This is the last post for Payette Brewing Company at this site. The blog is being moved to the brewery website that can be found here. There is a new post there, but it is about as long as this. Update your RSS feeds of bookmarks so you can continue to follow the progress of the brewery.
-Mike
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Another Month Gone Part II
The final thing that got finished last week was the pouring of the containment curb around the brewing area. The curb is put in one to make it easier to wash down and clean the brewing area. I don't have to worry about water going into the tasting room, bathrooms or anywhere else when I'm cleaning the brewing area. In the unlikely and tragic event that a fermenter valve breaks or gets opened on accident and spills beer everywhere, the curb will prevent that from going everywhere and catch all my tears as I watch beer get wasted. Is it necessary, not really (but will be nice), does it help satisfy some city requirements, yes.
The week is still young (as I write this) and the construction continues full steam ahead. All of the high bay lights (you can see some in the picture above) have been replaced with more energy efficient lights that also look better, don't make any noise and provide better lighting. I was not planning on replacing the lights, but the incentives that have been put in place make it crazy not to. Not only will the new lights reduce my power consumption, but much of the cost is subsidized. I wont sugar coat it, yes, going green was purely a business decision. Sorry if that rubs people the wrong way.
I think there is a light at the end of the tunnel...if not, at least football starts today.
Gotta Hop
Forms for the curb
Pouring the curb
Finished containment curb
The week is still young (as I write this) and the construction continues full steam ahead. All of the high bay lights (you can see some in the picture above) have been replaced with more energy efficient lights that also look better, don't make any noise and provide better lighting. I was not planning on replacing the lights, but the incentives that have been put in place make it crazy not to. Not only will the new lights reduce my power consumption, but much of the cost is subsidized. I wont sugar coat it, yes, going green was purely a business decision. Sorry if that rubs people the wrong way.
I think there is a light at the end of the tunnel...if not, at least football starts today.
Gotta Hop
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Another Month Gone
Another month down and another month closer to opening. I will get to the construction updates in a minute, but first, some other stuff. The brewery website is now live, but before you go rushing off to check it out, I have to warn you about some things. One, it is awesome and two, it doesn't have very much information on it yet. I am working on writing everything to fill in all the blanks. The problem is that I am not very good at writing professional sounding pieces, I excel at lighthearted BS. At some point soon, the blog is also going to transfer over to the site as well, but I need to get up to speed on how to work it (blogger is idiot proof). Here is the link: www.payettebrewing.com
Where I left off last time, the sewer was missing. Well I found it, right where the second company told me. I still have some issues with the company that did the initial camera work, they are giving me the money back for the work they "did" but I will still never use them for any work in the future. The remainder of the rough-in plumbing work went smoothly, passed inspection and got filled back in.
The concrete guys came in and got done in a hurry. The guys were great and I enjoyed them doing the work, I did find it funny how the whole job worked. They worked their butts off to get the concrete from the truck into the holes, but then, had to sit around and wait for it to set up for a while so they could go smooth it out, then do it again. It looked like the definition of "hurry up and wait."
Part II of this post will go up tomorrow (maybe Thursday), it'll give you something to look forward to
Where I left off last time, the sewer was missing. Well I found it, right where the second company told me. I still have some issues with the company that did the initial camera work, they are giving me the money back for the work they "did" but I will still never use them for any work in the future. The remainder of the rough-in plumbing work went smoothly, passed inspection and got filled back in.
Actual sewer line with all the new stuff going into it
View of the plumbing work from upstairs
The concrete guys came in and got done in a hurry. The guys were great and I enjoyed them doing the work, I did find it funny how the whole job worked. They worked their butts off to get the concrete from the truck into the holes, but then, had to sit around and wait for it to set up for a while so they could go smooth it out, then do it again. It looked like the definition of "hurry up and wait."
Early morning concrete delivery
Its nice not to have any holes to fall in anymore
Trench drain and waste water sample port
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Concrete Removal Pics
My arms are dead from jackhammering up the floor some more, so now is as good of time as any to get some pictures up.
Not as fun as it looks Concrete saw, easy but messy work
We thought we were done...Future trench drain on the right, connection to the keg washer on the left
Where the sewer was supposed to be
I have more pictures and will post them as I get time and get them loaded on my computer. Now it's time to dig to see if I can find the sewer...
