First State Brewers Blog

Sunday was a good day. I broke in my 28 gallon kettle with its false bottom, used fist-fulls of whole Amarillo hops, and brewed a ridiculous amount of Amarillo Pale Ale.

Unfortunately I found that my 28 gallon kettle requires different considerations than my 14 gallon - namely I originally ended up with only 17.5 gallons due to the additional deadspace below the valve, more significant boil-off rate due to cranking my burner to get a rolling boil, and the liquid the whole hops soaked up. I ended up adjusting to (20 gallons as you can see in the picture) by equalizing the volumes in each fermenter and adding about 1.25 gallons of water to each. 24 hours after brewing, oxidation will not be a problem - the yeast already scoured up any O2 I introduced. My gravity was also alot higher than intended (1.058 vs. 1.051), so the dilution actually puts me back where I was planning anyways.

So where does enough WLP051 California V yeast from a 20 gallon batch come from? No, not 4 vials. A 5 gallon starter, of course! For kicks, my wife and I polluted it with 2 pounds of frozen black raspberries (after harvesting the yeast and in the secondary, of course) and ended up with a decidedly unnatural colored beer, which will hopefully be very tasty. It sure smells good.

On the brewing horizon is:

• 5 or 10 gal belgian-style brew w/ WLP540 Abbey IV and Dark Candi Syrup
• 20 gallons of Saison du Sevier
• 20 gallons of Black Honey Ale

Obviously I’ll have to have a couple 5 gallon batches in there to get enough yeast for the Saison and Black Honey… I am sure I can think of something. I also ordered more Sorachi Ace and Pacific Gem hops from Freshops, and will be getting some WY3864 Canadian Belgian yeast to John Biggins so we can have it anytime we want…. I definitely want to brew more of my Travelers & Tourists Ale. Its amazing…. I’ll bring some to the next meeting.

As many of you know, I’ve been tinkering trying to figure out what it will take to get a computer-controlled homebrewing sculpture up and running. I’ve been amassing electronics components for the past few months (at the cost of brewing gear and ingredients, unfortunatley) and spending my evenings playing around instead of formulating new recipes and figuring out how to squeeze 200 gallons in this year. Rather than spending a gazillion dollars on a commercially available data acquisition card, I’ve gone the el-cheapo route and decided to build the electronics myself. Most likely my designs will employ the PICAXE microchip, one of the coolest little pieces of hobbyist electronics on the planet.

My recent efforts have been around getting temperature readings… and while the PICAXE chip is capable of getting 10-bit temperature readings with its native analog-to-digital command and an LM34 linear sensor, or 12-bit temperatures using a very specific (and somewhat expensive) sensor, the DS18B20, neither of these have really satisfied me. The 10 bit readings just don’t have the kind of accuracy I want, and the DS18B20 has a 750ms (almost a full second) delay while the reading is being taken. I did work up a prototype circuit that can send the data either to an LCD screen or my PC, as shown below…. but it was mostly a proof a concept.

Enter the MCP3208 12-bit SPI interface chip, and some code courtesy of Peter Anderson. Armed with these little gems, I prototyped a circuit to not only test the accuracy, but to also check my skeleton conversion routines in the VB.NET app that will eventually power my sculpture. It appears to approach the accuracy of the DS18B20, but is wicked fast in comparison.

The chip on the left is the MCP3208 with a single reading coming to it on Channel 0 (bottom sensor). The right chip is the PICAXE 18x, somewhat obscured by the 4 conductor wire that communicates with the MCP3208. It is also reading a second LM34 sensor on Pin #1 using its native 10-bit read command. The data is sent via serial link back to the PC through the 3-conductor cable that disappears out the top of the picture.

My .NET application captures the data and processes it in blocks, converting the raw values to “unitized” values on-the-fly. My intent is to allow the user to change units at will, and to store the raw value as well as converted value in a database for analysis later on…

Another benefit of the MCP3208 is that it also take 3 outputs and 1 input and converts them into 8 12-bit inputs, since the MCP3208 has 8 different channels… so it is actually increasing the number of data devices I can implement using a single PICAXE chip. Given the flexibility of the PICAXE development environment, I honestly don’t think I will run out of available inputs or outputs.

Slowly but surely, I am building the knowledge necessary to outfit a brewing sculpture with enough electronics and technology to make Charlie Papazian shake his head in shame and disown me as a fellow homebrewer.

But damn, won’t it be cool.

I have started to chronicle some of this silliness on our site in a Tech Section, which I haven’t officially added to the sidebar of the site. I will at some point when its ready for prime-time.

Found this article today in the News Journal.

Brewer expects deal to lift sales
Regional firm joins venture with giant Anheuser-Busch

DOVER — If you’re a craft brewer, it’s not enough to just make good beer. The tough part is finding a good way to get that beer into people’s hands.

For one regional brand that brews its product in Dover, the answer to the small “craft” brewer’s perennial distribution challenge was found by turning to the big guys for help.

Annapolis-based Fordham Brewing Co. is hoping that a joint venture with Anheuser-Busch will help it grow far beyond the regional market, eventually bringing increased production and employment to its Dover brewery.

