30 replies to this topic

[djinkc]

Getting tired yet?

[earthtone]

yeah I hear the commute is a real killer!!

[drewseslu]

Yea...you best not be slacking!

[Stout_fan]

cj can't come to the phone right now...... his boss has him busy humping malt.OK, that's a picture I didn't want in my mind.

[drewseslu]

Besides...hops would be most upset at his infidelity...

[boo boo]

I wonder if his first will be a JPA or if he will send everyone a free bottle to sample.Of course we would pay postage

[cj in j]

Getting tired yet?

I'm learning, I'm stressed out, I'm having fun, I'm tired, I'm losing weight, I'm happy, I'm drinking . . . less than I was before! All in all, a good life.

yeah I hear the commute is a real killer!!

And I really really like the 30 second commute!

Yea...you best not be slacking!

The boss man wouldn't let me slack if I wanted to! Not that I want to. No wait, I do want to. I just can't. But, I did have a day off today -- it was fun having a picnic in the sun with my wife, going to a movie, eating dinner together. From tomorrow, it's three straight days of brewing on our "big" system (a whopping 1000 liters! ), first just watching and taking notes, second brewing with the boss man, and on the third day, I'm doing most of it myself. I already have an ulcer just thinking about all the ways I can screw things up!

cj can't come to the phone right now...... his boss has him busy humping malt.

Yeah, there's lots of malt humping in this job. Humping it into the hopper, humping it out of the spent grain exit chute, humping into garbage cans, humping it to the compost farm. It's really not that bad! But really, my favorite job so far is "hopping" into the brew kettle to remove the hops after the boil. The aroma is just fantastic! Digging out several kilos of spent whole hops is almost a wet dream.

Besides...hops would be most upset at his infidelity...

The hops still love me -- and I still love them.

I wonder if his first will be a JPA or if he will send everyone a free bottle to sample.Of course we would pay postage

There's a possibility of making a JPA later this year, but it'll likely all be kegged. Sorry.Overall, I'm loving life on a daily basis -- even when I come home dead tired.

[drewseslu]

They let you go home?I got yesterday off as well, it was relaxing...back to it today!

[Spoon]

Cj I didn't realize you were Pro brewing! Congrats! https://www.brews-br...tyle_emoticons/default/headbang.gif

[cj in j]

They let you go home?

Occasionally -- I live 30 seconds from the brewery, so they do let me wander on down to the house once in a while, but overall I'm committed -- or at least should be.

Cj I didn't realize you were Pro brewing! Congrats! https://www.brews-br...tyle_emoticons/default/headbang.gif

Thanks. I started on April 1 (April Fool's Day! ). Since then I've lost ~10 pounds -- which is a very good thing. By the end of the year, I should be down to my college weight -- which isn't the best, but it's a hell of a lot better than I've been in the past 25 years or so. Just so you all don't think I'm a huge fat load, I peaked at around 205 late last year (I'm 5'9", I think) and now I'm down to around 185. I hope to be around 170 by December. My knees are thanking me daily!

[earthtone]

My knees are thanking me daily!

Is that when you aren't shlepping sacks of malt around???p.s. any chance on a pic of you hopping into the hops???

[cj in j]

