BeerBorg

This is awesome Kealia, thanks for letting ride along with you.

I'm happy to share. Like I said, I wish that we could all sit around a room over a few beers and discuss this, but this is the best we can do.

Day 2: We woke up, had breakfast and then headed back over to the pick up area for the VIP treatment. This included food and the sampler trays already paid for along with a special, small group tour of Lagunitas. (We knew ahead of time that we'd be back there and we were OK with that).

When the bus arrived, it looked like the same one but when we got on we noticed the upgraded keg in the back - and two taps:


It was the same two beers as the day before (which was disappointing but I don't think they really intended for people to take back-to-back tours). Ok, sure...we'll have another Little Sumpin please

We quickly found ourselves back in the "basement" at Lagunitas, but with only the 20 of us from the tour which was spread across two buses, which was great. We heard abut the issues Lagunitas has had with getting their Censored Copper Ale label approved - which is where the name came from. The story goes that it was originally named "Kronik" because of....well, all the activity at the brewery from customers enjoying themselves. They didn't promote the activity, but didn't squash it either. In any case, the senior person assigned to approving the labels (FDA?) approved it not knowing what it referred to and left the form on his desk. When a younger agent came by he saw it and said something to the affect of, "Hell yeah, I'd drink that!" which blossomed into a discussion which blossomed into the label being rejected due to the drug reference. The owner (Tony) was pissed because of companies selling things like "Bud", "High Life" and "Red Hook" (or Red Tail). In an "F you" to the FDA(?) he put a black piece of tape over the word Kronik and wrote on it with white out - "Censored". The agent approved the label.

Here is a bottle of the original and the updated version shortly after bottling:


So...they were a very liberal brewery in terms of allowing smoking to go on and finally the local law enforcement became involved as well. They worked together with Federal resources to bring cases against Lagunitas for various things but finally got them on a charge of "moral turpitude" which is defined as "conduct that is considered contrary to community standards of justice, honesty or good morals". As it was explained, this was a law that had been used in the past to crack down on brothels but could be employed as need. They were also found guilty of operating a "disorderly house". They were shut down for 20 days and during that time came up with a recipe that they still sell to this day: Undercover Investigation Shutdown.

When they re-opened they were busier than ever, thanks to local support. They did however have to put up this sign:


After drinking the rest of the samples, and having an extra DogTown Pale Ale, we were off to the tour. It was a pretty standard tour with the explanations of how beer is made, a description of the HLT, mash tun, etc. but the facility was really nice. Here's a shot looking down from the second story where we could see into the mash tuns:


The coolest part of the mash tuns were the custom glass doors:


What I didn't get a picture of that was really cool was the keg-lifter. When kegs come off the filling station they need to be lifted onto a palette and then driven to the next location for them. I don't know about other states but California is an Equal Opportunity Employment state meaning that anybody needs to be able to do any job. Well, a filled keg weighs about 165 pounds and that limits who can lift them, right? Wrong. They have a machine that basically works on suction that you clamp on the top, hit the button and it takes the weight from 165lbs to -15lbs. Yep, -15. Light as a feather and pretty cool.

We then walked outside to the fermentors. Yes, they keep them outside. They are lined with glycol to help control the temps, but Petaluma doesn't have huge temps swings so this is very efficient for them. The pipe you see pump the wort to the fermentors and the kegs at the bottom should give you a sense of scale. (The brewery they are opening in Chicago in April will have to put their fermentors indoors):


Post tour....back to the tap room to have one more Nelson IPA since it's a limited release!


Next stop will be: Old Redwood Brewery

Awesome write up....thanks for taking us along on your trip with you.

