Non-Member Registration Information   Save money by joining the association before registering - join here!

• Conference Registration - $775 per person (October 1st - December 8th, or until conference space is full)

• Late Registration - $800 per person (December 9th - January 16th, or until conference space is full)

• On-site Registration - $900 per person

Included with your CiderCon® Conference Registration

• Opening General Session with Keynote Speakers

• Two-day access to the Trade Show presented by Fruitsmart

• TTB Bootcamp on Wednesday - 8:30am-12:30pm

• Lunch on Thursday presented by Winemakers Depot and lunch on Friday presented by Jenrey

• Coffee presented by Milne

• Thursday Happy Hour in the Trade Show presented by Hart Print

• Many Networking Opportunities 

• Free Conference App presented by Juicing Systems

• More than 30 educational workshops about professional cidermaking and related topics

Optional Add-Ons

Tours Note: Tour schedules are subject to change; if you purchase a tour and need to confirm timing, contact Emily prior to making travel plans. Tours include lots of walking (indoors and outdoors) in winter in the Pacific Northwest. Expect rain and please plan accordingly. 

Seattle Area Cider Production Tour (2 Days - Monday and Tuesday) Full tour $395 Sold out - From small DIY to high tech high volume, this tour will visit 4 Seattle area cideries showcasing different production facility scales and styles. On this 2 day tour, you'll visit Schilling Cider, Seattle Cider Company, Locust Cider and Greenwood Cider Company. We'll also make time for a tasting at Yonder Cider's taproom and a cider pairing dinner at Capitol Cider. Tour costs include tastings at each stop, 2 lunces, 1 dinner, 1 hotel night in Seattle and transportation to and from Portland. In addition to the official tour agenda, you'll have the opportunity to explore the Ballard brewery district and Capitol Hill neighborhood on your own. Live in the Seattle area? Join us for the partial tour, which includes the cider pairing dinner and activities on Tuesday morning. You'll meet the tour and catch a ride to Portland. Partial tour cost is $100. Full tour departs Monday at 9am and returns Tuesday by 6pm.

Olympic Peninsula Cider Tour (2 Days - Monday and Tuesday) $295 Sold out Journey north to discover the beauty and history of the cideries, orchards and lands of the Olympic Peninsula. This two day tour will visit two cideries, one cidery event space and a new cider education facility. Tour cost includes tastings at 3 stops, dinner, lunch, breakfast, hotel and transportation. In addition to the official tour agenda, you'll have the opportunity to explore Fort Worden Historical Park, where we will stay overnight in historic officer's homes. Tour departs Monday at 12pm and returns Tuesday by 6:15pm.

Columbia Gorge Cidery & Brewery Tour - Tuesday $110  Visit 3 fermentation businesses in the scenic Columbia River Gorge that make both cider and beer: Double Mountain, Mt. View Orchards and Working Hands Fermentation. We'll tour production spaces and tasting rooms to see how these businesses attract both the local community and tourists, and both cider and beer drinkers. Tour cost includes tastings, lunch and transportation. Tour departs Tuesday at 8:30am and returns Tuesday by 5:45pm.

Co-existing and Co-fermenting in the Willamette Valley Cider & Wine Region - Tuesday $110 Sold out The Willamette Valley, just south of Portland, contains two-thirds of Oregon's wineries and vineyards. It's also home to fabulous cideries, many of them using the bounty of the region to make co-ferments. On this tour, we'll visit four cideries and orchards to chat about how they coexist in wine country and taste their ciders. Tour cost includes tastings, lunch and transportation. Tour departs Tuesday at 8:30am and returns Tuesday by 5:45pm.

Portland's Quirky Culinary Adventure: Exploring Weird and Wonderful Food and Cider Pairings - Tuesday $100 Sold out Indulge your senses in a culinary adventure like no other as we take you on a journey through the heart of Portland, Oregon, where food, cider, and culture collide in a tantalizing fusion of flavors and experiences. This tour features 5 unique locations, with multiple pairings at each location. Don't miss out on this chance to celebrate the vibrant culinary scene of this beautiful city, known for its diverse and quirky offerings and world- renowned ciders. Tour departs Tuesday at 9am and returns by 5pm.