Update time -- here's what I already posted on BrewBoard.Okay, three weeks in and I'm loving it. The first week I had a lot of stress, mainly from myself not wanting to push the wrong button or open the wrong valve or open a drain and either screw something up or dump a batch into the sewer. But nothing like that happened. I had brewed on our 250-liter (around 2-barrel) system around 7-8 years ago, so getting back up to speed on that didn't take very long. The bigger 1000-liter (about 8-barrel) system is more confusing and more stressful. I also found out first hand just what brewing for a small company means -- you do EVERYTHING! After you mash in, you go and dump trub from a fermenting batch, then you prepare a conditioning tank for transfer, then you sanitize today's fermenter, then you check on the mash, then you clean kegs, then you . . . It's a non-stop 7-9 hour day. Yeah, I knew that going in, but I found it very confusing the first week or two.The second week we did three big batch brews on three consecutive days -- that helped me greatly get things straight in my mind. We also did bottling and kegging, which I found I don't mind at all. Every pro brewer I've ever talked to, has bitched endlessly about packaging, but I find it extremely satisfying, especially now that some of the beers I was in the brewhouse for are making their way to the packaging area. It also probably helps that we don't filter our beers at all -- everything is bottle or keg conditioned. In the middle of the second week, I had a mild panic attack while watching a movie on my day off. What the hell did I do? I gave up a no-brainer career, guaranteed salary till I retired at 65, huge retirement bonus for a low-paying, physical labor and risky career? But I took a deep breath, took a huge swallow of beer (they sell beer in most theaters here), and finished the movie knowing full-well what I did.This week, the boss is off to Boston for the craft brewers conference, so the assistant brewer and I are here alone -- today's his day off, so I'm doing major keg cleaning (around 110 kegs). Yesterday was my first solo commercial brew in around 7 years -- it went pretty well, although I cooled the wort a bit too much and the fermentation is a bit slow in taking off. Tomorrow is packaging again along with more keg cleaning (we do that whenever we have time), as well as preparing for Thursday's big brew day. I'll also be brewing on Friday on the small system, then my day off on Saturday -- yea!Overall, this new job is exactly what I expected -- hard work, challenging, and fun. I have been very stressed out the first three weeks, mainly because I don't want to let my friend (principle owner Bryan Baird) down and just because I'm frustrated when I can't remember how to do something. But that's getting better and will continue to get better in the coming weeks. This brewery is very small -- just three people right now, Bryan, me (lead brewer) and Tetsuya (assistant brewer). Tetsuya is great at everything other than manning the brewhouse, which is what I start teaching him as soon as I'm comfortable with it myself. We have a pub restaurant nearby where I can eat and drink any time for free -- great fringe benefit. And sometimes while I'm cleaning kegs, I have enough free time while the machine is processing to post on the forums! All in all, life is great!And my family has truly been great. My kids are old enough that they realize their dad is nuts and they can't do anything about it. Besides, I've been talking about starting a brewery or becoming a brewer for years and years, so they just thought it was inevitable. My wife is scared as hell, but because we have invested in the brewery as well (making me an owner-partner as well as brewer), things are going to work out. This change is really hardest on her since we're living apart right now (she had just started a new job when I got offered the lead brewer position and didn't want to give up the opportunity) -- we still see each other every week, either she comes and stays with me or I go and stay with her. She's a great woman, and I couldn't -- wouldn't have done it without her help and support!And now my keg cleaning is done. Time to clean up, shut down, and go home -- my 30-second commute to work is another joy that I couldn't have imagined before when I was spending 100+ minutes on four trains every morning and every evening -- although I do miss those beers I used to sip on the trains.Any questions?

[DuncanDad]

How do I get a job at a brewery?I keep coming back to it. I'd love to run a 7-10 barrel system and a small pub put front.Just have to figure it out.

[cj in j]

DD -- I'd recommend finding a partner to do it with. If you had a small brewery in the back, you'd rarely see the small pub in front -- and even if you saw it, you probably wouldn't have the energy left to actually work there. Drink there, yes -- Run the place, no.As for getting a job in a brewery, volunteer. A lot of small breweries would love to have keg cleaners, bottlers, and whatnot, especially if they don't have to pay!

[BrianBrewerKS]

As for getting a job in a brewery, volunteer. A lot of small breweries would love to have keg cleaners, bottlers, and whatnot, especially if they don't have to pay!

I e-mailed a local brewpub here a few years back asking if they needed a volunteer. I explained that I was looking to get a feel for what a professional brewer does on a daily basis to see if I'd be interested in the life.The lead brewer e-mailed me back telling me that he barely has enough hours to give his paid assistant, so he really didn't need a volunteer. I took that as meaning that they weren't that busy because the beer they make is average at best (first hand experience) and he didn't want some newb getting in the way.

[armagh]

Any questions?

I should know this but what is the brand name and is it available in the US? That was, BTW, one of the best posts I've run across in a beer forum in years.

[cj in j]

I should know this but what is the brand name and is it available in the US? That was, BTW, one of the best posts I've run across in a beer forum in years.

The company is Baird Brewing, and the beers are, surprisingly, called Baird Beer. And thanks -- it was fun writing that post.

[CaptRon]

The company is Baird Brewing, and the beers are, surprisingly, called Baird Beer. And thanks -- it was fun writing that post.

Is that you at the top of this page: https://www.bairdbee...ery-photos.html ????

[ncbeerbrewer]

I am sure you guys make some good beers CJ. Reading your recent post its obvious how much laborous and hard work goes into brewing but I am sure it is all worth it in the end as well. That is probably something some homebrewers don't realize beforehand too. I know I have seriously considered it and the market here in my area too would probably support another microbrewery as well. Someday though I say its still possible. Happy to hear you are enjoying your new career. Wish you the best and the same for your family too.Seeing Baddog's post. Is the Rising Sun Pale the JPA? LOL