Day 2/Stop 2: Old Redwood Brewery in Windsor, CA (about a 20-minute ride from Lagunitas IIRC)

This was the smallest brewery we visited but still one of the more interesting because it was so small. How small? A 6-barrel fermentor small. They haven't been open very long and are obviously just getting started so it's a VERY small operation. They are in a retail location, but the first room you walk into is full of boxes of bottles, supplies, etc. with a small table/cashier area in the middle. The next room (20 x 30 maybe) is where they have a big table, and their equipment. Their HLT and mash tuns are 3 barrel, so they do double batches and then ferment together as a single 6-barrel fermentation. This is a pic of me standing next to the HLT and mash tun for scale:


They bottle everything by hand in 750ml swing-tops and bottle condition everything. They sell a monthly beer club subscription that allows you to sign up for 3, 6 or 9 bottles/month that you either pick up from the location or have shipped/driven to you. According to one of the owners/brewers, that accounts for 75% of each batch/overall sales. The rest are sold in the store front.

The beers we were offered were just not my style. They have tie-ins to a local winery so they are going the route of barrel-aging, using fruits, etc. We tried a stout, a pomegranite imperial wheat, and a spiced ale (holiday-style), none of which I would drink more than a sample of. I'm not saying they weren't good but they just weren't for me (at all).

What stood out at this stop was the ass-hat home brewer from the other bus making it clear that he had a 30-gallon system at home and "...this isn't much bigger really". Ok, let it go. We did find out that they are starting to use some smaller Spiedel (sp?) fermentors to try and turn things faster (because they ferment for 3-4 weeks each batch). Upon hearing this from somebody else talking, this ass-hat walked up to one of the owners/brewers with a sample in his hand and asks, "Did this ferment in plastic?". When the owner replied, "yes, it was" the response was, "I knew it, I can taste it. You guys REALLY need to swap out the plastic fermenters for stainless steel". *sigh*

<rant>Now, MAYBE he could taste the difference. But for only fermenting 3 weeks, and not prolonged aging, I think I'm calling bullshit. But, let's give him the benefit of the doubt here and say he COULD taste it. You were invited into this guys brewery and given beer free of charge to sample. Do they want input, sure they do. But is it polite to offer up that criticism (in THAT voice) unsolicited? I say "no". He was THAT guy and it came across that way. Upon hearing that my buddy just walked away and took the opportunity to hit the restroom. Fortunately, the brewer blew it off and just moved on with his discussion. I'm sure they deal with that all the time.

Again, I'm sure that there could have been a way to communicate what we wanted to say in a better fashion if he really felt the need to provide feedback. I'm convinced that he was just an ass-hat
</rant>

This place had no IPAs, pale ales, browns, etc. - just a limited supply of a few select beers so I can't say I'd go back there but it was cool to check out a starter-brewery and talk to the guy running it. Hey, he's living the dream and not brewing to MY tastes so I'm betting he's a happy camper. My buddy bought a bottle of their Honey Wheat (which we didn't get to taste) just to support the place. Their prices range from $15.00 to $30 per bottle (750ml), so they aren't cheap.

I hope they do well, as I do with anybody taking the leap.

Last stop: Third Street AleWorks (again)

Day 2/Last stop: Back to Third Street AleWorks

This was our very first stop on Day 1 and now our last on Day 2 which worked out well because we were looking forward to a full pint of the Double Standard IPA we tasted the day before.

The difference this time is that we had tried everything before and just got that beer in our sights. We sat down as a group at a table they had reserved for us. The place was packed, likely because Russian River is literally around the corner and IT was packed so this was the overflwo of those not wanting to stand in line. In any case, the tour guide was basically our waitress - going to/from the bar and getting pitchers of beer to pour for the table. Good stuff!

We ordered our pints of the DIPA and just enjoyed the chatter with the other people on the tour with us:


The food here was good, too. We had another order of the onion rings and some chipotle chicken tostados which paired great with the beer.

What I didn't mention earlier was the cherry sour that they had here. We tried it the other day and ordered another sample (4oz) to serve as an after-dinner drink. It looked like cherry cider (it wasn't a cider - Cherry Springer Tart, Sour Mash Version) and smelled like feet. No, it smelled like the socks you take off your feet after a long workout. And then you left the socks in a corner for two weeks. And something grew on them. And then your dog ate what grew on them and threw that up - that's what it smelled like.
However, it tasted awesome. Tart, crisp, light and just all-around interesting. A great way to cap off the trip for sure.

