Hop teas are brewed to allow an isolated assessment of all the flavor/aroma components which a specific hop variety carries at present. the term already hints at it, I did take out our IKEA 365+ coffee cups and pored hot water on each sample. after a minute had passed it undertook a sensory analysis with my nose.
Raw Flower Hops
sample 1 -- Cascade 7.4a = pine, lime peal, fresh bermuda grass
sample 2 -- Ahtanum 6.7a = cedar wood, camomille
sample 3 -- Amarillo 8.9a = pine, rose water, apricot, soap
sample 4 -- Santiam 6.4a = sweat pine, ripe strawberry
T-90 Pellet Hops
sample 1 -- Progress UK 4.0a = fresh mushrooms, wet grass hay
sample 2 -- Cascade 4.6a =hint of pine
sample 3 -- Kent Goldings 4.8a = sweet savory vegetable broth, fermenting corn feed
sample 4 -- Willamette 4.8a = clean grassy hop aroma
sample 5 --Galcier 5.7a = carrot, peach skin, ginger
sample 6 -- Simcoe 11.9 = water melon, cassis, soap, honey
sample 7 -- Magnum GER 13.4a = asperagos, juniper berry, unscented old fashioned shaving cream
sample 8 -- Summit 16.7a = grapefruit, pine, lychee
it was a lot more difficult to discern any of the pellet aromas. all the above mentioned are in most cases sublte and as the alphas go up covered-up by the soapy hop bitterness.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Thoughts on Brewery Tours
the following is inspired by J. Schulters (Brauwelt, Nr. 17, 2008; p.462)
there is no tour for free: conveyes value to visitor and challenges the brewery to take this serious, add and change aspects of the tour over time.
initial consideration: a) what are we selling/offering; b) what does our brand stand for; c) which is the philosophy of the business; d) how do we see ourselves and how are we preceived; e) which is our target audience; f) which spheres of experience (Erlebniswelten) do we want to create/communicate?
motto and goal of the tour: 'touch, move, inspire'
the dramaturgy of the enactment is central to turn your tour into the unique experience that will have your visitors remember not so much what you told them but more importantly how you made them feel.
the acting aspect is important both to infotain the visitor but more importantly to make it fun for your employees which should result in more creative ideas on how to improve the tour elements.
to further the constant addaptation of your tour it will help to rework each tour as it comes with notations.
during the tour, which should not exceed 2 hours, all human senses should be addressed: seight, touch, smell, taste, sound. hence we are not selling a product or that beer is good for drinking. you are communicating emotions of indulgence, selfrespect, ideals and joy.
1)turn your product into an experience/adventure
2)individualise your services to visitors, clients, costumers
3)create the perfect blend of entertainment, education, escape form everyday life, and asthetics.
4)wrap you tour experience into a theme, a common thread
5)turn your employees into actors/embassadors
there is no tour for free: conveyes value to visitor and challenges the brewery to take this serious, add and change aspects of the tour over time.
initial consideration: a) what are we selling/offering; b) what does our brand stand for; c) which is the philosophy of the business; d) how do we see ourselves and how are we preceived; e) which is our target audience; f) which spheres of experience (Erlebniswelten) do we want to create/communicate?
motto and goal of the tour: 'touch, move, inspire'
the dramaturgy of the enactment is central to turn your tour into the unique experience that will have your visitors remember not so much what you told them but more importantly how you made them feel.
the acting aspect is important both to infotain the visitor but more importantly to make it fun for your employees which should result in more creative ideas on how to improve the tour elements.
to further the constant addaptation of your tour it will help to rework each tour as it comes with notations.
during the tour, which should not exceed 2 hours, all human senses should be addressed: seight, touch, smell, taste, sound. hence we are not selling a product or that beer is good for drinking. you are communicating emotions of indulgence, selfrespect, ideals and joy.
1)turn your product into an experience/adventure
2)individualise your services to visitors, clients, costumers
3)create the perfect blend of entertainment, education, escape form everyday life, and asthetics.
4)wrap you tour experience into a theme, a common thread
5)turn your employees into actors/embassadors
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Craft Brewing and Inefficiency
We as craft brewers, at least the ones below 10,000bbl (11,734hl), are faced with the fact, that we are not in the position to achive any substantial efficiency when it comes to the main production resources like electricity, natural gas, CO2 etc. Due to the sizing and the number of brews a week and the once-a-week occurence of many of the production processes lead to the inapplicability of many of the available technical solutions to conserve.
In addition, we are hesitant to invest into equipment that will allow a pay-off over let's say three to five years.
A) our budgets are tight despite the substantial annual growth. that growth, in turn, leads us to upgrade and resize vital parts of the brewing operation like the boiler, brewhouse, filter, air compressor, bottling and kegging machinery within a time frame of three to five years which in its self leads to uncertainty and short term thinking.
B) a craft brewery is built on a dream in most cases and is essentially fragile. the future as a result is uncertain. a number of plans and projects are ambitious and tend to change or end quickly as the year passes. this further inhibits a longterm commitment in what would often be the real solution. it is hard to spend an extra $22,000 on an new generation boiler when this money could be employed for your next fermentation tank=output.
In addition, we are hesitant to invest into equipment that will allow a pay-off over let's say three to five years.
A) our budgets are tight despite the substantial annual growth. that growth, in turn, leads us to upgrade and resize vital parts of the brewing operation like the boiler, brewhouse, filter, air compressor, bottling and kegging machinery within a time frame of three to five years which in its self leads to uncertainty and short term thinking.
B) a craft brewery is built on a dream in most cases and is essentially fragile. the future as a result is uncertain. a number of plans and projects are ambitious and tend to change or end quickly as the year passes. this further inhibits a longterm commitment in what would often be the real solution. it is hard to spend an extra $22,000 on an new generation boiler when this money could be employed for your next fermentation tank=output.
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