Saturday, November 29, 2008
Saturday, Nov. 29.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Tuesday, Nov. 25
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Sunday, Nov. 23
Saturday, November 22, 2008
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, November 20, 2008
Thursday. Nov. 20
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Tuesday, Nov. 18
Monday, November 17, 2008
Monday, Nov. 17
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Saturday, Nov. 15
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Wednesday, Nov. 12
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Tuesday, Nov. 11
Monday, November 10, 2008
Monday, Nov. 10
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Sunday, Nov. 9
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Saturday, Nov. 8
Friday, November 7, 2008
Friday, Nov. 7
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Thursday, Nov. 6
Sitting, Waiting, Wishing
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Wednesday, Nov. 6
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
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.
Monday, November 3, 2008
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.