That prospect was enhanced this month when the joint venture — called Coastal Brewing Co. — announced it will buy Old Dominion Brewing Co., a Virginia craft brewer and brewpub operator with primary distribution in the mid-Atlantic region.

“This is good for Fordham; it’s good for Dover,” said Bill Muehlhauser, Fordham’s chief executive officer. “We expect substantial growth.”

A similar partnership between Anheuser-Busch and a brewer in Chicago raised that company’s sales 80 percent, he said.

The Dover brewery has a capacity of 20,000 barrels a year now. Fordham wants to add the equipment to raise that to 50,000 barrels soon, and has 37 acres available to expand at the Dover facility. Eventually, the facilities at both Dover and at Old Dominion will be flexible enough to brew both brands’ beers, Muehlhauser said. “That’s one of the beauties of this deal,” which took over a year to put together, he said.

Anheuser-Busch is working to expand its stake in the lucrative craft beer market segment, which has posted solid growth for the past three years. In Delaware, craft breweries such as Dogfish Head in Milton, have helped lead the nationwide expansion, and brewers such as Iron Hill and Stewart’s have earned praise from fans and trade experts.

Fordham brews such beers as Copperhead Ale, Oyster Stout, Fordham Lager and Tavern Ale. Old Dominion is known for such labels as Tuppers’ Hop Pocket Ale and Hard Times Select lager. There are now five full-time workers and several part-timers at Fordham’s Dover brewery, but more jobs are expected. “We’re really scared to speculate” how many more, Muehlhauser said. “I don’t want to get people too excited, but yes, the labor force will grow.”

Both Fordham and Old Dominion brands eventually may be available throughout the East Coast, but the next move is to strengthen existing markets, he said.

“To continue to grow and survive, you’ve gotta get your beer to market,” Muehlhauser said. “We’ve all been scrambling for years to figure out how do you do that.”

Found this article in the business section of the News Journal this morning.

Dogfish Head top dog among craft brewers
Milton operation expands to meet ever-growing demand
By ERIC RUTH, The News Journal
Posted Tuesday, March 13, 2007

In the world of beer, where “big” is huge, no place is bigger right now than little Delaware.

A growing national love affair with full-flavored, robust-natured beers — “big beers,” in industry parlance — has helped catapult Delaware’s Dogfish Head to the front of a field overrun with small, independent “craft” brewers.

Lifted by an ever-expanding distribution network now covering 27 states, Milton-based Dogfish Head saw its sales rocket up 37 percent in 2006, according to the Brewers Association, an industry group representing independent breweries. Revenues rose a whopping 51 percent.

That growth led all U.S. craft brewers, who have been riding a boom themselves for three years now, posting an 11.7 percent increase in sales last year.

“They’ve just been booming year after year, starting with the little brewpub [in Rehoboth Beach in 1995],” said Paul Gatza, director of the Brewers Association, based in Boulder, Colo. “The craft category as a whole is very hot, but Dogfish Head continues to out-index even that.”

Dogfish Head has landed at the top of that profitable heap thanks to a canny sense for drinkers’ preferences and a quirky inclination to put out offbeat, buzz-worthy brews, experts say — the new Red and White, for example, is a Belgian-style “white” beer brewed with coriander and orange peel, fermented with pinot noir juice, then aged in used Oregon pinot noir barrels.

“Our mantra has always been, ‘Off-centered ales for off-centered people.’ That’s our call to arms,” said Sam Calagione, Dogfish’s founder and owner.

“They’re always doing these beers that get people’s interest,” like the ultra-hoppy 120-minute IPA superbrew, said Jeff Bearer, who podcasts a daily show on craft beers from Pittsburgh through his Web site CraftBeerRadio .com. “The other part is their availability. They have a wide distribution area.”

Such complexly crafted beers are gaining a customer base that goes beyond serious beer aficionados, industry experts say. Increasingly, Delaware is gaining a craft-beer prominence that goes beyond Dogfish Head, Gatza said. “Iron Hill restaurant group is very well-respected around the country,” he said. “Stewart’s [Brewing Company, in Bear] is well-known and has won awards in the past,” and the relatively new Twin Lakes Brewing Company in Greenville is grabbing attention.

For Dogfish Head, the rising prominence is especially rewarding because of how little it has to do with glitzy promotions. The company devotes less than 2 percent of revenue toward marketing, and doesn’t advertise in mass media or on television, Calagione said.

“Our beers are our billboard. Let them market themselves,” said Calagione, who is nonetheless regarded as something of a promotional campaign himself.

“Dogfish Head has some aura around it, partly because of Sam Calagione,” Bearer said. “He’s like a rock star in the craft beer world.”

On Web sites such as RateBeer.com, where such “auras” can be punctured by a few well-placed jabs, even the connoisseurs acknowledge that Dogfish Head’s prominence is no marketing trick. The company’s World Wide Stout is rated as the 11th-best beer in the world, and it’s No. 1 among all East Coast brewers.

For some “big beer” snobs, there is always the fear that a beloved brand will get too big for its own good, jacking up production to meet demand, and letting standards slip in the process. Dogfish Head’s Milton brewery just went from 30,000 to 103,000 square feet, giving it a capacity of 220,000 barrels a year instead of 45,000.

