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Going Pro / Re: Cleaning chemicals
« on: May 04, 2013, 06:13:31 PM »
At times, I'm finding myself underwhelmed by both price and performance of PBW as well too.
Sometimes I use Liquid Circulation Cleaner #1 from Five Star and it is a lot more effective with less, BUT then I have to worry about gloves, goggles, etc.
Acid #5 is for passivation, doesn't really work well for removing organic deposits, but for beer stone, it seems to work alright.
I don't mind the foaming properties of Star-San, again because I don't really have to take serious precautions when handling it vs PAA.
Sometimes I use Liquid Circulation Cleaner #1 from Five Star and it is a lot more effective with less, BUT then I have to worry about gloves, goggles, etc.
Acid #5 is for passivation, doesn't really work well for removing organic deposits, but for beer stone, it seems to work alright.
I don't mind the foaming properties of Star-San, again because I don't really have to take serious precautions when handling it vs PAA.
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Going Pro / Re: Logo Feedback
« on: April 24, 2013, 08:18:28 PM »
Just looked at your blog for a second and noticed you were in Champaign. Did you make it down to my brewery in Savoy or just Destihl and the Blind Pig? I am guessing I was out of town at the time for the Craft Brewers Conference in DC.
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Going Pro / Re: Logo Feedback
« on: April 24, 2013, 09:33:17 AM »
Probably because the link is malformed....
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.531379860253336.1073741828.472404139484242&type=1&l=61c87d2437
I was bored while waiting for a CIP cycle to finish, so I linked in all the pics to this post.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.531379860253336.1073741828.472404139484242&type=1&l=61c87d2437
I was bored while waiting for a CIP cycle to finish, so I linked in all the pics to this post.
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Going Pro / Re: What Am I Missing in This Artcle?
« on: April 17, 2013, 11:52:00 AM »
While beer sales are up, and just barely, there was a good point made at CBC this year that macro brands are losing more drinkers than craft beer is gaining. Many of them are turning back to spirits and some are venturing into alternative beverages like cider, malt beverages, etc.
And the argument that Kim, Jim, Larry, et al. are making is that their breweries, some of the largest breweries by sales volume in craft brewing, spend lots of $$ each year to not only promote their specific brands but promote craft beer in general. Some of the new small breweries are riding the coat-tails of that movement, and when they make bad beer, that negative experience blows back and impacts the big craft brewers too. And it impacts other breweries in the same local market too.
And the argument that Kim, Jim, Larry, et al. are making is that their breweries, some of the largest breweries by sales volume in craft brewing, spend lots of $$ each year to not only promote their specific brands but promote craft beer in general. Some of the new small breweries are riding the coat-tails of that movement, and when they make bad beer, that negative experience blows back and impacts the big craft brewers too. And it impacts other breweries in the same local market too.
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Going Pro / Re: What Am I Missing in This Artcle?
« on: April 15, 2013, 08:45:52 PM »That's probably not a typo. All the cool kids are starting severely under-capitalized breweries.
I wonder if all these new "pro" brewers will siphon off business from properly run breweries, ruining not just their own business, but several others as well. Hopefully they'll go under quickly enough that the good breweries who deserve the business can stay afloat.
Sounds like you've been talking to Larry Bell or Kim Jordan or Jim Koch about their worst fears regarding this "boom".
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Going Pro / Re: BROP software for a 1bbl brewery
« on: April 13, 2013, 11:44:24 PM »
I have Beer Run pricing from the CBC.
Not sure if it is cool to post the exact details in the forum or not. But for less than 1000 BBLs a year, it is ultimately about $4k a year to use.
Not sure if it is cool to post the exact details in the forum or not. But for less than 1000 BBLs a year, it is ultimately about $4k a year to use.
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Going Pro / Re: Need some input
« on: April 12, 2013, 05:38:25 PM »Be sure you don't sell yourself short on compensation. I went in with 3 other partners. We all invested the same amount of money but I invested substantially more time than all three if them combined X 10. If I did it over again I would have insisted that I either got a larger percentage of the company or guaranteed compensation down the line.
Ditto on this. I own 1/3 of our brewery and though I get compensated, it still doesn't really compare to the other partners who also own 1/3 of the brewery but also keep their lucrative day jobs.
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Going Pro / Re: There you go Anthony B.
« on: April 10, 2013, 10:07:15 AM »
Filling the two fives this week, which will hopefully give me time to get the chiller+electrical sorted out for the two sevens which will be filled next week.
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Going Pro / Re: Starting a brewery
« on: April 07, 2013, 07:47:08 PM »
I would also think long and hard about dedicating 100+% of yourself to something like this without some form of ownership to not only give you incentive but to insulate yourself against strange choices management might make in a vacuum otherwise.
Also, you mention that this person has a business plan but no sales projections. I'm sorry but that isn't a business plan.
Also, you mention that this person has a business plan but no sales projections. I'm sorry but that isn't a business plan.
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Going Pro / Re: There you go Anthony B.
« on: April 05, 2013, 05:20:02 PM »
6 weeks on and adding more fermenters and other assorted tanks. Still sort of surreal.
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General Homebrew Discussion / Re: mash temp for belgian blond?
« on: April 04, 2013, 12:35:02 PM »
Whatever yields a nice, high attenuation on your system. On our setup, that is a long rest at 150ish.
You want a dry finish with a sweetish flavor... i.e. some complex dextrins, pilsner-candy-like sweetness combined with a nicely low gravity.
You want a dry finish with a sweetish flavor... i.e. some complex dextrins, pilsner-candy-like sweetness combined with a nicely low gravity.
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Going Pro / Re: Credit Policies...
« on: April 03, 2013, 07:57:14 AM »So can you use the "Square" program to accept a retailer's credit/debit card, or is this even more risky?
2.75% per swipe sucks. You'll be fighting thin margins to begin with, don't throw away almost 3% of your margin.
We do the flat fee of $275 with Square. I obviously can't share exactly what that works out to percentage wise, but it is well below 2.75% in our case.
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Going Pro / Re: Rost your own grain
« on: March 23, 2013, 04:37:34 PM »
Need more variables to account for in your brew day? Add DIY malt to the mix!
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Yeast and Fermentation / Re: Belle Saison Dry Yeast
« on: March 22, 2013, 07:28:18 AM »
In my very limited experience with this yeast, if you just let it ramp up and go, it will blow past the phenolic stage. The fruityness is much more pronounced at temperatures over 75F. You also seem to need to follow their pitching rate guidelines. I effectively turned off the jacket on our fermenter when I pitched this and it went up from 68, topping out at around 85 before hitting terminal gravity and falling back down on its own.