Pico Brewing System Update

Here's a shot of the Dogmatic 2500. I've completed three brews so far on this model and ten in total since I built the first Dogmatic 1000. The biggest challenge has been understanding the thermals during mashing and figuring out how to maximize efficiency with the RIMS.

Each kettle is 16 gallons, suitable for 10 gallon yields. From left to right, they are the boil kettle (BK), mash/lauder tun (MLT), and hot liquor tank (HLT). Each are configured with drain ports and brewing thermometers as well as task specific features.

The stand is a converted King Kooker with the 65,000 BTU burner under the HLT (right) and the 105,000 BTU burner under the BK (left). It has its original fixed wheels on the BK side and has been fitted with locking swivel casters on the opposite end. The stand isn't constructed with precise engineering in mind or out of optimal materials or paint, but it easily supports the weight of 10 gallon yields and delivers more than enough fire power.

The bottom of the stand has two mounted Chugger pumps with an array of valve and cam connection fittings. The pumps and the RIMS module (mounted on the opposite side) are managed by the grey controller box positioned between the HLT and MLT. The wort chiller is positioned under the HLT and is fitted with a thermometer and flow valves for the wort and chill water. I will discuss the components in more detail in later posts.

I'd like to congratulate my fellow San Diegans for surviving this extended heat wave that wreaked havoc on air conditioners, electric bills, and home brewers. Yes! I brewed on days when it was 104 F in Lakeside and faced extreme challenges using ground water to cool the wort. I had already anticipated ground water temperature problems, so I had prepared a solution before brewing in extreme heat conditions. I'll discuss that in future posts as well.

In the coming week, I will be crashing the 5 gallons of Harley Barely American Strong Ale and prepping it for bottling. Soon to follow is the 10 gallon batch of Oso Stout. And when the stout is moved from secondary, I'll be moving 10 gallons of Lola IPA to secondary for the all important dry hopping.

Humid Weekend and the Harley Barley

One of my best friends and his wife had the sweetest, kindest, biggest Rottweiler I had ever known. Harley was his name and he wouldn't (intentionally) hurt a fly. He was, however, a big, clumsy dog that got very excited when guests came over and he would run around and wiggle his hind quarters until he knocked something over. At about 120 pounds, he had no problem moving household items aside in his exuberance.

This weekend, DBB gave birth to an American Barely Wine (Strong Ale) named Harley Barley in his honor. It's dark, like a Rottweiler, but sweet like Harley, and big and strong to boot with an expected 10% ABV. In about eight weeks, we'll be getting our first taste.

Southern California experienced very atypical weather this weekend with high temperatures, tropical humidity, and in some places, extreme rain. It definitely made the long brew days less than comfortable. But when you do something you love, you never work a day in your life.

The past few weekends have yielded some interesting developments at DBB. Batches of the Irish Red and Lola IPA have been put into the pipeline along with the creation of the first DBB biscuits from spent grains called "Dog Bites". Currently, only peanut butter flavor is available but Lola, Killer, Meka, and Leilani all agree: They're the best!

My next post will highlight some equipment improvements that have been added over the past couple of weeks that I haven't had time to talk about.

First Taste Tests In

I've distributed the entire first batch of beer to friends and colleagues. The entire batch! I have none less.

The beer, named "Coco Pale", was a hoppy Pale Ale with a crisp mouth feel and dry finish. Many tasters asked for more, claiming it made them thirstier. Some really liked it and offered to pay for more. I, of course, informed them I would make more for them for free and that I couldn't "legally" sell it.

Even Lola liked it.

Take it easy! I didn't actually serve Lola any beer.

Gearing up for a Big Weekend

While I spent the week getting some paperwork in line and discussing plans with my business consultant, I couldn't get clear of focusing on the next two batches of beer. I already knew what styles of beer I was producing next, just needed to review notes and refine recipes.

In the midst of my busy week of brewery planning and my actual day job, I took a trip out to Santee, California, to visit Manzanita Brewing Company. It wasn't so much a visit as it was a supply run to purchase 22 oz. bottles. They are selling off many thousands of unused, unneeded bottles at bargain prices.

So I bought 25 cases. Or, 300 bottles.

Manzanita had a good sized brewery going with a tasting room in the front and many 30+ barrel conical fermenters. They had a mountain of empty kegs and a significant level of logistics.

I asked the nice woman who was helping me at Manzanita how long they had been in business and she responded, "Three years."

Somewhat shocked, I stared at her with a crooked face. She smirked, nodded her head, and said, "Yep! It's crazy."

Back to reality...

Tomorrow, I'll be brewing up a classic California IPA, suitable for IPA enthusiast as well as those looking to make the move to IPA style beers. I revised a recipe from previous batches for a smoother flavor profile while offsetting the hop timing to balance out the high gravity wort. I'm hoping to achieve a mouth feel that is mildly dry but still hoppy enough for a classic IPA finish.