Monday, August 16, 2010
Real Work Begins and So Does the Rework
The following is the information that two different plumbers gave me based on snaking a camera into my sewer:
Guy #1: 3" line, 12" deep, runs straight out to the street
Guy #2: 4" line, 24" deep, runs right for 15 or so feet, then turns towards the street
Based on the information above, who do you trust? All that information tells me is that someone doesn't know what they are doing, but nothing else. I'm not a plumber, but would assume that a plumber knows his job well enough to do this small task correctly, so I didn't actually have two plumbers do the same work, until today. I assumed the first guy was right, I mean why question someone who is doing a job you know almost nothing about. I then based a lot of my construction plans based on the assumption that the sewer was where the first guy told me it was.
Fast forward to today. Concrete was cut and removed over the weekend based on the plans so my plumber (different guy than #1 and 2) could get working on everything. I start digging in an area that supposedly intersects the line, no sewer at 12" and no sewer at 24". We actually get down about 3 feet with no luck. For the record, this ditch was at least 6 feet long, so it is not like we didn't try to the left or right of where it is supposed to be. Obviously we are wasting time and energy, so bring out guy #2 to camera the line. Low and behold it is nowhere near where we are digging.
Two good things came of this new information. First, my sewer is deeper than I thought, which is a good thing for running drains. Second, I got to use my concrete cutting skills again and tomorrow get to fire up the jackhammer again...oh wait, that stuff isn't fun...
Lesson #60: Lease a building with plans, it should eliminate the guesswork
Pictures from the first few days of work will be up probably tomorrow either here or on the Facebook page.
Guy #1: 3" line, 12" deep, runs straight out to the street
Guy #2: 4" line, 24" deep, runs right for 15 or so feet, then turns towards the street
Based on the information above, who do you trust? All that information tells me is that someone doesn't know what they are doing, but nothing else. I'm not a plumber, but would assume that a plumber knows his job well enough to do this small task correctly, so I didn't actually have two plumbers do the same work, until today. I assumed the first guy was right, I mean why question someone who is doing a job you know almost nothing about. I then based a lot of my construction plans based on the assumption that the sewer was where the first guy told me it was.
Fast forward to today. Concrete was cut and removed over the weekend based on the plans so my plumber (different guy than #1 and 2) could get working on everything. I start digging in an area that supposedly intersects the line, no sewer at 12" and no sewer at 24". We actually get down about 3 feet with no luck. For the record, this ditch was at least 6 feet long, so it is not like we didn't try to the left or right of where it is supposed to be. Obviously we are wasting time and energy, so bring out guy #2 to camera the line. Low and behold it is nowhere near where we are digging.
Two good things came of this new information. First, my sewer is deeper than I thought, which is a good thing for running drains. Second, I got to use my concrete cutting skills again and tomorrow get to fire up the jackhammer again...oh wait, that stuff isn't fun...
Lesson #60: Lease a building with plans, it should eliminate the guesswork
Pictures from the first few days of work will be up probably tomorrow either here or on the Facebook page.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Update for the Week
Probably the only post for the week, but wanted to pass along some updates. As I look back at the process I have been going through to get the brewery open, I remember sitting on the other side looking in following other blog's about opening breweries. On multiple occasions I thought to myself "man, it doesn't seem like they are really doing much" or "you would think they would be open by now." I am working my ass off to get this going, but at times even to me it looks like nothing is happening.
The much talked about building permit is very close, in fact I could have had it by now, the problem is that I question everything. I didn't agree with an assessment they gave me, talked through it with them and they are going to take a look at it. In the end, I lose some days, but might save some money; worth it as long as the assessment doesn't go up for some reason...please no. I expect to have some awesome jackhammering pictures up early next week. Most of the work is should take about two weeks (four +) and there are six weeks until my equipment arrives, so I am feeling okay about it right now.
I attended the Boise BeerFest on Friday, I enjoyed it except the part about the car getting towed. That is an entirely different rant though. The complaints about the crowds that I heard prior to attending were a non-issue on Friday. Probably just the right amount of people there from an attendees perspective, never had to wait in line, had plenty of space to walk around and talk with people. It was great to hear a lot of people who probably don't drink craft beer get excited for different beers and get exposed to a bunch of different breweries, great for the industry. Call me a snob or whatever, but personally it wasn't the type of festival that I like attending, more the type of festival that I would like to serve my beer at and talk to people about beer. The festival was great for what it was, which sounds like a total slight, but I assure you that is a compliment. I already like the sound of my own typing too much and now is not the time for me to write a dissertation on beer festivals. Reading back over what I wrote, I sound very critical, but I did think it was a great event and should shut up and be happy we have a great festival here. Thanks to Rick at Brewforia and everyone else that helped for putting the work into the event, can't wait to pour beer next year.
