners that apply strong sustainable credentials to their cider making. The result is a spectacular range of delicious ciders that we can’t stop talking about. Checking into the hotel is Lydia Crimp and Tom Tibbits from Artistraw Cider!

In between loads of laughter, the guys chat about how they got started, getting high on their own supply, their unique and environmental approach to cider, how they work together as a married couple, their obsession with puns and their favorite radio station, Cider.fm!

Finally, the guys close out the show by highlighting some of the favorite things they are watching lately which leads to a fairly lengthy discussion of Star Wars movies and shows (The Mandalorian). 

Thanks for listening and supporting the podcast. 

The Team:
Gabe is a cider expert: The Ciderologist
Grant has two cider businesses: Re:Stalk and Aeble Cider Shop
Martyn loves to write about cider: CiderShit

The Rest of The Team:
Executive Producer/Editor: Scott Riggs
Music: Billy Kennedy

Connect:
Instagram: NeutralCiderHotel
Facebook: NeutralCiderHotel
Twitter: NeutralCiderPod
Listen and share episodes on our website: https://www.neutralciderhotel.com/
Leave us a voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/neutralciderhotel

Join hosts Gabe Cook, Martyn Goodwin-Sharman and Producer Scott as they laugh themselves to tears at the end of this episode of the Neutral Cider Hotel!

Grant Hutchison is away this week, but the show must go on! Gabe lets the guys know about his recent holiday where he met Zimbabwe’s own Nyanga Craft Cider! Impressed by his wares, Gabe got to have the best of the sun, and some wonderful cider, made with the most high-tech equipment! Martyn’s been blending again, but keeping stuff secret until it’s all confirmed! 

There’s positivity right out the gate as Gabe takes part in raising funds with Drinkers for Ukraine, encouraging solidarity brews, auctions and anything the drinks community can do to help out in their small way. Then onto actual joy, with news brought to the guys attention thanks to Blair, as cider makers bring back an ancient tradition in style. And finally, Gabe gives us the official date of the Bristol Cider Salon, so be there or be square! (An old Americanism, apparently).

Then it's onto the interview. The guys welcome the co-founder of one of the UK’s most name-checked cider makers, whose ciders have graced this podcast on more than one occasion.  Having achieved local infamy in Bristol with their small field to fork restaurant called Birch, our guest and his wife ditched the kitchen for the orchard to focus on creating ciders exuding grace and skill and with a focus on the landscape they came from.  Checking into the hotel today is Mr. Sam Leach from Wilding Cider!

The guys chat everything including the first horse of knowledge of the year, orcharding practices, new techniques, Russian Oligarchs in wine, the disappearance of Clive and everything in-between those long arms!

Then, it's onto the first listener question of the year and this would have been perfect for Grant  as he's a fan of a certain band. Iain from the Pittsburgh Penguins calls in with a little question. 

And with that, the hotel closes for the month, so please do check out the socials, and send us your DMs, social posts and Speakpipe messages to have your say in where the guys go, what happens in the future, and just let us know how you’re doing! Cheers!

The Team:
Gabe is a cider expert: The Ciderologist
Grant has two cider businesses: Re:Stalk and Aeble Cider Shop
Martyn loves to write about cider: CiderShit

The Rest of The Team:
Executive Producer/Editor: Scott Riggs
Music: Billy Kennedy

Connect:
Instagram: NeutralCiderHotel
Facebook: NeutralCiderHotel
Twitter: NeutralCiderPod
Listen and share episodes on our website: https://www.neutralciderhotel.com/
Leave us a voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/neutralciderhotel 

Join hosts Martyn Goodwin-Sharman,  Gabe Cook, Grant Hutchison and Producer Scott as they count down to the end… of the financial year at Neutral Cider Hotel!

The guys kick things off with a horse of knowledge, brought out of its slumber, for a dive into Wassail! Martyn didn’t attend, instead drinking cider by the glass at The Old Bookshop, Grant instead listened to a playlist, and Gabe insults Martyn’s height. Then it's onto the exciting main event… TAX!

Involved in almost every decision a cider maker in the UK makes, from the packaging, ABV, ingredients to processes, it's one the guys have discussed at length, but this time, it's personal. Or business, I should have written business there. Gabe lays down the law, with in-depth descriptions of the current rules testing even the biggest of cider aficionados and their patience. Then how these are being changed, and what the future may look like once those changes are in place. Grant gives insight into the purchasing and wholesale, and what products might change, and Martyn drinks two ‘made wines’ which will definitely see a change with the new rules. Gabe throws a left or right hook, and the gabe finally gets his minimum juice content conversation back on the table! 

To help discuss the change of tax in the world of cider, the guys discuss the issue with two makers of different sizes, with Barny Orchards of Sandford Butterfield and Kingsley Ash of Thornborough Cider. First up is Barny, who comes bearing bad news about the unique ciders of bigger markers, his take on the anti-alcohol brigade and what scale he started to form a team. It’s an eye opener for the guys who usually chat on the smaller side of things, before it's over to Kingsley. Talking about the change of the cliff-edge from the previous tax bracket, to business plans, mushroom corks and MPs. 

If this wasn’t a taxing enough episode, Gabe decided to make a tax-related game. No, really.

And with that, the hotel closes for the night, so please do check out the socials, and send us your messages and Speakpipe messages to have your say in where the guys go, what happens in the future, and just let us know how you’re doing! Bye for now. We'll see you again next month. Until then, cheers from the Neutral Cider Hotel!

The Team:
Gabe is a cider expert: The Ciderologist
Grant has two cider businesses: Re:Stalk and Aeble Cider Shop
Martyn loves to write about cider: CiderShit

The Rest of The Team:
Executive Producer/Editor: Scott Riggs
Music: Billy Kennedy

Connect:
Instagram: NeutralCiderHotel
Facebook: NeutralCiderHotel
Twitter: NeutralCiderPod
Listen and share episodes on our website: https://www.neutralciderhotel.com/
Leave us a voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/neutralciderhotel

It's out with the old shameless plugs, and in with the new shameless plugs, as  Gabe Cook, Grant Hutchison and Martyn Goodwin-Sharman check back into the newly refurbished, Neutral Cider Hotel!

The guys welcome Season 2 in a wildly unceremonious fashion, but lay down the expectation of a monthly schedule, so get ready for a new and different pace for the show.  First things first though as Producer Scott has to ready the sound effects because the author of Ciderology announces his Patreon (Ta Da)! With wonderful exclusives, tier names and writing propositions, there’s plenty to get excited about with Gabe’s latest venture!

Then it's onto the news, with a cider subscription service in the UK, the chain Wetherspoons have ditched Strongbow for Stowford Press, and a certain person is not going to Cidercon, so there’s a whole broadsheet in this week’s opening of the show.

 Then, we have a brilliant chat with national treasure Olly Smith.  He’s an award winning communicator, author and podcast host and, without question, the jolliest drinks expert in town, He has regular television spots, books, and Pingu writing credits to his name! The guys chat everything, from Jason Orange, to parents loving Gabe, George Harrison and his Olly's own range of glassware! It's a full, wild ride of enthusiasm from a wine loving guy, who makes it incredibly tempting to pick up a bottle of plonk pronto!

After the chat with Olly, the guys drink Little Pomona’s collab with our own Grant; First Waltz. A rich, wild ride that the guys drink and dissect, whilst using a word that doesn’t sound right in a British mouth! The guys then break down how collaborations come together in cider, so definitely a chat you might want to listen to if you’re looking to make something in cider.

Alas, that’s the end of the show, so please do check out the socials, and send us your messages and Speakpipes to have your say in where the guys go, what happens in the future, and just let us know how you’re doing. And, thanks for listening. We appreciate you.

The Team:
Gabe is a cider expert: The Ciderologist
Grant has two cider businesses: Re:Stalk and Aeble Cider Shop
Martyn loves to write about cider: CiderShit

The Rest of The Team:
Executive Producer/Editor: Scott Riggs
Music: Billy Kennedy

Connect:
Instagram: NeutralCiderHotel
Facebook: NeutralCiderHotel
Twitter: NeutralCiderPod
Listen and share episodes on our website: https://www.neutralciderhotel.com/
Leave us a voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/neutralciderhotel 

Celebrate the death of another year with Gabe Cook, Grant Hutchison and Martyn Goodwin-Sharman, as they ring out 2021 at the Neutral Cider Hotel!

It’s an episode of reflection, as our own Narcissus Gabe jumps on the cider horse and guides the guys down a winding track to hunt a certain cider mole, offending his own mum and Scotch cider makers along the way!

As 2020 was eventful to say the least, it felt right to round out the year with an episode dedicated to the sequel and all its highlights. The guys chat everything they’ve loved about the year just gone, with their top moments, tv shows, films, music and of course, ciders. Who will make the list from 2021’s guests? Which host’s tastes do you hate the most and why is it Martyn’s? All these questions and more will be answered in this deep dive into the things that kept the Hotel going, just don’t expect a live show any time soon!

And with that, the year is wrapped up officially, and with no plans for any more episodes just yet, the hotel closes its doors. Take care of yourselves, and make sure you drink enough of the good cider to give us a reason to come back at the end of the year!

-NCH x

Favorite Album of 2021
Martyn: Limp Bizkit - Still Sucks
Grant: Olivia Rodrigo - Sour
Gabe: Calibre - Feeling Normal
Scott: Bo Burnham - Inside

Favorite TV Show
Martyn: I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson
Grant: Mare of Easttown
Gabe: Succession
Scott: The Other Two

Favorite Film
Martyn: Bo Burnham - Inside
Grant: Luca
Gabe: The Sound of Metal
Scott: Summer of Soul

Important Cultural Moment
In the episode

Top 3 Favorite Ciders
In the episode

The Team:
Gabe is a cider expert: The Ciderologist
Grant has two cider businesses: Re:Stalk and Aeble Cider Shop
Martyn loves to write about cider: CiderShit

The Rest of The Team:
Executive Producer/Editor: Scott Riggs
Music: Billy Kennedy

Connect:
Instagram: NeutralCiderHotel
Facebook: NeutralCiderHotel
Twitter: NeutralCiderPod
Listen and share episodes on our website: https://www.neutralciderhotel.com/
Leave us a voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/neutralciderhotel 

Leave out a mince pie and a glass of cider, as Gabe Cook, Grant Hutchison and Martyn Goodwin-Sharman slide down the chimney of the Neutral Cider Hotel!

After some time off, the boys felt that a one off was the only call to make for you, the listener! They’ve been counting down the seconds it seems, Gabe’s been on the tax filing, Martyn has been with friends of the show Little Pomona for harvest, and Grant has been running two businesses whilst chugging the oatnog! Producer Scott has been getting paid to produce an alternative reality version of the hotel, featuring a sport the guys are unsure of.

Gabe and Grant discuss ciders they’ve made and Martyn reveals a secret identity before moving on. 

For this special Christmas episode, the guys head back to the world of music to talk with the singer and songwriter from Manchester Orchestra, Mr. Andy Hull. With a new album released this year (The Million Masks Of God) and fresh from a recent US tour, the guys have a great conversation covering evertyhing from the anxiety of touring during a pandemic, doubting music, collaborating with Scott from Frightened Rabbit on the song "Architect," cider in Atlanta, sight-seeing in Hull (and the famous Hull accent) to what Andy's music means to a certain hotelier!

Then the guys discuss Christmas traditions highlighting some of the ciders they plan to drink on Christmas including Burrow Hill, Little Pomona, Braanland, Eve’s Cidery, Oliver’s cider, Angry Orchard, Westcounty Cider and Sanford Orchards.

The guys then wrap up this show with a Christmas game from Martyn! The usual highs and lows are about,  we won’t spoil it here, but let’s just say things get tense...

And with that, the guys say goodnight, kiss baby Jesus on his head, and check out of the Neutral Cider Hotel.

See you soon,

NCH x

The Team:
Gabe is a cider expert: The Ciderologist
Grant has two cider businesses: Re:Stalk and Aeble Cider Shop
Martyn loves to write about cider: CiderShit

The Rest of The Team:
Executive Producer/Editor: Scott Riggs
Music: Billy Kennedy

Connect:
Instagram: NeutralCiderHotel
Facebook: NeutralCiderHotel
Twitter: NeutralCiderPod
Listen and share episodes on our website: https://www.neutralciderhotel.com/
Leave us a voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/neutralciderhotel 

Grab your bags, double check you have everything from your room, and head to reception, as Gabe Cook, Grant Hutchison and Martyn Goodwin-Sharman check out of the Neutral Cider Hotel.

As Season One of the show draws to a close, the guys discuss how it started, who takes the blame for the show, and their favourite moments. Certain things pop up so keep an ear out for some surprises! Martyn finally gets his arms on a bottle of Wilding or Wildling (it’s too late to check which ones which now), Gabe can’t leave out any references to tackle and bait headphones, and grant cuts the unaired bedroom-session episode to ribbons, like a badminton net with a tomato knife.

Then it's onto the final interview of the season -- Robby Honda from Tanuki Cider! The guys chat everything: from Robby’s interest in starting a cider company with his brother even though he had no skills to offer, how his family and their history with apple orchards inspired him to start a cider business, his DIY ethic and approach to Tanuki to dry farming in a place where water is scarce, the lore of the Tanuki and the challenges of growing apples in a geography that encounters heat waves, droughts and dry lightning. Robby also turns the tables and asks Grant about drinking and playing drums which leads to a lovely discussion of how cider brings us all together.

