Friday, Dec. 26

Hey Everyone...It's wet here... I mean really wet. We've gotten more than 4.5 inches of rain in the last three days. There's a MAJOR storm system over Big Island that is just relentless right now. I had the worst bike ride ever this morning and was soaked from head to toe in less than 1 minute. It got so bad that I couldn't even see across the street. Work was fine today. We are double brewing tomorrow starting at 5:45 a.m. and should finish up around 5 p.m. I'll have Sunday off and then right back to it on Monday. I am also checking out of the Hostel on Dec. 28 and going to stay in a hotel until Jan. 1. They extended my private room through Saturday, but that's the best they could do. Anyhow, I've got a bunch of stuff to do.. Aloha.

Thursday, Dec. 25

Hi Everyone...Merry Christmas. Hope everyone is having a good day with friends and family. The owners of the hostel threw a big party here last night with a band and tons of food and booze. It was alright time and certainly better than having nothing at all to do. The party ended about 11 p.m. and I had consumed quite a bit of Crown Royal and called it a night myself. Things over here have been pretty quiet for me today. It's been raining pretty hard at times, but during a brief stoppage in the downpours, I took a bike ride to the northern part of Hilo and checked things out, found where my bank is, scoped out a few restaurants, etc. I got soaked on the way back, but have taken to wearing board shorts and a rain jacket every time I get on my bike. Getting soaked is no fun, but it's not the worst thing in the world. The only excitement here today was when a completely intoxicated homeless guy stumbled up the stairs, crashed into a table and then went into some one's room and crawled into their bed. It was actually not funny at all and pretty scary. The manager here had to call the cops -- it was a big scene. I got moved into a room with its own bathroom and shower today. It's by far the best room and unfortunately, I can only have it for two days. After that, I was scheduled to go into a dormitory-style room. After the events of today, I have made the decision to get the hell out of here after my time in this room is up. I am already living even further outside of my comfort zone than I already have, trying to save money -- but when I stop feeling safe -- I will start spending money. In addition to the wasted bum, I caught some hippie stealing my bread (we have to keep all of our stuff in a communal refrigerator) yesterday. He said he thought it was every one's bread, despite the huge sign that clearly stated the opposite. I told him that if I ever caught him eating my food again I would break his F*C*I*G neck. He then had the nerve to offer the bread back to me after his dirty, hippie hands were all over it. This experience has been interesting. So, looks like I will be on the move yet again. I have to say, I am getting really, really sick of this temporary displacement bullshit. Time for me to figure this out. Aloha.

Tuesday, Dec. 23

Hi Everyone. I've been pretty busy the last two day and haven't had the time to post anything. I started working in Hilo on Monday and had a pretty good day. First days are always a bit strange and always seem to be somewhat unproductive. When I got there, I met some people and then worked with a guy named Chris who is a brewery assistant to fill some kegs and prep the bottling machine for today. The facility is nice and is a huge upgrade over the place in Kauai. There's more space and a lot more tanks. We are going to be making about 13 different beers pretty quickly here. I will have my first double brew day on Saturday. The rest of week, with the exception of Christmas, will be pretty busy with some labeling and tank cleaning scheduled to fill out the days. Looks like I will be working six days weeks for at least the next month. Outside of work, things are good. The weather has been great, pretty much sunny all the time. I've been riding my bike to work, 2.4 miles each way, and it takes me about 15 minutes to get there. It's a nice ride. We'll see what I think about it when it starts raining. Alright, I going to relax for awhile. I think it's about time for an update from Jessica, don't you?? Aloha.

Sunday, Dec. 21

Hey everyone. Howzit? Well, I flew over to Hilo this morning. Good thing I got to the airport early, cause they cancelled my flight and wanted to put me on an earlier one. So, when I got there, I had 30 minutes before my plane left. You've gotta love little airports, everything moves quickly. After getting here, I checked into the hostel and went and did some grocery shopping. I also got myself a membership at the local gym and then proceeded to have a great workout. Following some lunch, I went down to Hilo Bay and spent some time sitting on a black sand beach enjoying the excellent weather. I start work tomorrow at 10 a.m. and am not sure what the rest of my week will look like. I plan to have some dinner here in a bit and then head down to a local bar for some drinks and jazz music. I will post more tomorrow. Aloha.

Saturday, Dec. 20

Well, today was my last day on Kauai. Although the weather was not the best (cloudy), I went to Kalapaki Beach one last time. I hung out there for a few hours and headed back here to pack up my stuff and tie up some last-minute loose ends. As I mentioned yesterday, I would write about some of things that I've learned while living here for the past six weeks. I think the first thing that I learned here within the first few days is that, "I am not on the mainland anymore. " I know that term "mainland" may annoy some of you, but that's what people here call the continental US. What I mean by this is that the mentality of people who live here is far different than it is in any place I've ever lived before. It's far more laid back here, and by far more -- I mean more so than I ever imagined it would be. I'm all for kicking back and being mellow, but it was a bit much at first. For example, when I would ask a co-worker what time he'd be in to work, I would get this reply "Oh, I'll be in around 10-ish." He'd show up around 11:30 most days. For some reason, folks who live here seem to think they have much more time than they actually do. Maybe they actually do?? But this type of attitude was hard for me to take. At first I felt that it was disrespectful and lazy, but it's really not meant that way. Things move at a much slower pace here, and I am starting to accept that. I guess that it doesn't mean that I have to move at that pace, I just have to realize that some people will. Aside from this experience forcing me to be more independent and do more things on my own, I really think that the last six weeks have taught me a lot about living outside of my comfort zone. I'm pretty particular and normally go to great lengths to make sure everything is up to my "standards." As most know, I'm living in a '76 Winnebago in the brewery's parking lot. Let's put it this way -- I've been using a public bathroom in the parking lot for the past six weeks and it often smells terrible by Tuesday. I've been taking showers in a makeshift shower that is rigged off our water system and connected to our brew house. I have exactly 4.5 minutes to shower before the hot water gives out I've also been sleeping on a marginal quality air mattress since the day I got here. The point of the last few sentences is not to complain or solicit pity, but to illustrate the point that these are things that I've never done before and would have never even considered acceptable. It's way more rustic than what I am used to. But ya know what? I've acclimated myself and gotten accustomed to it all. It feels normal to me to wake up in the middle of the night, open the camper door, stumble into the parking lot and make my way to the public restroom. I'm fine with eating peanut butter sandwiches most nights and having my most comfortable chair be a $6 plastic lawn chair. I think that when Jess gets here and we move into our house, it will be a bit of culture shock. Hopefully I'll be able to handle it and won't need to sleep in the driveway. In closing, I've certainly had my ups and downs. However, I wouldn't change it for anything. I think I'll add this experience to my "character building" column and look forward to the next chapter in Hilo. Aloha.