The much talked about building permit is very close, in fact I could have had it by now, the problem is that I question everything. I didn't agree with an assessment they gave me, talked through it with them and they are going to take a look at it. In the end, I lose some days, but might save some money; worth it as long as the assessment doesn't go up for some reason...please no. I expect to have some awesome jackhammering pictures up early next week. Most of the work is should take about two weeks (four +) and there are six weeks until my equipment arrives, so I am feeling okay about it right now.
I attended the Boise BeerFest on Friday, I enjoyed it except the part about the car getting towed. That is an entirely different rant though. The complaints about the crowds that I heard prior to attending were a non-issue on Friday. Probably just the right amount of people there from an attendees perspective, never had to wait in line, had plenty of space to walk around and talk with people. It was great to hear a lot of people who probably don't drink craft beer get excited for different beers and get exposed to a bunch of different breweries, great for the industry. Call me a snob or whatever, but personally it wasn't the type of festival that I like attending, more the type of festival that I would like to serve my beer at and talk to people about beer. The festival was great for what it was, which sounds like a total slight, but I assure you that is a compliment. I already like the sound of my own typing too much and now is not the time for me to write a dissertation on beer festivals. Reading back over what I wrote, I sound very critical, but I did think it was a great event and should shut up and be happy we have a great festival here. Thanks to Rick at Brewforia and everyone else that helped for putting the work into the event, can't wait to pour beer next year.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Stuff 'n Things
Oh the elusive building permit...where are you? I might have a better understanding of everything before I post this, but right now it is still in the City of Boise's hands. My architect is meeting with them this morning to go over some things, which is a personal point of contention because I found out about the meeting on my own, nobody bothered to talk with the guy paying the bills. I did hire an architect to deal with this stuff, so I understand why they talked with him, but 95% of the problems so far have stemmed from a lack of understanding of how breweries work. So far, I have been the only person with the ability to shed light on that aspect of building a BREWERY, so am eagerly awaiting the fallout from this. All I really want to do right now is get a jackhammer and go to town on some concrete...frustrated much?
The logo is new, you probably noticed unless you read the blog in Google Reader or something. Individual beer logos, tap handles etc are all in the works and will be shown here first...or on facebook...or twitter. An actual website is getting built, so everything will seem more "official" soon enough.
Boise Beer Fest starts tomorrow, I recommend everyone attend, but I have never been before, so don't know what to expect. Comments I have heard from people hit both ends of the spectrum, so we'll see tomorrow. I will put up my thoughts on it sometime next week including the answer to the question on everyone's mind..."Why aren't you doing anything at the Boise Beer Fest?"
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Mountain Man and City Slicker
The word on the street is that Payette Brewing could have building permits early next week, could be rumors, could be fact, only time will tell.
In the mean time, I'm getting some good brewing in this week, today being my second double of the week. On Tuesday I made the Amber, which is not included on the opening list, but could find it's way onto it. Today I am brewing a batch of the Mountain Man and what I am dubbing, City Slicker. The Mountain Man is my Barleywine that should clock in around 10%, not huge for a Barleywine, but plenty big enough. The City Slicker is a new one for me. It will be made from the second runnings of the Mountain Man mash, which is often called parti-gyle brewing. The link explains it well, but basically efficiencies on a high gravity beer aren't that good, so there are a lot of residual sugars left in the mash, why not make a beer out of it?
Since the City Slicker is essentially a "free" beer to make because I already used the grains, why not have some fun with it. True to the name, the beer is going to try to look the part, but in the end you find out it is way out of place. My best description of the vision for this beer is a Double Mild IPA. The beer is made from second runnings, which inherently means the beer is going to be low in alcohol, hence Mild. The beer is also going to be overly hopped, hence Double IPA. Not the worst idea that I have come up with, but not a sure-fire hit either.
In the mean time, I'm getting some good brewing in this week, today being my second double of the week. On Tuesday I made the Amber, which is not included on the opening list, but could find it's way onto it. Today I am brewing a batch of the Mountain Man and what I am dubbing, City Slicker. The Mountain Man is my Barleywine that should clock in around 10%, not huge for a Barleywine, but plenty big enough. The City Slicker is a new one for me. It will be made from the second runnings of the Mountain Man mash, which is often called parti-gyle brewing. The link explains it well, but basically efficiencies on a high gravity beer aren't that good, so there are a lot of residual sugars left in the mash, why not make a beer out of it?