While chatting with Robby, the guys crack two Tanuki cider bottles; Wild Fermented Gravenstein and, you guessed it, Newton Pippin! Both wonderfully different, equally interesting and downright unexpected in one way, the guys loved cracking some specifically imported stuff for the episode, so thanks again to the guys of Tanuki for shipping over the good stuff!

Then it's onto the speakpipes, and you guys honked the pipe for the last show! Featuring new voices and previous guests, you’d be safe to guess that some foxwhelp content will be demanded, opinions will be given, and some lovely little send off messages will be taken to heart by the guys.

And with that, we sign the guest book and check out of the Neutral Cider Hotel...for now.

See you soon,

NCH x

The Team:
Gabe is a cider expert: The Ciderologist
Grant has two cider businesses: Re:Stalk and Aeble Cider Shop
Martyn loves to write about cider: CiderShit

The Rest of The Team:
Executive Producer/Editor: Scott Riggs
Music: Billy Kennedy

Connect:
Instagram: NeutralCiderHotel
Facebook: NeutralCiderHotel
Twitter: NeutralCiderPod
Listen and share episodes on our website: https://www.neutralciderhotel.com/
Leave us a voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/neutralciderhotel 

Get your indie rock sensibilities tuned up with Gabe Cook, Grant Hutchison and Martyn Goodwin-Sharman as they build a fake empire at the Neutral Cider Hotel!

Gabe kicks things off with a reflection on the Bristol Cider Salon. Beyond the cider makers that stood out (it’s a long list) they also chat about secret fleshy meetings, the awkwardness of being pseudo celebrities, the size of Sam from Wilding's arms, Grant’s overflow status at his table and Martyn’s special “Cider Dance” to the delight of Cider Jim, Gemma and anyone else nearby.

Then it’s onto our big interview where we welcomed two-fifths of one of the most successful indie rock bands in the world. The National took the long route to success with the age-old approach of touring relentlessly and writing music for themselves. They’ve worked with groundbreaking artists including Justin Vernon (Bon Iver), Sufjan Stevens and most recently, Taylor Swift. Checking into the hotel this week, it’s Aaron Dessner and Scott Devendorf of The National.

The guys chat everything; being creative during the pandemic, working with Taylor Swift and her Folklore album, touring with Frightened Rabbit, the drain of touring, Martyn’s favorite song from The National, Aaron getting doxxed and the thousands of threats they received, their perspectives on streaming, Aaron’s experience producing Frightened Rabbit’s last full length album (Painting of a Panic Attack), Big Red Machine and what a tour for them might look like, when The National anticipates releasing new music, how they rep their Ohio roots, their process for writing music and their outlook on the future.

Finally, we hit the Speakpipe yet again for a couple of great calls. First up, Blair has a question about the influence of certain swamp creature on Scottish children and Timmy Towers wants to know more about terrior and Gabe is absolutely willing to blag it for his longtime friend from New Zealand.

Only one more show left of Season One, so make sure to tune in next week for an excellent interview with US cider maker Robby Honda of Tanuki Cider as well as stories about the show and it’s future. We’ll also play everything left in the Speakpipe queue, so if you haven’t called in yet, now is the time.

The Team:
Gabe is a cider expert: The Ciderologist
Grant has two cider businesses: Re:Stalk and Aeble Cider Shop
Martyn loves to write about cider: CiderShit

The Rest of The Team:
Executive Producer/Editor: Scott Riggs
Music: Billy Kennedy

Connect:
Instagram: NeutralCiderHotel
Facebook: NeutralCiderHotel
Twitter: NeutralCiderPod
Listen and share episodes on our website: https://www.neutralciderhotel.com/
Leave us a voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/neutralciderhotel 

Get ready to rock with Gabe Cook, Grant Hutchison and Martyn Goodwin-Sharman as they get their apologies in order at the Neutral Cider Hotel!

First off, it's a reunion of sorts, with tales of hot sauce, cocoa butter, ghost writers, Gabe’s Book and the reading ability of the Scottish! Grant is in the hotel and the gang is back together.

Then it's onto the news where Gabe’s got the facts and he’s talking rubbish. It’s GLINTCAP, and we’re celebrating friends of the show with Once Upon a Tree and previous guest Gidon of Original Sin. Then the nature of a certain live show comes up, have a guess as to who the salty one of the group is! Back onto helping friends of the show’s small side projects, with Biffy Clyro and Death Cab For Cutie both getting the Neutral Cider Helping Hand. Grant’s also got Cheggers in the house?

Then it’s onto our interview, this week, we’re welcoming one of the most important voices in US cider making.  Growing up in the apple country of Western New York State and having tinkered with home fermentation, he got his big break working for Virtue Cider in Chicago more than a decade ago before becoming the Head Cider Maker at the USA’s largest producer. Famed for collaborations with many of the world’s best producers, including NCH regular, Tom Oliver, and for winning countless awards, today’s guest is a tireless advocate for cider and has been a board member of the American Cider Association since 2014.  Checking into the hotel, it’s Ryan Burk from Angry Orchard!

The guys chat everything: Ryan’s retirement, spitting on shoes, cow sound effects, mistakes made, fermented weed, the hardcore scene, the greenest place on the planet, and what it takes to make Gold Rush It’s a chat the guys have been waiting to record, and just goes to prove how good a chat the live show would have been, not that we’re bitter or anything.

Finally, it's onto listener questions, this time from Diana and Gemma. What magic there is in an alternative Scotland, and even more magic in a heart felt thank you.

And, please leave us a voicemail on our Speakpipe page as soon as you can air them on our last few episodes of the season. 

The Team:
Gabe is a cider expert: The Ciderologist
Grant has two cider businesses: Re:Stalk and Aeble Cider Shop
Martyn loves to write about cider: CiderShit

The Rest of The Team:
Executive Producer/Editor: Scott Riggs
Music: Billy Kennedy

Connect:
Instagram: NeutralCiderHotel
Facebook: NeutralCiderHotel
Twitter: NeutralCiderPod
Listen and share episodes on our website: https://www.neutralciderhotel.com/
Leave us a voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/neutralciderhotel 

Grab a pen, put a pound in the pot and grab a quiz sheet with Gabe Cook, Grant Hutchison and Martyn Goodwin-Sharman at the Neutral Cider Hotel!

Up first, a quick update on our live show at the Bristol Cider Salon scheduled for this Thursday, the 12th of August. Unfortunately, it’s been postponed. For more info on why (COVID) as well as updates on when and where it would be rescheduled, please follow us on our social media pages for the latest news.

In this week’s episode, we unlock for you the final never-before aired episode from Patreon vault and it's called “Pub Life”; the guys chat about pubs returning to normal in spring, service and having a baby in lockdown. Then, a ludicrous tale of pickled eggs and The Cock Tavern, and as promised; all the flavours are here. Then, it's onto a quiz to celebrate all pubs around the world.

Finally, the guys revisit there pandemic conversation from April and then get into their experience in the world with vaccines!

There are still three episodes left before the Season 1 Finale of the Neutral Cider Hotel at the end of August, so please continue to listen and share with your friends. We absolutely appreciate you and your continued support. We also have some great guests lined up for the last three episodes including one "nationally" known that we think you’ll like.

Also, please leave us a voicemail on our Speakpipe page as soon as you can so we have a chance to air them before the season ends. 

The Team:
Gabe is a cider expert: The Ciderologist
Grant has two cider businesses: Re:Stalk and Aeble Cider Shop
Martyn loves to write about cider: CiderShit

The Rest of The Team:
Executive Producer/Editor: Scott Riggs
Music: Billy Kennedy

Connect:
Instagram: NeutralCiderHotel
Facebook: NeutralCiderHotel
Twitter: NeutralCiderPod
Listen and share episodes on our website: https://www.neutralciderhotel.com/
Leave us a voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/neutralciderhotel

Join hosts MC G. Sizzle, Grant Hutchison and Martyn Goodwin-Sharman as they get wiggity wiggity whack at the Neutral Cider Hotel.

Up first, we want to remind you that the Neutral Cider Hotel LIVE show is right around the corner. Please join us Thursday, the 12th of August at the Hen & Chicken in Bristol for our first live recording of the show. Get your tickets soon as we want the placed packed for a night of fun, cider and prizes. For more details and to purchase tickets, go to our Eventbrite page. 

In this week’s show, the guys chat Two Belly and Ross on Wye’s collaboration blend, drainpours and the true nature of hip hop. Music takes a front seat in this week’s show, with the guys discussing albums they were playing ten years ago, so feel free to listen to their suggestions, but only after the episode has finished!

Then, it’s onto our feature this week, where once again we opened up the Patreon vault and found a never aired feature called “Hot Dog Flavored Cider”; a blind tasting game featuring the beautiful bottles of Ross on Wye. Expect teamwork, treachery, confusing scoring, and high production values! Also, we’ve finally answered the #releasethefoxwhelpcut by actually releasing some foxwhelp content. We hope our foxwhelp fans (especially Cath) are happy, but also are completely indifferent about it if they’re not happy.

This episode closes with a musical epilogue that, I won’t spoil here, but sweet jesus is it good.

There are still a few episodes left in Season 1, releasing through the month of August, so please continue to listen and share with your friends. We absolutely appreciate you and your continued support.

And, please reach out and leave us a voicemail on our Speakpipe page before the end of Season 1 so we can hear your comments, answer your questions and take whatever you have for us!

The Team:
Gabe is a cider expert: The Ciderologist
Grant has two cider businesses: Re:Stalk and Aeble Cider Shop
Martyn loves to write about cider: CiderShit

The Rest of The Team:
Executive Producer/Editor: Scott Riggs
Music: Billy Kennedy

Connect:
Instagram: NeutralCiderHotel
Facebook: NeutralCiderHotel
Twitter: NeutralCiderPod
Listen and share episodes on our website: https://www.neutralciderhotel.com/
Leave us a voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/neutralciderhotel
LIVE SHOW tickets and info: Eventbrite

Join hosts Gabe Cook, Grant Hutchison and Martyn Goodwin-Sharman as they hold back family insults at the Neutral Cheat Hotel.

Up first, we start things off with a plug. The Neutral Cider Hotel LIVE show is happening this year at the Bristol Cider Salon. Join us Thursday, the 12th of August at the Hen & Chicken in Bristol for our first live recording of the podcast. For more details and to purchase tickets, go to our Eventbrite page. 

In this week’s show, the guys try to remember what the episode is about, discuss the history of Gabe’s glorious moustache, one of Gabe’s better features, Martyn’s caterpillar, and what could have been. Get your guess in now for Gabe’s job title, if he wasn't the Ciderologist, and also rest in peace David Bellamy.

Then it’s onto our feature this week, where once again, we opened up the Patreon vault and found a never before aired feature called “I Can’t Remember.” Martyn, saving the show again, has pulled together clips from previous episodes highlighting tasting notes of ciders they sampled on the show and putting the guys to the test to see if they can identify the cider from the notes. Featuring reluctant adverts, some orrorible stories wilst being trapped in a room, places not being places, Gabe googling in a game again, and just pure memory.

There are still episodes coming through the month of August, so please continue to listen and share with your friends. We absolutely appreciate you and your continued support.

And, please reach out and leave us a voicemail on our Speakpipe page! We’d love to hear from you.

The Team:
Gabe is a cider expert: The Ciderologist
Grant has two cider businesses: Re:Stalk and Aeble Cider Shop
Martyn loves to write about cider: CiderShit

The Rest of The Team:
Executive Producer/Editor: Scott Riggs
Music: Billy Kennedy

Connect:
Instagram: NeutralCiderHotel
Facebook: NeutralCiderHotel
Twitter: NeutralCiderPod
Listen and share episodes on our website: https://www.neutralciderhotel.com/
Leave us a voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/neutralciderhotel 

Join hosts The Good, The Bad and Martyn Goodwin-Sharman as they gear up for the end, at the Neutral Cider Hotel!

Up first, with the recent announcement of season one coming to an end and the uncertainty of what’s next, the guys get to work on the live show to make sure they make all of their fans that attend, have an amazing time. The Neutral Cider Hotel LIVE show is happening at the 2021 Bristol Cider Salon. If you are going to be at the Cider Salon or are willing to journey to Bristol on Thursday, the 12th of August, please plan to join guys for a live recording of the show. It’s happening at the Hen & Chicken. Show will start promptly at 8pm. For more details and to purchase tickets, check out our Eventbrite page. Tickets are limited and they will sell out, so get yours now! 

In this week’s show, the guys take a jab at star signs in place of Mystic Meg, and Gabe gets caught in a cider avoidance scheme, before they discuss the good side of cider. Gabe’s trip to Norway and a surprise apple at Balholm Cider, Martyn’s guest blending with the likes of Pilton and Little Pomona with a new one with Nightingale Cider, and Scott’s gateway through the pod to this little world called cider all make up their favourite moments.

Then it's onto this week’s mini episode, which followed on from our conversation with the wonderful Rachel Hendry, so check out her wonderful blog at https://mailchi.mp/23163f3ab868/jadoreleplonk!