Friday, Dec. 19

Hey everyone... I posted a short video for you, sorry it's a bit dark. The lighting in here isn't exactly perfect for this sort of thing. Had a good day. I finished washing those old kegs and now they are ready for beer. That was a long, thankless process that I am glad is over. Being a brewer isn't always the most glamorous job, and I think a lot of people think we sit around drinking beer all day. At least for me, that's never been the case. The weather started to clear up here today in the late afternoon. It would be great if my last day on Kauai was nice and I could hit the beach for awhile. I can hardly believe I'm leaving here already. It's been an experience. I've got all my work done and my suitcase is basically packed. I'm pretty much ready for my second one-way Hawaiian-island flight. I've done all my Christmas shopping and to the best of my knowledge, it has all reached its various destination points. We have our address for the house in Hilo that you can start using after Jan. 1. Get in touch with one of us and we'll get you the information. This whole experience has been really crazy at times. I started feeling really comfortable here in Kauai about three weeks ago and now.... well, it's time to change again. For those of you who know me, I am not usually a big fan of such drastic changes. This job and this place has forced me to live way outside of my comfort zone and what I'm normally accustomed to dealing with. At times, I have hated it and felt really uncomfortable. That first night I spent sleeping in the camper in brewery parking lot was rough. I think I slept about 4 minutes that night. Everyone thinks that "It's Hawaii" what could go wrong? I can't argue that it's the most beautiful place I've ever lived and the weather and the beaches and the island-lifestyle-mentality are amazing, but I'm not on vacation here....This isn't a holiday... It's my life now. Tomorrow I am going to write a Kauai wrap up and post some thoughts about Hilo. Aloha.

Thursday, Dec. 18

I was hoping to spend my last few days on Kauai on the beach, but the weather is not cooperating. It's not raining anymore, but is overcast and the water is dirty. So, I've been doing other things. I got up at 5 a.m. this morning and went and did my laundry. I alway seem to have a really bizarre experience every time I go to that place. First of all, the place was packed, I was lucky to get a washing machine. Second of all, the laundromat is pretty run-down and has a third-world charm to it. Lastly, I was the only white person at the place. Before anyone starts calling me a racist, hold on and see where I'm going with this... Never before in my life have I lived in a situation where white-skinned folks are the minority. I've always been part of the majority. It brings about some strange feelings when people stare at you or are completely rude for no apparent reason. Mainly, I just felt uncomfortable and grew tired of the dirty looks. I don't hold any grudges and have met plenty of great local people here. In fact, most people here on Kauai are good people. There's assholes and racist idiots everywhere. I've just never been a minority before. Thinking back on the situation, I'm glad I had the experience, it gives me a deeper perspective on things. After the laundry, I went and worked out and then hit the grocery store for a few things to hold me over until Sunday morning. I've spent the rest of the day cleaning 20-year old kegs. We purchased them years ago from the now defunct Ali'i Brewing Company, which was based on Oahu. Back in the day, Ali'i was the first and only microbrewery on the Hawaiian islands. They were pioneers of craft beer over here. Cleaning these kegs is a tedious and lengthy process. Residue from 20-year-old beer doesn't come off easily. While I doing this, I started thinking about how I was cleaning out the past and making way for the future of Hawaiian brewing. It's good to know that these kegs, for as long as they are in circulation, will have only been filled with Hawaiian-made beer. I think I'm going to take it easy tonight. Hope all is well with everyone. Aloha.

Tuesday, Dec. 16

Hi everyone. Howzit? Doing alright here.. Had a really busy last two days. We tore down a huge portion of the brewery and packed it into a 20 foot shipping container that will be picked up and put on a boat for Hilo tomorrow. Unpacking that thing is going to be a real chore. There's roughly 63,000 lbs of equipment in that thing. Hope it floats. Things here look really different, it hardly feels like a brewery anymore and looks less and less like one each day. The weather here has been crazy again. It rained more than I ever it seen in rain in my life -- anywhere. Downpours so intense that you couldn't see across the parking lot and tons of thunder and lightning. It started raining about 5 p.m. yesterday and didn't stop until 7 a.m. this morning. I just looked it up and in the last four days we've had more than 12 inches of rain. That's like twice as much as I ever saw in a year in Arizona. It was cloudy and hazy today, but didn't rain at all. I am hoping to have some time in the next few days to get ready to move to Hilo, which takes place on Sunday morning. I am excited but also a bit curious as to how things are going to shape up for the first two weeks.. Not having a car or a regular place to live should be interesting. Alright, time to me to sign off. Aloha.

Saturday, Dec. 13

Well, the rain continued all day long today. More than 6 inches has hit the ground in less than two days. Looks like it's supposed to clear up tomorrow, but I am somewhat skeptical. So seeing as it was raining all day, I spent a lot of time working. I pulled everything out of our main storage cooler (more than 400 kegs) with the forklift and then put it all back in there in a different way so I can squeeze 16 more kegs in there tomorrow morning. Other than that, I took care of some housekeeping items and hit the YMCA for a workout earlier in the morning. I just got done listening to the Detroit Red Wings and Phoenix Coyotes game. The Coyotes played strong, but in the end couldn't match the depth of the Wings. It was nice to hear a hockey game and kept me from complete and total boredom. I am going to get up early tomorrow morning and do some kegging and a few other small things around here before going to work out. If it is actually nice out, I am going to the beach to hang out for a bit. I think my tan is starting to fade. At 4 p.m. tomorrow I have to deliver and set up some kegs for a holiday party for a local business. Thankfully, it's right around the corner and shouldn't take me too long. I have the president of the company coming in Monday to spend three days here getting things ready to ship to Hilo. After Wednesday, I am pretty much done on Kauai. I leave for Hilo a week from tomorrow. Alright, it's cocktail time. Aloha.

Friday, Dec. 12

It's been raining like crazy here. And by crazy, I mean non-stop with heavy downpours. In the last few hours, we've gotten almost 3 inches of rain. It's supposed to keep on coming down for a few days. At least it's still warm outside. We wrapped up the final brew at the Kauai facility today, cranking out a batch of our Hapa, a brown ale. The brew went really well and should start fermenting pretty soon. Right now, I am kicking back with a few cocktails and will likely pass out soon. I plan to do some a good deal of cleaning tomorrow, while also getting a workout in and maybe some shopping. I went to the gas station tonight and while i was driving, I noticed a ton of Christmas lights up on people's houses. It actually felt a bit like the holiday season for a moment -- until I realized that I was wearing boardshorts and flip flops. The sacrifices we make to live in Hawaii, right? I'll write more tomorrow, after I've had some sleep. aLOha.

Thursday, Dec. 11

Hi everyone, Howzit? Things are good here. Worked a 15.5 hour day yesterday and had a decent day today as well. We are brewing the final batch at the Kauai facility tomorrow morning. I got up early and worked out and then did some laundry at the local laundry mat. I hate doing laundry in a public place. Other than Jess and Berkley, I really miss sleeping in a real bed and doing my laundry at home. I spent a good portion of the day prepping for the brew tomorrow and am pretty tired, so this post will be short. Some good news from the mainland-- Jess booked her ticket today!! We are officially 5 weeks in to it. She's half way to Hawai'i. Hopefully, she'll post a blog soon (hint, hint). Also, I sent out some Christmas packages today. I am doing my best to make sure you guys get your stuff on time, but a few things may be late. Alright, time for me to get to sleep. Aloha.