Since the City Slicker is essentially a "free" beer to make because I already used the grains, why not have some fun with it. True to the name, the beer is going to try to look the part, but in the end you find out it is way out of place. My best description of the vision for this beer is a Double Mild IPA. The beer is made from second runnings, which inherently means the beer is going to be low in alcohol, hence Mild. The beer is also going to be overly hopped, hence Double IPA. Not the worst idea that I have come up with, but not a sure-fire hit either.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Pilsner
In hindsight, I probably should have brewed a pilsner in the spring so it would be ready now, but at least I'll have this for football season. As I have mentioned before, it has always been my intention to make some lagers as I feel that they are very underrepresented styles in the craft beer industry.
Pilsner
Malts: Pilsner, Vienna
Hops: Saphir
ABV: 4.5%
IBU: 25
Short post today because I can't think of anything else to write...
Gotta Hop
Pilsner
Malts: Pilsner, Vienna
Hops: Saphir
ABV: 4.5%
IBU: 25
Short post today because I can't think of anything else to write...
Gotta Hop
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
TTB, Construction and More
What is new in the land of Payette Brewing Company...lots of stuff, mostly unexciting for you though. I had my phone interview with the TTB earlier today, meaning I am one step closer to getting my federal license. The way things are going, there is a distinct possibility that I will be the first brewery in history where it takes longer to get a building permit than the brewers notice. Although I would like to, I can't totally blame the city for not having a building permit yet, I am sure that if I had certain pieces of information in my plan everything would be further in the process. Yes, there were construction pictures in a previous post as I did get started on some things, but that is all on hold. Why? Well that depends on who you talk to. So here is what happened, the city found out that I started some construction without a permit and told me I had to stop or my fees would be doubled, hence work stopped. Lesson #58, social media is not a good thing if you are doing something wrong, even if you don't know it is wrong. That is the my bet on how the city found out I was demolishing stuff, but is no excuse. Why did I start doing work without a permit you ask? People with more experience in construction than me, told me that it was okay. Which leads to lesson #59 of starting a business, listen to the people with actual authority not those who say they know what they are doing. Maybe the advice I got is okay in some circumstances, but I will be dealing with the city for years to come and whether or not I like it, they have the power and I need to listen to them.
Most of my posts have been about pilot beers, which sucks for you because you read my vague information and don't get to try any. There isn't much I can do about that right now unfortunately. What I can tell you, I would say the recipes are 75% ready to go. The Star Garnett is ready, as one would expect, it isn't perfect after one batch. Two things I am working on for that are improving the hop profile and trying to figure out how to adapt some of the brewing techniques to a commercial scale. Didn't help that I had a Hop in the Dark (best CDA on the market) right after trying mine. While I am going to be double batching the beers I plan to release, it is also time to brew small batches of the Mountain Man, Jackalope and a Pilsner.
If you are wondering about lessons 1-57, you'll have to buy the book I'll never write to get those.
Gotta Hop
Most of my posts have been about pilot beers, which sucks for you because you read my vague information and don't get to try any. There isn't much I can do about that right now unfortunately. What I can tell you, I would say the recipes are 75% ready to go. The Star Garnett is ready, as one would expect, it isn't perfect after one batch. Two things I am working on for that are improving the hop profile and trying to figure out how to adapt some of the brewing techniques to a commercial scale. Didn't help that I had a Hop in the Dark (best CDA on the market) right after trying mine. While I am going to be double batching the beers I plan to release, it is also time to brew small batches of the Mountain Man, Jackalope and a Pilsner.
If you are wondering about lessons 1-57, you'll have to buy the book I'll never write to get those.
Gotta Hop
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Outlaw
Outlaw IPA it is, names have been thrown around, but this is it. The names of the initial beers are located in the right hand column of the blog. I don't know that I will have all five available when I open, but those are the ones I will be making first. The Ales of No Return listed below are the first four of the big beer/one-off series that I plan to release periodically. More to come on the Ales of No Return in a future post.
The big change to this batch of the IPA compared to recent ones is water adjustments. Now that I am in the brewery space and using the brewery water, I am starting to alter the water composition to match the ideal makeups for the different beer styles. Beer styles like an IPA, where you want the bitterness of the beer to come through as a dominant characteristic, require a lot more additions to get an ideal water composition. It has been a while since I have brewed with water adjustments, so I am looking forward to seeing how it comes out with the water here.
