Thursday 22 July 2010
Thursday, July 22, 2010I haven't made any blog entries in a while (since June 7th), but during that time I finally got my 3-BBL system running after some continued bumps, delays, trial, and error. Two batches are now fermenting, the Beached Blonde and the Hellsmoke Porter. They'll be available in August.
Fermenters, Hellsmoke on the left, Beached Blonde on the right.
Hellsmoke Porter fermenting, Day 1
Beached Blonde fermenting, Day 8
Also fermenting is another small (ten-gallon) batch of Vlad the Inhaler -- I'm still working on perfecting that old Polish-style oak-smoked Wheat.
Thursday 27 May 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Played hooky from work, things really moved forward today with getting the new brewery up and running. A few more things need to be taken care of, but some good progress today.
Meanwhile, will be brewing a batch of the Beached Blonde this weekend on the ol' ten-gallon Sabco.
Sunday 23 May 2010
Sunday, May 23, 2010
I finalized the purchase of my new 3-barrel system back in January, but I still do not have everything I need to it fire up and start brewing. With apologies, it is looking more like my beer won't be available until late June at the earliest, but more likely July. My frustration levels are high.
Some things may be happening this coming week to get the new system finally in working order, however. Once it is, I'll be getting out some of the Beached Blonde as well as the Hellsmoke Porter.
In the meantime, I have been testing and refining some new recipes on my old ten-gallon system, but 2009 proved to me that the ten-gallon system is not sustainably practical for regular production.
Wednesday 12 May 2010
Wednesday, May 12, 2010While waiting for the rest of the parts of the new three-barrel brewery to be delivered, I brewed another test batch of the Long Island Potato Stout on my old ten-gallon system Saturday. Used Russet potatoes this time, had used the Yukon Gold variety last time. There should be more sugars available from the Russets, I'm aiming to get a similar level of dryness in the finished beer while using fewer potatoes (which have to be cleaned, boiled, and mashed before adding them to the brewery mash).
Transferred and took a reading of the Grodziskie test batch, hit about where I was targeting at 3.6% ABV. This promises to be an interesting sessionable beer. Will be bottling it up soon, with fermentation to occur in the bottles. I'm planning on bringing these to the Bellport charity beer event that Dave of
Bellport Cold Beer & Soda is having on June 10th.
Over the last few days, a number of boxes arrived from the manufacturer of my new system: The new mill is finally here, along with various clamps and hoses, etc. Will be taking another inventory tonight to be sure I have everything, and finally start setting about hooking up the new beast.
Tuesday 30 March 2010
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
The 3-barrel system (93 gallon batches) that I've been waiting on for since January was delivered today. Four big crates, safe and sound. Aaaaah... now the work begins!
Wednesday 17 February 2010
My new 3 BBL system is still pending delivery. The manufacturer just informed me about some more delays. Since it is Unit #1 of a brand new model system, such things can happen. It's been taking longer to have ready to ship out the door than they had anticipated.
The manufacturer (Premier Stainless Systems in California) has an excellent reputation, so I totally trust them. They've been manufacturing quality 7, 10, 15, and 20 barrel systems for years. So, once I get this thing delivered, fired up, and ready to go, my beer will again begin to flow.
Tuesday 26 January 2010
January 26, 2010
One key component on the new system got delayed a bit further, so it isn't here yet. So, by the time I get it delivered, install it, and get it running, new beer might not be seen until March.
Since there are numerous variables from system to system, I'll likely brew half-sized batches in the beginning to dial things in. Those half-sized batches, being 1.5 BBL (46.5 gallons) will still be more than my old ten-gallon batches.
Saturday 09 January 2010
January 9, 2010It hasn't shipped from California yet (the manufacturer has a few components pending), but below is the 3-barrel system that I'll be brewing on in 2010.
It won't be arranged as shown above, the two fermenters to the left will be in the 10-foot x 10 foot fermentation room while the mash tun and boil kettle will be in the 7-foot x 10-foot brewhouse. (The mash tun and boil kettle will be a
tight fit, but it's workable.) The Blind Bat Brewery will still be a relatively small operation, but since I'm upgrading from a 10-gallon system, I'm expanding from tiny to small.
I'll also still be working the regular job during the week, but will be able to brew just over nine times as much beer per batch than I can on my current system. (3 barrels = 93 gallons, vs. 10-gallon batches). So, while I didn't get whole heck of a lot of beer out in 2009, 2010 will be seeing more from me.
Monday 23 November 2009
Monday, November 23, 2009
I haven't posted on the blog in a while, but have been keeping busy. A couple of things are fermenting, but I've also been working on expanding the little brewery a bit.
Not a lot of beer has been getting out with the weekend brewing of ten-gallon batches, but I should be getting more beer out next year. While my schedule will remain part-time / weekends for a while longer, capacity will be increasing with the installation of a 3 barrel system. Each barrel equals 31 gallons, so I'll be able to brew just over nine-times as much beer (93 gallons, aka 619 pints) in about the same time it takes to brew ten gallons.
More on this as things progress...