295: Western Cider | Missoula, Montana

Who is Western Cider

Texans Michael Billingsley and Matthew LaRubbio are childhood friends who now both live in Montana and founded Western Cider in 2010. The cidery is based in Missoula and has an indoor and outdoor tasting room alongside the Clark Fork River.  Michael credits his love for Montana to the television series Lonesome Dove which he describes as an "epic journey of two Texas Rangers who head up to Montana to start a cattle ranch". He fell for Montana via that tv series, moved up and hasn’t left. In 2012 he planted an orchard which now has over 50 varieties of apples.

Michael Billingsley

“I plant new ones that I don’t have every year because, I have a… bit of a sick obsession. And I just want to find out if there might be some great cultivar out there that I don’t have and maybe I should." Michael Billingsley

Cidermaker Kira Bassingthwaighte was born and raised in northern Montana by Glacier National Park. She admits to not fully appreciating the breath taking views that surrounded her as a child. In short order she moved to New York to study at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA). Being in New York and specifically the Hudson River Valley met she was able to dive into her love of wine, but cider was also growing in this region too. She knew she wanted to be in the beverage world and also back in Montana. She worked for a spell at a distillery before going full in as a cidermaker and taking the lead role at Western Cider.

Kira Bassingthwaighte

Topics in this chat

• Life in Montana - misconceptions and new beginnings
• Orcharding in Montana
• Modern and Traditional cidermaking at Western
• The local thirst for cider and the changing culture of cider in the Big Sky area
• Hunting & cooking alligator and pairing it with cider

Contact for Western Cider

Website: https://westerncider.com/

Address:  501 N. California Missoula, MT

Phone:tele: 4065404477

Mentions in this Chat

• Northwest Cider Club - The final special cider box for the end of the year 2021 features Montana, Idaho ciders in the Discover Box and Elevated Box

• Audio clips from Season 2 of Cider Chat
  • Eric Bordelet episodes on Cider Chat 57, 58 , & 172 
    • Get the bonus audio with Eric on juice to bottle by becoming a Patron of Cider Chat today. Link below.
  • 089: Reusing an Oak Barrel for Cider 

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