2 Towns Cider Open House - Wednesday $20 Sold out Catch a ride to 2 Towns Ciderhouse - Oregon’s largest craft cider producer  - for a special CiderCon Open House. Tour the 2 Towns production space, meet with cidermakers, and mingle with CiderCon attendees under the big tent. Lunch and snacks from food trucks and more than 20 ciders will be available for purchase. Tour will depart at 9am and return by 3pm. 

New Cidermaker's Workshop with the Cider Institute of North America (CINA) - Wednesday 8:30am $75  Kick off CiderCon® with a half-day workshop for new cider makers, facilitated by the Cider Institute of North America (CINA). Join educators and industry experts for an overview of the cider making process and a deep-dive into some of the key topics and considerations for new producers. The boot camp will offer a foundation to help participants build connections and make the most out of the CiderCon® Production Track sessions. Topics include:

• What is cider and how is it made
• Yeast fermentation management
• Use and abuse of SO2
• Stabilization options
• Basics of sensory analysis
• Sanitation best practices

CiderCon® Tee Shirts - $16 

Certified Pommelier™ Exam - Wednesday 8:30am $275 (non-members price) Are you ready to take the next step in your professional development in the cider industry? If you have already passed the Certified Cider Professional Level 1 Certification and are looking for that next challenge, register now for the Certified Pommelier™ Exam.  Register for the exam here.  Registration closes December 27th. 

Cider Share Opening Reception - Sponsored by Voran Wednesday 5pm $20 for a tasting ticket - if your company would like to pour at Cider Share, use this link to apply. 

Tasting Sessions - Please note that sold out tasting sessions will have limited room in the back for those who want to listen to the lecture but not taste (free of charge). These are offered on a first come, first serve basis as space allows. Please be patient while ticket holders are seated first.  Note: We charge a nominal fee for tasting sessions to create ticket-holder accountability, support our drink coordinator staff, buy our volunteers coffee, and cover any shipping costs for our generous speakers. Many CiderCon attendees do not attend tastings sessions, so this helps us keep the general price lower. Tasting session tickets are refundable and transferable before a session has taken place.

Breaking Boundaries: Cider Hybrids with Beer and Grape Wine - Thursday 10:30am $12 Sold out An increasing number of cidermakers, winemakers, and brewers are experimenting with hybrids that break down what is typically expected from stand-alone beverages. By crossing boundaries between categories, the outcomes of these blends and co-fermentations offer exciting new flavors. Join this session to hear from producers about different approaches to hybrid products and considerations when unifying cider, wine and beer. Attendees will taste cider/grape wine hybrids from North America and grafs from the U.K. and Sweden, where beer/cider hybrids have been a key to bringing new consumers into the fold of cider.

An Introduction to Low-ABV & Non-Alcoholic Cider Production - Thursday - 10:30am $12 Sold out This session will provide a basic overview of the various methods that can be used to produce low-ABV and non-alcoholic (NA) ciders, including a brief introduction to the technologies and regulations that may be associated with NA cider production. We will not be covering sparkling juice production, Participants will taste a range of products and should walk away with insight into various methods that might be employed to produce low-ABV and NA products, and the knowledge that there are different regulatory hurdles associated with NA production. Attendees will learn about different methods of low-ABV production, different methods of non-alcoholic production, technologies associated with NA production, and regulatory matters associated with NA production.