Wednesday, Dec. 10

Hey everyone. Howzit? Today was one of those days at work where nothing goes right. A piece of equipment broke just as we were getting ready to use it, so we had to do things differently and I am still ma hana (at work) and have been since 6 a.m. Looking forward to being pau hana (finished with work). Probably going to be another two hours as everything is moving painfully slow. Kinda like watching grass grow in slow motion. We've got some really strong trade winds right now, up to 35 mph gusts. Going to get some rain in the next few days, according to weather forecast. I was eating lunch at the Kalapaki Beach hut in Nawilliwilli yesterday and had the pleasure of sitting next to a couple of tourists from Idaho who really didn't like Hawaii. They actually said that they felt like they were in a third world country. I kept thinking, "Wait a minute, you're from Idaho, right?" Last I checked, Idaho was not exactly the most solid example of a fine-living state. I was shocked, they really hated it and couldn't wait to leave. I know that Hawaii is not for everyone, but I have honestly never heard anyone hate it sooo much. It was strange. I was happy when they finished their Aloha Burgers and hit the road. So, my filter is still going and by going, I mean barely moving. Looks like another few hours. Back to the fun. Aloha.

Tuesday, Dec. 9

Well, no one asked for it, but I thought I would post a small picture of myself just so everyone knows that I am alive, tan and well. Things are good here. It was beautiful today, about 88 degrees and plenty of sunshine. I cranked out my work (cleaned the brew kettle, mash tun and washed about 75 kegs) and then went to the beach for a good portion of the day. If there's one thing I will miss about Kauai it's going to be the beaches. Don't get me wrong, Big Island has some great ones, but these one are second to none. It's great that Kauai is only a 38 minute flight from Hilo in case we feel like visiting from time to time. Speaking of visiting, who's planning their trips? I will toss it out there again -- You get yourself to Hilo for Christmas and I will supply everything else. I'm talkin about a marginal bed in a downtown hostel, where you'll certainly find tons of strange and interesting people. We won't have a car or a private bathroom, but who needs that, right? We can drink ourselves silly at the local bar. I've only got room for one though, first person to contact me is IN. Anyhow, the rest of the week is looking busy. We are going to double filter tomorrow, then I will clean tanks on Thursday before prepping for the last double brew days at the Keoki facility. I also have to squeeze in doing some laundry and getting Christmas presents shipped out to all you land-locked folks. Hope everyone is well. Aloha.

Sunday, Dec. 7

Aloha Kakou. Howzit? Doing alright here. Had a pretty mellow day. Got up and went to work out, then finished up my Christmas shopping before heading back to work to take care of a few quick things. After that, I was all about the beach. The waves were almost non-existent, but it was a beautiful day and perfect for swimming. Several hours later, I headed out for some dinner and haven't been doing too much else since then. I did however do something incredibly stupid though. A little back-story is necessary to understand this. About a month ago, Jessica washed our digital camera in the pocket of her pants. We thought it was broken, so she ordered a new one. Just out of curiosity, she turned the old camera on a few days later and as luck would have it, the damn thing worked fine. So, she shipped it out to me. I finally got around to buying a memory stick for it today and as my luck would have it, I broke the $30 memory stick while putting it in to the card reader to download my pictures from today. Stupid, yeah? Cracked the freakin' thing right in half. This is starting to get expensive. My week looks fairly busy. I am going to clean and prep for kegging on Tuesday. After the kegging, we're going to double filter on Wednesday and then I am cleaning tanks on Thursday before brewing the last double batches on Friday and Saturday. Following that, we're going to tear this place down and then I am off to Hilo. Special thanks to the Walshman for leading the charge on the blog comments, it's much Hoʻomaikaʻi (appreciated). Aloha.

Saturday, Dec. 6

Hey everyone, Howzit? Doing fine here. Still a bit tired from the double brew days, but still managed to have a pretty busy day. I got up at 6 a.m. and went to the YMCA to work out. After that, I cleaned up and went to the mall to do some Christmas shopping. Seeing as I am moving to Hilo soon, I figured that I should probably get the shopping taken care of and out of the way. It takes awhile for packages to get to you folks on the mainland. After a two-hour shopping session, I went back to the brewery and gave a tour to some folks from New Orleans. They were pretty nice, but were the "know-it-all" type. Apparently, they know everything I do and should probably be professional brewers. I might think twice about giving up time on my day off next time. Once I sent them on their way, I jumped in the truck and went to the beach for about three hours. The water was more than refreshing and the sun felt good. The waves on the east side of the island were small today, but the North Shore area was seeing sets at 24-30 feet. There was a picture of a surfer on the front page of the local paper cutting up the face of one these waves, pretty amazing image. I'm getting pretty good on the boogie board, but not good enough to ride waves that big. I've pretty much been bumming around for the rest of the evening, taking naps and eating veggie burgers. I am going to take tomorrow off as well, which will officially mark the first time since moving to Hawaii where I have had two days off in a row. I see myself working out in the morning and then spending the rest of the day at the beach. Oh and by the way, we did lock up our new house in Hilo. It's going to be great and is plenty big for visitors. First people to book their tickets to come see us will get extra special treatment and ocean views. Who's it gonna be? Time for some cocktails....Aloha.

Friday, Dec. 5

Hey-- A post from Jessica!! Good to see the little lady back to bloggin'. I am doing good here, just got done with two big double brew days. These are the second to last for the Keoki facility. We are scheduled to brew the last ones last next week. The brews went well for the most part, although we did have to unclog our heat exchanger after the first set of brews. When you transfer beer from the kettle to the fermenter, the beer is more than 200 degrees. We ferment our beers between 64 and 66 Degrees. So, we cool it down through a heat exchanger. It's cooled down through a series of plates. Well, after you run thousands of gallons of beer through one of these things, they can get clogged up with gunk, such as betaglucans - which are polysaccharides. We ran a chemical loop through the heat exchanger and all is well. Cleaning the heat exchanger out dramatically reduced our transfer time. After we were done brewing, I dropped Dave off at the airport and headed back to start cleaning. I spoke with the President and CFO of our company today after work, and my first official day in Hilo will be Monday, Dec. 22. I have my flight booked and a reservation at the Hilo Bay Hostel through Dec. 31. The women we are renting the home from are going to let me move in with them on Jan. 1. They leave for the mainland on Jan 12, one day before Jess gets here. Alright, it's time for a well-deserved cocktail. Aloha.

I'm back!

