A measured approach to your cidery’s lab testing can help keep costs down while mitigating risks. That’s according to Steven Trussler, the Cider Specialist at Brock University during a CiderCon 2025 seminar focused on practical lab techniques for small and mid-sized producers.
Trussler recommended that cideries rely on in-house testing for pH and free SO₂, but look to outsource more complex analyses such as residual sugar, microbiological testing, and nutrient profiles, to maintain both financial efficiency and product consistency.
“You’re outsourcing your expertise,” Trussler said. “Residual sugar, for instance, I assign a medium level of risk to testing in-house — not because your expertise is shoddy, but because the space you’ve got for doing testing might suck.”
He painted a familiar picture for many small producers: test kits stored next to lunch items, shared spaces, and staff bumping into equipment. These every day realities introduce variability and increase the chances of error when handling sensitive laboratory work.
For microbiology testing, the risks are significantly higher when conducted in-house, Trussler warned.
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“There’s no way to validate [your results]. I’ve seen clients and students say, ‘Last week it said eight, today it says three,’ and they don’t know which is right,” he said. “That’s the limitation of in-house micro labs.”
Instead, he suggested a hybrid model: focus on basic, reliable wet chemistry at home — like pH and SO₂ — while outsourcing everything else. This balance, he said, tends to keep testing costs under 10 cents per liter, which he cited as the upper limit for cost-effectiveness.
“I did the math,” Trussler shared. “With pH and SO₂ done in-house and everything else outsourced — even with $50 shipping — you come out to about seven cents per liter. That’s low cost and low risk, which is where you want to be.”
However, even SO₂ testing can carry elevated risk depending on how critical it is to your product’s shelf stability.
“If you’re using SO₂ for microbial control and you’re not confident with titration methods, you might consider outsourcing that too,” he said. “But if you’re just making sure you’re under legal limits for antioxidant purposes, it’s fairly low risk.”
Trussler also warned that the size of the product portfolio plays a significant role in determining the cost structure, including lab testing.
“The more SKUs you have, the higher your per-liter cost across the board. If you’ve got an unwieldy 26-product portfolio, your lab costs are going to rise,” he said. “A tight, four-product line is where you’re going to see lower testing and production costs overall.”
He added that testing frequency and lab spending may also be influenced by the cider maker’s background.
“If you’re an engineer, you might be testing a lot more,” Trussler said. If you’re a more traditional, intuitive maker, maybe a lot less.”
The takeaway for most small and medium-sized cideries? Test pH and SO₂ yourself. Send everything else out, Trussler said.
“It’s not perfect, but it’s the best bang for your buck with the least amount of risk,” he said.
For cideries navigating the demands of safety, compliance, and product consistency, this balanced lab strategy offers a clear framework for aligning operational capacity with smart risk management.
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