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.