Beer Experiments

Between brewing pilot batches and moving Good Beer forward, August has been a busy month! 

This past month, the home pilot brewery crafted some really cool beer concepts.  I have several beers I'm extremely excited about, even though I haven't even tried them yet.  Between late July and this past weekend, I brewed a Farmhouse Strong, an Imperial Stout, a Sour Session ale, a Wild Pale Ale, and enough beer to fill a used oak barrel - literally.

The Farmhouse Strong was bottled almost two weeks ago.  The Farmhouse Strong is a dark, strong, American-hopped beer with Belgian yeast flavors.  It was fermented with a delicious Belgian Saison yeast blend which I've been using for a couple years with great success.  It is definitely my go-to Belgian yeast.  I added some dark malts (Special B and Chocolate) to try and achieve a chocolatey raisin flavor.  And, in the spirit of Southern California, I added copious amounts of Cascade, Columbus, and Chinook hops.  It clocked in at 8.0% alcohol by volume.  Like I said, I bottled it a couple weeks ago, and have yet to taste it, but it tasted great along the way.  I'll surely open a couple this weekend (Labor Day) while relaxing by the pool.

The Imperial Stout was inspired by the Haven Brewing Breakfast Stout brewed by my good friend Dave Larsen.  He used a lot of chocolate malt to create a viscous and decadent Breakfast Stout.  I had the pleasure of trying it from the fermenter a few months back, and had the barrel aged version on Monday night at the Haven 3rd Anniversary Party in Orange.  Anyways, I used a bunch of chocolate malt and as many malts as I could to create a thick, viscous mouthfeel.  This beer is sitting in fermenters right now, and I've been toying with the idea of racking it on some oak or vanilla beans before bottling it up.

The Sour Session ale was quite an experience.  I decided to try my hand at a pseudo-sour mash.  I've done a lot of research in sour mashing, recently, and it finally inspired me to try it out.  Boy, was that scary.  I mashed and sparged a grain bill for a pilot batch of pseudo-Berliner Weiss, then drained the wort to a 5 gallon corny keg.  In the corny keg, I let Lactobaccilus and a host of other microorganisms free.  For four days, the keg sat at about 104 degrees to promote the souring.  By day two, the keg was carbonated.  By day three, it was getting scary and I had thoughts of sour beer explosions in the garage.  By day four, I decided I could not just sit back while a time bomb sat in my garage.  I attached a beer serving line to the keg's "outlet" and put the other end in the kettle.  To my surprise, the keg was so carbonated that it pushed all the beer out and in to the kettle.  I boiled the beer (to stop the souring process), added hops, and I am fermenting it with an ale yeast.  It's an interesting experiment.

Photo: pH measurement of the soured session wort

I'm very much looking forward to the Wild Pale Ale.  It's a style that is just now becoming popular in the craft beer world, but wild ales have been brewed for ever.  My Wild Pale Ale is hopped up with citrusy American hops and fermented with Brettanomyces bruxellensis, bruxellensis 'Trois' and lambicus.  I have never used this yeast, and many brewers fear letting it loose in their brewery, but I can't let that stop me. From what I've been able to ascertain from internet research, B. bruxellensis 'Trois' is producing magnificent tropical fruit flavors - think pineapple, mango, papaya.  The B. bruxellensis and lambicus were added to the other fermenter to experiment with yeast blending and to compare the different strains.  Based on this, I thought a hoppy Pale Ale was the way to go.  I'll return with results in the future.

Photo: Brettanomyces yeast strains

Photo: Brettanomyces yeast starters

 Photo: Wild Pale Ale fermenting away (Saison in the background)

Finally, in a collaborative effort with Dave Larsen and Mike Roberts, we brewed enough beer to fill a used oak barrel. In. One. Day.  I'm not kidding.  In a single day, the three of us combined for over 50 gallons of beer.  We brewed a simple, low-gravity Saison, knowing fully well that it would be aged in a french oak barrel that had previously been used for wine, and most recently used by a local brewery for a soured Imperial Saison.  The simple beer we put in the barrel is going to sit there for a while, developing additional flavors, absorbing the oak, and taking on the essence of what had previously filled the barrel.  I also plan on releasing some additional souring strains of Lactobacillus, Pediococcus, and Brettanomyces, to add complexity.  It's going to come out of the barrel a completely different beer.  I'll report back with results in several months.

