Logistics

Scattered between the brewery, the cellar and the point of dispense (we'll call it "the bar") we have:

• 47 firkins (had 48 but one has a scratched shive hole)


• 2 fermenters, producing 8 firkins per batch


• 8 auto-tilts on the stillage in the cellar


• 6 beer engines

There is also a limited amount of resources available, especially this time of the year, for the purchase of grain, yeast and hops. The trick is to try to keep at least four cask ales on, with the requirements that there be at least one session beer, one dark (porter or stout) and one IPA. Casks need to rest at least a day for the finings to settle, and some of the stronger and/or dry-hopped ales require more time. A session beer can go to stillage in a week after casking, while some of the stronger and/or dry-hopped ales, again, require more time. Thanks to non-return valves and micro-filters on the shive I can get more than a week out of a slow cask. During the summer the problem becomes swapping them out fast enough.

One the other tricky bits is trying to be patient. Tanninbaum is still aging in the cellar until after Thanksgiving (maybe), and that first cask of Schrodinger's Other Beer is playing the siren every time I drift by. I'm determined to wait until Wednesday for that one.

The Continuing Quest for Cask Sundries

This is perhaps a bit of a mundane topic, but essential to the running of a real ale brewery is a steady and reliable supply of sundries. That's such a great word - sundries. When used in conjunction with the word "notions", it conjures up imagery of the sorts of shops at the mall that the ladies drift off into while we gents take the straight and narrow to Radio Shack to buy batteries. But prefix it with the word "cask" and we're off into important, yea even critical, territory.

I had written way way back about my difficulties in finding a source for shives. My existing, and diminishing, collection was brought over in a backpack via airplane by Woolpack Dave in December. Now that that bucketful is 3/4 gone, it came down to either a) calling up Dave while he's in the kitchen in his multi-colored chef's trousers wielding a sharp knife, or b) once again trying to get a warm body on the end of the telephone at Plastic Kegs America. With images of sharp knife in mind, I called Plastic Kegs America and got AN ACTUAL RESPONSE. The nice young lady at the other end of Ma Bell sounded a trifle nervous about having to answer questions and take my order, but we got it sorted out that indeed they did now carry shives for CypherCo firkins and that I would be permitted to order some. She wanted to make REAL SURE that I was ordering the big things, not the little things, as she said that many customers get them confused. I assured her that, after brewing 37 batches of real ale in this country, I had a firm grip on the differences between shives and keystones, and that I wanted the big things.

I brew 2 UK BBL per batch, which is 8 firkins, hence 8 shives, keystones and hard spiles in disposable sundries. I can get the keystones and spiles easily enough from UK Brewing Supplies, but for some reason the 52.3 mm shives that work best with the CypherCo firkins are scarce or unavailable. The shives I ordered will cost me $0.55 each, with no volume discount (odd). With shipping, I'm paying $70 for 100. I was told that there would be a 2.5% surcharge for using my debit card over the phone, but that I would be permitted to send a check in advance. This is America - who does that?!

For the record, I had also been courting F.H. Steinbart in Portland for shives, since they had informed me that they could get anything. Anything, I tell you, anything. Given a couple phone calls, and even stopping in twice while in Portland, I remain unable to get any response. Sigh. Such seems to be standard for us small backwater breweries (or shed breweries - a term I've recently seen pop up on some British blogs). I suppose if I were a Full Sail or a Bridgeport I'd get somewhere, but I'll never know.

Post Brewfest Post

It's taken until Monday, a whole week and more indeed, to catch up on all the things I didn't do this past weekend while attempting to participate in the KLCC Microbrewfest and our local theater company's performance of "Web of Murder". Not only was there a brewery to clean, and a festival to clean up after, but those of you in the business can imagine the sort of paperwork that can pile up in just a couple of days. Oh, and I had to brew more Dearth and Surfeit.

With our embryonic, traveling pub kit, we managed to go through a couple of firkins of ale in a festival that has never witnessed the utilization of shive-and-keystone firkins tugged through a couple of beer engines. Temperature control became an issue, as active, swirling bodies elevated the ambient temperature of the exhibit hall seemingly past the intended capabilities of the HVAC system. Wet towels and ice bags lowered our ale temperature to an almost satisfactory 14° C, but I would've preferred a couple degrees lower.

Pouring remained steady throughout the festival. The first guy who wandered by put on what I believe to be a genuine happy face. I had brought down two firkins each of Cumbrian Moor, a porter, ABV 3.2%, and our usual unusual IPA, the Union Dew, at 5.5%.

I haven't gone to this particular brewfest in years, as a participant of course. The principal unfortunate feature of this festival, and many like it in this country, is that the individuals serving the beer generally don't have any knowledge of what they are pouring. It is disappointing to taste a beer or cider and then be denied further enlightenment. After a wrangle with one of the festival monitors as to whether I could, myself, as owner and brewer, and with a valid service permit, draw one of my own beers, I did manage to spend a bit of time behind my own pumps. Otherwise, Dave did a splendid job fortifying the little gray punter cells. We received a slew of compliments from surprised festival participants with our ability to speak intelligently and coherently about what we are about and why.

At a dollar for a 3 oz. taste, I managed to try some interesting brews. Unfortunately I didn't take any notes, and it is too long after the festival to have many name recollections. Predominantly featured are big beers; seems like subtlety is sadly lost on the American palette. I would like to see more bitters, milds, casks; but alas I'll have to draw on my memories of some nice British festivals. The West Coast IPA is everywhere, with little variation as the battle for IBU's and ABV's continues to wage. There were a few foreign beers, including Belhaven Scottish and Youngs Double Chocolate Stout, both of which would've been nice on cask and a bit warmer. The Youngs did win best of show, which I find interesting given its cold fizziness. With my enthusiasm for heat, I was quite delighted with the Calapooia Chili Beer. Now there's a beer best served cold on the keg.

I'm not sure what festival to have a go at next. There is a firkin fest in Portland in March and the Blooms and Brews up near Salem in April sounds interesting. Money is still an issue with us, as we attempt to work through our first year of business in a slow economy.

And for all you sharp-eyed bar towel spotters, I just also noticed that the English flag had been surreptitiously inverted.