Keepers of Our Craft: Jody Scott, Head Cidermaker at Zeffer Cider

As heroes of the humble apple and keepers of our craft, we're all about making real Hawke’s Bay cider, seltzer and alcoholic ginger beer from the best local apples and real fruit here at Zeffer.

We champion a commitment to true craft and innovation, and consider ourselves very lucky to be part of a unique community of New Zealand crafters and makers of all kinds who create some really amazing things.

As part of our Mixed Six Cider and Mixed Six Seltzer launch celebration, we’ve teamed up with six creators across a range of industries who inspire us every day. We wanted to know more about them and their craft, what inspires them and how they make space in their busy lives to connect with the people who matter most to them.

First up in our series of six is Jody Scott, our head cidermaker here are Zeffer. Many of you may know Jody as the creator of our extraordinary Apple Crumble Infused Cider, among many others! When he's not busy crafting our award-winning cider and other exciting beverages, you're likely to find Jody making the most of the great outdoors, or possibly busy with a home renovation. Read on to learn a bit more about Jody and his approach to the craft of cider!

As our head cidermaker, we feel we know you reasonably well already! But can you tell us and our Zeffer friends about how you got your start in cidermaking and what the craft means to you?

As with many cidermakers in the New World regions, I came to cidermaking via winemaking. I had been travelling around the world making wine at it was a vintage back in my home country in the UK. During a very light vintage due to poor weather, a few of us decided to make some cider after some Kingston Black apples that were offered to us. It was a fun way to fill the spare time and it tasted really good for a first attempt. It wasn’t until I had settled in New Zealand and met the team at Zeffer and became excited about what this small company was doing that I turned that earlier experience into my profession.

Can you share a bit about the cidermaking process? How do you turn those Hawke’s Bay apples into such delicious cider?

It is very similar to winemaking in most ways. In its simplest and purest form, a cider is simply fermented apple juice that as a cidermaker you are trying to help along the way with good yeast selection. It is a bit more complicated than that in practice, but modern equipment and knowledge of microbiology really help make the right decisions to get the ferments to taste good.

Once you have your cider you can do a lot with it if you want, with the way to age it or infuse it with flavours. It will always be your base ingredients that make the biggest difference and for me that is why it’s important that I use only freshly pressed apple juice and not concentre for the ciders. It makes a huge difference to the final product. You would never really make wine from concentrated grape juice as the quality isn’t there, so why would you treat cider differently?

The majority of our ciders are also a more modern style whereby we infuse them with a variety of techniques depending on what the desired outcome is. I infuse spices and fruits at different stages of the aging process. Once they taste great, I usually filter them and carbonate them before packaging them. The carbonated style gives a more refreshing modern style that suits the NZ climate and occasions to drink well. You don’t see many cask style ciders in NZ but they can be really great too if you find one on tap in your local craft bar.

How do you see your role as both a keeper of the craft and a champion of innovation?

That is a tricky question! I certainly love innovation and like to talk with others in the industry to seek inspiration for new ideas. It is definitely an important part of my role to keep the craft and therefore quality at the front of mind for our ciders.

Where do you get your inspiration for what cider to craft next?

It can really come from anywhere and as mentioned, talking with other people in related industries really helps, be that wine, beer, cider or other drinks. That said, I can often be found on the BBC food website scanning recipes that have apples in them. I find that a really good source of flavour combination ideas.

Any words of wisdom for other would-be cidermakers looking to get their start in the craft?

In New Zealand the number of cideries are limited still, but reach out to your nearest one and see if they have any work available in the cellar or orchard. If you can’t find work there then spending some time as a cellar hand in a winery will give you a lot of practical experience. Build your knowledge too. Books such as ‘Craft Cidermaking’ by Andrew Lea and ‘The New Cidermakers Handbook’ by Claude Jolicoeur are great to start. Look around for social media groups too. Cider is a passionate industry with people happy to share knowledge from around the world.

What do you do when you’re not busy crafting cider?

I’m a bit of a home renovator so that keeps me busy. In the winter I love to get on the snow and go snowboarding when possible. I enjoy CrossFit and generally getting outside and enjoying the outdoor life of New Zealand

Which is your favourite cider/seltzer – to craft or to drink?

While I love all the new flavours, I always default to the Crisp Apple cider. It’s the cider in a pure form and is super refreshing.