I'm sweating and wearing shorts here in Chicago today, and it almost makes me miss the rain. The Chicago Marathon went right past the front of my building, and I bet no records will be broken today with this freak weather. It looks like it will be down to 60 by Thursday of next week, and I can't wait for it to actually feel like fall for once.
I enjoyed the trip yesterday to Saugatuck Brewing in Saugatuck, Michigan and Three Floyds in Munster, Indiana. Saugatuck was in the process of opening a pub in a huge warehouse-like building in a small town on the southeastern part of Lake Michigan. The owner, Barry Johnson, used a brew-on-premises system as an extra source of income while finishing up the brewhouse and bar sections of his new location. They still have a long way to go, but he has enough space in the building to make a Munich-style beer hall room for events and still have space for a ten barrel system in the back side of the building.
The trip to Munster Indiana brought us to Three Floyds Brewing Company, a hugely successful microbrewery in the Midwest area that specializes in highly hopped and high alcohol beers. From seeing their beers on store shelves in the Chicago area, I was under the impression that they were slightly larger- their brewpub and production facility were squeezed into a small warehouse building in an industrial park. Both their IPA and Imperial IPA were great, and the artwork on their labels and brewpub walls really add to the ambiance of the place. The tour was alright, but the brewer wasn't prepared for such a knowledgeable and scrutinizing audience. They were in the process of bringing in a larger brewhouse for more production, and the whole room was crammed with equipment and supplies due to their keeping up with consumer demand until that happens.
On the way back, the professionalism of the group devolved into a more relaxed atmosphere, and we still weren't able to finish all the beer that Siebel graciously provided for us. On Monday we'll start the packaging and serving module, and Tuesday will involve a bus ride north into the belly of the beast- Miller Brewing Company. I've never seen a macrobrewery before, and I'm interested in seeing just how sophisticated their equipment is.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
I'd be very interested in looking through some of the books/papers you have for this course when you return. I am giving some pretty serious consideration to taking these classes myself.
I have a three inch thick notebook of information for each week of class, and I'd be happy to let you look through them when I get back.
Sounds great! I saw the comment back about the pics as well.. Hoping we can get you to give a presentation to the club once you return :)
Post a Comment