Happy Happy Yeast

We've got some very happy yeast cells in the guest room today!  When I came home from work, they were gorging themselves on some highly fermentable wort!

Batch #2, Snake Hill Ale

All 3 Batches of Snake Hill Ale

Batch Report - April 30, 2012

Batches as of 4/29/2012

So... THIS is why I need a Wort Chiller. The time is in hours and the Temp is in degrees Fahrenheit.

The first batch is done (cooling down to 70) and the second is in the mash tun.  The grains for batch 3 are measured out and ready to go.  I had to substitute Fuggles Plugs for Saaz Plugs, I hope this doesn't totally screw everything up!

Grain Bill:

• 4 lbs. American 2 Row
• 2 lbs. German Pilsner
• 1 lb. Dextrine
• 1 lb. Pale Malt

Yeast: WLP-001
Hops:

• 60 min. - Northern Brewer 1/2 oz.
• 40 min. - Willamette 1/2 oz.
• 20 min. - Sterling 1/2 oz.
• also a Fuggles tea (1/2 oz. Plug) to carboy.

I'll probably just have time for this second batch today, and the third will be tomorrow morning.

Started at noon because after I returned from Woburn, I added some champagne yeast to that batch of Gelb Licht that was way way way too malty and sweet.  It's now upstairs in a 68 degree carboy.  Also, I transfered the Fool's Golden to a keg and added about 20 lbs. CO2 pressure for carbonation.

Today is the day:

• Finish Mash/Lauter Tun
• Head to Woburn
• Brew / Brew / Brew

Wish me luck!

Lots to Say (nothing to tell)

On Wednesday, I had the opportunity to work with Andrew and Ben up at Federal Jack's in Kennebunkport, Maine for a day of brewing their Blue Fin Stout.  They use a 7 barrel system, and we were brewing 14 barrels of the stuff... so half on Wednesday, half on Thursday (for the latter I was not around).

• What are some of the things I learned about?
• PH: I need to get me one-a them there water filters, some phosphoric acid and litmus paper.
• Yeast: Find one that works, and stick with it.
• Consistency: Never ever ever ever surprise the consumer.  PH, Gravity, Grain Bill, Carbonation Rate, and Color need to be the same - every time.
• Waste: Goats will eat just about anything... including spent grains.
• Aroma: With a french press and whole leaf hops.
• Mashing: Different grains work better on the bottom of the mash tun to help filter during mash-out... primarily your base grains will be better like the two-row I use because of the thickness of the husk.
• Output: A small brewery like that does between 7 and 14 barrels/day.  That's between 217   and 434 Gallons... it would take me between 44 and 88 days with my current system to brew that.  I will hopefully be cutting that down to 11-22.
• Contract Brewing: It is a possibility.  Chris over at Notch does it.
• Recycled bottles: They come from the mid-west somewhere.
• Taxes: They only come into the picture when there is a transaction.  Such as handing over your kegs to a distributer. 
• Corrections: It is possible to correct a gravity that is too high by adding water, but only up to 3% of the total volume.
• Water: Breweries use way more water than you might even believe.

Then on Thursday it was up to Shipyard Brewing in Portland, Maine.  We took the "behind the scenes" tour of the facility from soup-to-nuts.  What a great place!  Can't wait until that Monkey Fist hits the shelves!


Back in Bevtown we found out that there is a possible location on Elliot Street that is zoned correctly and available... so - keep your fingers crossed!

Next week... I'm going to brew three... count 'em... THREE batches in a row, and I'm going to see if I can get the consistency that we need to be successful.

"Off to the Shipyard" and other short stories...

Over this incredibly warm Patriot's Day weekend, We've been getting a few things done around here.  I've been researching locations, and discovered one just down the street from my residence that looks promising, and a possibility opened up in another town, but that would be for only one-weekday per week... and the storage is limited.

We're headed up to Maine today to check out the operation at the Shipyard Brewery for a few days.  I have my notebook, a stump trivia pen, and about 653 questions.

So, before we go... I need to stick those rhizomes into the ground!

I plan on finishing my lauter tun on friday morning, we have all the parts (except maybe a spigot), so that means that on Saturday... or even by Friday... I could be extracting around 6 or 7 gal. of wort at a time.

See you in a few days!

The Search for Space

We took a drive down to the airport yesterday to see what was there for space.  As it turns out, the cafe/restaurant that we thought had closed is still in business.  The search for space continues.

Zoning and Rhizoming

I have contacted a member of the Beverly zoning committee via email, and have been informed that "in his opinion, brewing is industrial", so I was thinking about an ideal location for the Bevtown Brewer to situate itself, when a Cessna 172 flying a bit low disturbed my train of thought... and then the light bulb went on!