Comparing the Effect of Yeast Innoculation Rate on Fermentation Kinetics, Chemical and Aroma Compounds in Cider Fermentations - Thursday 2pm $12 Sold out - Yeast produce different types and concentrations of aroma compounds as a function of yeast strain type, fermentation conditions, raw ingredients, and juice treatments. The sensory profile of cider is significantly associated with yeast selection and the quality of cider is dependent upon predictable fermentation outcomes. During yeast metabolism subtle changes in yeast cell inoculum level, determine rate of cell division, nitrogen demand, and availability of aroma precursors. It is generally accepted in the wine world, that 106 yeast cells/mL should allow the fermentation to proceed predictably and completely with little to no residual sugar remaining; while under inoculating leads to sluggish and stuck fermentations. However, recent research in wine and beer has suggested that yeast inoculation rate can be used to drive aroma production toward an increase in positive aromas. Speakers in this advanced level sensory session will explore the effect of yeast inoculum size on the production of aroma compounds both positive and negative in a cider fermentation, by decreasing cell count to accommodate the limited carbohydrate and nitrogen present in apple juice destined for fermentation. Attendees will learn more about yeast metabolism and how yeast inoculation rates can be used to drive cider style and quality.

Pear Necessities: The Fruits and Flavours of International Perry - Thursday 2pm $12 Sold out  Riding the wave of the cider revolution, perry – perhaps the world’s best-kept drinks secret – has gradually been ascending too. In the UK, continental Europe, the USA and beyond, makers and drinkers are waking up to the unique qualities of the fermented pear. In this session Adam Wells, founder-editor of Cider Review and currently writing his first book, Perry: A Drinker’s Guide, will lead a panel discussion and tasting of some of the best perries from around the world.

Nordic Approaches to Cidermaking - Thursday 3:45pm $16  Sold out This year, we’re excited to welcome a delegation of Nordic cidermakers to CiderCon®. Join this session for a unique opportunity to try ciders from Norway and Sweden and learn about different production styles and techniques used in the region.

The Ancestral Method: Between Science & Art - Friday 10am $12 Sold out  This very traditional method in France makes it possible to produce sparkling ciders, fermented in bottles, while preserving some residual sugars of the apple without adding anti-yeasts or using pasteurization. Willamette Valley is home to some renowned winemakers using this technique, and more and more cidermakers are experimenting with the Ancestral Method. Hear from experts about production considerations, ways to identify the critical points, and keys to success of this demanding method, between science and art. Attendees will walk away having understood the particularities, advantages and disadvantages of the ancestral method compared to other carbonation methods. They will be able to identify the critical points and keys to success of this demanding method, between science and art.

Harvest Harmony: Exploring the Potential of Apple and Stone Fruit Co-ferments - Friday 10am $12  This session’s goal is to examine the extent of the possibilities of what apples plus+ can do. Co-ferments have been adopted across the fermentation world as a fun and exciting entry point both for producers and consumers alike. This session will focus on two different co-ferment mediums that are add with apples to produce something greater than the sum of their parts. This session will talk about making co-ferments but will focus on how these cider into a portfolio of offerings and how to engage with consumers about their nature, flavor and personality.

Evaluating Ciders for the Certified Pommelier™ Exam - Friday 11:30am $10 Participants will practice evaluating ciders using the ACA’s Structured Sensory Evaluation process guided by Certified Pommeliers™ Darlene Hayes and Tim Godfrey. This session will teach you how to objectively assess any cider, empowering you in the cidery and in assisting customers to find a cider they love while also helping you to prepare for the Certified Pommelier™ exam.

Fruit Foraging for Commercial Cider Production in New York and Beyond - Friday 2:00pm $12 Cider producers in many parts of the country are foraging apples to use in their commercial products. Some producers do this as an inexpensive way to obtain apples, others are finding unique quality attributes from the foraged fruit, and still others believe that foraging is a way to discover climate resilient genotypes that can be propagated and grown in orchard settings. In this panel discussion, Cornell and Rutgers scientists will share results from a project that interviewed dozens of producers in the Northeastern US about their foraging practices, and then chemically analyzed the foraged fruit, as well as genotyped the trees to learn about the pedigree of the trees. Commercial cider producers will be on the panel to share their stories, as well as their ciders made from foraged apples. Attendees will learn about the scale and scope of foraging, the reasons why producers are foraging, and the quality of cider made from foraged fruit.