Hello Everyone and Anyone! I'm here. I hope you are well. So many things have happened since I last wrote...let's see if I can break it down. I don't even recall when my last post was, but, I'll give you some highlights. So, I found Samson the turtle a new home, in Clarkdale, AZ. This is a picture just as he enters. And really, I might as well be honest about this: Samson is a female. I found out late in the game. The name should probably be Samsonette. You can tell by the length of the nails on the front feet. If they are long and sort of yellowish translucent, they are male. If the are short and black, female. Samsonette: short and black. Nonetheless, it was much more filled with emotion than I ever expected. We've had a long haul, many states and it's been fun. I've always promised her that she would have a sweet outdoor pond..so, this is the least I could do. AND, she has roommates. 2. I think she'll be very happy.

After that...hmm, well, I hiked..it was Fay Canyon, and it was amazing. Check it: picture here. Additionally, I'm pretty sure I heard a mountain lion kill and drag a coyote. Very strange. Exhilarating even. We ended up high tailing it out of there. Then there was Thanksgiving. I hope everyone had a great turkey. I sure did. It was actually a dough pouch filled with potato and cheese, commonly known as the perogie..my mother made it, and it was amazing. Wish I had a picture of that. And a plate of it too. Here is the lovely tree we decorated on Thanksgiving Night. In addition to having a great time with David and our Mother, they both crushed me in Scrabble multiple times. A lovely time also with my Gram, Uncle John and Rachael and Lauren. But, about this scrabble, I don't even know if I could put you through the torture of telling you the score. It might distort your image of "intelligent Jessica"...ha! I'll admit it: I think my low score was a 37. First game ever. Also, I must brag: I just made a 32 point score on virtual scrabble. Qualm. So, I returned to Lonely Little Sedona, work..to a back ache to beat the band. Doctor's appointment and all. Physical therapy next week. I'm going to work through this in a jiffy. Happy holidays. Love you cats.

Wednesday, Dec. 3

Hey everybody. Howzit? Doing fine here. Had most of today off, which was really nice. Tomorrow we start back to back double brew days. I will have Saturday off and then do two more back to back doubles on Sunday and Monday. We're getting close to closing the Kauai facility down, so we need to fill the tanks and build up our inventory for the transition period. Every tank in the house will be full giving us nearly 200 BBLS of beer, which is a pretty decent amount. Although we haven't heard from Jessica on the blog in a really long time, I can assure you she's doing well and had a nice visit with her family in PA over Thanksgiving. She's also really looking forward to getting over here and starting life in Hawai'i. Other than that, not much else is going on -- just a lot of work and not nearly enough time on the beach. Maybe next week. Aloha.

Monday, Dec. 1

Hey everyone. Howzit? Doing fine here. Had a pretty busy day today. We double filtered batches of our Sunset and Gold Ales. They are nice and clean and tasting good. We've been refining the hop additions in the beer for the last two batches and I think we're pretty close to nailing down a perfect balace of malt and hops. Hawaiian beer drinkers, not unlike you folks on the good old mainland, are pretty particular. If a beer is too hoppy or dark, etc -- they just won't drink it. So, we've got to pay attention to our market. At the same time, we've got to produce and make beers that we can stand behind as well. Well, I got the official word today....I start my first day of work in Hilo on Dec. 22. In addition to working with Hawai'i Nui Headbrewer Dave Campbell, I will be working with Calvin Shindo, brewer and General Manager, of Mehana Brewing Company. I am pretty excited to get over to Hilo and start learning my new system. I've got the majority of this one down, but things will be different on the Big Island. The owners of the house we are renting are moving back to the mainland on Jan. 12, but have offered to let me stay in the house starting Jan. 1. Looks like I'll be back in the Hilo Bay Hostel for a week or so. I certainly hope Claude and Veeder are long gone by then. I heard that it's snowing back in Michigan. Does anyone know a good remedy for a sunburn? Aloha.

Saturday, Nov. 29.

Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving. I spent mine in Hilo, checking out the town and finding me and Jess a place to live. Hilo is a cool, funky town with a lot of character. It's truly old-school Hawaii. The picture to the left is from the parking lot at the airport. It probably would have been way cooler if I would have walked in between those two trees and got a shot of the huge volcano. I had a good time in Hilo. The first day I got there I was wiped out, felt like crap and spent the first four hours walking around in the rain. After I got checked into my hostel, I passed out and then woke up feeling refreshed. For those who haven't stayed in a hostel before, it's an experience. A weird experience. It's like staying in someone's house with a bunch of strangers. In most cases, these strangers are from different countries and speak very little English. Imagine 15 to 20 people, all from different backgrounds -- speaking different languages. Lot's of head nodding and confused looks. I only wish the Latvian guys thought it was a good idea to wear clothes in the bathroom. They were waaaay free and easy. The hostel was set up in a way in which you could stay in a dormitory setting or get a private room. After taking a tour, I went with the private room. It's pretty basic -- you get a bed, a night stand and a lamp. For $60 a night, what do you expect really? So, after my nap, I got some dinner and then hit a local bar for some drinks. The bar was pretty packed and I ended up drinking with some local folks. The people on Hilo were a lot more friendly than those on Kauai. I drank my share and went back to the International House of confusion and culturally acceptable nudity. Woke up the next morning, and got some coffee from the only place open in Hilo on Thanksgiving. The weather was great on Thanksgiving, so I took my boogie board and headed down to the local surf spot, Honolii. The waves were decent and I had some fun and then headed back to hostel, hoping not to catch Claude and Veeder after their showers. I went back to the bar that night and drank my dinner, as there were not any options for food on Thanksgiving night. It's no big deal, I am capable of roughing it. Oh, I nearly forgot. Early on in the day on Thursday, I went and looked at a house for me and Jess. It's a great house, 3bdrm, 2.5 bath, about 1,700 sq feet on a nice lot. The house is in a great neighborhood, about a 10 minute walk from downtown and about 2 miles from the brewery in Hilo. It's got an ocean view from the front and was perfect for me and Jess. As luck would have it, I locked up the place and left Hilo feeling pretty damn accomplished -- and slightly scarred from my encounters with Claude and Veeder. I got back into Kauai about 11 a.m. on Friday and went straight to the beach. Today, I kegged out 1,000 gallons of beer, ate some dinner and am now relaxing. Looks like I'll have most of tomorrow off, before some filters on Monday. Take it easy, everyone. Aloha.

Tuesday, Nov. 25

Hey Everyone... How's it? Doing fine here. Just got done with two double brew days and now I am bound for Hilo tomorrow morning. I am going to spend a few days there checking things out. There's supposed to be a southerly swell starting tonight that will produce some decent sized waves. So, I am bringing my boogie board with me. I know I'm in the right place when a boogie board is my checked bag. Our brew days went pretty well, but I am looking forward to some down time. Dave Campbell, our head brewer, has also invited me to his home in Waimanalo on Oahu. So, instead of coming back to Kauai on Friday, I may divert to Oahu until Saturday night. Not sure yet, we'll see what the trip to Hilo brings. Dave has a 7-acre farm about two miles from the beach with his wife and two daughters. He's also about to open a cafe, so he's got a lot going on right now. I know this is short, but I am short for time. Will either post from Hilo if I can or when I get back. Aloha.