Outlaw IPA
Malts: American 2-Row, Crystal, Honey Malt, Munich
Hops: Centennial, Chinook, Columbus
IBU: 70
ABV: ~6.3%
The big change to this batch of the IPA compared to recent ones is water adjustments. Now that I am in the brewery space and using the brewery water, I am starting to alter the water composition to match the ideal makeups for the different beer styles. Beer styles like an IPA, where you want the bitterness of the beer to come through as a dominant characteristic, require a lot more additions to get an ideal water composition. It has been a while since I have brewed with water adjustments, so I am looking forward to seeing how it comes out with the water here.
Outlaw IPA
Malts: American 2-Row, Crystal, Honey Malt, Munich
Hops: Centennial, Chinook, Columbus
IBU: 70
ABV: ~6.3%
Friday, July 9, 2010
Mutton Bustin'
About to finish up a rotation of the five beers I plan to have ready when the brewery opens.
Mutton Bustin' Brown
Style: American Brown Ale
Malt: American 2-Row, Brown, Chocolate, Crystal, Victory
Hops: Magnum, Amarillo
ABV: ~5.4%
It is a great feeling coming into the brewery to make beer and not do construction or fill out more forms for the city, that stuff is work, brewing is fun. Slight name change to this, from Buster to Bustin. With my mastery of the English language (or lack thereof) I figured someone who participated in Mutton Busting, would be a Mutton Buster. I will say the research was inconclusive. Nothing said I was wrong, but nothing said I was right either, so went with what I knew was correct.
Gotta Hop
Mutton Bustin' Brown
Style: American Brown Ale
Malt: American 2-Row, Brown, Chocolate, Crystal, Victory
Hops: Magnum, Amarillo
ABV: ~5.4%
It is a great feeling coming into the brewery to make beer and not do construction or fill out more forms for the city, that stuff is work, brewing is fun. Slight name change to this, from Buster to Bustin. With my mastery of the English language (or lack thereof) I figured someone who participated in Mutton Busting, would be a Mutton Buster. I will say the research was inconclusive. Nothing said I was wrong, but nothing said I was right either, so went with what I knew was correct.
Gotta Hop
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Demolition and Starting Construction
My progress seems like a bunch of baby steps so far, but put enough of those together and you actually get pretty far. This week I started doing some demolition work at the brewery and got a start on some of the build-out. I am waiting for a few things before some of the bigger work, like cutting in a trench drain, will take place. I feel bad because I haven't been putting up many pictures and I am yet to put up a video this year, so here is some stuff for the eyes:
Recent day of brewing, kegging and carbonating, otherwise know as controlled chaos
Framed up mill room, looks kind of small in the picture, but it is spacious
Took out a wall in the tasting room, opens it up a lot, even if it doesn't seem like it in the picture. Now making me re-think some plans though.
Making a new opening for moving stuff between the bays since the opening to the left will be blocked, thats the mill room in the background
The guys next door brought over their forklift to help put in the header for the new opening
Enough working though, time to get back to brewing, Mutton Bustin' Brown tomorrow
Gotta Hop
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
About the Name
I get a lot of comments about the name of the brewery, Payette Brewing Company, some people love it, some hate it, some think the town, some the river. I have a lot of thoughts about the name and I obviously like it because I chose it. Like the town, county, river, mountain, lake, national forest, the brewery is named for Francois Payette, the fur trader that was stationed at Fort Boise and explored much of the Payette River basin. While the origin of the Payette name in Idaho comes from Francois, I didn't actually realize that until about a year ago, my inspiration for the name is the river and lake where I have had some of the best times of my life. Part of the reason that I like the name is that it means different things to different people, but in the end, most people will relate it to some place in Idaho. That is what I think is great about the name, it encompasses so much of the state. So, whether you immediately think of the town, the river, the lake or the early pioneer when you hear "Payette," you're right.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Star Garnet Cascadian Dark Ale
Bandwagon boarded...
There is always the next big trend in beer styles in the brewing industry, some I am avoiding on purpose, some I'm planning on trying and in this case, there are ones I can't resist. The Cascadian Dark Ale, or Black IPA is not anything new, Stone has been making an excellent one for a few years and Idaho's own Laughing Dog was the first one I ever tried. Recently the beer style has become a bit more common with bigger breweries like Widmer and Deschutes releasing their own versions. The name is still up for debate, Black IPA tells you exactly what it is, a dark beer that is hopped like and IPA, but I have a hard time with that name because having the words "Black" and "Pale" in the same style is a bit oxymoronic. Northwest brewers started using the term Cascadian Dark Ale, which I like, but is very region-specific and Boise is Northwest or Inter-Mountain? Beers bearing both styles have gotten label approval, so I'll just have to decide when I submit for approval.