Our feature this week, we opened up the Patreon vault again and found a never aired feature called “Bad Cider.” Martyn asks the guys about their worst experiences in the world of cider, featuring such hits as boats and service, festival drinking and guided tours gone wrong! And before the guys leave, there’s a message on the Speakpipe, from an anonymous Irish robot...

There are still episodes scheduled for release through the month of August, so please continue to listen and share with your friends. We absolutely appreciate you and your continued support.

And, don’t be afraid to leave us a message about the podcast, the live show, any of Gabe’s books, auto repair questions or anything else at our Speakpipe! We’d love to hear from you.

The Team:
Gabe is a cider expert: The Ciderologist
Grant has two cider businesses: Re:Stalk and Aeble Cider Shop
Martyn loves to write about cider: CiderShit

The Rest of The Team:
Executive Producer/Editor: Scott Riggs
Music: Billy Kennedy

Connect:
Instagram: NeutralCiderHotel
Facebook: NeutralCiderHotel
Twitter: NeutralCiderPod
Listen and share episodes on our website: https://www.neutralciderhotel.com/
Leave us a voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/neutralciderhotel 

Join hosts Gabe Cook, Grant Hutchison and Martyn Goodwin-Sharman as they ponder the fate of the Neutral Cider Hotel!

Up first, with the recent announcement of season one coming to an end and the uncertainty of what’s next, the guys get to work on the live show to make sure it's literally the best show anyone has seen in 2021. The Neutral Cider Hotel LIVE show is happening this year at the Bristol Cider Salon on Thursday, the 12th of August, so please plan to join guys for a live recording of the show.  For more details and to purchase tickets, go to ourEventbritepage.

In this week’s show, the guys are putting the world to rights. Pulling back the curtain on what it takes to run a hotel, the guys drink the wares of guests that weren’t and ciders that were had but no one heard they were had.

We finally taste Sandford Orchards Vintage Series, with a dial-up delay and the wonderful Kentish Pip, featuring the movers and shakers Discovery, and the ever easy Skylark. We also note some cider makers we didn’t have on the show, but had hoped to and want you to check them out. Those include Angry Orchard,  The Son of The Smiths Cider in Japan, some traditionalist ciders from the likes of Julian Temperley or Roger Wilkins,  Raging Cider & Mead in San Diego and Tanuki Cider. And, for the record, this is not Kingsbury Episcopi!

Then, for our feature this week, we opened up the Patreon vault again and found you another great, but never aired feature called “Scotta Get Through This.” Grant challenges the boys on their knowledge of Scottish slang and, let’s just say someone needs to shoogle some sense into them. This is a mini-episode, shorter than usual, but no less fabulous. 

And, don’t be afraid to leave us a message about the podcast, the live show, any of Gabe’s books, auto repair questions or anything else at our Speakpipe! We’d love to hear from you.

The Team:
Gabe is a cider expert: The Ciderologist
Grant has two cider businesses: Re:Stalk and Aeble Cider Shop
Martyn loves to write about cider: CiderShit

The Rest of The Team:
Executive Producer/Editor: Scott Riggs
Music: Billy Kennedy

Connect:
Instagram: NeutralCiderHotel
Facebook: NeutralCiderHotel
Twitter: NeutralCiderPod
Listen and share episodes on our website: https://www.neutralciderhotel.com/
Leave us a voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/neutralciderhotel 

Join hosts Gabe Cook, Grant Hutchison and Martyn Greatest-Showman as they are put on notice from the Neutral Cider Hotel!

Up first, big news from the amateur hoteliers as their hotel has given them until the end of August 2021 to vacate the premises. This leaves the future of the Neutral Cider Hotel in jeopardy, but, for now, the boys will carry on.

Eviction or not, the first (and possibly last) LIVE recording of the Neutral Cider Hotel is happening this year at the Bristol Cider Salon. If you are going to be at the Cider Salon or are willing to journey to Bristol on Thursday, the 12th of August, please plan to join guys for a live recording of the show. It’s happening at the Hen & Chicken and the show will start promptly at 8pm. For more details and to purchase tickets, check out our Eventbrite page. Tickets are limited and they will sell out, so don’t be like a Cidershit and wait until they are sold out before you try and get yours! 

For the show this week, we opened up the vault at the Neutral Cider Hotel and selected one of our favorite, but never aired features called “Drawing To Conclusions.” This is a mini-episode, shorter than usual, but no less fabulous. And before you listen, please go to ourInstagrampage and find the drawings we posted for this episode. It’ll be much more fun if you play along. 

The guys are busy planning that live show and trying to figure out what this eviction means for the future of the show, but there’s still plenty of poscasts in the diary before the end of August and we appreciate you and your continued support.

And, don’t be afraid to leave us a message about the podcast, the live show, any of Gabe’s books, relationship advice or anything else at our Speakpipe! We’d love to hear from you.

The Team:
Gabe is a cider expert: The Ciderologist
Grant has two cider businesses: Re:Stalk and Aeble Cider Shop
Martyn loves to write about cider: CiderShit

The Rest of The Team:
Executive Producer/Editor: Scott Riggs
Music: Billy Kennedy

Connect:
Instagram: NeutralCiderHotel
Facebook: NeutralCiderHotel
Twitter: NeutralCiderPod
Listen and share episodes on our website: https://www.neutralciderhotel.com/
Leave us a voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/neutralciderhotel 

Join hosts Gabe Cook, Grant Hutchison and Martyn Greatest-Showman as they pitch up in the mud, with the Neutral Cider Hotel!

Up first, the guys celebrate the missing event from the cider calendar; Glastonbury Festival. This year’s celebration is cancelled for obvious reasons, but the guys go through their festival stories including backstage antics, Grant’s joyless view of the magic, and Gabe’s brother and the terror of the murderous horses. Ten points for guessing correctly which host brings up the toilet humour first! Martyn then cracks a bottle of Little Pomona’s Table Perry, with a playlist from our own Grant, and Scott takes the guys through his highlight of years in the festival game.

Then, in the news, it’s a maker from the fruit episode; Kopparberg in the news! Freedom of speech and fake news in the world of cider, before Original Sin’s New York Dry Cider comes onto the market, with targeted advertising for the product. And finally, Grant’s opinion is needed on the smoky chill of a new product.

This week’s interview is with an apple grower, pro-juicer and cider maker with a passion for regenerative agriculture. From his family farm in Sussex Tom Stephens has created a multi-award winning juice brand with Wobblegate, one of the first modern cider tap rooms in the country, and a progressive, unapologetically West Sussex cidery in Rebel Root. 

Featuring all the book plugs in best ways, the guys chat about all things; traditional cider vs new world, branding and ethos, Bramley and the cider drinker and running businesses with a young family. This week's tasting is two new ciders from Rebel Root, in cans! Down Time and Gypsy Soul are cracked, studied and questioned properly in the Hotel!

Then it's time to dive into your Listener Questions including a Speakpipe message from a certain fan in Washington DC, and some inquisitive words from New Zealand! Featuring copper pipes and Italian advice, the guys have a good time with this one!

Thank you for listening and please leave us a message at our Speakpipe as well as join us on our socials below!

The Team:
Gabe is a cider expert: The Ciderologist
Grant has two cider businesses: Re:Stalk and Aeble Cider Shop
Martyn loves to write about cider: CiderShit

The Rest of The Team:
Executive Producer/Editor: Scott Riggs
Music: Billy Kennedy

Connect:
Instagram: NeutralCiderHotel
Facebook: NeutralCiderHotel
Twitter: NeutralCiderPod
Listen and share episodes on our website: https://www.neutralciderhotel.com/
Leave us a voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/neutralciderhotel

Join hosts Gabe Cook, Grant Hutchison and Martyn Goodwin-Sharman as they sing along to the dial up tone, in the Neutral Cider Hotel!

Firstly, Gabe has moved house, again, for another time, and dropped out of Nempnett Thrubwell, Martyn has been torn by the first episodes of his favourite comic Sweet Tooth, and Grant has an exciting delivery of some East Coast beauties with Eve’s Cider!

This week’s news is one with a deep dive into language, and what people get wrong with cider, by way of Angry Orchard’s Ryan Burke, featuring Scott’s playthrough of GTA 3 and Gabe’s rudimentary understanding of weaponry.   

This week’s interview is with the wonderful Polly Hilton of Find & Foster. Working alongside her husband Matt, Polly seeks to find rare varieties in old Devon orchards and creates drinks using specialised techniques, such as bottle fermentation and keeving, to showcase the value of this heritage. The guys chat about everything, including the start of the company, cidery cider, ex-racehorses, label choices, 80 year old cider and shameless plugs! During the chat, the guys crack Find & Foster’s newest bottle; the return of Saison Pomme. Check out which critiques Polly remembers from the guys last chat about it!Then it's onto the Listener Speakpipe messages, featuring a glowing endorsement of fruit ciders from Timothy Jay and the wonderful Turdlinger in response to last week’s episode, prompting a discussion about what fruit ciders the guys enjoy.

Thank you for joining us at the show, and leave us a message at our Speakpipe and join us on our socials below!

The Team:
Gabe is a cider expert: The Ciderologist
Grant has two cider businesses: Re:Stalk and Aeble Cider Shop
Martyn loves to write about cider: CiderShit

The Rest of The Team:
Executive Producer/Editor: Scott Riggs
Music: Billy Kennedy

Connect:
Instagram: NeutralCiderHotel
Facebook: NeutralCiderHotel
Twitter: NeutralCiderPod
Listen and share episodes on our website: https://www.neutralciderhotel.com/
Leave us a voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/neutralciderhotel 

Join hosts Gabe Cook, Grant Hutchison and Martyn Goodwin-Sharman as they get very merry with berries in the Neutral Cider Hotel!

Firstly, the first draft is almost right closely nearly coming to be given in on Gabe’s new book; Modern British Cider! We’re wondering if gabe went over the wordcount! Martyn’s new blend with regulars on the show Little Pomona, Glad to be Plaid is out in the world, with MAD CYDER HYPE! And finally Grant keeps the guys all regular with the news of the Museum of Cider reopening again, before the guys split to the news.

This week’s news is filled with more piss and vinegar than the usual fair, featuring cures for the hichoueps, correct use for foxwhelp single varieties and the aromas of Scottish Scalps. Then the guys get ready for some unadulterated fruit ciders! 

This week things are slightly different, as the guys delve deep into the dark world of Fruit Ciders! Drinks with a huge sway in the cider market and mostly loathed by dentists, this was a category that the guys couldn’t ignore any longer! And it's a go big or go home situation, as the guys try three of the biggest in the UK market, with Strongbow Dark Fruit, Kopparberg Strawberry & Lime, and Rekorderlig Strawberry Lime. Get ready for some wild reactions from the hypercritical triumvirate, high blood sugar, insane analysis and some Jackass Lite stunts!

Then onto the other end of the flavoured cider market, with Martyn’s blend In Touch 2 with Pilton. The fruit on show is Bacchus grape skins, brought together with keeved ciders and Dabinett, so the fruit is brought to life by the cider, but don't take my word for it, I just write the show notes and blend the stuff!

Then it's onto the game, which Martyn has brought to the bunch with some wild rules! Drink along with your guesses, and slide into our DMS with the results! I’ll buy anyone a drink who gets the whole lot! - Gabe

Thank you for joining us at the show, and leave us a message at our Speakpipe and join us on our socials below!

The Team:
Gabe is a cider expert: The Ciderologist
Grant has two cider businesses: Re:Stalk and Aeble Cider Shop
Martyn loves to write about cider: CiderShit

The Rest of The Team:
Executive Producer/Editor: Scott Riggs
Music: Billy Kennedy

Connect:
Instagram: NeutralCiderHotel
Facebook: NeutralCiderHotel
Twitter: NeutralCiderPod
Listen and share episodes on our website: https://www.neutralciderhotel.com/
Leave us a voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/neutralciderhotel

Join hosts Gabe Cook, Grant Hutchison and Martyn Goodwin-Sharman as they welcome you, for the first time, to the Neutral Cider Hotel!

But first, the guys congratulate the team at Cider-Review for their launch party, which brings to light something that was missing from the Hotel. A drink every time the guys make a reference throughout this section will surely see you right!

Then it’s onto this week’s featured cider, Pearson’s Dry, which the guys give their swift views on before it's on to the news. There’s a lot to digest, with Sassy Cider making their way into Majestic, a few stray cats and some hopped juice, not so yum sounding flavoured cider, and some from across the pond, a collab of sound and cider brings Road Apples to life!

This week’s guest is the original Saviour of Cider, Simon Wright. From a small archway in East London to a bigger archway on the Bermondsey Beer Mile, Hawkes Cider quickly became a by-word for bold and contemporary branding, fresh, modern ciders and London’s finest tap room. Attracting the attention of Brewdog back in 2018, he left the company last year to pursue ventures new, so let’s see what’s on the horizon. The guys chat about everything, from the open arms of the cider community, the nature of selling a business, the difference between the US and the UK and more. 

Then it’s onto the speakpipe, featuring a message from Sam from Vessel Beer Shop in Plymouth, and it’s all about the homebrew side of cider!

Thank you for joining us at the show, and leave us a message at our Speakpipe and join us on our socials below!

