Which does not do this place justice.  I had a business trip in the area and decided to roll into town a night early.  When I parked my car on property it was just 9pm.

I grabbed my bag and walked toward where I thought would be the main office.  People, mostly college age, were buzzing around.  With the tall brick buildings covered in Ivy, it felt like a college campus.  I checked in and asked about the restaurant and bars.  I was told that most everything was shutting down in an hour so I quickly dropped my bags off in my room, grabbed my camera and headed to the Black Rabbit.

The hall to the restaurant reminded me of  The Shining.  I expected to see twin girls in knee highs at the end of the hall asking to play with Danny.  SPOOKY!

I got to the restaurant and bellied up to the bar.  I order the special which was Lemon Sausage with Garlic Sauteed Rapini and Grilled Sourdough.  I chose a light supper so that I would have room to sample the beer.

I have had all of McMenamin’s beer, so I thought.  The bartender said that they have the Black Rabbit, a nitro Stout only served here.  He recommended the Bloody Rabbit (Sorry Heike), if I wanted something new.  The Bloody Rabbit was a blend of their Black Rabbit Stout and their Ruby Ale.  It was delicious.  I asked for a sample of the Black Rabbit and he was very generous with the free portion. 

I finished dinner and asked about the other bars. He said that everything closed in fifteen minutes except for Lucky’s Pool Hall which was just downstairs.  I asked about The Red Shed.  He said that if I hurried, I could probably make it so he cashed me out and told me I could carry my beer with me. 

I found my way to The Red Shed just in time to have a cigar.  The bar was closed but that was okay.  I still had my beer that I brought over from the last spot.  I had about twenty minutes to enjoy a fine cigar then off to the Lucky’s.

It was a work night, so I did not plan to stay long.  I met some fine people and socialized a bit then off to the pool tables.  I watched as those who thought they could play, couldn’t and those that could.  At 11:30, I started to head out to my room when suddenly, I was challenged to play.  I respectfully declined.  I hadn’t played in years.  This woman, cocky as hell, had been running the table all night.  For some reason, she thought I looked like a person who could play.  I took the challenge, bought one last beer, rack the balls, then…

We played a great match.  Things were head to head.  She liked to slam the balls in to make her point.  She was a very skilled player however, I think that was her downfall.  My dad always told me that slamming was for show.  Take your time, chaulk the que on every shot, no slops, call your shots, plan your next shot (that is more important than making your current one), and most of all, shoot with ease and purpose.  Well, with a bit of luck, my dad’s advice and some skill, I kicked her butt.  She was not happy.  We shook hands, she took her balls and called it a night.  Knowing when to stop when you are ahead, I did the same.

The next morning, I had three conference calls so I woke up early, took a stroll around the property to snap off pictures (pics here). and then back to the Black Rabbit for a fabulous breakfast.  I asked for a late checkout so that I could attend my calls in the room and they graciously obliged.  One note, the rooms have no phones or television which is perfect.  They do have WIFI.  I was able to conduct business, which was alright.  I managed to get in a little play, which was great.  I am definitely going to go back with some friends when I have time to truly enjoy; and there will be NO BUSINESS next time.

The brewery is definitely a pleasure to operate.  This is definitely a step up from my benchtop brewery.  I still plan to keep the old system, it holds sentimental value.  Dick, from Dick’s Beer, gave me the kegs a few years ago.  Unfortunately, he passed away suddenly on October 25, 2009.  That is definitely a huge loss.  I was planning on putting the old system on Craigslist, but now I will keep it.  I think it will come in handy for root beer and cider or things that I do not want to taint the hoses with on the new system.

The last piece that held up production was the ventilation for the boil kettle.  I definitely kept on over thinking it.  I looked for used commercial range hoods and other alternatives that would have cost well over $1,000.00.  This little beauty cost under $200.00 and does the job just fine.  I had the cone built by a local sheet metal company, bought the rest of the supplies from a hardware store and used a six inch 250 cfm inline duct fan.  It is quiet and effective.

This baby has power.  I plumbed in propane from a 120 gallon tank so that I do not have to mess with a 20 gallon tank; hauling it back and forth to the filling station.  Five gallon tanks would not have been powerful enough to keep three 103,000 – 32 jet burners going and as I quickly found out, 32 jets were way too much.  I took out and plug 16 of them in the outer ring.  That is okay, I designed this frame a little large to easily upgrade it from a 20 gallon system to a full barrel, simply by replacing the pots with larger ones.

It was a fabulous day and my first batch on this system went without a hitch.  The best part is that most of this was designed to clean in place so that at the end of the day a bunch of the work was a little easier.  I definitely look forward to brewing on this system again.  I think I will do Marie’s Beer next weekend.