We headed back to the hotel room to settle in for the night and had forgotten to open the gifts that our wives had sent with us. They had to get a little jab in for sending us off that weekend, so touche....well played ladies:


All in all, it was a fantastic trip! We're already talking about getting back up to Russian River to try out the 20 beer sampler when the frenzy dies down. Maybe in the Spring.....

If you read this far, I commend you.

This is so very cool. Now I can put a face to the guy I'm jealous of. Might even custom make some coasters with your likeness so I can use at home and let all the foam spill all over you, all the time.
Ooops, that wasn't meant to be said out loud.
for taking the time to share this with us. Only us nerdy homebrews would read every word and every line of it. I think when I get home, I'll grab a beer and read it all again pretending I'm having all the beers you guys had.
Fun time!

No, it smelled like the socks you take off your feet after a long workout. And then you left the socks in a corner for two weeks. And something grew on them. And then your dog ate what grew on them and threw that up - that's what it smelled like.
However, it tasted awesome. Tart, crisp, light and just all-around interesting. A great way to cap off the trip for sure.

Okay this is what I'm going to remember forever now .

I don't think anyone on the Borg could do as great a job as you did describing this tour and I my mom was a travel agent and described trips from all over the world as a living.


Just absolutely awesome fun reading Kealia thank you so much for sharing this trip with us and may I extend a thank you to the wives who set it up for you.

Thanks for sharing Ron, this was an awesome review and I enjoyed reading it. I'd say you enjoyed the Apex IPA the most, and maybe that Little Sumpin on the bus

I'm glad you guys enjoyed the LONG write up. It was actually fun to write it all down and share it. It was like reliving it all over again!

Those are some great photos. Looks like it was a blast, Kealia!

Ron, let me be very honest right now...... I ENVY YOU, EVERY THING AROUND YOU, ALL THE AIR YOU BREATHE AND THE BEER YOU DRINK....but I have a certain kind of fondness for your wife

Now for the serious part: I read this today on my phone while riding the bike at the gym. It allowed me the first 24 mins without even knowing I was working out. I seriously was that intrigued. But when I got to this part: "then headed out for a 1.5 mile walk. Why? Because the temp was in the low 60's, we thought the exercise would be a good idea, and it would lead us to this.........." and you showed your pty green bracelet, I almost started weeping in the gym. Fortunately, no one was around me to see me wipe up the drool laced with tears.

That is my dream trip. Except for waiting for hours in line (I'd have to have a few beers with me to do that). Seriously, just getting into the RR site, going to see and taste Bear Republics fine beers etc is truly a bucket list thing for me. And my wife knows about this now. The only other thing I think could come close would be to visit Stone and stay a week licking the floor free of hops.

Thanks a BUNCH for sharing this. I know I'll share your story with some work buddies tomorrow.
I'm not sure how you should handle this but you may want to think about encasing your wife in some sort of 'long life sleeve' and making sure she never wants for ANYTHING

ROFL at so many things about your post RedBEERd.

Clearly you got the level head in the family - did you get the looks, too?

I'm glad it took you away from the monotony of riding a bike/walking for a bit. I'm always looking for ways to distract myself from the treadmill lap counter when I am on it, too.

It really was a blast. The bar has been set for my buddy and I to do something for our wives, for sure. I'm not sure how to repay her but I will find a way someday.

Y'all keep your eyes open for that Apex. And if you can't find it, let me know. I actually saw it at the liquor store when I was picking up my lottery ticket earlier. There's $400 million dollars with my name on it waiting for me. When I win, the first round is on me. Hell, ALL rounds are on me!

Likely the closest place to get Apex would be Florida for us. BR doesn't have any distributors in Louisiana but we've keep being told they're trying.
Hey, I know, RedBeerd and I will be their distributors.

As for what to give the wife, how about a nice pair of twins? We can be there Saturday!

YES, I got the looks, the bald spot, the bigger belly, the largest brain etc but I didn't get the best beer brewing gene. Still working on stealing that.

As for what to get for your wives, that's always tough but my wife tells me all the time to listen during the year for 'hints' and then surprise her so maybe try to find out from some eavesdropping? Or plan them a trip for a shopping day? I'm lost.