The Team:
Gabe is a cider expert: The Ciderologist
Grant has two cider businesses: Re:Stalk and Aeble Cider Shop
Martyn loves to write about cider: CiderShit

The Rest of The Team:
Executive Producer/Editor: Scott Riggs
Music: Billy Kennedy

Connect:
Instagram: NeutralCiderHotel
Facebook: NeutralCiderHotel
Twitter: NeutralCiderPod
Listen and share episodes on our website: https://www.neutralciderhotel.com/ Leave us a voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/neutralciderhotel 

Join hosts Gabe Cook, Grant Hutchison and Martyn Goodwin-Sharman as they cast out for the funnies at the Neutral Cider Hotel!

But first, Grant brings a good story with a tenuous link to our little cider world, before Gabe reels us back in with puns, before being snared in a trap of "drum talk." 

Then it’s onto the news, and a serious one with an insight into the harrowing side of alcohol and craft beer. Ratmagnet on Instagram has shone a light on sexual misconduct from people in the industry through stories, and the guys reflect on the cider industry in this context, with some good news from previous guest Tasmine Fraser for the #NoAppleogies campaign. 

This week’s guest is Jane Peyton, through her business, the School of Booze, she provides fun and informative sessions delving deeper into the wonderful world of drinks, from a sensory and historical perspective. And… she also happens to be the UK’s very first Pommelier! The guys chat everything, from Dr. Gabe’s promotion to Professor, the booze on Coronation Street, the joys of being in the pub, etymology and what writing music is like! 

Then, it's onto the tasting with Ascension Cider, and their Voss Kveik. An unusual yeast for brewing, matched with an unusual label by helicopter enthusiast Matt Billing. Mixed in with this, is a caption contest featuring our own Grant and Jaye on the promotion of their new shop, which I can’t remember the name of. The good, the bad, and the most confusing captions come up in the judgement of this wonderful couple on the opening of their shop.

Thank you for joining us at the show, and leave us a message at our Speakpipe and join us on our socials below!

The Team:
Gabe is a cider expert: The Ciderologist
Grant has two cider businesses: Re:Stalk and Aeble Cider Shop
Martyn loves to write about cider: CiderShit

The Rest of The Team:
Executive Producer/Editor: Scott Riggs
Music: Billy Kennedy

Connect:
Instagram:NeutralCiderHotel
Facebook: NeutralCiderHotel
Twitter:NeutralCiderPod
Listen and share episodes on our website: https://www.neutralciderhotel.com/
Leave us a voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/neutralciderhotel 

Join hosts Gabe Cook, Sugar Plum Fairy and Angel Delight as they get their just desserts at the Nigel Cider Hotel!

But first, Gabe brings a story featuring pudding and pandemonium, Martyn warms up for International Cider Challenge which Grant wasn’t invited to, before he goes on to apologise to previous guest Gidon of Original Sin for our reaction to newly released POG Cider!

Then, it’s onto the news, with a special guest! Alex Metcalfe of CAMRA brings the boys up to speed with Cyder Month, featuring audio, video and a spot of Gabe Cook? 

This week’s guest is Felix Nash of Fine Cider. He has had a telling contribution to artisanal cider’s renaissance over the last 5 years, establishing his business back in 2014 with a desire to bring exciting ciders to the tables of Michelin starred restaurants. He has not only achieved this ambition, but also heralded a new concept that we at the hotel love; ‘Fine Cider’.

The guys talk about everything, from a cider book that Gabe didn’t write, changing your business model in the face of lockdown and how the world of cider has changed in 8 years. The guys crack three ciders from three producers; Starvecrow Bourbon, Brännland Claim 2018 and Gregg’s Pit Dabinett & Yarlington Mill. 

Then it’s onto listener answers? Yes, Martyn threw out a question to the listeners about where they love drinking ciders, so expect accents and bad geography!

The Team:
Gabe is a cider expert: The Ciderologist
Grant has two cider businesses: Re:Stalk and Aeble Cider Shop
Martyn loves to write about cider: CiderShit

The Rest of The Team:
Executive Producer/Editor: Scott Riggs
Music: Billy Kennedy

Connect:
Instagram:NeutralCiderHotel
Facebook: NeutralCiderHotel
Twitter:NeutralCiderPod
Listen and share episodes on our website: https://www.neutralciderhotel.com/
Leave us a voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/neutralciderhotel 

Join hosts Creepy Uncle Gabe Cook, Grant the Asshole and Middle-Aged Martyn open up for another week at the Neutral Cider Hotel!

But first, Gabe’s grasp of the English language comes into question, with all its idiosyncrasies, Martyn asks anyone for a job, and Grant had a dinner and a show? Yes, that’s how we’ll put it! 

Then it’s onto the news, with the rebirth of Inch’s Cider. A quick history by way of White Lightning, to the green credentials of this new brand, with only a slight problem the guys spot right at the end! 

This week’s guest is a big one; Rainn Wilson! Finding fame with his portrayal of Dwight K. Schrute on the American version of The Office, he’s an author, climate change activist and founder of media and entertainment company, SoulPancake. He’s recently turned his hand to the world of podcasting with a new show, Dark Air with Terry Carnation which explores the life of a supernatural talk radio show host caught up in a mystery of his own. 

The guys chat about everything, from the head size of actors, Derek Acorah’s dog spirit, the struggles of the pandemic, the nature of fame, Alan Partridge and his new podcast, Metaphysical Milkshake. 

Then the guys try a highly awarded cider; Hogan’s Libertine. The guys chat about this award winner with all its accessibility and bold character, and give their verdict.

Finally it’s question time, with a request for certain content, and the guys have a great answer in store for #releasethefoxwhelpcut.

Thank you for joining us at the show, and leave us a message at our Speakpipe and join us on our socials below!

The Team:
Gabe is a cider expert: The Ciderologist
Grant has two cider businesses: Re:Stalk and Aeble Cider Shop
Martyn loves to write about cider: CiderShit

The Rest of The Team:
Executive Producer/Editor: Scott Riggs
Music: Billy Kennedy

Connect:
Instagram:NeutralCiderHotel
Facebook: NeutralCiderHotel
Twitter:NeutralCiderPod
Listen and share episodes on our website: https://www.neutralciderhotel.com/
Leave a voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/neutralciderhotel 

Join hosts Gabe Cook, Grant Hutchison and Martyn Goodwin-Sharman as they take their hands out of the puppets, and open the Neutral Cider Hotel!

But first, Grant returns with his shop Aeble now open, confused with how many alternative cider fans have been hiding in Scotland, Gabe’s book Ciderology nearly arrives on time, and Martyn has no discernible news, bar an apology. Then, the charitable Gabe utilises his vocabulary to help a charity!

In the news, it's Craftcon 2021, the wonderful Simon Day hosted a fantastic event stacked with in depth talks, and one about kegged cider that a certain Cidershit was a part of! Gabe was interviewed for his upcoming book, with a certain set decoration that needs discussing. Finally Pulpt now have their cider 'Flare' available in Tescos. 

The interview this week is with founder and president Gidon Coll of Original Sin cider. One of the true pioneers of modern cider, establishing his brand in New York 1996, with a desire to reconnect America to its roots through an authentic drink. The guys discuss everything; the mundane reality of association meetings, Banjo Pete, pounding the pavements of New York, Royal Bath and West Show, the history of the Newtown Pippin and everything in between! 

The guys try a range of Original Sin ciders, with the clean, crisp Hard Cider, the controversial Pineapple Haze, and three different single variety ciders; Newtown Pippin, McIntosh and Northern Spy. There’s a lot of love, a lot of questions, and some absolutely bold claims made in this section!

Finally, it’s game time and Gabe brings a slice of The Big Apple to the cider heads of the hotel, but who gets to take home the crown?!

Thanks for listening. Please leave us a message at our Speakpipe and join us on our socials below. 

The Team:
Gabe is a cider expert: The Ciderologist
Grant has two cider businesses: Re:Stalk and Aeble Cider Shop
Martyn loves to write about cider: CiderShit

The Rest of The Team:
Executive Producer/Editor: Scott Riggs
Music: Billy Kennedy

Connect:
Instagram:NeutralCiderHotel
Facebook: NeutralCiderHotel
Twitter:NeutralCiderPod
Listen and share episodes on our website: https://www.neutralciderhotel.com/
Leave us a voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/neutralciderhotel 

Join hosts Gabe Cook, _____ __________ and Martyn Goodwin-Sharman as they all turn up and record another episode of the Neutral Cider Hotel!

First, Gabe went filming for CAMRA, Martyn released his rarely name-checked In Touch 2 with Pilton, and Grant? Well... you’ll hear!

This week’s guest is one of the bright young talents of British Cider advocacy.  Only a year out of University where he studied Graphic Design, Cider George has already worked for the likes of Crafty Nectar, Nightingale Cider and the Discover Cider Campaign.  Sitting alongside a day job in a design agency, this cider fanatic blogs, judges and has co-founded the brand new Bristol Cider Club!

The guys chat about everything branding; Fred Durst’s facial hair, feeling bad for the aliens on the can, scary dogs on the bottle, synonymous triangles, a knock about previous guests, peacocks, moustaches and the problem with Yokels! The tasting is varied, covering a lot of ground, from The Newt’s 2018 Dry Cyder, ‘Cider?’ vs OLICID, and the classic branding of Heck’s and Dunkerton’s, this is one that’s a lot up front, with the contents to back it up.

Finally, it’s back to the listener responses, as Martyn throws out a question; what are your favourite ciders for branding? Featuring Gabe’s history lesson on cider and pigs, and finishing off with a speakpipe about cider events.

Thank you for joining us at the show, and leave us a message at our Speakpipe and join us on our socials below. We’re going to find out who the sentient voice belongs to!

The Team:
Gabe is a cider expert: The Ciderologist
Grant has two cider businesses: Re:Stalk and Aeble Cider Shop
Martyn loves to write about cider: CiderShit

The Rest of The Team:
Executive Producer/Editor: Scott Riggs
Music: Billy Kennedy

Connect:
Instagram:NeutralCiderHotel
Facebook: NeutralCiderHotel
Twitter:NeutralCiderPod
Listen and share episodes on our website: https://www.neutralciderhotel.com/
Leave us a voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/neutralciderhotel 

Join hosts Gabe Cook, Grant Hutchison, Martyn Goodwin-Sharman as they wake up on the other side of the bed, in the Neutral Perry Hotel!

Grant and Jaye Hutchison talk about the opening of their crisp and provision shop Aeble, Martyn demands reviews from the USA, and Gabe gives an update for his library of published books!

In the news this week, Gabe reads some sweet unbiased journalism in The Express, and the guys discuss creme eggs, cola and electric hobbs as measurements. There’s always health concerns with alcohol and sugar, and luckily Dr. Gabe is brought back into the hotel for some genuine guidance.

This week’s episode is a dive into one of the most misunderstood beverages in the world: Perry. A fermented pear drink with a difficult reputation, the guys crack a variety of bottles and cans from makers Little Pomona, Newton Court, Olivers, Le Père Julesand Sheppy’s, in an attempt to dissect and understand the beverage in all its forms. Featuring children’s storytelling and Mayhill, what mouse is, Normandy vs UK, and the terrors of a visit from the Perry Fairy!

After the showcase, it’s onto Grant’s Game; Perry the.. People? Famous names with clues and a battle of the finest minds after a few beverages; Gabe and Martyn! Play along at home and let us know which Perry’s were missed on the socials!

Thank you for joining us at the show, and leave us a message at our Speakpipe and join us on our socials below. We’re going to find out who the sentient voice belongs to!

The Team:
Gabe is a cider expert: The Ciderologist
Grant has two cider businesses: Re:Stalk and Aeble Cider Shop
Martyn loves to write about cider: CiderShit

The Rest of The Team:
Executive Producer/Editor: Scott Riggs
Music: Billy Kennedy

Connect:
Instagram:NeutralCiderHotel
Facebook: NeutralCiderHotel
Twitter:NeutralCiderPod
Listen and share episodes on our website: https://www.neutralciderhotel.com/
Leave us a voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/neutralciderhotel 

Join hosts Grant Hutchison, Martyn Goodwin-Sharman and the Moustachioed Cider Sponge as they open the doors for the Neutral Cider Hotel!

Gabe gets a rename courtesy of Steilehead Cider before Martyn tells a family story and Bobby Jay announces a keyboard fix. The lads then delve into Nightingale Cider’s ‘Cider? Yes!’ campaign, with an apparent nod to the hotel!

In the news, the pubs opened up, slightly, a bit? Then Speakpipe  questions in the news? Yes! Including Fourpure rebranding naysayer Stewart, sticker lover Mike and man on the motorway Cider George, with a surprise sentient guest...

This week’s guest is Alice Churchward, a champion of ciders across all styles, and runner of London Cider hotspot Trap! The guys struggle through cans of Black Ace and chat about absolutely everything, from kidnapping strippers, to her own brand cider Crafty Apple, cider makers on chaises lounges, branding and about everything in between. Featuring what might be Gabe’s first swear word, this interview was an absolute joy and each of the guys cried at least once with laughter!

Then it’s onto Thornborough’s Yorkshire Cider. After winning Sandford Orchard’s Breakthrough Cider Maker Award, it’s a bottle the lads loved dissecting!

Thank you for joining us at the show, and leave us a message at our Speakpipe and join us on our socials below. We’re going to find out who the sentient voice belongs to!