When it comes to beer; he knows his stuff.  He has a great article on DMS and the reasons for a complete open boil , which led me to his blog.  I knew there was a reason for adding extra water, only to boil it off later.

I have added his link into my Blogroll section and with inspiration from him, I hope to be more consistent with my postings; one of a few of my 2010 resolution that I hope to…

Well this seemed like something right up my alley.  So I decided to take it on.  First I gathered all of the parts.  Then I measured (twice), cut and/or drill all of the parts, then assembled this bad boy.

After carefully measuring, marking and then drilling pilot holes, I got the first tap in.  That is when I decided to take my first “union break” and have a beer.

 I then assembled the last two taps and attached the drip tray.  The trip tray is attached with strong magnets so that I can quickly pull it off to dump the waste.  Since stainless steel is not magnetic, and the tray is stainless, I had to weld two one inch galvanized washers to the bottom.  That worked like a champ.

On the second day, I assembled the inside of this kegerator.  I cut the Styrofoam sheets, taped the edges with duct tape then wrapped everything with construction grade trash bags.  I then assembled the CO2 and beer lines, tested for leaks and installed them inside.

I used a portable CO2 portable pneumatic system from a local big box hardware store per Kevin’s recommendation.  That works remarkably well.  I am very impressed.  And, believe it or not, I got this finished just four hours before a huge party.  I was very nervous cutting it that close.  I did not have the chance to play with CO2 levels and anything could have failed.  As it turned out, the CO2 level was perfect, everyone enjoyed the beer and we went through three kegs with no incident.

Here are some happy customers.  You should pick up this issue of BYO and build this.  It is fairly simple and very rewarding.  You’ll definitely be the hit of the party.

I think that Fall beers need to have a slightly higher alcohol volume and in most cases heavier mouthfeel. However, I think that the big assumption that is made about home brew, or microbrews in general, is that they are “syrupy”. That is usually the assumption of those who are new to craft beers.

This is not always the case. I believe that higher alcohol volume is characteristic and serves well to keep us warm during the cool Autumn evenings. I also think that darker beers with the toasty notes just welcome the Holiday Season.

So what beers are coming soon to Holden A Home Brew? I have a few in mind (more to come in a future post). One that many of my friends have found enjoyable is Marie’s Beer.

I have a very good friend, Marie, who has a tremendous culinary talent. She makes almost everything from scratch and is not afraid to be adventurous in the kitchen. One day she approached me with the idea of creating a honey – almond – cranberry beer. Now, I am not a fan of many fruit beers, so I sat on this idea for awhile. I am partial to beers that obey the purity law (malt, hops, yeast and water – ONLY) however, I do not limit myself to those ingredients. I am a fan of extreme beers, as well. So after giving this some thought and after running into a copy of Sam Calagione’s ‘Extreme Brewing: An Enthusiast’s Guide to Brewing Craft Beer at Home’, I decided to take a stab at her request.

So how does Marie’s Beer differ from an ordinary “fruity” beer? Well, it has every bit of the normal malt bill of an all-grain beer for a ten gallon batch. Then seven pounds of dehydrated orange cranberry and five pounds of honey are added to the end of the boil. Almond extract is added at the end of the fermentation process. The end result is a very complex beer that is slightly dry, clear and yet has hints of cranberry flavor. You can think of this hybrid beer as being partly beer, partly wine and partly mead. This is a great transition beer going from summer to fall because it is very clear, has a light mouthfeel yet has great flavor complexity of holiday beers and has nearly a ten percent alcohol volume.

Anyway, I plan to start a batch of this in the next couple of weekends. I usually bottle this one since it ages very well and is more of a sipping beer that can be enjoyed throughout the winter and makes great stocking stuffers.

At the moment, they are not organized.  I am anxious to get this site up and running so that I can share my story.  And, there are certainly more pictures to come.

Most of all, I would like to thank my wife who has been so patient with me as I have put so much time and effort into this hobby. She has been a great support and has provided me encouragement. It is very common for us home brewer guys to create posts on beer forums and say things like, “I plan to build this or buy that if only SWMBO will let me.” While I may say that in jest, my wife has allowed me to run down the trail of what seems to be a never ending journey. Thanks doll.

I LOVE making BEER. This site is dedicated to the obsessive hobby of making beer and the steps necessary to getting carried away and the possibility of finding oneself in the business fulltime. Grab a beer, sit down, and try not to hurt yourself as you navigate this new site.

And, if that is not enough, I have many other interests that will show up on this site. I am excited about throwing all of this out there and then seeing what all of you have to say.

So grab a beer and join the discussion.