Working?!?!

I call it work, most people call it a hobby, but I am making some more beer today. I need to get back to piloting beer regardless of the progress of the financing of the brewery. On that note, I have started to dreaded task of raising money. At this point I am not placing a time line on financing because any idea of timing that I have had so far has been blown out the door.

I had a meeting this morning with Shane Williams who is a former VP of Beer and Wine at Albertson's and worked for distributors throughout his career. It was one of the better meetings that I have had with people giving me advice as he has more knowledge of the industry than anyone I have talked to. I am not going to bore with all of the details, but I am very glad to have a contact like that who I can refer back to. During our talk at the coffee shop, the lady next to us couldn't help but introduce herself after hearing what we were talking about. She is a chef who has a the TV show "Dining Out Idaho." I got her card and she was very willing to get me some good contacts in the area, could be a great help in the future. I generally dislike coffee shops because you end up hearing more than you want to from people next to you, but it worked out great here, so maybe I will stop hating.

As for today's beer, still looking for an introductory PBC beer. I was trying to go towards a English Mild Ale, but I don't think it will fit into that category, probably an American Amber. I toned down the grain bill from my Amber into a session beer, shooting for 4-4.4%, but trying to keep a solid malt backbone (not watery and uninteresting). As for the hops, as much as I try to get away from the classic northwest hops, I never really do. The IBU's are around 30, so it isn't hoppy, but with Zeus and Centennial hops it should still have a northwest feel. I did go with an English Yeast strain, one because that is what I have fermenting and two, I just like the English Yeasts.

Amber/Session Ale:
Malt: American 2-Row, Biscuit, Cara-munich, Crystal, Munich, Roasted Barley
Hops: Centennial, Zeus (Fresh Hops from Idaho)
ABV: 4-4.4%

Long Over Due

I have not been blogging as I have nothing to talk about right now, I haven't made beer for a while and I haven't made any news worthy progress in a while either.

As for my business planning, I have been getting great help from a lot of different people. That is both a gift and a curse. I really think I am learning a lot from businessmen who have had success throughout the years. Where it gets tricky is each person has their own little view of what PBC is going to be and they don't know anything about the brewing industry. It is tough sorting through their suggestions and applying them to the plan while maintaining the vision that I have for PBC. It is getting very frustrating and hopefully all for the best, but there are times I really wish I could say "shut-up, you don't have a clue what they are talking about." I am just venting right now and if you are one of the people that has been helping me I am talking about someone else.

I am brewing for the first time in a while today. I get to use some of my new equipment, but it is not put together in a real system, so it is similar to what I have been doing. Trying my hand at another Blonde Ale, I don't feel like I have had the most success with Blonde's so I need to try some more. I am going for a light bodied beer with a slightly spicy hop finish, here is what I've got:

Blonde Ale:
Malts: American 2-Row, Flaked Maize
Hops: Crystal, Saaz
ABV: ~4.5%