Sunday, Nov. 23

Well, I just got done with work. I started at about 8 a.m. and just wrapped everything up. Tomorrow I start back to back double brew days and will have put in 41 hours by 6 p.m. on Tuesday. But, I have my trip to Hilo to look forward to on Wednesday. We double filtered two batches of our Gold Ale today. The first batch went through really well, but the second one took forever, like two hours longer. The second tank obviously still had a good amount of yeast still in suspension, which clogs the filter and makes days long... long and slow.. That's how some days go in the brewery. You only have so much control over a living organism. I missed my daily workout today, so I will get up super early tomorrow and do that. I have a few things to take care of prior to the brew day. I know this one is short and not that interesting, but it's all I have right now. How about a post from Jessica?!?! Let's see some pictures from that new camera -- Ha. aLOha.

Saturday, Nov. 22

I thought I posted a blog last night, but apparently, I did something and it didn't post. Oh well. Yesterday was pretty uneventful. I worked a half day and then gave three brewery tours, so i guess I worked a whole day. For the most part, the people on the tours were nice. I had two separate groups of people from Pennsylvania and one from Colorado. The tours here are pretty basic and consist of a 15 minute general rundown of what we do here and then talking about the equipment if they are into it. After that I pour samples and let the people hang out for awhile and answer random questions. It was raining, so I didn't have anything better to do. As you can see in the video above, we have a storm system over Kauai right that is expected to dump some rain on us for a few days. At certain points yesterday, we were getting about 1 inch an hour. Flood advisories are in effect until late tonight. I got up pretty early this morning, went to the YMCA for a workout and headed to the Super K-Mart to pick up a few things and get a new towel. The washing machine at the laundry ripped my towel up last time I washed it and in its ripped form, it just wasn't getting the job done. I headed back to work and cleaned our brew kettle and Mash Tun which is a two-hour process. I actually get into them and scrub them out by hand, then rinse them down and flush all of the manifold pipes with hot water. I also dropped some tank temperatures and got a few things in order for the double brews on Monday and Tuesday. I resume my work week tomorrow, although I really didn't get a day off at all this week. I think it's difficult to get time off when you live at the brewery. As such, I am going to Hilo on Wednesday for a few days to check things out. I fly out really early on Wednesday and then come back around noon on Friday. Right now, I am listening to a Phoenix Coyotes game on the Internet and will switch over to listen to a Wings game shortly. I think that's it for now. Aloha.

Thursday. Nov. 20

Finally, a day off tomorrow..... Well, sort of. I have about 3 hours of work to do tomorrow and then I get the day to play. I went well over 60 hours for the week by the end of today. We are set to double brew again on Monday and Tuesday. Everyone is then planning on taking the rest of the week off for Thanksgiving, which I totally forgot about. Weird. Other than working today, I went to the YMCA this morning and hit the beach for a few waves this afternoon after work was done. The weather was pretty nice today, sunny and hot. I also listened to a Red Wings game over the internet tonight. I sure do miss watching those games. Alright, I've been staring at this screen for five minutes without typing anything and I think that's my cue to call it a night. Aloha.

Hey everyone. Hope things are well in your various corners of the mainland. Things are Maika'i (good) here. Been super busy. The long days keep rolling along. I've put in about 51 hours since Sunday and will easily do 10 more tomorrow. I'm hoping to take Friday off, but we'll see how things go. I did a S*i* load of kegging today, cranking out 125 for our distributor, who will pick them up tomorrow morning. We're also going to filter and blend our Gold ale with another beer that I am not allowed to talk about over the Internet. It's nothing crazy, just something we need to keep under our hats for now. After three inches of rain in three days, we got some sunshine today. It was nice and about 82 degrees. Anyone seen snow yet? I know I've said this before, but I can hardly believe that it's about to be the holiday season. That just seems crazy to me. It feels like summer here, even though we're in our "Winter" season right now. I was told today that they ship in Christmas trees from Oregon every year. I can't imagine having a Christmas tree in this climate... It just doesn't seem right. I guess in a way, it also doesn't seem right to be in the 80's with tropical trade winds in mid-November. Somehow, I think I can get used to it. Everyone who knows me knows that I HATE snow and cold weather, etc. For the past 8 years in Arizona, it never really felt like Christmas due to the climate. I can only imagine what it will feel like this year. Thanks again to my folks for a killer Christmas last year. That was an amazing trip. I am toying with the idea of heading to Hilo for Thanksgiving and checking out the town. Who knows though... Well, time for one more cocktail and then I am gonna go to sleep. Aloha.

Tuesday, Nov. 18

After three days of island rain, the sun came out today and dried everything up a bit. We had a pretty big storm system over Kauai and it looks like it's almost gone. I thought I'd have a mellow day today after the two double brew days, but that wasn't the case. We did a filter and pre-washed some kegs in addition to the 5 hours of cleaning I did in the morning, so it was an 11 hour day after everything was pau. I picked the president of the company up at the airport today. He flew in to talk to me about my transition to Hilo. We had a good talk and it looks like I may be there as early as Dec. 15 or as late as Christmas. I will know more in the next week or so. Moving over to the Big Island sooner will actually be a good thing and will put me into a leadership position earlier than expected. When we assume control of the Mehana Brewing facility, the Head Brewer and myself will be responsible for setting up all brewing procedures and protocols and I will be brewing 11 different beers, not to mention the ones for the Japanese market. I am pretty excited and looking forward to seeing my soon-to-be home island and getting to work. I also found out today that we will be releasing a brand new line of Merchandise (t-shirts, pint glasses, hats, etc). I will send some stuff out as soon as I can get my hands on it. I am wiped out, so I will close here. Aloha.

Monday, Nov. 17

After putting in about 30 hours in the past two days, I am wiped out. We doubled brewed batches of our Sunset and Gold Ale on Sunday and today. On Sunday, I picked up Dave Campbell at the airport and we got to work about 10 a.m., I got done about around Midnight. We got started this morning at about 5 a.m. and I am actually still working, doing some cleaning and prep for tomorrow. I think I am just catching my second wind. Strangely enough, I don't feel tired at all. I'm sure if I stopped working, I'd pass out in about two seconds, but for now I will write this blog and keep going. The brew days went really well. I started to truly get the hang of things today and did most of the second brew without any help from Dave. He's going to evaluate me next time he's on Kaua'i. I am starting to feel very confident on this system and really enjoy how nice it feels to be somewhat self-sufficient. It's strange, I know how to make beer, I understand all the necessary components and know how to execute the technical steps. But this is a completely different system than what I was used to. I've been taking notes and also taking every opportunity to test my knowledge of this system while Dave is here. This guy is an amazing brewer and teacher. I truly feel lucky to have him around. I got my first taste of being in charge and alone here today. We had some trouble with our hot water tank and by the time the water came back up to temperature, it was time to take Dave to the airport. So, it was time for me to sink or swim. I was able to handle everything and the beer is in the tank safely. If all goes well, it will be fermenting when I wake up tomorrow morning. Speaking of tomorrow, my plan is to get up and go work out. After that, I've got about 7 hours of cleaning to do and then I will pick up Hawai'i Nui President Keith Kinsey at the Lihue Airport. Tomorrow may very well be a big day for me. Keith is coming in to talk to me about my transition to Hilo. I will keep you posted. Time for a drink and then some sleep. Aloha.