The day after tomorrow, I will be brewing a dry Irish Stout specifically for St. Patrick's day. I've brewed this beer many times in the past and don't have a thing to change. I just hope that with this current heat wave in San Diego that I can manage to control fermentation temperatures.

First Brew Day of 2014

I spent last week socializing Dog Beach Brewing with a few people I knew would have more than cursory interest in. I also spent all last week planning and refining several recipes, with the intention of brewing early on Saturday. Sunday would not have been good because the Chargers were playing the Broncos in a playoff game and all I wanted to do was watch the game with friends and enjoy some fine craft beer.

Well, Friday ended up being a really late night thanks to long discussions about business plans. Yes, thanks to my friend Keith, who is completing his MBA and is required to offer volunteer time consulting on business matters, I have an intelligent, eager resource to assist in developing a business plan. Consequently, I could not get my yeast started in time for pitching or my equipment set up for a Saturday brew session.

So, I used Saturday to setup and started my session at 6 am Sunday morning.

I settled on a Pale Ale which should finish with a solid body and slight hoppiness. It will be dry hopped when in secondary fermentation and I suspect the results will remind you of a fun Caribbean drink.

I modified the process a bit from previous sessions with the intention to achieve better extraction from the grains. There was a noticeable difference during laudering and I'm very excited about the results. If taste tests are exceptionally positive, this brew will be a staple of DBB.

This week I will be working on the business plan, discussing agreements with potential partners, putting the final touches on my IPA recipe, and closely monitoring the temperature on the Pale Ale. The IPA gets brewed this weekend and this is what I am most looking forward to drinking.

Positive Vibrations

Monday turned out to be a pretty good day. You see, Mondays are bowling league night for me and my buddies. We worked together during my ten-year tenure at what shall remain an unnamed company and they're the one good thing came out of that hellish experience.

We crushed it on the lanes and that led to a long celebratory session. This, consequently, helped to balance out the previous couple days of work.

I've been researching options for DBB's legal business structure. LLC versus C Corp versus S Corp versus Sole Proprietorship. They don't make it easy. In fact, I'm fairly convinced they've devised ways to screw you in the Great State of California no matter what you do.

This San Diego SCORE page has some nice tools that have been helpful. Establishing a business entity is definitely the first step in the long road ahead to launching the nanobrewery. I do intend to decide soon.

On a positive note, I've been talking to close colleagues about my plan. I am amazed by the high level of interest and encouraging support toward my endeavor. And of course, plenty of volunteer helpers willing to work for free beer. Awesome!

One friend in particular has a more personal interest. He is a product marketing manager and received his graduate degree with a thesis on the craft brewing industry. He and I have been talking for several years about venturing off and starting a business from the ground up. However, we never considered making beer. How short-sited, considering the many hours we pontificated over matters while enjoying tasty craft brews.

I asked him, "Do you want to be the Director of Marketing?" He responded something like, "Hell yeah!" I consider myself lucky to have him on board. More on this later.

For now, legal stuff and new recipes to test.

An End. A Beginning.

2013 was a paramount year for me. I had challenges in my personal life and challenges in my professional life that forced me to consider how I would spend the rest of my life. I began thinking what changes I would make in the coming year. I'm never one for subtlety, so radical changes they shall be!

It's a new year and a new beginning. I had decided some time back that I would return to one of my favorite hobbies from my youth: brewing beer (adult youth, of course). I enjoyed brewing beer with my buddy Ken and imbibing in the fruits of our labor. I brewed beer on my own for a little while and had fun experimenting with different styles. Secretly, I've always wanted to make a go at starting and operating my own craft brewery, but it seemed too daunting and cost prohibitive. That is, until now.

Thanks to the changes in my life and trends in the marketplace, the ability to focus on starting a brewery seems more achievable than ever. And I so desperately need the change. Never mind the tens of thousands of home brewers out there who want to do the same thing. I say, "do it!" The market will support what the market will support. Craft beer patrons love the variety and social atmosphere craft breweries promote.

Look at it like this: We have a cultural tradition of socializing and bonding over food and drink. What is the first thing the host asks you when you're at his house for a visit, BBQ, or dinner? What do you look forward to doing when meeting friends and colleagues after work? Why do we have expressions like "any given Sunday"? These are all opportunities to slow down and treat ourselves to something special, like a good craft beer. These are not times to hurry through. These are times to savor.

At least, that's how I look at it.

My main motivation has come from The Hess Brewing Odyssey blog written by Hess Brewing co-founder Mike Skubic. In it, he details the path to establishing San Diego's first nanobrewery and demonstrates that a good product, planning, and lots of hard work will get your there. I get excited just thinking about it.

Mike Hess was able to navigate his way through the throngs of California governmental bureaucracy to open a nanobrewery on a shoestring budget. They created a roadmap that the rest of us can follow, if we're willing. I'm willing. And in long steeped tradition, I'm blogging about it too.

These are the chronicles of my journey to start Dog Beach Brewery. With the right amount of luck on my side, I hope to be delivering delightful pints of craft beer to thirsty patrons in our tasting room in a year from now.