Photo: I guess you could say we're starting a barrel program.

Busy Summer

You probably have noticed a lack of updates from Good Beer recently - that's because I haven't had a moment to stop and reflect on what is going on.  Some interesting things are happening right now.  Fear not, I'm still pushing forward and breathing life in to The Good Beer Company.

I'm working on revising the plan set that was submitted to the City of Santa Ana.  There are some technical items that need to be ironed out - like occupancies, fire separation, means of egress, and other extraordinarily exciting elements of the California Building Code, before we can resubmit.  That said, I have great direction and, with the help of my Dad (a California licensed architect), I think we have a proposal that will make everyone happy.  I'm planning on getting the resubmittal in to the City by the end of the month, so stay tuned.

As for brewing, this upcoming weekend will be the Grand Barrel Brewday.  Myself and a couple fellow home brewers are getting together to brew enough beer to fill a used oak barrel.  That's quite a bit of beer to make at home in one day - over 55 gallons!  I don't want to spoil the surprise, but it's going to be an exciting beer.  I also have started in on some fun yeast experiments using non-conventional fermentation techniques.  My hope is that I will get a good grip on using various yeasts and bacterias in fermentation before the brewery opens - that way, I can pump out some fascinating beers in short order.

In the last month, we've visited Track 7 Brewing and Rubicon in Sacramento, Bootleggers and Anaheim Brewery in Orange County, and the Julian Brewing Company in my home town of Julian.  I have brewed a bunch of beer - including an Imperial Stout and American Farmhouse Ale, and a Brown Ale that I have on tap right now, in the last month and I'm amped about what's coming next.

Pilot Batch: Double IPA

Craft beers are constantly brewed to higher and higher strengths - from higher alcohol to more bitterness, it's a growing trend that is not going to disappear.  For some, this trend is an adulteration of craft brewing and historic beer styles.  For others, it's a symbol of the creativity and defiant nature of craft (and home) brewers.  I subscribe to the later.  Brewing extreme beers and breaking style guidelines is good for craft beer because it usually translates to increased flavor, aroma and experience.  Because I hold this perspective, a Double IPA was one of the first beers I wanted to master...

The judges at the Mayfaire Homebrew Competition think I've figured out the style. Five hundred and fifty entries in the Mayfaire and I had the best beer in Class 13 Double IPA and Barleywine.  How awesome is that? Golden - literally!  I'm getting closer and closer to becoming a "pro brewer" thereby disqualifying me from these competitions, so I need to relish in the glory of victory at the home brew scale.

Enough gloating, how about the beer?  It clocks in at around 9% alcohol by volume and rocks about 80 IBU.  The hop flavors are attributed to a pretty elusive hop combination - Citra and Simcoe. These two hops have high oil contents and contribute loads of flavor and aroma.  The Citra hop contributes flavors of tropical fruit and the Simcoe hop provides a piney resinous bitterness - a pair of contrasting hops that is just sensational.  You have to try this beer to believe it!

Check This Place Out!

This quick video builds upon an earlier blog post about the amazing building that Good Beer will live in.  I want you to see how cool the building is before our permits are pulled and we begin construction.  Check it out!

I need to work on my videography skills... more vblogs coming in the future!

Progress and the County Health Department

We've been making some progress, just not as much as I'd like!  I feel like our next big milestone is coming very soon, so stay tuned.  Here are some updates on my progress, the County Health Department and some advice for future brewers.

Minor Milestones


I haven't had any really cool updates for a couple weeks because I've been discussing the project with the County Health Department.  While I wouldn't characterize our discussions as a milestone for Good Beer, I would say that we are making progress. 