The boosted capacity feeds a growing business — six Dogfish Head Ale Houses are planned for the mid-Atlantic over the next six years. Starting this month, the company expanded distribution to Georgia, giving it a reach from Washington state to the Deep South.

Calagione insists that quality will remain a priority through the growth, and beer fans like Bearer agree.

“There’s no way you can say they’ve sold out,” he said. “They’re definitely not sacrificing their formula for profits.”

This is TOMORROW! Don’t know why I hadn’t heard of this earlier! But, if you’re interested in going, you had better call now to see if there are any tickets available!

Sat March 10
1:00 pm
In recent years brewers have focused on various tastes, components, and alcohol levels and created “extreme” beers. What makes a beer extreme? Join world renowned beer expert Michael Jackson as he explores this theme. Following the tutored tasting, enjoy dozens of additional beers from around the world accompanied by food by Museum Catering Company. Guests must be at least 21 years old to attend. Three seatings are offered. Advance reservations required. $45 non-members; $40 members. Tickets on sale now at the Annenberg Center Box Office online: http://www.pennpresents.org/events/event.php?event=tasting or call 215/898-3900.

Just received the following in my email.

Wouldn’t it be fun to take a road trip to Colorado in June!?

Hi

My name is Dennis Frank. I am a member of Hop Barley and the Alers, a home brew club in Boulder, Colorado. Kathy Thompson and I are the coordinators for the Hospitality Suite for the upcoming 2007 National Homebrew Conference (NHC). It will be hosted in Denver this year in June on the 21, 22 & 23! There is still time to brew beers for the Conference/Hospitality Suite so please talk this up at your club meeting and let us know if your interested.

We are looking for clubs who would like to work a shift in the Hospitality Suite. This would require your club to bring beer to the conference and serve it during a 1 1/2 to 2 hour shift. This is a chance for you and your club to show off your beer making skills to other clubs around the country.

If you and your club would like to participate, please email me with a contact/coordinator for your club.
Attached is a signup sheet if your club is interested in a shift at the hospitality suite. You can also check out the following webpage for conference information.

http://www.beertown.org/events/hbc/hospitality.html

If you have any questions feel free to contact us.
We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Cheers
Hospitality Suite Coordinators
Kathy and Dennis

Yes, today is a brewing day in the Sever household - the first in over a month! I’ve been seriously slacking, but more on that later. Today is a peated scottish ale, probably in the 1.050 to 1.055 range. Its one I have been meaning to do for some time - the ingredients are about a year old, so hopefully things will work out just fine - but the Golden Promise 2-row and Peated Malt were purchased some time way back when some club members did a big order to North Country Malt Supply>. Its not that I couldn’t have done it before, or that I couldn’t have used these ingredients for something else in the meantime - I just always managed to slide something in before it. Since the peated malt is over a year old, it has a much more mellow and subtle aroma (and I am guessing flavor) than it did back in March 2006 when Scott Bieber asked me “what did you DO to this?!?!? It tastes like peat moss!!” It obviously won’t be ready for folks to try at this year’s Jerry & Joyce St. Pats extravaganza - but I’ll probably torture folks with it sometime around May or June.

I’ve been very busy doing research for a semi-automated / computerized homebrew sculpture. I say “semi-automated” because I don’t want to just press the GO button and it does all the work - I want the computer to do smart temperature control and facilitate some of the more tedious exercises while brewing like measuring out water, or doing mash steps. **I** still want to be the brewer, but I want to exact a level of precision and repeatability over my batches that I don’t have right now. I also want to be able to capture brew session data and have the ability to analyze it later if something truely wonderful happens (or awful, as the case may be).

So instead of brewing, I’ve been playing with electronics - programmable microcontrollers, resistors, capacitors, logic chips, LEDs, etc. - I used to know all that stuff, and have managed to forget it in the years since I learned it in college.

If you feel like amusing yourself, go to the Tech section of our website and check out “Electrobrew”, my tentative name for this endeavor. I don’t know what the project will ultimately be called, but that’s good enough for now.

I won first place for my Choking Sun Stout at War of the Worts XII, which got me a $50 gift certificate to Keystone Homebrew Supply up in PA. Looks like I am going to have to make a pilgrimage to spend it, but there are always tons of other things to do in Philly that would warrant the trip.

Also, looks my family and some friends are all going to the Belgian beer festival at Ommegang in July. After reading of the experience from the assistant brewer at Iron Hill Newark, I convinced my wife that pitching a tent among the other bohemians was not something we wanted to do, so we are looking at getting a cabin some (walkable) distance away where we don’t have to endure the all-night drum circles and idiots stumbing into our area, begging for late-night handouts.

Last but not least, we are MOVING our blog from Blogspot to our domain and using the Wordpress platform. Blogger has been reasonably good for us, but honestly I feel better having it on our own site. If you are reading this entry at http://www.firststatebrewers.com/blog/ then you are already ahead of the game.

If not, start checking http://www.firststatebrewers.com/blog/ instead, because that’s where we are headed.