The Team:
Gabe is a cider expert: The Ciderologist
Grant has two cider businesses: Re:Stalk and Aeble Cider Shop
Martyn loves to write about cider: CiderShit

The Rest of The Team:
Executive Producer/Editor: Scott Riggs
Music: Billy Kennedy

Connect:
Instagram:NeutralCiderHotel
Facebook: NeutralCiderHotel
Twitter:NeutralCiderPod
Listen and share episodes on our website: https://www.neutralciderhotel.com/
Leave us a voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/neutralciderhotel 

Join topless host Gabe Cook, with fully-clothed hosts Grant Hutchison and Martyn Goodwin-Sharman as they take down the badminton nets at the Neutral Cider Hotel!

First, Gabe brings joy with a certain celebration including presents for the boys, listeners you can cut the tension with a knife in this section! After the warnings of danger, Producer Scott asks the guys what their plans for the future of the show are, which opens up some hints as to the year ahead!

On the Commodore 64 this week, the guys have a brief chat with the one and only Tom Oliver! A guest in the news section is a first here, and it's for a good cause: two of our previous guests in Oliver’s and Anxo have teamed up to bring some stunning UK ciders to the States, so listeners in the USA can crack some of the wares that we’ve showcased in the hotel. 

Then it’s onto the rebrand of Hawkes, which seems to have been cider’s marmite in terms of views! Martyn likes the stickers and Grant doesn’t like the language, let us know what you guys think at our Speakpipe to be included in next week’s episode. 

This week’s guests are Dan Pucci and Craig Cavallo, fresh from their release of a jingle worthy book; American Cider! Encompassing a full historical, pomological, cultural and geographical assessment of the diversity of cider from their home nation, American Cider sheds light on what I, and many others, call the most exciting cider scene on the planet. 

The guys chat everything in cider from both sides of the pond! From the false narratives and the forefathers, the great 'can' debate, where the scene is now and which place makes the best cider! They’re two wonderful people, and their collaboration is an awesome read!

Speaking of collaborations, the guys were fortunate enough to crack Tessellation; a team up of titans Wyndridge Cider and Pilton. It’s a marriage of the UK and American cider scenes, and a perfect match for the authors of each territory’s tomes.

This week’s question is now at the top of the list for Speakpipe, and definitely one the guys loved! 

The Team:
Gabe is a cider expert: The Ciderologist
Grant has two cider businesses: Re:Stalk and Aeble Cider Shop
Martyn loves to write about cider: CiderShit

The Rest of The Team:
Executive Producer/Editor: Scott Riggs
Music: Billy Kennedy

Connect:
Instagram:NeutralCiderHotel
Facebook: NeutralCiderHotel
Twitter:NeutralCiderPod
Listen and share episodes on our website: https://www.neutralciderhotel.com/
Leave us a voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/neutralciderhotel

Join Countryfile host Gabe Cook, and regular hosts Grant Hutchison and Martyn Goodwin-Sharman as they finish the egg hunt at the Neutral Cider Hotel!

First, Gabe makes promises that the other guys can’t keep and gets topless in Dymock, Grant explains recognised meteorological terms in Scotland, and Martyn gets ready for The Good Measure’s summer ahead! Grant plants ahead for his future, with an eye on a sneaky scrumper from a certain factory, and our San Diego superstar producer Scott lands a lucky glass of Roger Wilkins’ cider, before Dr. Gabe marks his words once again in the Hotel.

In the news this week, the guys have a very brief chat about Craftcon 2021, featuring show favourites Ross on Wye and Cider Women to name but a few. If you’re in the cider trade, it’s definitely one to check out. 

Our guest this week is Soham Bhatt, the co-founder of one of the best Cideries in the USA. Established in 2014 as a passion project between 2 friends, Artifact Cider Project is now a by-word for excellence in contemporary cider making. The guys chat everything in modern cider, from the springing of spring, to branding in cider, the commercial and the art form, fruit ciders and a sucker punch of criticism for Chris Martin! It’s a full chat that the guys loved, and the appearance of American Trains sparked a lot of joy to the English!

The listener questions come by way of Germany and the United States, featuring a slick limerick and canned wordplay! 

Thank you for tuning in and checking out the Neutral Cider Hotel podcast!

The Team:
Gabe is a cider expert: The Ciderologist
Grant has two cider businesses: Re:Stalk and Aeble Cider Shop
Martyn loves to write about cider: CiderShit

The Rest of The Team:
Executive Producer/Editor: Scott Riggs
Music: Billy Kennedy

Connect:
Instagram:NeutralCiderHotel
Facebook: NeutralCiderHotel
Twitter:NeutralCiderPod
Listen and share episodes on our website: https://www.neutralciderhotel.com/
Leave us a voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/neutralciderhotel 

Join hosts Narcissus Gabe Cook, Rant Hutchison and Mart of Darkness as they soak up the springtime sunshine and admire the daffodils at the Neutral Cider Hotel!

First, Gabe slags off the mountains of Ethiopia and praises his hometown of Dymock, in which he filmed a love letter to daffodils for the tv show Countryfile. Martyn builds some mild hype for his collaboration with friends of the show; Little Pomona! And Grant as been looking for a soulder to cry on with a missing key, and none of the otel staff are able to elp.

Then, onto the news where the guys jump to the US of A for a bad deal, with C&C’s 93% loss in the sale of Woodchuck Hard Cider. Naturally, there’s confusion on the number, but the guys have fun chatting like Wall Street for a second on the pod! Featuring the first appearance of the American Finance Correspondent. 

Our guest on the show this week comes at cider from a wine background, publishing her own newsletter on the subject called J’adore Le Plonk, as well as one of the co founders of Burum Collective, checking into the Neutral Beer hotel, it’s self described ‘wine unprofessional’ Rachel Hendry! The guys chat about everything, from the extensive use of horse of knowledge, to cow’s taste buds, safe spaces in alcohol, Crempog pairings and spelling socials correctly!

This week’s cider is the Templar’s Choice Dry Cider, a Normandy cider full of character and history, and a label that gives the guys something to talk about! 

Thank you for tuning in and checking out with us at the Neutral Cider Hotel! Reach out to us on our social media pages or leave us a voicemail on Speakpipe (below).

The Team:
Gabe is a cider expert: The Ciderologist
Grant has two cider businesses: Re:Stalk and Aeble Cider Shop
Martyn loves to write about cider: CiderShit

The Rest of The Team:
Executive Producer/Editor: Scott Riggs
Music: Billy Kennedy

Connect:
Instagram:NeutralCiderHotel
Facebook: NeutralCiderHotel
Twitter:NeutralCiderPod
Listen or share episodes on our website: https://www.neutralciderhotel.com/
Leave us a voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/neutralciderhotel 

Join hosts Dumb Shmuck Gabe Cook, Grant Hutchison and Martyn Goodwin-Sharman as they forget to plug their microphones in at the Neutral Cider Hotel!

First, Gabe kicks off the book club and hatred of a national treasure, before going down the El Drainpour route in the world of cider, which kicks off a good discussion about the quality of cider as a whole. Grant picks up a tweet thread from Simon Wright, former head of Hawkes, which again, leads the guys down a serious route in cider, and ends in invitation to the show. A spotlight is naturally shone on everyone’s favourite subject; TAX! Then it’s time for this week’s deep dive into the cider world’s news!

In the news this week, Scott drops his lasso and six-shooter in shock at The Cider Salon’s return. It’s an event the guys hold near and dear to their heart, and showcases the world of cider for everything great it is and can be, just remember to eat and forgo the bloody pre-drinks! The full lineup will be revealed in May, fringe events announced as they come too, and tickets can be purchased here!

This week’s guest has been an ever prominent voice and presence in cider’s drive for modernity over the last few years. Absolutely sound guy Sam Nightingale has been combining the aromatic freshness and intensity of Kentish fruit with controlled wild fermentations has led to the creation of some of the most crushably outstanding ciders of the last few years. The guys crack two ciders in 440ml cans, which seems like a revelation in itself, so check out the guys’ reaction, and take a guess as to who finishes their can first! They chat about everything, from wild yeast, to the difference between pallets and palliative, forgetting you’ve met someone and saying no to the spitoon!

The guys then answer their first Speakpipe question! From Chris at PressthenPress.com, the question is fine cider and metallic vestibules in the UK. If you have a question, leave your voicemail for the guys at Speakpipe, or reach them at the socials below!

Cheers for tuning in, and checking out with us, at the Neutral Cider Hotel!

The Team:
Gabe is a cider expert: The Ciderologist
Grant has two cider businesses: Re:Stalk and Aeble Cider Shop
Martyn loves to write about cider: CiderShit

The Rest of The Team:
Executive Producer/Editor: Scott Riggs
Music: Billy Kennedy

Connect:
Instagram:NeutralCiderHotel
Facebook: NeutralCiderHotel
Twitter:NeutralCiderPod
Website: https://www.neutralciderhotel.com/

Join hosts Gabe Cook, Grant Hutchison and Martyn Goodwin-Sharman as they get the social media handles, and ready the mop and bucket once again in the Neutral Cider Hotel!

First, Gabe dives straight in with some shameless plugs including work with Tasting Online and The Fishguard Roundtable, Grant felt a little left out against the esteemed ologists, and Martyn announces a new release from Pilton! As it was just International Women’s Day, Grant shines a spotlight on some of the names and faces that have made cider a better place, and Gabe is still not accepted onto a certain facebook group! 

In the news this week, Gabe somehow makes it all about himself again! He’s bringing his foundation course online with the wonderful help of Crafty Nectar (not a quilt company), which you’ll be able to reap many benefits from. Gabe somehow, miraculously manages to plug a cider book that isn’t his own, this time the wonderful Dan Pucci and Craig Cavallo’s book; American Cider! Expect the book to bring as much in-depth analysis of America’s cider culture as our Producer Scott provides.

This week’s guests are a wild one for Neutral Cider Hotel, they’re the first guests to make a return, and this time, they’re changing the format of the show entirely! James, Susanna and Blair of Little Pomona have brought a tutored tasting to the hotel in an event called; Some Like It Still! Taking inspiration from the world of wine bringing samples of their latest releases to the consumer, Little Pomona are bringing a range of their interesting drinks in an affordable package and an online tasting format! Expect wildly intertextual jokes, callbacks, wild expressions of cider, and branded buckets coming to an online shop soon!

"You just need to give the whole liquid time to be what it's going to become."- James Forbes

Thank you for tuning in and checking out Neutral Cider Hotel. If you want to reach us, leave a voice message at Speakpipe or send us a message on our socials below!

The Team:
Gabe is a cider expert: The Ciderologist
Grant has two cider businesses: Re:Stalk and Aeble Cider Shop
Martyn loves to write about cider: CiderShit

The Rest of The Team:
Executive Producer/Editor: Scott Riggs
Music: Billy Kennedy

Connect:
Instagram:NeutralCiderHotel
Facebook: NeutralCiderHotel
Twitter:NeutralCiderPod
Website: https://www.neutralciderhotel.com/

Join hosts Gabe Cook, Grant Hutchison and Martyn Goodwin-Sharman as they argue over which one of them is the Cutie, in the Neutral Cider Hotel!

First, Gabe brings his own t-shirts to the hotel, and a cleanly shaved face for his appearance on Sunday Brunch, expect hatred of dog instagram and Martyn cracks his first can of Oliver’s Cider which inspires a superhero story! Then onto this week’s interview...

Our guest today is Ben Gibbard; the frontman of not one but two of indie rock’s most loved bands, Death Cab for Cutie and The Postal Service. The guys chat about everything, from Gritty and his ties to the radical left, catching covid before it was cool, new music and file sharing, touring with Frightened Rabbit, sports, Death Cab The Musical and a mutual love of certain bands! 

To honor Ben’s non drinking, the guys cracked a series of alcohol free ciders, including Westons Low Alcohol Cider, Martinelli’s Sparkling Cider, Cairn O’ Mohr Pictish, Hogan’s High Sobriety and Crafty Nectar 0.5. A game to play along, guess which of the guys has the gushing bottle this time around!

Then, onto Listener Questions where the guys are asked by Richey Featherstone about cooking with cider. If you’re lucky, there’ll be at least something you can cook after listening to them drunkenly rant about food!

So thanks for tuning in and checking out Neutral Cider Hotel, leave a voice message at Speakpipe for the guys, or reach them at the socials below!

THE TEAM
Gabe is a cider expert: The Ciderologist
Grant has two cider businesses: Re:Stalk and Aeble Cider Shop
Martyn loves to write about cider: CiderShit

THE REST OF THE TEAM
Executive Producer/Editor: Scott Riggs
Music: Billy Kennedy

CONNECT
Voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/NeutralCiderHotel
Instagram:NeutralCiderHotel
Facebook: NeutralCiderHotel
Twitter:NeutralCiderPod
Website: https://www.neutralciderhotel.com/

Join hosts Dave Cock, Grant Hutchison and Martyn Goodwin-Sharman as their dings are misplaced in the Neutral Cider Hotel!

First, Gabe updates us on the demand for his book, Martyn confuses Wildling and Wilding again, and Grant, celebrates a birthday of a family member not really pulling their weight. Producer Scott drops two nuggets of gold, with the birth of the Perryologist, and our very own Voicemail Service! You can now leave audio messages for us from your phone, tablet or laptop and will be featured in future episodes, just follow the link here. 

In this week’s news, the guys return to the Caledonian Cider Factory, with twigs and leaves in a barrel, before Gabe brings Japan’s Vinvie to the guys and their focus on low and no alcohoo drops.