Some minor milestones that have happened recently:

• The Good Beer Company has filed paperwork for fictitious business names with the County Clerk-Recorder.
• I filed more paperwork with the State to confirm and finalize Good Beer's presence (at least for a year)
• As discussed below, we came to some solutions with the County Health Department

County Health Department

It has been made abundantly clear that my situation is very unique. Very.  Most breweries select industrial warehouse-type buildings to house their brewing operations.  Because we're permitting in a historic building, the City and County have had some interesting hurdles to overcome.  At first, the County was coming up with concerns about the building at a rate of one-a-day.  This was a lot to handle, and I'll admit, I got a little overwhelmed.

That said, I sat down with the County and we were able to discuss the intricacies and come to compromises about what the brewery will look like.  The discussions shed light on some of the County's biggest concerns, but in general, we came up with creative solutions (compromises).  Here are a few of the solutions:

County concern:  the ceiling above the brewing area could harbor "dust" and should be painted or sealed.  My stance:  I want to maintain the historic charm of the space but also make it a clean and safe work environment.  Solution:  instead of painting the 100+ year old exposed wood ceilings, we will seal it with an industrial transparent silicone coating. 

County concern:  Keep visitors to the tasting room out of the brewery production area.  My stance:  I want the building to be an open and barrier-free experience.  I also need to be able to move large equipment in and out of the brewing area without destroying the barrier.  Solution:  surround the brewing area with metal railings that fit in to a sleeve.  This way the railings can be in place to keep tasting room visitors out of the brewing area and allow us to add equipment to the brewing area in the future without removing a permanent barrier.

County concern:  the grain crusher will generate too much dust if it is out in the open.  My stance:  I understand that it will generate grain dust, but I've read about brewers that have been able to keep the dust under control.  Solution:  less of a compromise than the other two situations, I have elected to enclose the grain crusher in a room by itself.  We will have to move the crushed grain a further distance via auger, but, aside from the added expense, I think this compromise will work out for everyone.

County concern:  The big kahuna was when the County wanted me to paint, stain or seal up the beautiful exposed brick on the west side of the building. My stance:  I did not like this idea because the brick adds so much character to the building.  Painting, or even sealing it with a transparent seal, would be a detriment to the feel of the space.  Solution:  I explained to the County that the brewing tanks and additional distance between the brewing area and the brick would act as a buffer between the brewing activities and the brick.  They liked this idea

If You're a Brewer...

I have some advice for brewers (or anyone opening a commercial food processing facility).  Having gone through this brain damage, here's what I suggest you do to make the permitting process go as smoothly as possible:

• Educate yourself.  Be aware of the legislation that exempts "tasting rooms" from the requirements of a bar.  Review the Department's guidelines.  Read the California Health and Safety Code sections that pertain to both food processing facilities and restaurants and bars.  
• Be verbal.  (As opposed to assuming they know the details of your project.) Go above any beyond the requirements.  The County of Orange told me that I would simply submit a plan set and get comments back.  Feel free to go outside the process and schedule a meeting to consult with the Department heads of the Plan Review and Facility Inspections.  The people that I am working with are much more receptive to a verbal description of what is going on than a written account.  It also helps to get their attention focused on your project for an hour, so I'd suggest sitting down with them to flesh out the details.

I'm making some plan revisions then I'll be ready to submit a plan set to the County.  In the meantime, I'll also get the first round of comments back from the City.  

More great friends!

The beer world is quite different from other industries.  I'd characterize the craft beer industry as more of a community than an industry.  A community full of incredibly nice people.

In early May, I attended the Brew Expo and annual Craft Brewers Conference in San Diego.  Most of my time was spent browsing potential equipment and raw good provider booths and learning about the intricacies of hop contracts and ordering yeast, but I also met a bunch of amazing brewers and business owners.

In particular, I met Owen Williams of Ritual Brewing Company.  Owen was super nice and offered his extensive knowledge base to me if I should have questions along the path to opening The Good Beer Company.  His brewhouse was on display at CBC as well, which was pretty cool to see.