The name, Star Garnet, I think it works great for the styles of beer. Star Garnets look like just a dark (almost black) gem, then hold them up to the light and there is a four or six point star in the gem. You see a Black IPA and think a dark chocolaty or roasty stout, but you drink it and bam...northwest hops all over the place. I like to think of myself as a genius, on the other hand, I could be trying entirely too hard on names...
Star Garnet
Style: Black IPA or Cascadian Dark Ale
Malts: American 2-Row, Black Barley, Chocolate Malt, Crystal, Munich, Roasted Barley
Hops: Amarillo, Summit
IBU: 70
ABV: ~ 6.8-7%
I am not just making a Stout and putting a bunch of hops in, the Stout I just made has plenty hops already and that isn't the point. The specs may look similar, but as I have said before, there are a lot of things the information I provide doesn't cover. I think this style would be a great year round beer, but I have no idea how many tries it will take to get this one right, so we'll see.
Gotta Hop
There is always the next big trend in beer styles in the brewing industry, some I am avoiding on purpose, some I'm planning on trying and in this case, there are ones I can't resist. The Cascadian Dark Ale, or Black IPA is not anything new, Stone has been making an excellent one for a few years and Idaho's own Laughing Dog was the first one I ever tried. Recently the beer style has become a bit more common with bigger breweries like Widmer and Deschutes releasing their own versions. The name is still up for debate, Black IPA tells you exactly what it is, a dark beer that is hopped like and IPA, but I have a hard time with that name because having the words "Black" and "Pale" in the same style is a bit oxymoronic. Northwest brewers started using the term Cascadian Dark Ale, which I like, but is very region-specific and Boise is Northwest or Inter-Mountain? Beers bearing both styles have gotten label approval, so I'll just have to decide when I submit for approval.
The name, Star Garnet, I think it works great for the styles of beer. Star Garnets look like just a dark (almost black) gem, then hold them up to the light and there is a four or six point star in the gem. You see a Black IPA and think a dark chocolaty or roasty stout, but you drink it and bam...northwest hops all over the place. I like to think of myself as a genius, on the other hand, I could be trying entirely too hard on names...
Star Garnet
Style: Black IPA or Cascadian Dark Ale
Malts: American 2-Row, Black Barley, Chocolate Malt, Crystal, Munich, Roasted Barley
Hops: Amarillo, Summit
IBU: 70
ABV: ~ 6.8-7%
I am not just making a Stout and putting a bunch of hops in, the Stout I just made has plenty hops already and that isn't the point. The specs may look similar, but as I have said before, there are a lot of things the information I provide doesn't cover. I think this style would be a great year round beer, but I have no idea how many tries it will take to get this one right, so we'll see.
Gotta Hop
Friday, June 25, 2010
Update
Everything is starting to move a lot faster and this is me doing my best not to ignore the blog. I mentioned in the last post that I got some new fermenters, they work great so far and I will put up some pictures next week after I get some more gear for the pilot system. I hope to brew a batch or two next week, but I injured myself the other day playing soccer and to say I "hobble" around would be generous. The next batch is going to be the first run at my Star Garnet Black IPA, but I'll save the details for the brew day post.
The brewing system is on order, I signed the contract and sent the deposit today. The expected delivery is at the end of September, so a month or six after that I will be up and running. I ended up ordering a brand new 15 barrels brewing system with 15 and 30 barrel fermenters, it is awesome. My guess is that the feeling I have right now is similar to anyone who has purchased a house, stoked and scared because it is going to be awesome, but I also just spent a crap-ton of money. I'll let you know if the analogy is correct if I ever have money to buy a house.
Another big meeting I had was with Central District Health Department. They do the initial plan review before you can go submit for permits. Besides the fact the meeting took forever (my architect said it was over twice as long as his normal plan reviews) it went great and once I bring back more information on Monday I should be good to go. A building permit to start construction should follow, but I'm not holding my breath for that to be done in a timely manner. For the record, I don't hate dealing with all the bureaucracy, it's just that...I'm not going to finish my sentence since this blog is public.
I am actually really busy right now, but when I take a step back, I think everything I did this week is a big exercise in "hurry up and wait."