Saturday, Nov. 15

Sorry for the lack of posts, my head has been elsewhere these past few days. I've been getting things ready for the next double brew days which start tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. Everything is pretty much in order, except for a few minor things that I will take care of in the morning. So, what have I been up to for the last few days other than work? Not all that much. I went to the YMCA both days, did some shopping and spent time at the beach on Friday and also today. I spent about 5 hours on Kalapaki Beach today. It was great until it started to rain. I waited the rain out, but the clouds didn't pass so I went home and proceeded to pass out for an hour. I also got my very own Boogie Board on Friday. Unfortunately, the waves have been super flat on the East side of the island, so I haven't been able to use the board all that much. I thought about driving up to the North shore, but the surf up there has been rough, according to the local surf reports. Check out the video of a cruise ship leaving the harbor in Lihue on Friday. This thing was huge. It was actually pulled out of the harbor by a tug boat and then headed out into the open ocean. You can always tell when there's a ship in the Nawiliwili harbor. Other than the massive boat docked up, there's people everywhere. It's fun to watch them run off the beach when the boat blasts it's horn to tell the tourists to get back on board. I wonder what happens if you the miss the boat? As most of you know already, I changed my phone number. I don't want to post it on the blog, but if you didn't get it, e-mail me at Jwalsh@commspeed.net and I will get you the number. I woke up this morning to the sound of Keoki the cat meowing on top of the camper. She likes to sit up there when I sleep and then look down into the camper through a skylight and let me know she's hungry. I think she's really starting to enjoy having someone around here all the time. The second video marks a pretty big day for Hawai'i Nui Brewing Company. Check that one out as well. I probably won't post again until Monday night after the brew days. Until then, Aloha.

Wednesday, Nov. 12

Aloha. Hope everyone is well. The weather here today was absolutely perfect. Mid-80's, light trade winds and not a cloud in the sky. As usual, I went to the YMCA this morning, did my workout and then started work. I did more tank cleaning, did some stuff on the phone, got a keg ready for a customer pick up and then made sure everything was in order for our distributor to pick up tomorrow. This will be the first load of beer to go out under the Hawai'i Nui name. In some ways, it's a pretty big deal. I have also been working on a SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) manual for our filtration process. I have about 10 pages of notes that I am working through, in the effort to get the official procedure documented. Headbrewer Dave Campbell is coming to Kauai on Sunday, and we will brew two double batches in a row. The last batch of the back-to-back double brew day is always interesting. We usually finish about 5 minutes before Dave needs to be at the airport. We're always keeping our fingers crossed that nothing goes wrong. I am looking forward to the brew days, I am curious to see how much I retained from my initial run through. After I was done working, I went to Kalapaki Beach and got some sun and swam around for a bit. It's nice having a beach less than a two-minute drive away. It looks like I'll have some time on Friday, maybe I will head south to Poipu for the day. Poipu is about 13 miles from Lihue. I haven't heard anything more about when I'll be heading to Hilo, guess I will just have to wait and see. I will likely be switching my phone number to a Hawai'i number in the next day or so. So, I will send out e-mails and text messages, but if you see a phone number with an 808 Area Code, it's probably me or someone else you know who lives in Hawai'i . Alright, back to work with me. Aloha ahiahi.

Tuesday, Nov. 11

Hello everyone. That is if anyone is even reading this.... After a killer day yesterday, today was much more mellow. I got up and worked out and then came back here and cleaned two tanks and did some general housekeeping items. After that I drove into Kapa'a and hit the beach for about three hours. After that, I became a member of the Lihue Costco. I haven't been in a Costco in years and this place is insane! I bought a lot of food.. I mean who in their right mind could pass up 96 granola bars for $9.99 or 18 Veggie Burgers for $11? Don't even get me started on the 5lbs of Hawaiian pineapple I got for $4. This place is killer. After my success at Costco, I figured I'd better go back to the beach in Lihue. So, I did just that. The waves were much bigger and I got tossed around pretty good a few times. It was great. I also went and looked at a studio apt. for rent today. The place is pretty nice. It's the bottom portion of a house in Nawillilli, which is a part of Lihue. It's about 45 second drive from work and the landlords seem really cool. It's $500 a month and includes all utilities and cable, wireless, etc. Fruit trees (avocado, orange, mangos) are all over the property. So, I was ready to call it pau (finished/done) with the camper...... and thought I would let my boss know about my decision. Well, he told me to hold off for a few days. From what he said, I may be moving to Hilo sooner than later. Maybe by January. This is all very tentative, so who knows what will happen. Look for more details, right here on our blog. I love Kauai... I mean I love this island. I don't feel ready to leave. It's where I married Jess. Certainly the happiest day of my life. Being far apart from her sucks, but the fact that we were married here always makes me feel closer to her. I go to beaches we've both been to, I eat at places we've both been to and I always try to call her to reminisce. On the topic of Jessica, I have to say that she's a rock star. She's working like crazy and holding down our Arizona household. I can't even imagine what it would be like if she was here and I was there. I still can't believe I'm here. I feel soo lucky to have her in my life. She has been and continues to be my main source of support during this separation and transition. I am looking forward to the day when I meet her in Kona and we drive to Hilo to start the next chapters of our life. Aloha.

Monday, Nov. 10

What a day. For some reason, I woke up at about 2:30 a.m. and couldn't fall back asleep. So, when you live three steps away from work, it only seems natural to get up and start working. That's exactly what I did. I knew I had a big day of kegging ahead of me, so I started washing kegs from about 2:30 a.m to about 5 a.m. and then headed off to the YMCA to work out. I got back to the brewery around 7 a.m. and starting cleaning more kegs. I had to keg out 1,000 gallons today, which is the equivalent to two full days of brewing. I filled 80 5.2 gallon kegs and about 32 15.5 gallon kegs. After that, I cleaned the keg machine and immediately started to clean an fermenter and break down the tank that I was kegging out of. I finally ended my work day about 6:30 p.m. I should have an easier day tomorrow, and will spend a good deal of time prepping for two double brew days later this week. I am hoping to squeeze in some time at the beach tomorrow. The waves are supposed to be pretty nice. During all the craziness at work today, i also learned how to drive a fork lift. By the end of the day, I was moving 2,000 lbs of kegs around with limited disaster potential. I've learned the basics and in some cases the very advanced parts of brewery work, but learning how to drive the fork lift is one of the final pieces of the puzzle. It's kind of fun, but it's also a bit intimidating when you have several thousands of dollars of beer suspended on two metal forks. In the end, I got everything done and will hopefully sleep like a baby tonight. If not, I guess there's always some work that could be done. I'm starting to feel at home in the brewery here, which good. I was hoping it wouldn't take too long. I also got word today that I might be over in Hilo as soon as the middle of January. More tomorrow. Aloha.