The guys then sit down with Matthew Curtis! An award winning freelance writer and photographer, who made his name with Total Ales, then as the UK Editor of the legendary Good Beer Hunting and is now the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Pellicle Magazine. The guys chat everything; from his latest podcast episode on cider, his voice as a beer writer,  and his new book (dong)! 

They also have a taste of Pilton’s delicious Fox Dog Cat, which Martyn was part of the blending process, so expect deep insight, dissection and honesty from the guys!

And finally, Producer Scott has come up with a game that he’s passing off as his own creation; Like, Totally Recall! He’s done the deep dive into previous episodes, challenging the guys on their small talk for points! 

The Team:
Gabe is a cider expert: The Ciderologist
Grant has two cider businesses: Re:Stalk and Aeble Cider Shop
Martyn loves to write about cider: CiderShit

The Rest of The Team:
Executive Producer/Editor: Scott Riggs
Music: Billy Kennedy

Connect:
Voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/NeutralCiderHotel
Instagram:NeutralCiderHotel
Facebook: NeutralCiderHotel
Twitter:NeutralCiderPod
Website: https://www.neutralciderhotel.com/

Join hostsGabriel William James Cook the 1st of his name, Grant Hutchison and Martyn Goodwin-Sharman as they rock their six inch wedges and for the Galloping of the Gabe, in the Neutral Cider Hotel!

But first, Dr. Gabe brags about his dentist visit, a run with friends, a visit to The Bristol Vine and mystery guest. Martyn the vegan does the sales pitch for his mates at Two Belly and Grant announces his cider affair with the Manchester Cider Club! This month it was Ross on Wye on the art of blending, so check out their socials for more upcoming greatness. 

In this week’s news, Grant shares the big investment in Sanford Orchards, sans wifi. Dr. Gabe is back with some positive medical benefits of our favourite drug, and Martyn shares the arrival of Cider Voice, in the wake of Malt Review calling last orders.

Then the guys jump on the tractor and make their way to the urban farm, to hang out with London’s favourite cider chimera; Duckchicken Cider! Colleen O’Sullivan and James Mann are cider makers spurred on by a mutual love of travel and fermented apples. Having only started in 2016 they have garnered quite a following in the cider community with their aptly named and much loved creation Gigglejuice. 

The guys chat about everything; from a three legged Red Breasted Merganser, a certain book not ringing any bells, gooseblood, urban orchards and Eugene the urban animal! They crack two bottles; Easter Hill, and Demons of Spills Hill, wildly different from each other, and a testament to the variety that orchards can provide.

This week in Listener Questions, we have something different from Less_the_man on Instagram, and a question about Apfelwein in Germany, featuring a deep dive into Germanic cider culture, a Perryologist and the boring city of Frankfurt (according to Gabe). 

The Team:
Gabe is a cider expert: The Ciderologist
Grant has two cider businesses: Re:Stalk and Aeble Cider Shop
Martyn loves to write about cider: CiderShit

The Rest of The Team:
Executive Producer/Editor: Scott Riggs
Music: Billy Kennedy

Connect:
Instagram:NeutralCiderHotel
Facebook: NeutralCiderHotel
Twitter:NeutralCiderPod
Website: https://www.neutralciderhotel.com/

Join hostsGabe Cook, Grant Hutchison and Martyn Goodwin-Sharman as they salute their American Overlords in the Neutral Cider Hotel!

But first, Gabe brings Cidercon to the fore as the guys discuss the 7th most popular drink in the States, and Keifer Sutherland’s impact on the convention. Gabe shares the love with Cheers and Chat, and the possibility of having a room set up at the hotel in the future. Martyn then lives out a nightmare from the night before, nothing to do with cider. And finally, Grant explains why his body hurts, with Joe Wick’s Seven Days of Sweat. There’s no way of putting the smell in the show notes however, sorry guys!

In this week’s news Martyn announces his tasting; The Cider Box X Cidershit, which you can sync and drink with! Grant brings up the naughty doctor himself; Roger Wilkins and his illegal activities. The man who has the vaccine, breaking the lockdown rules, the guys are torn over how to feel about it all. If you’re in the States, watch the body cam footage and let us know how it compares to your police force. 

Then the motorcade pulls up to the hotel, with Madame President herself; Eleanor Léger of Eden Ciders! Helming one of the most significant Cideries operating today, Eden Ciders are makers that the guys have loved from afar. Based 8 miles from the Canadian border in the State of Vermont, Eleanor and her team source, and grow, apples produced using biodynamic principles to create a range of ciders, specialising in minimum intervention styles such as ice cider and methode traditionelle. Talking everything, from terroir and Vermont, a very niche, weird thing called Ice Cider, blending cider, cider ice cream and fancy dress! This week’s tasting is Eden’s Extra Sec, a drink at the end of the line apparently. A champagne style cider with ice cider used for a light dose of sugar in the bottle. 

This week in Listener Questions, it's a subtweet response to previous guest Dick Withecombe, who asks about chip shop dinner ciders. Featuring badminton nets, Nempnett Thrubwell, In Touch, Wildling, and pretty much every reference the guys have made making an appearance once again! And finally, a shout out to Perry’s Cider, and an invitation to the show!

The Team:
Gabe is a cider expert: The Ciderologist
Grant has two cider businesses: Re:Stalk and Aeble Cider Shop
Martyn loves to write about cider: CiderShit

The Rest of The Team:
Executive Producer/Editor: Scott Riggs
Music: Billy Kennedy

Connect:
Instagram:NeutralCiderHotel
Facebook: NeutralCiderHotel
Twitter:NeutralCiderPod
Website: https://www.neutralciderhotel.com/

Join hostsGabe Cook, Grant Hutchison and Martyn Goodwin-Sharman as they buckle up for an exiting exploration of America!

But first, Gabe announces the logistical problems with Ciderology (ding) in the USA, before Grant announces his rival podcast appearance, and Martyn brings back the founding fathers ahead of the news.

In this week’s news Grant brings up the new Brum Cider Club, inspired by friends of the show Manchester Cider Club, and Martyn tries to take credit for it all! Then it's a deep dive into Matt Curtis’ latest episode of the Pellicle Podcast; ‘Does Cider have an Image Problem?’. Obviously, the guys have some thoughts on the episode and don't hold back! Then, it's onto the interview.

This week the guys fly the Hotel out of the UK, and to Washington DC’s ANXO Cider! Inspired by the bold ciders and food matching of ciders from the Basque Country, this cider maker and restaurant has gained a cult following in the USA and now around the world. The guys chat to Sam Fitz and Greg Johnson, first cracking their Hereford Gold which is a lovely collaboration with British Cider legend Tom Oliver, then onto their core drink; Cidre Blanc.

The guys go through everything in American cider, from Gold Rush apples to the American palette, the counterculture and the flavour game, the regulations and state law, moving from craft beer to craft cider, and the Basque Country’s influence on them as makers. It’s a dense chat, good fun, and after a few 6.9% cans it put the boys on their backs! 

The guys then finish off with recommendations, as Martyn asked the listeners: ‘what are your favourite American and/or Canadian Ciders? Then the guys move on with one of Grant’s gateways whilst touring with Frightened Rabbit, and the problem with putting good drinks on the rider!  This part was a great way of giving you guys the listeners, more of the good stuff you can find in your area.

Thank you for tuning in and checking out Neutral Cider Hotel, we’re checking out of the US, quarantining in the UK and then it's back to work ASAP!

The Team:
Gabe is a cider expert: The Ciderologist
Grant has two cider businesses: Re:Stalk and Aeble Cider Shop
Martyn loves to write about cider: CiderShit

The Rest of The Team:
Executive Producer/Editor: Scott Riggs
Music: Billy Kennedy

Connect:
Instagram:NeutralCiderHotel
Facebook: NeutralCiderHotel
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Website: https://www.neutralciderhotel.com/

Join hostsGabe Cook, Grant Hutchison and Martyn Goodwin-Sharman as they get lost on their way to the Neutral Cider Hotel!

This week’s episode takes a left turn, as the guys skip their usual interview, and take on the country of Spain with history, tasting and a shocking amount of clean up, even for the hotel room! Gabe kicks things off with some music recommendations from Grant, Producer Scott and Martyn to help fill the time it takes to vacuum his manor house. Grant announces his new venture; Aeble Cider Shop and asks for your recommendations, and Martyn congratulates the team’s 1000th instagram follower, twice?

Then it's time for the news, and after some quiet weeks it's a big one! Cider Con, the world’s largest cider event happening Feb. 3-5, 2021 is online this year, and includes a virtual pub chat with Gabe along with Meredith of Along Came a Cider! Thatchers announce their search for young cider makers with a fantastic opportunity, and the guys discuss the worries of Long Covid, and the side effects of loss of taste for everyone in the food and drink scene. Then, the guys are on a plane as they travel to Spain!

A beautiful cider culture, and the oldest in the world is that of Asturias, Spain. Gabe breaks down the pouring technique needed for the perfect drink, and the science behind it, before the guys go for a Sidre Throw Throwdown! The guys take turns to take to the floor, before making different sized puddles and discussing what has actually landed in the glass! Heritage, quality and a great journey for the British trio into the wonderful cultures of another country. 

The guys then finish off with questions from the listeners, featuring a heap from back in July last year courtesy of One_Phil_Wells. Starting off with one word answers, they then snowball into some eye openers about the guys, their history and their love of cider. Side note, Martyn got drunk enough that he did in fact get his gateway cider totally incorrect, so see if you can spot the edit!

The Team:
Gabe is a cider expert: The Ciderologist
Grant has two cider businesses: Re:Stalk and Aeble Cider Shop
Martyn loves to write about cider: CiderShit

The Rest of The Team:
Executive Producer/Editor: Scott Riggs
Music: Billy Kennedy

Connect:
Instagram:NeutralCiderHotel
Facebook: NeutralCiderHotel
Twitter:NeutralCiderPod
Website: https://www.neutralciderhotel.com/

Join hostsGabe Cook, Grant Hutchison and Martyn Goodwin-Sharman as they check the rider for cider in the green room, before it kicks off at the Neutral Cider Hotel!

Gabe the Ciderologist™ kicks things off with some religious solace coming from Cider Sleuth’s question, Martyn denounces the new deity whilst Grant questions the monetary value and the guys end up discussing a little show called Book of Mormon.

The Scotsman forgets that it's Burns Night, but luckily the Cornishman is on hand to help. They pick their ciders with barrel character in honour; Martyn goes for Pilton’s Tamoshanta, Gabe goes for a full range of Hallet’s Cider’s and Grant picks the Caledonian Cider Factory’s Islay Cask that gives a wee slap on the face. No news this week so it's on to the big interview.

The guest this week is a literal rock star, the front man of Scotland’s second best guitar band Biffy Clyro; Simon Neil! A switch from the usual format, the guys talk music and introduce Simon to the finer side of cider. Talking everything from their latest album, ‘A Celebration of Endings’, the life of the band without touring, mental health, to the music from Lethal Weapon 3 and everything in between. The first cider the guys crack is Eve’s Albee Hill, featured previously on the show and loved by the team. A great introduction to the drink for the frontman, before Martyn brings his blend In Touch with Pilton Cider to the table, chatting the poetry and sweet side of cider with Simon. It was a night the guys absolutely loved in the hotel, and we hope you can hear the joy in our voices between the slurring at the end!

The guys then finish off with questions from listeners, featuring complaints of the edit on a previous episode that’s missing some Foxwhelp, and advice for new cider makers, including drink, drink, drink and drink!

Thank you for tuning in and checking out Neutral Cider Hotel, we’re getting back on the bus!

The Team:
Gabe is a cider expert: The Ciderologist
Grant has two cider businesses: Re:Stalk and Aeble Cider Shop
Martyn loves to write about cider: CiderShit

The Rest of The Team:
Executive Producer/Editor: Scott Riggs
Music: Billy Kennedy

Connect:
Instagram:NeutralCiderHotel
Facebook: NeutralCiderHotel
Twitter:NeutralCiderPod
Website: https://www.neutralciderhotel.com/

Join hostsGabe Cook, Grant Hutchison and Martyn Goodwin-Sharman as they stop reading the label, and zone back into the Neutral Cider Hotel!

Gabe starts things off with some hotel research as well as some quiet lusting for Hiddle Piddle, Grant goes through British television hotels and Martyn threatens the boys with an axe.

Gabe steals the news from Producer Scott this week, as a dive into alcohol advertising through Angry Orchard’s new advertisement which considers the word "sweet" a swear-word! The boys then dive into their memories of alcohol advertising including these Red Rock Cider ads featuring Leslie Nielsen and this Guinness ad, and the wilder side naturally comes up, as does Grant’s infatuation with Bill Bailey in Strictly Come Dancing!

Our interview this week is with a top brewer, and co-creator of Pellcile Mag, Jonny Hamilton. Quickly becoming a publication of note in the food and drinks scene, Pellicle’s focus on cider with the same level of care as beer and wine has made it one to watch with each new article. Jonny’s first published piece, Where You’re Meant to Be, is a personal dive into the beginnings of the publication, through a lens of mental health and the effects of life. Lots of personal, raw conversation here and Jonny’s honesty shines through. The guys go through everything, from imposter syndrome, reliving struggles, the beginnings of his cider journey, lockdown and eggs benedict. It’s a thoughtful interview, with only one obviously long-winded question from Gabe!