Projected Brewery Opening: I'll let you know the week before it happens
Gotta Hop
The brewing system is on order, I signed the contract and sent the deposit today. The expected delivery is at the end of September, so a month or six after that I will be up and running. I ended up ordering a brand new 15 barrels brewing system with 15 and 30 barrel fermenters, it is awesome. My guess is that the feeling I have right now is similar to anyone who has purchased a house, stoked and scared because it is going to be awesome, but I also just spent a crap-ton of money. I'll let you know if the analogy is correct if I ever have money to buy a house.
Another big meeting I had was with Central District Health Department. They do the initial plan review before you can go submit for permits. Besides the fact the meeting took forever (my architect said it was over twice as long as his normal plan reviews) it went great and once I bring back more information on Monday I should be good to go. A building permit to start construction should follow, but I'm not holding my breath for that to be done in a timely manner. For the record, I don't hate dealing with all the bureaucracy, it's just that...I'm not going to finish my sentence since this blog is public.
I am actually really busy right now, but when I take a step back, I think everything I did this week is a big exercise in "hurry up and wait."
Projected Brewery Opening: I'll let you know the week before it happens
Gotta Hop
Thursday, June 17, 2010
New Pilot Fermenters
Yesterday I got in two new fermenters for my pilot system and now its time to fill them up. The fermenters are stainless steel cylindro-conicals, complete with tri-clamp fittings or in other words, badass. They are basically little versions of the 15 and 30 barrel fermenters that will be coming in a few months. As happy as I am for getting these, it is going to do two things for you, first I can make more beer, so actually having a tasting is more likely to happen (I currently go through the beer I make entirely too fast to get any event set up). Second, it means that I can make better beer. Although there are a few items I still need to get to fully outfit the pilot system, there is great benefit to these. I am going to be able to dump trub and yeast, so the beer wont have to sit on that stuff for longer than it should. I am going to be able to harvest a cleaner yeast and subsequent batches will benefit from that.
Malt: American 2-Row, CaraPils, Crystal
Hops: Bravo, Cascade
IBU: 35
ABV: 5%
The fermenters are larger than my current stuff, so I am double batching into these. Looking back, I have never actually made a double batch on this scale, although it will probably be much easier than triple batching at Schooner Exact.
I spent the early part of this week in San Diego meeting with equipment suppliers and taking a side trip to the Stone World Bistro and Gardens. I will post something about that soon and anticipate placing an equipment order the first part of next week, stay tuned.
Gotta Hop
Payette Pale Ale
Style: American Pale AleMalt: American 2-Row, CaraPils, Crystal
Hops: Bravo, Cascade
IBU: 35
ABV: 5%
The fermenters are larger than my current stuff, so I am double batching into these. Looking back, I have never actually made a double batch on this scale, although it will probably be much easier than triple batching at Schooner Exact.
I spent the early part of this week in San Diego meeting with equipment suppliers and taking a side trip to the Stone World Bistro and Gardens. I will post something about that soon and anticipate placing an equipment order the first part of next week, stay tuned.
Gotta Hop
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Stout Pilot
Stouts don't scream "summer beer" but can be just as refreshing as some other lighter colored beers. This is a beer that I have neglected for a long time, partly because I feel good about the beer recipe. Today is as good of time as any to brew it again and start making some final adjustments on the beer. I have ignored the stout to the point I don't have any ideas for names for it, ideas?
Payette Brewing Stout
Style: American Stout
Malts: American 2-Row, Black Barley, Crystal, Chocolate Malt, Flaked Barley, Special B
Hops: Centennial
ABV: ~ 5.5%
Gotta Hop
Payette Brewing Stout
Style: American Stout
Malts: American 2-Row, Black Barley, Crystal, Chocolate Malt, Flaked Barley, Special B
Hops: Centennial
ABV: ~ 5.5%
Gotta Hop
Friday, June 11, 2010
USA vs England
I don't know if there is any other opening match that I would want to see. Sure it would be great to have an easier group (I don't think that's possible), but I would love to beat England.
The USA is going to have a difficult time with England. I expect a win, would be happy with a draw and realistically think they will go down 3-1. Here is the bottom line problem for the US in this game, Onyewu is not 100%. When the US have a counter attack style of play, especially against better teams. We don't have the skill across the board to win the possession battle and be in the attacking half of a majority of the game. Here is why Gooch matters so much, the US is going to sit back in their own half and pack it in to stop England. Without the 6'4" 220 Onyewu anchoring the defense, I don't think we can hold off the likes of Rooney for 90 minutes. I think we can score some goals, we have shown the ability in the counter attack with our speed up top to catch teams out of position and put the ball in the net. Without the defense winning a lot of battles in the back, those opportunities wont present themselves often.
