Tap That AZ Podcast
Ep. 40 Cider Corps. | Tap That AZ Video Podcast - Full Interview
For most of my beer drinkers out there when we hear “cider” we respond with “Oh yeah, my wife loves those”. For many of us, cider is just too sweet or tart and usually just too weak. We want a little kick with our drinks especially for us hop heads whose smiles get bigger as the ABV’s go up. So when my buddy Stefan, aka AZ Beer Jedi, said “hey, there is a cider house opening in Mesa soon” I was like “cool” but also secretly thinking “ok, I’ll probably never go there”. But also in the back of my mind I know that Stefan is a man of good taste so I hadn’t TOTALLY eliminated all chances of ever going. There was still a small thread of interest. Then I read the story behind Cider Corps. (http://cidercorpsaz.com/) Jason Duren had been stationed in Afghanistan and suffered 2 traumatic brain injuries caused by 2 separate IED explosions in late 2012. When he returned home the adjustment was very difficult and a doctor recommended that he take up a hobby to help in the rehabilitation process. His brother John also wanted to do what he could to help his brother. The two decided to make cider. At first it didn’t go well. At all. The first batch went right down the drain. But over time they dug so deep into this that they started to understand just more than adding ingredients together. They understood the science behind what was happening. This in-depth understanding helped to catapult them to a level where now there is a waiting list for restaurants around the state to have their cider on tap. Ok Stefan, I GUESS I’ll check it out. I was super stoked to meet these guys and try this cider. And it did not disappointment. They had 6 different kinds including a pumpkin pie cider, a cold brew coffee cider and my favorite, Dead End Kettle Sour IPA. Yeah, you heard that all right. And all of them were amazing. And to hear the story straight from them? Even better. Just a couple of awesome guys doing great things. Their slogan is “Enjoy Great Cider, Honor Great Sacrifice” and they live by that. The taproom is full of military-related items including a HUGE flag that hangs and hand grenade tap handles. Even the bar top that are putting in will be made out of purple heart wood as a homage to Jason’s Purple Heart which they plan to embed into the bar top as well. Overall, one of my favorite interviews so far. Looking forward to seeing what these guys do. In this episode I sit down with Jason and Josh Duren from Cider Corps along with co-host AZ Beer Jedi. We talk about the challenges of making cider in a craft beer centric region as well as how cider making helped Jason deal with 2 traumatic brain injuries suffered while stationed in Afghanistan. One of my favorite interviews so far. Enjoy the show! Stay awesome, Eric Walters
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04/01/2022
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Ep. 52 Sinagua Malt Extra Scene | TTAZ08/17/2021
Ep. 51 Pour of the Week | Pedal Haus - Tempe, Arizona06/16/2020
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Ep. 48 12 West Brewing | Tap That AZ Video Podcast10/16/2019
Ep. 47 Pour of the Week | Beer Research Institute09/25/2019
Ep. 46 Beer Research Institute | Tap That AZ Video Podcast03/12/2019
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Ep. 43 Festival de Beer y Musica - Phoenix Children's Hospital Charity Event11/16/2018
Ep. 42 Adventurous Stills11/12/2018
Ep. 41 Cider Corps. (Audio Only)11/11/2018
Ep. 40 Cider Corps. | Tap That AZ Video Podcast - Full Interview11/11/2018
Ep. 39 Cider Corps.11/01/2018
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Ep. 36 Earn Your Booze | Tap That AZ Video Podcast - Extended Interview10/30/2018
Ep. 35 Valley of the Sun Foodies10/30/2018
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Ep. 33 Craft6410/28/2018
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Ep. 30 Dark Sky Brewing Company10/26/2018
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Ep. 28 The Classy Alcoholic10/24/2018
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Ep. 26 Scottsdale Beer Company10/23/2018
Ep. 25 McFate Brewing Company10/22/2018
Ep. 24 Fayuca and Helio Basin Collaboration "Fayuca Rizing"10/21/2018
Ep. 23 AZ Distilling Company10/20/2018
Ep. 22 Helio Basin Brewing Company10/19/2018
Ep. 21 The Pour of the Week - Goldwater Brewing Company | Marvin the Marzen10/18/2018
Ep. 20 Real Wild and Woody Festival w/Arizona Craft Brewers Guild10/17/2018
Ep. 19 "Somethings Brewing" with Justin Cross, Part 110/18/2018
Ep. 18 Behind the Scenes #2 @GoldwaterBrewingCo10/17/2018
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Ep. 16 Saddle Mountain Brewing Company10/16/2018
Ep. 15 Goldwater Brewing Co.10/16/2018
Ep. 14 Season 2 Premiere - Goldwater Brewing Co. | Tap That AZ Video Crowler Series10/15/2018
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Ep. 12 Richter Aleworks10/13/2018
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Ep. 9 BTS #1 Raw Edit at Goldwater10/11/2018
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