The Beverly Airport... it's zoned industrial, it's out of the way of lots of (ground) traffic, it's cool, it's got that restaurant that closed down... it's near the dog-park... it's ideal.

Now I just need to find out if any space out there is available.

In other less interesting news... I'm heading down to Woburn today to pick up 3 more hop rhizomes (they finally came in!) and 2 more logs for the operation... bit by bit by bit by bit ad nauseum.

I think I'll be brewing on Monday as well... maybe a "Dang Ale" in honor of Bruins Playoff Season and Jack Edwards!

A Most Fascinating Read

Having trouble sleeping? When I can't sleep, I read the brewing regulations as set forth by the federal government.  I think I will memorize these.

Open Bottle after 3 Days, Recieve Redemption: an Easter Weekend Conundrum

So, Skinny Dale and I were heading up to Rockport, Mass. yesterday to pick up some steins for his collection and we were discussing whether we should bottle striaght away, or stick with kegging until we can expand into the world of bottling.


Here is a comparison:

Kegging	Bottling
Lower overhead	Carbonation will have to be natural until we can get a forced carbonation bottling system.
Establishments don't want to give up Tap-space real-estate to an unknown/small brand	Establishments don't have to commit to 5 Gallons at a time... they could try a 12 pack or even less.
The establishment has to pay the deposit on the keg (around $40)	The establishment would have to pay the deposit on the bottles... which we would probably never see again
We'd need a cool looking tap!	All bottle labels need to be approved by the Federal Government
It's easier to make a consistent product with kegs	People would be more likely to walk in off the street and purchase directly from us for off-premise consumption
Already have the equipment for this, and its fast	Can be done manually, but is very time-consuming
Samples could be given out at the Brewery	Samples could be brought to the establishments
Easy to distribute	Fragile
Easy to store	Space-hog

I also checked out this article from 2011 02 07 on-line at FuzzyBrew.com... about Ghost River Brewing; it's an interesting read and pretty informative.

The long and short of it: We will be bottling certain recipes in small quantities as needed.  That means we'll need to have an approved label for these bottles.

Layout & Flow

To make the best use of my yet-to-be-had space... I've created a basic flow-chart of the brewing process.  This will let me layout the floor plan based on this process.

I've also decided to include my current brewing history with this post so we can all follow the recipe selection process for the Bevtown Brewer's "Signature Brew".  I'm leaning toward either Ol' 55 or P38... but the OSS is a close third.

Brewing History of the Bevtown Brewer

It's all about the space

Good news: The keg in the basement doesn't have a leak... my brain does (the gas-in hose wasn't connected properly).

In an unrelated turn of non-events, I've been working on creating a layout for the main brewery operation.  I'm trying to make things as efficient and flowing --- (no pun intended) -- (um - who am I kidding?  The pun was intended)--- efficient and flowing as possible.  So, I've been creating scenarios in my head (and on paper) that follow a batch from start to finish... from water & grain to keg and ship.  The only problem is, I don't have any idea at all what the space will look like.  We're just not ready for that stage of the business yet... I'm going to put off the $500 LLC cost and paying rent for as long as possible before making the leap to being a legal operation.

I've found one place that seemed like it's be a good fit, but it's not zoned industrial... which means no manufacturing... which means no beer making.

So, until then--- I'm checking Craigslist.org every day!  Wish us luck!

$1,476 for Stuff I Don't Want Anymore

Well, I received a quote from Waste Management to get a "63 Gallon Toter Bin" for the home office.  After Fees and all that, it'll come to about $41.00 per month for a monthly pickup (that's if they keep their prices the same).  I better start generating some serious trash or shop around... not to mention, they want a 36 month contract.

I totally understand why they want a 36 month contract, I am just not sure I can justify spending $1,476 for someone to come a take a few pieces of paper away.  Yikes.  Maybe I'm in the wrong racket... (yeah that's the correct word...not racquet).

In even worse news, I just discovered that one of my corny kegs has a slow leak.  That batch that I kegged up yesterday is no closer to being carbonated than Kellehers Pond.

Time to start using that keg-lube, I guess.

In the mean-time...

...I may as well brew a batch.

So this morning I'll be brewing up an Extra Light Aromatic Ale.

Yesterday I mashed and a couple of lbs of Pilsner I had lying around and today, I'll be adding that to about 6 1/2 lbs of Munton's Extra Light LME.  I know I know--- it's time to go all-grain.  Believe me, you... I know.

I'm thinking of Bittering with Fuggles and finishing with Galena.

Who knows, I just might change my mind in the next ten or so minutes.