This week’s tasting sees the boys try a bottle of Bushel + Peck’s Dabinett. Gabe praised them on the final episode of 2020, so the guys have been keen to sync up their tasting, and a single variety was the best excuse!

Finally, it’s question time at Neutral Confectionary Hotel, with this week’s question comes from Batch Cider, asking if Scott is the only one shaving during lockdown (yes) and how to improve tasting and the language involved, before Gabe’s mysterious finger wound is fully opened up by the guys. This was the most hysterical the guys have been, just to be warned before the screaming starts!

The Team:
Gabe Cook wrote a book: Ciderology
Grant Hutchison has a cider business: Re:Stalk
Martyn Goodwin-Sharman loves to talk about cider: CiderShit

The Rest of The Team:
Executive Producer/Editor: Scott Riggs
Music: Billy Kennedy

Connect:
Instagram:NeutralCiderHotel
Facebook: NeutralCiderHotel
Twitter:NeutralCiderPod
Website: https://www.neutralciderhotel.com/

Wassail! Join hostsGabe Cook, Grant Hutchison and Tom-Tit (Martyn Goodwin-Sharman) as they hang bread from trees and pour cider on the roots on old twelvey, in the garden of the Neutral Cider Hotel!

Gabe jumps in with some boozy salutations, and explains the history of Wassail, Martyn says FACE, and Grant worries about the twelve listeners we’ve lost to the history lesson! British traditions of bog snorkelling, knee slapping and cheese rolling are admired, before Scott shoots it all down! Grant praises Jonny Hamilton and his piece on how Pellicle Mag came to be, and his thoughtful, honest dive into personal struggle and mental health. Martyn then brings up “the best thing he’s ever done”, and something to look forward to after the lockdown. Then, it's onto the interview!

Our interview this week is with two of the most influential voices in the UK cider scene; Cath Potter and Dick Withecombe! Hosting the Manchester Cider Club, a part of Cider Women and until recently Cider Buzz MCR, these cage rattlers have made their voices heard and have had such a wonderful impact on the scene! The guys chat about everything, from their view of the podcast, the cider bubble and reaching outside of it, converting beer drinkers, the impact of one book on their whole approach, the lexicon of cider and the work of CAMRA. It’s a full to the brim interview, and we could have drank along all night!

This week’s tasting sees the boys crack some bottles of Pulpt’s Level, a clean, crisp and easy drink that defies the deep analysis of the usual hotel drinks in favour of pure drinkability!

Finally, it’s game time at Neutral Cider Hotel, with ‘Variety is the Spice of Life!’ It’s multiple choice, so play along at home and let us know on the socials how well you did! Featuring ciders from Once Upon a Tree, Little Pomona, Wilding Cider and Pilton; with a bombshell bonus question that cost the quizmaster a little too much!

Other Links:
Gabe wrote a book: Ciderology
Grant has a cider business: Re:Stalk
Martyn loves to talk about cider: CiderShit

The Rest of The Team:
Executive Producer/Editor: Scott Riggs
Music: Billy Kennedy

Connect:
Instagram:NeutralCiderHotel
Facebook:NeutralCiderHotel
Twitter:NeutralCiderPod
Website:www.neutralciderhotel.com

Join hostsGabe Cook, Grant Hutchison andMartyn Goodwin-Sharman as they celebrate the new year as Poland’s 35th most popular food and drink podcast!

Gabe boasts about our hotel, Martyn says hello to his dad, Grant doesn’t respect his child anymore and Producer Scott apologises to Ryan and his factory! The guys also welcome in 2021 with a selection of their ‘ones to watch’, so check out the cider-makers selected for your future drinks.

 A slow news week as the guys discuss the TV show Inside the Factory, featuring the world’s largest cider-making facility at Bulmers Cider. The guys then discuss which movies they watched over the Christmas holiday and Scott’s terribly sad Christmas Tree.

Our interview is with Lily Waite! Creator of Queer Brewing Project, providing visibility and community within the brewing world for LGBTQ+ people, she’s also an ceramicist and the British Guild’s Beer Writer of the Year 2020! The guys chat about everything, from her work fresh from Cloudwater’s Wayfinder project, her first beer writing and its retrospective and her brewing. 

The tasting is three different bottles from Devon’s Find & Foster; Snicket, Sevenand Pendragon. Different techniques and varieties from an awesome producer in the South West, the guys have been loving their drinks for some time, and this was a great excuse to crack three different bottles, and to grab the mop and bucket!

Finally, it's  ‘Grant’s Game!’ where he takes the opportunity to punish the guys with anagram apple varieties.

The Team
Gabe wrote a book: Ciderology
Grant has a cider business: Re:Stalk
Martyn loves to talk about cider: CiderShit
Executive Producer/Editor: Scott Riggs
Music: Billy Kennedy

Connect:
Instagram:NeutralCiderHotel
Twitter:NeutralCiderPod
Website:http://www.neutralciderhotel.com

Join hosts Gabe Cook, Grant Hutchison, Martyn Goodwin-Sharman and special guest host Producer Scott Riggs as they clean down and inspect every room, in this Best Of Extravaganza Episode of Neutral Cider Hotel!

2020 was ridiculous. It made itself known as a year unlike any other pretty much from the word go, but through all the chaos, struggle and hardship of a blackened sky, the rays of joy shone brighter than ever. One such ray, to three men in the United Kingdom and another in America, was Neutral Cider Hotel. A weekly get together inspired by the best cider the world has to offer, and gave each of them something to look forward to in the craziest of times. A chance to get together, chat, laugh and talk about their cider, their lives and everything in between. It also gave them an opportunity to make new friends in the thousands of new listeners that have joined them in the conversation.

With only a handful of episodes released this year, in spite of incalculable hours spent recording, Executive Producer Scott Riggs has pulled together all our favorite moments and guides us through a countdown to our absolute favorite episode of 2020.  This is every last bit of fun we can squeeze out of 2020.

From crenellated uroliths to four minute yes/no questions, tackle and bait shop recording equipment to peasant salads, with guest appearances from Cher, Smeagle and the Founding Fathers of America to help along the way.

Thank you for listening, and here’s hoping that 2021 is a little more normal!

Other Links:
Gabe wrote a book: Ciderology
Grant has a cider business: Re:Stalk
Martyn loves to talk about cider: CiderShit

The Rest of The Team:
Executive Producer/Editor: Scott Riggs
Music: Billy Kennedy

Connect:
Instagram:NeutralCiderHotel
Twitter:NeutralCiderPod
Website:http://www.neutralciderhotel.com

Join hostsGabe Cook, Sir Crenellated Urolith the 3rd andMartyn Goodwin-Sharman as they meet See-anta himself in this Christmas edition of the Neutral Cider Hotel!

Gabe has to apologise to “Scottish culture,” and Grant and Martyn both treated themselves to cider from The Cat in the Glass. Then, a lovely snippet turns up in conversation about photography, cider and forgetfulness.

In the news, Grant talks about Cloudwater’s new Wayfinder; previous show guest, Helen Anne Smith of Burum Collective! It’s a wonderful program aimed at making positive change to the industry by promoting and raising voices outside of the usual bubble.

Our interview is with a legend in the scene; Martin Berkeley of Pilton Cider. The guys discuss his decade in the industry, the intrigue of keeving, breaking from the corporate image, fruit cider, The Bristol Cider Salon and everything in between. 

For the tasting, the boys stay in Somerset, with a new product from Wilding Cider. Nempnett Thrubwell; a single orchard selection, ancestral method sparkling cider, this one is for celebrations and should be in the fridge this New Year's Eve! Check out Pellicle Mag’s great profile of Wilding here.

The guys list their Christmas Day ciders, including Little Pomona, Olivers, Tinston Wines & Ciders, Halfpenny Green, Pilton and more. 

For this week’s game, Gabe brings a Christmas Quiz to the boys, with festive trivia and the true spirit of Christmas. Don’t try to play along at home, it goes a bit pear shaped quite quickly! Merry Christmas from all of us at Neutral Cider Hotel!

Other Links:
Gabe wrote a book: Ciderology
Grant has a cider business: Re:Stalk
Martyn loves to talk about cider: CiderShit

The Rest of The Team:
Executive Producer/Editor: Scott Riggs
Music: Billy Kennedy

Connect:
Instagram:NeutralCiderHotel
Twitter:NeutralCiderPod
Website:http://www.neutralciderhotel.com

Interview:Tasmine Fraser
Cider Review: Little Pomona - Disco Nouveau 

Join hostsGabe Cook,Grant David Hutchison andMartyn David Goodwin-Sharman as they explore the world of cider from the comfort of the Neutral Cider Hotel!

Gabe kicks off things in the game room, Grant plays Tetris with boxes in his new house and Martyn has been counting down the days for a bubble bath with Phoebe Bridgers!

In the news this week, Martyn connects with the imposter syndrome Adam Wells writes of for Malt Review, whilst Grant and Gabe bring possibly the greatest headline in the world of cider to the table. If anyone wants to take the band name ‘Pagan Journalist’ we’ll happily pass on the rights!

Our interview this week is with the wonderfulTasmine Fraser! She’s on the front line of global cider advocacy, as a member of the Cider Scene crew and especially through her own Instagram page, and after a social media post, she kickstarted the #noappleogies movement in response to sexism. The guys go through inclusivity in the industry, Tasmine’s cider, shared values and honesty, and impromptu aeroplane piloting! This episode really is, in Gabe’s words, a hoot!

Then we’re onto the tasting, and this week the guys get ready to rumble with a cider from the first guests to grace the podcast; Little Pomona! Disco Nouveau is Herefordshire cider’s answer to Beaujolais wine, bringing the rush of harvest in a fun package. It’s a great connector between the wine and cider worlds, and the guys get their skates on to dive in!

Then, it's Martyn's turn for a game and Grant is worried his losing streak will not be broken. The game is called ‘Who Gives a S**t?!’ Martyn takes the guys on a deep dive through his tasting notes, and they have to guess the maker and the cider. Join in at home and let us know your score on our socials!

Don’t forget to like, subscribe and write a review for the show, and thank you for joining us at Neutral Cider Hotel!

Other Links:
Gabe wrote a book:Ciderology
Grant has a cider business:Re:Stalk
Martyn loves to talk about cider:CiderShit

The Rest of The Team:
Executive Producer/Editor:Scott Riggs
Music:Billy Kennedy

Connect:
Instagram:NeutralCiderHotel
Twitter:NeutralCiderPod
Website:http://www.neutralciderhotel.com

Join hostsGabe Cook,Grant Hutchison andMartyn Goodwin-Sharman as your eyelids get heavy and your breath calmer before they bring you back (snap) into the Neutral Cider Hotel!

Things are cool AF with Martyn, who has been down at Pilton Cider again, and Grant has brought Rebel Root into the Re:stalk portfolio. Gabe has been doing research for his new book, delving into IP Laws and somehow segueing into an apology to Scotland. And finally, Grant’s tasting for the Salford Virtual Beer Festival went well, raising funds for Start Inspiring Minds with music and cider! The Spotify playlist is available here.

This week’s news is a big one, so make sure to pay attention!

Our interview this week is with the awesome Sarah Warman of Hawkes! Coming from a progressive beer background, Sarah now has the opportunity to spearhead one of the key cider makers in these exciting times. The guys discuss everything; from the differences in the beer and cider industries, the divisive nature of parent company Brewdog, the Hawkes Ciderama festival, and the future of the apple donors project.

Then, onto the tasting with a focus on the affordable category. Is the widely available cider up to snuff, or are the guys a group of snobs? Featuring Hawkes Urban Orchard, Henney’s Dry Cider and Aldi’s Twisted Tree Sparkling. This week’s drinking game is “spot the "Withnail & I" quote

And finally, the guys answer a listener’s question about varieties, with some deep insight from Gabe.

Other Links:
Gabe wrote a book:Ciderology
Grant has a cider business:Re:Stalk
Martyn loves to talk about cider:CiderShit

The Rest of The Team:
Executive Producer/Editor:Scott Riggs
Music:Billy Kennedy

Connect:
Instagram:NeutralCiderHotel
Twitter:NeutralCiderPod
Website:http://www.neutralciderhotel.com

Interview: Albert Johnson  - Ross on Wye
Cider Review: Oliver’s - Gold Rush 8 Raw

Join hosts Gabe Cook, Grant Hutchison and Martyn Goodwin-Sharman as they swill the planters and remember to use the right software when they record Neutral Cider Hotel!

Grant has packed his cider collection away ahead of a big move and rubbed lockdown in Martyn’s face, before the guys mull over mulled cider. Cider George sparks joy for Gabe with a supermarket cider, before Martyn reels off a list of bottle shops and tries not to offend everyone selling fantastic ciders! Martyn kicks off the news with some Perry praise and a middle-earth identity crisis, Gabe dives the guys back into the depressing world of Minimum Unit Pricing, and Grant questions the ‘original’ artwork for Gabe’s new book.

For the big interview, the guys invite one of Herefordshire’s finest to the ho (Gabe slang for hotel), Albert Johnson of the award winning Ross on Wye Cider. The 4th generation cider maker at the site, Albert’s heritage is matched by his creative and forward thinking approach to cider. The guys cover everything from the “most complete Perry they’ve released,” Grant’s store room of kegs, funk music and Gabe’s maddening digressions!

