17 replies to this topic

[SchwanzBrewer]

Some friends of mine from my homebrew club moved up to Sylva NC and started a brewery, Balsam Falls Brewing Company. I was supposed to go up there in September, but the hurricane came and my mom got hurt. So the wife and I are heading up there in late December and the brewery is open now so I'm gonna be brewing up a batch of Duss Alt for them. It's all 2bbl batches, no big deal. Should be fun!

 

If you all go through Sylva, stop by the brewery and tell Corey or Laurie (the owners) that I (Rich) sent you. Might not get you much, but it's nice to say hi.

 

Cheers!

[matt6150]

That's a good 2+ hours from me but an area I need to visit more often. I will keep this place in mind. Hines lives awfully close to Sylva.

[Big Nake]

That's sweet Rich. I will say this: Of all the dancing thoughts in my head about commercial breweries, the one idea that always sticks out is: What is it like for a homebrewer to make beer at a commercial brewery? How does the brewer know how to operate all that equipment? I have been in commercial breweries and actually played with a lot of that stuff but just connecting a hose to the water port was a new experience. Have fun, enjoy it and take some pics to share with your geeky nerdy curious brewbuds.

[SchwanzBrewer]

That's sweet Rich. I will say this: Of all the dancing thoughts in my head about commercial breweries, the one idea that always sticks out is: What is it like for a homebrewer to make beer at a commercial brewery? How does the brewer know how to operate all that equipment? I have been in commercial breweries and actually played with a lot of that stuff but just connecting a hose to the water port was a new experience. Have fun, enjoy it and take some pics to share with your geeky nerdy curious brewbuds.

 

They have a 1bbl system the same as what I brew on. They just double batch into 2bbl fermenters. The experience isn't that big a deal, I'm just happy to be able to brew a beer for them. They are good brewers. Plus I'll be on vacation and they get to do they annoying parts of cellaring and stuff. 

[Big Nake]

They have a 1bbl system the same as what I brew on. They just double batch into 2bbl fermenters. The experience isn't that big a deal, I'm just happy to be able to brew a beer for them. They are good brewers. Plus I'll be on vacation and they get to do they annoying parts of cellaring and stuff.

Sounds awesome. Have fun with it and don't forget to hump something.

[SchwanzBrewer]

Looks like I might get to do a snow brew. Gonna be cold for this florida cracker.

[SchwanzBrewer]

Got the character grains tonight. Just need to remember to pack them.

[BlKtRe]

Nice, a Dussie is a great choice and will win many pallets! 

[SchwanzBrewer]

Gonna be my first brew in 6 months.

[SchwanzBrewer]

Brew is going well. About 30 min left on the boil. Cheers!

[Bklmt2000]

[neddles]

Pics?

[SchwanzBrewer]

Internet and cell signals are bad up in the mountains. I'll post some later.

We brewed a barrel of alt in 6 hours. Usually takes me 10 to 12.

[HVB]

Internet and cell signals are bad up in the mountains. I'll post some later.

We brewed a barrel of alt in 6 hours. Usually takes me 10 to 12.

What is the bulk of your brew day?  10-12 hours seems like a lot for 31g's

[SchwanzBrewer]

Heating water and wort. I'm convinced to go electric now. We had 45 gal in the boil kettle and boiling right when the sparge was done. My jet burners are no where near that efficient. When I turn the on I usually have 12 to 15 gal in the kettle and it still takes an hour to get to boil.

[SchwanzBrewer]

Takes an hour to heat the hlt too. I can usually have sparge water ready while I mash. Other than that it's a pain in the butt because I have to clean everything before I use it because it's stored on the porch. And I don't have hot water out there so cleaning takes longer.

[SchwanzBrewer]

and we go thru way too much propane. It's way too inefficient.

[HVB]

Thanks, that is where I thought the time would be.