New Frontiers in Traditional Cidermaking Regions - Friday 2pm $12 Sold out In an increasingly global cider community the exchange of information is leading to truly impressive innovations in both traditional and emerging cider producing regions. This panel of international cider experts will discuss the exciting new developments taking place across Europe. Traditional ciders may have their steadfast supporters, but in order to capture new consumers, innovation is essential. This panel of writers, researchers, judges and consultants have a broad understanding of cider in all its forms, and will present some of the most innovative ciders from their regions. 

Pasteurization: A Tool for Microbial Stability - Friday 3:45pm $12  Anyone can pasteurize cider at any size! Learn the science, data tracking, and practical methods to start with test batches and scale up to a hundred cases per day and beyond. We will start with a brief overview of stability concerns, needs, and common methods for cider, then hone in on pasteurization theory, best practices, equipment options, and solutions for small to medium sized cideries. Topics include temperature monitoring, DIY small-scale bath pasteurization, batch pasteurizers, small tunnel pasteurizers, and brief discussion of many interrelated stability and packaging parameters. There will be a sensory tasting of pasteurized cider at different levels. Attendees will learn what a PU is, how to determine target min/max PUs, deciding what equipment options are right for you, and tips for how to scale.

Using Amphora and Terracotta Vessels in Cider Production - Friday 3:45pm $12  Clay vessels have been used to ferment, store, and transport beverages since 6000 B.C. and a new wave of producers are rediscovering amphora and terracotta as a breathable, sustainable, and durable option for making cider. Andrew Beckham, the first commercial producer of terra cotta Amphorae for winemaking, cidermaking, and brewing in North America, will walk through the process of making his Novum fermenters and how to use them and care for them. Producers will discuss how they craft their ciders using terracotta, and what considerations to have when fermenting in amphora. This will also include a tasting of their ciders.
 

The ACA is proud to partner with the Cider Institute of North America to develop a robust offering of production workshops at CiderCon 2024. Many of these sessions include a tasting component. Other tasting sessions focus on sensory lexicon, flavor and terroir. 

CiderCon® Speaker Fund: 100% of your donation will go toward speaker stipends to recruit professional speakers to teach at CiderCon® $50

Note: Tours, Tastings and Sessions are subject to change. Space is limited. In the event of a session cancellation, fees will be refunded.

Important! Cancellation Policy:
In the event of cancellation by attendee (in writing to info@ciderassociation.org with receipt acknowledged by CiderCon staff): Before November 1, 2023 - all fees paid less $100 for processing will be refunded.  If cancellation occurs between November 1st, 2023 and January 1st, 2024, 50% of fees will be refunded - the remaining 50% will be forfeited.  After January 2nd, 2024 - the full cost will be forfeited.  No refunds will be processed after this date.  
Release and Indemnity Agreement
By registering for the 2024 CiderCon® Annual Convention, I release and agree to indemnify the American Cider Association and their agents, officers, servants and employees of each, from all liability for any loss, damage or injury sustained by me while involved in any way with the 2024 CiderCon® Convention.  I further acknowledge that photographs may be taken of me during the convention, and by my attendance I am giving permission to the American Cider Association to use my image in whatever way they may deem appropriate at their sole discretion. I further consent to allow the American Cider Association to store my personal data that is listed on this registration form.  By registering I acknowledge that I have read, understand and agree to this waiver and release, as well as the CiderCon Code of Conduct.
In the event of cancellation by attendee (in writing to info@ciderassociation.org with receipt acknowledged by CiderCon® staff): Before November 1, 2023 - all fees paid less $100 for processing will be refunded.  If cancellation occurs between November 1st, 2023 and January 1st, 2024, 50% of fees will be refunded - the remaining 50% will be forfeited.  After January 2nd, 2024 - the full cost will be forfeited.  No refunds will be processed after this date.  

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