This week’s tasting is with another Herefordshire legend, Oliver’s Gold Rush 8 - Raw. Grant and Martyn have both waxed lyrical about the Gold Rush range, and this new 750ml Raw version has been one of interest. Something fishy is definitely going on, so make sure to drink along whenever Gabe mentions bagels!

Next up, a new game for our overseas listeners still full from Thanksgiving dinner; Star Spangled Cider! Historic cider references linked to the founding fathers, hard questions and hard cider! There is controversy with the answering, so let us know if you feel either of the contestants were robbed! Do be warned, there are interesting impersonations in this representation of American history!

And finally, the guys answer the listeners questions, with up and coming cider makers to look out for, and there’s some controversy when it comes to defining language in cider.

Other Links:
Gabe wrote a book: Ciderology
Grant has a cider business: Re:Stalk
Martyn loves to talk about cider: CiderShit

The Rest of The Team:
Executive Producer/Editor: Scott Riggs
Music: Billy Kennedy

Connect:
Instagram: NeutralCiderHotel
Twitter: NeutralCiderPod
Website: http://www.neutralciderhotel.com

Join hosts Gabe Cook, Grant Hutchison and Martyn Goodwin-Sharman in the Neutral Cider Hotel, as they "oracled there until" this whole thing blows over!

Gabe catches the guys off guard with anagrams and embattled bladder stones. Grant then praises J’adore Le Plonk by Rachel Hendry and Martyn celebrates the 20th birthday of Limp Bizkit’s Chocolate Starfish & the Hotdog Flavoured Water.

Martyn kicks off the news with a story about Hawkes getting 12 tonnes of community sourced apples through the mail, before chatting about the founder’s departure from the company. Grant then highlights a Men’s Health article on an oddly numbered, top 11 ciders. For Gabe's birthday, he had quick cider drinks with beard envy general Gwatkins, and a bottle of Eve’s Cidery Albee Hill 2019 made it one to remember. Grant wraps it up in trendsetting Clitheroe in Lancashire, with the news of Tom and Katy Mather’s bar, Corto.

The guys then chat with the wonderful Helen Anne Smith, the creator of Burum Collective. A community blog ran by volunteers, they’ve provided an inclusive space for discussion and creativity in the beer, wine and cider scenes. They discuss inclusivity within hospitality, holding a CV up to scrutiny, Grant’s enthusiasm, and education within the drinks industries.

For this week’s tasting, the guys get a different bottle each from the same maker: Sundström Cider. Made in the Hudson Valley, New York, Leif Sundström brings a wine like sensibility to each of the bottles on show. The range showcases varieties and techniques, and is worth the mop and bucket!

Gabe then busts out his new game; Ciderology Knowledgy (aka CiderKnowledgy)!

Finally, the guys answer the listeners questions, featuring the brown house, ciders for the cooler months, manly spliff’s CV and a post apocalyptic future. The guys then say goodbye, and Martyn is banned from Scotland.

Other Links:
Gabe wrote a book: Ciderology
Grant has a cider business: Re:Stalk
Martyn loves to talk about cider: CiderShit

The Rest of The Team:
Executive Producer: Scott Riggs
Editor: Scott Riggs
Music: Billy Kennedy

Connect:
Instagram: NeutralCiderHotel
Twitter: NeutralCiderPod
Website: http://www.neutralciderhotel.com

Join hosts Gabe Cook, Grant Hutchison and Martyn Goodwin-Sharman on their tropical island of all things cider!

The guys discuss Frightened Rabbit as an answer on a game show, TV appearances and unflattering celebrity comparisons (It's Ed Sheeran!) before delving into the news.

Grant kicks off things with a return of Roger Wilkins, who has found the cure to covid! After the guys restored his honour in a previous episode, the now scientist has proclaimed his vitamin-heavy drink is the answer to the world’s problems. Gabe then takes the guys through the upcoming Cidercon, the world’s biggest cider gathering, which is now open for registration.

This week’s interview is with a man who’s not just in the know with cider, he’s actually written the book on it. We’re happy to welcome three time Beer Writer of the Year winner, Pete Brown! Highly acclaimed beer and cider writer, Pete’s got a huge library of stories and an equal breadth of published books to match. From Craft: An Argument to The Apple Orchard, Pete takes the guys through the cider regions who think they invented it, cider top trumps with Tom Oliver, the problem with ‘craft’ in cider and wanky writing. We cannot confirm or deny if he had a masturbate after the recording!

The featured cider this week is Ross on Wye’s Thorn Perry. Gabe’s favourite variety of pear, it’s a big, bold and bright perry with some very intense character. The Horse of Knowledge makes a return to discuss the Pet Nat process as the guys take their time with the drink.

Finally, they go through the listener’s questions, featuring Burum Collective’s Helen asking about education in cider, before Grant reads out the listener’s weirdest places to drink cider in the weirdest Grant voice you’ll ever hear.

Other Links:
Gabe wrote a book: Ciderology
Grant has a cider business: Re:Stalk
Martyn loves to talk about cider: CiderShit

The Rest of The Team:
Executive Producer: Scott Riggs
Editor: Scott Riggs
Music: Billy Kennedy

Connect:
Instagram: NeutralCiderHotel
Twitter: NeutralCiderPod
Website: http://www.neutralciderhotel.com

Join hosts Gabe Cook, Grant Hutchison and Martyn Goodwin-Sharman through these turbulent times by checking in to the Covid-free Neutral Cider Hotel!

The guys go through blending cider, buying houses and an off the cuff discussion of apple varieties.

In the news, Gabe kicks off things with some bad news about this year’s The Big Apple event in Herefordshire, whilst discussing his pie selection and fingering process. Martyn then humbly brings up his own writing for Graftwood as “news,” before delving into the journalistic mecca that is Bridport & Lyme Regis News for some cider-sciencetory! Finally, there’s a deep discussion on the etymology of the word “cheers”, featuring the worst impression of a gay icon from a half-cut Martyn.

This week’s interview is the boy’s first trip out of the UK! Connecting with a wonderful duo in their home all the way in the Finger Lakes region of New York in the US, the Neutral Cider Hotel is proud to host Autumn Stoscheck and Ezra Sherman of Eve’s Cidery. An orchard-based cidery with a focus on organic farming and minimal intervention, their drinks are always stunning and the boys dive into deep conversation straight away. Moving through every subject in fine cider, from terroir and sense of place, self-taught banjo players, the difficulties of innovation and child labour in the name of art.

The guys then sample Eve’s Cidery’s DeRidder after the conversation, and what a tasting it is. A 750ml wonder, a Pet Nat style cider made with stolen apples (scrumpy to the English!), hear the boys honest reaction and try to keep up with their pace. Drinking game this week, try and finish the bottle as quick as Martyn for a wild 5 minute ride! 

Finally, they go through the listener’s questions, featuring a new generation of drinkers, craft-kegged cider, Martyn’s pissed eyesight and the art blending in cider, featuring even more praise for DeRidder!

Quote of the episode: “Well that’s what scrumpy does to a man.” - Martyn Goodwin-Sharman

Other Links:
Gabe wrote a book: Ciderology
Grant has a cider business: Re:Stalk
Martyn loves to talk about cider: CiderShit

The Rest of The Team:
Executive Producer: Scott Riggs
Editor: Scott Riggs
Music: Billy Kennedy
Token American: Scott Riggs

Connect:
Instagram: NeutralCiderHotel
Twitter: NeutralCiderPod
Website: http://www.neutralciderhotel.com 

Join hosts Gabe Cook, Grant Hutchison and Martyn Goodwin-Sharman as they check you into the world of all things cider!

Episode Quote: “Can you tell me if my cyder ys cyld or fyzzy?” - Martyn Goodwin-Sharman

In the news, Grant kicks off things with a deep dive into excess apples and the pandemic’s effect on fruit growers, before Gabe brings in the launch of a $500,000 US study into the language of cider (or cyder)! And finally, Grant is hosting a cider music evening as part of the Salford Virtual Beer Festival happening on the 14th November 2020. Hosted by The Lady Sybil, featuring some wonderful cyders to drink with a live sync up.

This week’s interview is with the legend himself; Tom Oliver of Herefordshire. One of the greatest cider makers of all time, and often cited as an inspiration by the current crop of makers, the awards he’s won over the years speak for themselves! The guys discuss the individual apple and pear varieties, and how the selection comes together in the blend for the perfect drink. Breaking down the apples to their basic categories, Tom explains his process, what varieties he uses and where he sources them, including his cough on January the 2nd and his irritable bowels.

Gabe then goes head-to-head with Tom in a new segment called Pomme or Band?? Play along at home in a lonely drinking game, or listen to the bands after you’ve checked out of the hotel!

The guys then sample Sxollie’s Golden Delicious. A South African cider that packs all the character of the Golden Delicious into a 330ml bottle, listen in to hear what the guys think of this little hustler!

Finally, they go through the listener’s questions, featuring the difference between fine and bog-standard cider and how far dry cider can go.

You can follow us on Instagram or Twitterand send your questions for the “experts” there.

Other Links:
Gabe wrote a book: Ciderology
Grant has a cider business: Re:Stalk
Martyn loves to talk about cider: CiderShit

The Rest of The Team:
Executive Producer: Scott Riggs
Editor: Scott Riggs
Music: Billy Kennedy
Token American: Scott Riggs

Connect:
Instagram: NeutralCiderHotel
Twitter: NeutralCiderPod
Website: http://www.neutralciderhotel.com 

Join hosts, Gabe Cook, Grant Hutchison and Martyn Goodwin-Sharman as they make room for all the pressing issues in the world of cider!

Quote of the episode: “We’re a serious podcast as well as a stupid one.” - Grant Hutchison

The boys ramble through book plugs, holiday drinks in the Cornish sun and Scotland’s social problems, with a surprise appearance from everyone’s favourite murderous movie villain, Buffalo Bill.

In the news, Gabe kicks things off with The International Cider Challenge, and the boys give a peek behind the curtain for what it's like to judge at a cider contest. Finally, Grant clears Rodger Wilkins’ name after a picture mixup in an American race row!

This week’s interview is with Ryan Sealy of the Caledonian Cider Company. One of Scotland’s finest cider makers, the guys discuss everything from the identity of Scotland’s cider, his peculiar diet, blending cider and his sister’s job at Wickes. Spot the appearance of the first magical Chimera in the interview, before it leaves!

New addition to the drinking game. In previous episodes we were taking drinks for book plugs and horse of knowledge sightings. In this episode, drink every time you hear the words “leaf” or “leaves.” Staff will pick you up off the floor when it’s over!

The guys then sample Pilton Cider’s In Touch, Martyn’s guest blend at the Somerset cider maker’s site in collaboration with Dunleavy Wines. It was released as a part of South West Cider Week, with a unique unveiling featuring a poem from Cidershit.

Finally, they answer the burning questions of their twos of listeners, giving their informed opinions and wild guesses, depending on the mood! Featuring all the faults of cider and their go to picks for the start of a drinker’s journey. You can follow us on Instagram or Twitterand send your questions for the “experts” there.

Make sure to Rate, Review and Subscribe on Apple Podcast and thank you for your support.

Other Links:
Gabe wrote a book: Ciderology
Grant has a cider business: Re:Stalk
Martyn loves to talk about cider: CiderShit

The Rest of The Team:
Executive Producer: Scott Riggs
Editor: Scott Riggs
Music: Billy Kennedy
Token American: Scott Riggs

Connect:
Instagram: NeutralCiderHotel
Twitter: NeutralCiderPod
Website: http://www.neutralciderhotel.com 

Welcome to the very first episode of the Neutral Cider Hotel podcast. Our hosts, Gabe Cook, Grant Hutchison and Martyn Goodwin-Sharman will be checking you in and unpacking all things cider!

If you are looking for a new drinking game, take a drink every time Gabe plugs his book. You might not make it until the end of the show.

After a quick intro to the boys, they’ll dive into the news where they cover the Discover Cider campaign, Grant talks about a new Swedish organic cider he recently tried called Brutes,  Martyn gives a quick review of a few ciders from his recent Pommelier Fine Cider Club delivery and Gabe talks about a new Danish cider he’s enjoying from Cold Hand Winery called Malus X Feminam.

The first appearance of the “Horse of Knowledge” happens in this episode. Add that to your drinking game with book plugs for a real fun time.

Our interview this week has James and Susanna Forbes of Little Pomona join the show, talking through their cider process, methods and experiments, their links to Herefordshire and the values of cider.

The guys then sample and give an in-depth, on-the-spot review of Cidre Blanc from Anxo, an urban cider maker based in Washington, DC in the US whose clean, dry ciders are now finally available in the UK.

They then wrap up the show with listener’s questions, sometimes, but not often about cider. If you want to ask the “experts” a question, follow us on Instagram or Twitterand send them there.

Other Links:
Gabe wrote a book: Ciderology
Grant has a cider business: Re:Stalk
Martyn loves to talk about cider: CiderShit

The Rest of The Team:
Executive Producer: Scott Riggs
Editor: Scott Riggs
Music: Billy Kennedy
Graphic Design: Chris Armes
Token American: Scott Riggs

Connect:
Instagram: NeutralCiderHotel
Twitter: NeutralCiderPod
Website: http://www.neutralciderhotel.com