Sunday, Nov. 9

Hello everyone. Not a whole lot to post today. Work was busy, we filtered a batch of beer, which I will carbonate tonight and keg out tomorrow morning. Worked from about 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. and then headed off to the YMCA for my workout and then back to work to tie up some loose ends. It sprinkled a bit here today, but overall the weather has been just about perfect. About 78-80 degrees all the time and mostly sunny. It's pretty gentle weather. I do believe that i have finally escaped Winter. I have to admit it's strange to see holiday decorations for sale in the stores. It feels like summer here. It's hard for me to realize that the holiday season is right around the corner. I still haven't gotten anyone to bite on the Kaua'i Christmas idea. Let me know if you change your mind. So, please feel free to post your comments on the blog. Jess and I would love to see more of them. Well, I'm getting tired.... Hope everyone is doing well. Aloha.

Saturday, Nov. 8

Today was a big day for Hawai'i Nui Brewing Company. This morning, we announced our merger with Mehana Brewing Company in Hilo, Hi. Check out the story in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin right here. Needless to say, everyone here is pretty excited. Today also marked the first time we filled our new Hawai'i Nui kegs. I had the honor of filling the first 64 half-barrels. I have to say, it felt good to get in the groove and grind out a good-sized day of kegging. Learning the system here is an ongoing process, but it was nice to do something I had done hundreds of times in the past. I only needed about 3 minutes of instructions for the kegging system here. So, I cranked those out and did some yeast management on the next tank to be filtered tomorrow. My next week is looking busy-- We will filter tomorrow, keg on Monday, send out more than 120 kegs on Tuesday, off on Wednesday and then brew 16-hour days on Thursday and Friday. If the weather is good, I'm all about the beach on Wednesday. I might take the ride into Hanalei, but Kalapaki Beach (about a 2 minute drive) is pretty nice. Who knows? Other than work, I hit the YMCA this morning and worked out and pretty much spent the rest of the day at work. My co-worker Curtis is a really great guy. He's been great at providing information on the island as well as Hawaiian history and various words. I try to learn a new word or phrase each day and then tell him what I've learned and see if I'm saying it right. Today, we talked about the word "Haole (pronounced How-Lee)." For those of you who've been to Hawai'i, you may very well have been called a Haole. Like most, I thought it simply meant "White person or foreigner." Well, there's more to it. Curtis told me today that Haole, in traditional Hawaiian, actually translates to "Without Breath." To Hawaiian people, this means you have no heart or soul. So, in many cases, it's a very serious insult. From what I've learned, Hawai'i and Hawaiian culture is really all about the Aloha spirit. Aloha means Love. There are actually no derogatory words in the Hawaiian language. If someone says "Mahalo (Thank You)," the proper response is "Aloha." In short, the exchange says, "Thank you (mahalo) " and in response "Aloha (I love you.) " Aloha also means Hello and Good Bye. I am really trying to learn the language. Curtis has been great to me and is always willing to explain Hawaiian history and culture to me. If you want to see who Curtis is, click here . I talked to Jess for awhile tonight, she and Berkley had a nice day of hiking. I really miss them and can't wait until they're here. More tomorrow. Aloha.

Hello! I hope everyone is well. Today has been a good day. I woke up with some morning yoga. I find it is my favorite way to start the day. After watering the remaining plants in the house, Olive and I did a few chores around the house, while Berkley chewed on a bone. There's really not much left to do. Walshman and Walshmom's visit was so successful that there is just only a bit left for me. And we did it perfectly, I can live comfortably, yet still have a manageable amount of work to do in order to close this place out. I cannot possibly thank them enough. In the early afternoon, Berkley and I went for a hike on Doe Mesa. It was absolutely spectacular. I have been on this mesa before, but not in years. Truly an amazing view of Sedona. We hiked the zig zag trail up the side of the mesa, then hiked around the perimeter of the top. Berkely had a wonderful time, and he wasn't shy about showing it, as you can see. We basically got a 360 degree view of the red rocks during our hike, along with some amazing rock formations. If there is one thing that I am going to miss about living here, it is most certainly the hiking. Now, I plan to clean out a couple kitchen cabinets and possibly have one of the delicious brews John made before moving to Kauai. Take inventory of what I have...plan some meals around what is in the cabinets. I have sun dried tomatoes. Anyone have any great recipes including those? With that, I close. I leave you with this sweet, sweet lovely image that I was lucky enough to capture this afternoon. Good evening....

Friday, Nov. 7

Anyone who has visited Kaua'i has noticed the huge amount of feral roosters and chickens on the island. You literally see them everywhere. Most people suggest that the feral chicken population can be traced back to when Hurricane Iniki hit Kauai in 1992. It’s been reported that the hurricane destroyed a number of chicken farms. There are other possible theories -- such as sugarcane plantation laborers in the late 1800s and early 1900s brought and raised chickens (for eating and cockfighting) and many got loose over the years and multiplied. So, in the end, who really knows? I watched a rooster trying to impress a female the other day and it was hilarious. I almost felt bad laughing at him. This guy was trying really hard. Unfortunately, he struck out... That female chicken was smart, that Rooster looked like a real player. Check out the clip at the bottom left to see some chickens that were running around the parking lot earlier today. By now, you're probably wondering who that scruffy looking cat in the upper right hand corner is. Well, let me introduce you to Keoki, the brewery cat. She's been with the brewery since it opened and is quite a character. She likes to wrap her legs around your ankle when you walk by and also enjoys a good play bite now and again. Seeing as I'm here all the time, i have assumed the cat care duties. Had a decent day today. Didn't get everything done that I wanted to in terms of work. Apparently, things move slower here and I am adapting to that. So when you need something, like a refill on your Co2 tank....you call days in advance. This place has really taught me that if I want to live here and survive, I have to slow down a bit. Things are different here and the locals and native Hawaiians want it that way. Other than carbonating beer and giving a tour, I worked out at the YMCA, hit Kalapaki Beach for some waves and did some some shopping. I had some Little Caesar's for dinner. Can you Michigan folks believe there's a Little Caesar's here?? Pizza Pizza. Alright, I am gonna cut it off here. More tomorrow. Aloha.