On the positive side, the English are historical choke artists in international play. Reading their roster is scary, but it rarely translates into success on the field. For the US, Landon Donovan is playing at the highest level of his career and spent the last 3 months proving he can play with everyone in the Premier League. Pairing him on one wing with Clint Dempsey on the other, could really give the English problems in the midfield. I have been a Jozy fan since he was on the Red Bulls, but still want to see him deliver against top competition, why not on Saturday.
Prediction: USA 2 England 1
Beer: Nothing imported, I might go as far as saying no beer styles that originated in England. I'll be drinking a PBC Blonde until its gone, then...well the game is at noon, so that will probably be all. Since none of you can get any PBC Blonde yet, I recommend Deschutes Twilight or Anderson Valley's Summer Solstice, excellent beers for both the morning and the rest of the summer.
The USA is going to have a difficult time with England. I expect a win, would be happy with a draw and realistically think they will go down 3-1. Here is the bottom line problem for the US in this game, Onyewu is not 100%. When the US have a counter attack style of play, especially against better teams. We don't have the skill across the board to win the possession battle and be in the attacking half of a majority of the game. Here is why Gooch matters so much, the US is going to sit back in their own half and pack it in to stop England. Without the 6'4" 220 Onyewu anchoring the defense, I don't think we can hold off the likes of Rooney for 90 minutes. I think we can score some goals, we have shown the ability in the counter attack with our speed up top to catch teams out of position and put the ball in the net. Without the defense winning a lot of battles in the back, those opportunities wont present themselves often.
On the positive side, the English are historical choke artists in international play. Reading their roster is scary, but it rarely translates into success on the field. For the US, Landon Donovan is playing at the highest level of his career and spent the last 3 months proving he can play with everyone in the Premier League. Pairing him on one wing with Clint Dempsey on the other, could really give the English problems in the midfield. I have been a Jozy fan since he was on the Red Bulls, but still want to see him deliver against top competition, why not on Saturday.
Prediction: USA 2 England 1
Beer: Nothing imported, I might go as far as saying no beer styles that originated in England. I'll be drinking a PBC Blonde until its gone, then...well the game is at noon, so that will probably be all. Since none of you can get any PBC Blonde yet, I recommend Deschutes Twilight or Anderson Valley's Summer Solstice, excellent beers for both the morning and the rest of the summer.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
World Cup
Ladies and Gentlemen, tomorrow marks the beginning of the best sporting event in the world, as a result, much of the communications coming from Payette Brewing Company will be soccer related. Brewery news will continue to be posted at the current rate of slow to quite slow.
In a full disclosure brewery note: Depending on how you look at it, the World Cup starting means I fell short of my goal for PBC I wrote down three years ago. My goal was that I wanted to be able to watch the 2010 World Cup at Payette Brewing Company. Technically I could watch TV at Payette Brewing Company, but the brewery is not finished, so that is up for interpretation. Either way I am pretty proud of myself for being anywhere near my goal based on an arbitrary date I wrote down over 3 years ago.
I am going to do some previews for the USA games, because those are all that really matter. I will be watching as much as possible (my flexible employment is great for that) and there are some great matches people should watch, but I'm an American, so that is all that matters.
A note on my analysis/previews: if you want "professional" analysis, go to espn.com, stay here if you want thoughts from a washed-up soccer player/beer drinker/red-blooded American.
Coming tomorrow...USA vs England preview, including beer recommendations, predictions and first-rate analysis
In a full disclosure brewery note: Depending on how you look at it, the World Cup starting means I fell short of my goal for PBC I wrote down three years ago. My goal was that I wanted to be able to watch the 2010 World Cup at Payette Brewing Company. Technically I could watch TV at Payette Brewing Company, but the brewery is not finished, so that is up for interpretation. Either way I am pretty proud of myself for being anywhere near my goal based on an arbitrary date I wrote down over 3 years ago.
I am going to do some previews for the USA games, because those are all that really matter. I will be watching as much as possible (my flexible employment is great for that) and there are some great matches people should watch, but I'm an American, so that is all that matters.
A note on my analysis/previews: if you want "professional" analysis, go to espn.com, stay here if you want thoughts from a washed-up soccer player/beer drinker/red-blooded American.
Coming tomorrow...USA vs England preview, including beer recommendations, predictions and first-rate analysis
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