I also met Rick Smets, the brains behind the start up Stereo Brewing.  It's great to meet people that are passionate about beer and are planning breweries close to Santa Ana.  Rick is planning to open Stereo in our neighboring City of Costa Mesa.  I can't wait to see the craft beer community in Orange County grow into something that rivals what LA and San Diego County have.

I also had a chance to talk with Steve Hindy of the Brooklyn Brewery.  I had read his compelling story about his transition from overseas war correspondent to homebrewer to successful brewery owner, and it was very cool to meet and talk with such a successful brewer.  And his keynote speech at the CBC was right on target - brewers represent more than just a local business, they are an integral part of a community.  (As a side note, I met his daughter at a friend's wedding the following weekend - what a small world!)

More recently, I attended the California Craft Brewers Association meeting at Golden Road Brewing in Los Angeles.  They are working hard to become LA's brewery, which is probably the reason why I don't see Golden Road brews too often down here in Orange County.  They're also canning their beer in tall boys, which is pretty interesting.  The brewery tour was fun and interesting, and we spent a lot of time in their tasting room/restaurant and on the porch enjoying the beautiful weather.

The CCBA organized presentations by Candace Moon and Melani Gordon.  Candace is a Craft Beer Attorney and her knowledge of the ABC was obvious.  She offered to act as a liaison between the CCBA's brewery members and the ABC in the event that a brewery needs an interpretation of the law.  Melani is the co-founder of TapHunter, a beer-oriented social media app that tracks beer menus at local restaurants.  Melani offered some great social media marketing recommendations (that I can hopefully employ here at blogger, and via facebook and twitter).

At the CCBA meeting, I was introduced to Jeff Hansson from Coronado Brewing Company.  Jeff has spent some time in Downtown Santa Ana, so he's familiar with how amazing this community is.  We are going to have to get together for a pint sometime soon.

I also recently introduced myself to Jason Quinn and Jarred Dooley at the Playground, a local craft beer-centric restaurant with fantastic beers and eats.   They're super cool, very close by, and extremely knowledgeable about food and beer.  I look forward to being their neighbors here in Downtown Santa Ana. (I also love their food and Robyn and I have made Friday nights at the Playground a regular occurrence.  There's always several fantastic vegetarian dishes, which works great for Robyn and I.)

I learned a lot at the Brew Expo and CCBA meeting and look forward to working with all my great new friends.

Also, the first weekend in June I attended the Firestone Invitational Festival up in Paso Robles with Robyn, her sister Ann, Kevin, Alex, Shawn, Eric and Lea, Chief, and The Cuss from Santa Cruz (all Good Beer drinkers).  That was a lot of fun.

We definitely hit up Patrick Rue from the Bruery for some Black Tuesday and fancy sour beers.  Patrick's beers were at the top of the list with other great breweries right behind him, including Founders, 3 Floyds, Sun King, Alpine, Russian River, Golden Road, Boulevard, Revolution Brewing, to name a few.   I ended up meeting some really cool people in the craft beer community, including Brad Grider at Beer Geek Radio, Bryant Goulding from Golden Road, and Shawn McIlhenney, the head brewer at Alpine Beer Company (Pure Hoppiness... drool...) whom I admire greatly for their commitment to maintaining an extraordinary level of quality.

When's the next beer festival?!

Pilot Batch: Pale Ale

Every great brewery needs a great pale ale.  Lucky for The Good Beer Company, we are well on our way to having an notable pale ale.  My house pale ale recipe recently placed second in the American Ale class of the first round of the National Homebrew Competition.  It has been brewed again and was selected to advance to the final round of the Competition - it will be judged in mid-June.

The house pale ale is an all-American.  It has a nutty and toasty malt flavor that is complemented by a soft floral and citrusy hop flavor.  It's overflowing with nutty and floral aromas and it is deep gold to pale amber in color.  It clocks in at about 5% alcohol by volume.  It's full flavored and small enough to make it a great choice year round. 

As mentioned, this Pale Ale placed second in the American Ale Category in the first round of the National Homebrew Competition (San Diego).  There were 71 entries in this category and it was chosen to advance to the final round.