Thursday, Nov. 6

Pictured to the right is one of seven fermentation vessels at the brewery. As you can see, each one holds 930 gallons of beer. That's about 67 Kegs(15.5 gallon half barrels). We filtered a beer out of this tank yesterday, so I cleaned it today. The cleaning process takes almost an hour and a half. You've gotta figure, this thing holds beer that people are going to ingest, so it has to be incredibly clean. It felt good to do something that I had already done hundreds of times before. The location might be different, but the tanks, pumps and hoses are all the same. After I got the tank cleaned, I hooked up with Curtis, the Keoki Brewing Company Cellarman, and we took care of some odds and ends and ran a few errands. The thing about being a brewer is that there are some days where you don't even touch or make beer. Today was one of those days. Some brewers would call me crazy, but I enjoy every aspect of the job. We broke down and pulled apart a pump, ordered a new seal kit, did a ton of cleaning and got things ready for a big day of kegging tomorrow. After wrapping up work, I figured it was time to finally hit the beach. I haven't been to the beach since last week, so I figured I was due. I went to Kalapaki Beach in Lihue/Nawilliwilli. It's a beach most frequented by locals and tourists who stay at the Kauai Marriot. I found myself a nice spot in the sand and kicked back. The water was warm, probably about 80 degrees, with small waves. As you can see, I had a nice view (I'm talking about the water and the mountains, not the old guy in the foreground of the picture). After a nice swim and some sun, I did some laundry in Lihue. I really miss my washing machine and that sweet wife of mine who always took the extra time to separate the colors and darks. Obviously, I miss her for many more important and meaningful reasons, but I really suck at doing laundry. Dump it all in -- That was my approach. On a different and more important closing note, I just want to say that I am very excited for my brother and Elissa who found out today that they will be having a Keiki Kane (Baby Boy) in March. Congratulations you guys, I couldn't be more excited to be an uncle. You guys are going to make great parents. Well, I think it's time for me to sign off. Tomorrow, I plan to introduce you to Keoki, that is if I can get a picture or video of her. Aloha.

Sitting, Waiting, Wishing

Hello Everyone! It's Jessica, here in Sedona. Things are going well. Berkley, Olive and I miss John so much. We are having a fair time of it though. We have been hiking a lot. Here is a picture of the lovely Coffee Pot Rock, which Berk and I were hiking beside this past Sunday. We have big plans this weekend for both Doe Mesa and Lost Canyon. Received some really amazing news this morning: we will soon have a nephew. Congratulations to Mikey and Elis! He's going to be such a wonderful, beautiful, precious love nugget. Today was a great day. I telecommuted, cleaned the house, hiked with Berkley and did some yoga. We're in good spirits and often day dreaming about swimming in the ocean and seeing lava flow in the night. Can't wait! Can't wait! Can't wait! Good evening...

Wednesday, Nov. 6

Had a good day today. I met my other co-worker Curtis. He's originally from Honolulu and has lived in Hawai'i all of his life. Curtis handles a lot of the day-to-day operations of the brewery, like filtering, kegging, tank cleaning, etc. Today we filtered a batch of our Keoki Gold. The filtration process here is much different and a bit more complex, but I'll get the hang of it. Pictured on the right is the brew house, and if you look really closely on the right, you'll notice a shower head that was creatively rigged into the system. It looks primitive, but it's great to have at the end of a day or after a trip to the beach. Other than working today, I hit the YMCA for a workout and then went to the Lihue Mall to check things out and eat dinner. As far as a mall goes, it's pretty decent. If anyone needs any surf apparel, let me know...I gotcha covered. I just talked to my friend Zach tonight and he has a phone interview with Jolly Pumpkin Brewery, based in Dexter, Mich. If I wasn't in Hawai'i, I would be all over that job. Hopefully, he gets the job and I can coax him into sending me Jolly Pumpkin beers. Despite it's nasty weather, there are some things (my family, the Red Wings and Michigan Beer) that I will always love about Michigan. Why couldn't Michigan be an island with great weather and a warm ocean? So, who wants to spend the holidays in Hawai'i? I have room for one more in the camper..... Think about it, tropical weather, beaches, Mai-Tais and that awesome Hawaiian Christmas song. The reservation line is open. Aloha ahiahi ia oukou.

Move Videos/First Days at Work

After working 32 hours in the past two days, it appears that work will be a bit more calm for the next day or so. We just finished up brewing two double batches. Both are fermenting pretty rapidly and should be ready to filter in about two weeks. These videos posted here are from the first batch of beer I brewed with Dave Campbell. If you watch closely, you can actually see small clouds of Co2 coming out from the bucket. I got up this morning at about 5 a.m. and got to work on some cleaning items inside the brewery. The place is looking good and ready for two more double brew days early next week. It looks like we'll be filtering a few batches of beer this week as well. Right now I'm living in a camper at work, like right in the parking lot. So, I find myself working constantly. I am learning a lot and looking forward to getting through my learning curve. The stakes are certainly higher out here and this brewery puts out far more beer than Oak Creek Brewery. Within the next few months, we will be the largest independent Hawaiian Brewery. I spent a good portion of today driving around the island, getting used to things. Did some grocery shopping and went to the YMCA to work out and swim some laps. I also looked at a studio apartment today. It was pretty nice, but is attached to the landlord's house. I'm pretty used to having some privacy, so this place might not be the one. From what I've been told, it's hard to find a detached studio or 1 bedroom apartment in Kauai. So, the search continues and I continue to sleep in the camper.

John arrives in Kauai

Hey everyone... Well, I am here. I arrived in Kauai on Oct. 30 in the afternoon. I spent four days in a resort in Kapaa before I started work on Sunday. It's been pretty crazy, to say the least. Getting off the plane in Lihue and knowing that this was now my home was almost impossible to comprehend. From the airplane window, I saw the ocean and the palm trees. I remembered all the times Jess and I visited and how exciting it was to be there. This time the feeling was different. I was sitting alone on the plane. The couple across the row from me had just arrived to get married on Kauai and of course that made me think of Jess and really miss her. At the same time, it also made me excited to start our lives here. Holy shit, we're going to live in Hawaii. So, I took a cab to the resort and got checked in. After hitting the fitness room to burn off the craziness of day, I planted myself at the hotel lounge and had some drinks. For the next few days, I hung out in Lihue and Kapaa enjoying the sunshine and the warm ocean waters. I started my job on Sunday and they wasted no time putting me to work. On Sunday, i met Dave Campbell, who is my headbrewer. Dave is essentially the "Godfather" of Hawaiian brewing, having more than a decade experience in the business. He's a great guy who I know I'll learn a lot from. We double brewed batches (16 hour days) of Keoki Sunset Ale and the Keoki Gold. So in two days, I worked a lot of hours and got some great exposure to the system here. I dropped Dave off at the Airport today, as he lives on Oahu with his family. He flys in every week and brews several batches of beer. Now, I am at the brewery and will be staying in an RV until I can find a place to live. You'll find a video here....and I will post more soon. I hope everyone is doing well. Keep your eyes open for posts from Jess in Sedona. Aloha.

First Post

Aloha Everyone. As most of you know, Jessica and I are moving to Hawai'i. John has accepted a job with Hawai'i Nui Brewing Company and leaves for Kaua'i on Oct. 30. Seeing as we will be far away from family and friends, we thought we's do some blogging to keep everyone updated. Posts will be somewhat random at first, but we'll do our best to keep things current.

A Hui Ho,

John and Jessica