11 replies to this topic

[SchwanzBrewer]

I'm sick. Fever, chills, cough, it sucks. I needed to gel my alt and kolsch today. Not gonna happen. Needed to get it done in order to have the beer ready for fourth of july. So I gave my FIL instructions on what to do. I'm really concerned about him screwing it up somehow. I've beat it into his head that sanitation is of the upmost importance, but no one is as concerned and careful as me. We'll see what happens. I really hope he doesn't do something to #### things up.

[Big Nake]

Hmm, seems dicey. Can I be honest? In 16 years of brewing, the only thing I have ever done where I asked someone else to do ANYTHING was when we were out of town and my sister & family were coming to our house (long story) and I asked my nephew to disconnect the CO2 line from a keg I was carbing... and I walked him through it over the phone. Otherwise, no one touches my beer when it's being processed. Keep us posted and feel better.

[MyaCullen]

coulda waited till tomorrow?

 

good luck

[Poptop]

This is the same Dude you're venturing with, and who also relishes your beer right? If I'm sure you have his attention.

[SchwanzBrewer]

This is the same Dude you're venturing with, and who also relishes your beer right? If I'm sure you have his attention.

 

Yeah, but still it's like handing your baby to the baby sitter for the first time.

coulda waited till tomorrow?

 

good luck

 

I'm guessing it will be wednesday before this mung leaves.

[positiveContact]

I don't really trust anyone to do anything for me.  No one really cares about it like I do.  That said I'm guessing you have about 95% chance of things being fine in this case.

Edited by Evil_Morty, 29 June 2015 - 03:53 AM.

[SchwanzBrewer]

I don't really trust anyone to do anything for me.  No one really cares about it like I do.  That said I'm guessing you have about 95% chance of things being fine in this case.

 

I know I'm gonna have to train an assistant. I worry that I'll be too hard on them because I'll expect the same level of quality. I can't expect to hire someone with professional experience for a while. Even then I'm have have expectations.

[Poptop]

The cliché Lead By Example rings true. Treat the shovel, hose, broom guy right and he will protect your interests and learn to love the craft.

[positiveContact]

I know I'm gonna have to train an assistant. I worry that I'll be too hard on them because I'll expect the same level of quality. I can't expect to hire someone with professional experience for a while. Even then I'm have have expectations.

 

I think if you hang with them the first couple of times they do stuff it will be fine.  I have no idea what doing stuff in a commercial brewery is like but I have to think the process (once the kinks are worked out) is more idiot proof than the low tech setup that I use at home.

[Deerslyr]

I'm sick. Fever, chills, cough, it sucks. I needed to gel my alt and kolsch today. Not gonna happen. Needed to get it done in order to have the beer ready for fourth of july. So I gave my FIL instructions on what to do. I'm really concerned about him screwing it up somehow. I've beat it into his head that sanitation is of the upmost importance, but no one is as concerned and careful as me. We'll see what happens. I really hope he doesn't do something to #### things up.

What exactly does/did he need to do?  I'm just curious about the level of work that was to be involved.

Hope you are feeling better.

[SchwanzBrewer]

I think if you hang with them the first couple of times they do stuff it will be fine.  I have no idea what doing stuff in a commercial brewery is like but I have to think the process (once the kinks are worked out) is more idiot proof than the low tech setup that I use at home.

 

Overall the process is simple, very much like homebrewing. There's a few more tricks and pitfalls though that you will only learn by using a different equipment set (same with homebrewing on a buddies system). I'm a patient person, my mom thinks I should have been a professor or highschool teacher. I could just see someone getting an attitude about not following protocol and not doing the little detailed things that help ensure the best product. The beer might not get ruined, but my motto is better safe than sorry. When my reputation and money are on the line, I will expect my employees to perform to my level. This will just require time, patience, and education. Maybe a cattle prod too...

 

What exactly does/did he need to do?  I'm just curious about the level of work that was to be involved.

Hope you are feeling better.

 

Get some water from the filtered source, boil 2 batches of 2 qt down to 1 quart (Just removing O2 and sterilizing the water). When it gets down to 120, add two heaping teaspoons to each batch, gently heat and stir in the gelatin until it gets to 150. Turn off the AC on the trailer, open the port on the fermenter, use a clean/sanitized funnel, pour the gelatin mixture into the fermenter. Spray the port with sanitizer, put the port back on, open the valve, add CO2, purge, add CO2. Turn the AC back on.

 

There's a lot of little things that are easy to forget to do like turning off the AC. You don't want the AC blowing air into the fermenter. Taking extra care to boil the water first so you aren't adding O2 to the beer. Being careful with all those things adds up and skipping one of the steps or forgetting to do one of them is easy to do. 

[SchwanzBrewer]

So far everything is OK. I kegged both the alt and the kolsch last night. Both tasted and smelled fine. The gelatin seemed to work fine too.