And Then...

So much has happened since I last updated that I probably won't do a recap, as some of it I don't want to think about again.  A short summary is Jammie and I are out in CA and have a sweet place in Carlsbad.  It is walking distance to the beach and has a garage and nice size back yard, which is exactly what we were looking for.  I'll post some exterior pictures at some point.


I am enjoying southern california so far, with the exception of no job it is a lot of fun and although the sunshine is hit and miss, it is almost always comfortable to go out in a t-shirt and shorts.  I have not purchased a surfboard yet, but it is high on my list of things to do.  Unfortunately I also have to get a wetsuit as the water is pretty chilly.  It was already in the 50's when we came out here in September.  I really enjoy walking down to the beach on a daily basis, as I never went hiking in the mountains every day so the trade seems worth it so far.  Being in Southern California I have also seen my parents more in the month and a half we've been here than I did in for year or two prior, which is a nice change.

In other news, I brewed my first batch of beer in CA.  Its a Northern German Altbier, which I brewed once before in Denver and it was delicious.  I wasn't able to find the same yeast I used before, so we will see what the new WLP029 German Ale/Kolsch yeast does with the beer.  Along those lines I really miss my favorite Denver homebrew shop, Stomp Them Grapes.  I am paying $2 more for a vial of yeast than I did out there which is a significant increase.  Also both shops I've found in North County have okay selections and their grain is average prices, but they gouge the crap out of you on some of the smaller items.  Frustrating to say the least.  I think I will resume purchasing the bulk of my ingredients online.

It was interesting figuring out how to do everything in a new setting.  I definitely miss the giant sink and sprayer of the Humboldt house.  I also miss the giant dumpster behind the house to dump grain into.  When I went to measure my pre-boil specific gravity I discovered that I didn't bring a hydrometer with me from Denver.  I managed to drive up to Hydrobrew, the homebrew shop up the coast highway in Oceanside, during the middle of the boil and grab one so I could measure my original gravity.  All in all it went well and I'm sure after a couple more brews I will figure out the most efficient way to do things at the new house.  

The other batch of beer I had the opportunity to hang out for was a 7bbl batch at Breakwater Brewing located in Oceanside, CA.

This is a view of their brewhouse and fermentation vessels.  It is very compact, and I had to get up very early (5am) to see them brew as they have to finish before the restaurant side of the brewpub starts up due to the lack of space.  It was fun to see the process from start to finish at that scale.   I was also able to ask the Brewmaster, Lars Gillman, a few questions and learned quite a bit about their processes.  Lars also happens to be the owner of the Hydrobrew - hydroponics and home brewing store.

I've also made my way over to Stone Brewing Company for a couple beers and a tour.  Perhaps the best thing about their bar/restaurant is the number of guest beers they have on tap.  I was able to try a beer from Heretic Brewing which is up in the bay area and was started by one of the best homebrewers of the past decade.  I also got a Blind Pig from Russian River, always a treat.  Russian River is one of those breweries that just doesn't release a bad beer, in fact every one of their beers I've tried has been amazing.  Oh, I had a Stone beer too. 

The Stone facility is smaller than I imagined.  Definitely seemed quite a bit smaller than New Belgium.  I've heard they are building a huge new facility across the street from where they are now, which I imagine will expand their capacity substantially.  It was a fun tour and the best part was 4 free tasters at the end.

I am sorry for the lack of updates as I know the blogs I enjoy the most are also the ones that update frequently.  I will try to 'step it up' in the near future.