514: Doing More With Lees | Ryan Monkman

Lees are more than sediment at the bottom of a tank. Recorded at CiderCon 2026 in Providence, Rhode Island, cidermaker and fermentation consultant Ryan Monkman explores how cidermakers can put lees to work throughout fermentation, élevage, and bottling. Ryan digs into fine and gross lees, cracking lees, bâtonnage, autolysis, oxygen management, fault correction, bottle conditioning, and practical ways to decide which lees to keep and which to let go. Timestamps 00:00 Cider Is Sensory 02:25 News From Ciderville 04:29 Back To CiderCon 05:29 Fine, Gross And Cracked Lees 07:58 Passive To Active Uses 09:29 Harvesting And Storing Lees 13:16 Cracking Lees 18:53 Why Crack Fresh Lees 21:46 Using Lees In Fermentation 26:15 Bâtonnage And Élevage 28:30 Using Lees To Correct Faults 31:10 Bottling, Canning And Kegging 35:22 Dosing Lees For Ancestral Cider 36:41 Traditional Method And Sur Lie 38:07 What To Watch For With Lees 39:55 Bâtonnage Timing And Technique 41:55 Bâtonnage And Oxygen 43:25 Cracked Lees And Autolysis 44:26 Building Three Cider Styles 47:03 Élevage Strategies 48:17 Bottling The Three Ciders 49:35 Lees, Yeast And Terroir 50:54 Ryan Monkman Wrap Up Mentions in This Cider Chat eCiderNews Cider led the August Beer Purchasers Index for the first time, coming in ahead of imports. Michigan's important fall cider season An update to the remembrance of cider author and advocate Ben Watson, with additional reflections from his longtime friend Annie Card. Subscribe to eCiderNews for the latest cider news and analysis. Totally Cider Tours | France Ria is heading back to France with Totally Cider Tours for an autumn journey through French cider country, with more stories from the orchards and cideries coming to Cider Chat. CiderFeast Brooklyn CiderFeast returns to Brooklyn on October 3, bringing cider makers and cider fans together in New York City. Listen & Subscribe 🍎 Apple Podcasts: Apple Podcasts 🎧 Spotify: Spotify ▶️ YouTube: YouTube Learn More 🌐 Episode show notes: https://ciderchat.com/podcast/514-doing-more-with-lees/ 📰 eCiderNews: eCiderNews Support Cider Chat If you enjoy independent cider journalism and conversations with cider makers from around the world, consider supporting Cider Chat. 🍎 Become a Patron or Commercial Partner: Patreon Stay Connected 📬 Story tips: news@ciderchat.com 📱 Instagram: @ciderchatciderville