January 14, 2019
Here is a quick recap of a recent barrel tasting I got to do along with most of the other River North staff. These are really great because everyone gets to come together to share their thoughts and input on a blend that is being prepared for bottling and release. Even as the low guy on the totem pole, everyone…
December 31, 2018
My 2019 New Years Resolutions include brewing and reading this year!
December 13, 2018
Today was a short day in the brewhouse, as some of the chemicals needed to run the keg washer were out. Fortunately, I got quite a few kegs cleaned earlier in the week, so no big deal to miss out on a half day of keg washing. Since I mentioned chemicals, I thought it would be interesting to show the…
December 13, 2018
When you’re the intern, and just getting started helping out a brewery, there is a lot to see and take in before you can really help out. However, even after only seeing the canning line in operation for a few days, I was feeling comfortable to jump in and help out… The image below is a closer up view of…
December 12, 2018
To complete the second half of my internship, I wanted to get some experience at a brewery when canned and/or bottled beer. Fortunately, a friend of mine had a connection with the owner and head brewer at River North Brewery. Matt was happy to have me in to help them out in all aspects of their brewery. My first to…
November 9, 2018
Today was a short day at the brewery, with things a bit slow after attending the Craft Brewer’s Summit the previous day. It was a transfer day, so lots of cleaning and hose moving. It feels good to have the hang of processes at the brewery, where I feel like I can step in and really help the brewers, without…
Last Monday Joyride was kind enough to bring me along to the Colorado Craft Brewer’s Summit in Fort Collins. This is the annual technical conference for Colorado craft brewers. This was put on by the Colorado Brewer’s Guild and sponsored by the Brewers Association and a variety of other companies which support craft beer in Colorado. This was a great…
November 1, 2018
On Halloween yesterday, I went into the brewery for a brew day with Dave. Joyride is preparing two of their holiday beers; Naughty & Nice Porters. Yesterday was the Naughty Porter brew day. Since it was just me and Dave in the brewery, there was a lot to do! From grain-in to flame-out, I was assisting Dave making the beer.…
October 24, 2018
Helping out around the brewery has been great, and as I’ve gotten a hang of things I am able too help out in more ways around the brewery. I’ve got the hang of keg washing, filling kegs, taking all sorts of measurements, and the general flow of things on a brew day. This is great, as I can help out…
Today, I went into the brewery in the morning to help out with a few transfers and kegging that needed to get done. I’m gaining confidence in washing, prepping, filling kegs, as well as testing brite beer. I’m getting a feel for taking Zahn measurements and tracking things like gravity and carbonation as they apply to commercial scale brewing. A…