I don't want to leave you out of the loop, but I got to WORK at a small (10 barrel) brewery for about 4 hours yesterday.
I don't have time right now to tell you the whole story. I will edit this post later, but I wanted you to know.
I am in Seattle. I like Portland better so far.
LATER... the whole story.
On Saturday, I met Ike Manchester at the Widmer brewery bar. I was excited to talk to a brewer again, but I was in a rush to go on their tour. He gave me his card and said, "If you're coming back through Portland, give me a call and come by the pilot brewery." Well, I emailed him immediately and set up a time to come by and visit.
Tuesday morning, I swung by the R&D brewery to see what their process was like. Ike had emailed me to say that his regular helper was out sick and that they may have use of me. When I showed up, Ike had been given Dan to help, but he also found ways to put me to work. They work on a 10 barrel system which is the size of a small micro-brewery. They are brewing at this size because they are only the Research and Development part of Widmer - a very large brewery otherwise. I was put to work stirring the wort in the mash tun, running heavy lifting errands, pouring anti-foaming salts into the boil, cleaning out the mash tun, etc. It was hot, wet and hard work, but I loved every minute of it. Ike was a perfect director. He knew what he was doing and was able to integrate me into their process fluidly.
Near the end of my time there, one of the Widmer brothers actually showed up to see what was going on! I met Rob Widmer and we were able to talk about homebrewing and my trip.
I would have loved to stay all day to see the brew through to the finish, but I had to make sure that I was going to get to Seattle.
It was a unique experience because I learned that the processes that happen in a brewery of any size need to be taught and cannot be extrapolated from the stuff that I do as a homebrewer. There were chemicals, tools and other functional parts of the process that I had no idea about. Investing time and money into a microbrewery without functional, practical knowledge of how these things work on the larger scale would be foolish. This is good to find out because it means that I must get a job at a brewery to learn before I think about starting my own.
Now, in Seattle, I am getting homesick. Because of this I am having trouble being optimistic and open to whatever comes my way. I got to see Pike's Place Market, but it is raining outside. Boo, Seattle.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Pictures from
Eugene, Bend, Newport, and Portland... I think that is all
http://picasaweb.google.com/yourfriendtyler/EugeneBendPortland?authkey=Gv1sRgCMn63c7Ah6y0DA&feat=directlink
http://picasaweb.google.com/yourfriendtyler/EugeneBendPortland?authkey=Gv1sRgCMn63c7Ah6y0DA&feat=directlink
I love my friends
Yesterday afternoon on the way to Portland, my phone died. I didn't know because it was in my pocket and Portland traffic was a beast. When I got to Phil's apartment, I plugged it in and got a avalanche of texts. They were all from Lawrence friends and they were all in riddles.
Here is the complete texts in order.
From Katie Kritikos: dear tyler hipster usa holds a treasure for u. call this man. (phone number that I haven't seen before). he wil only tel u if u insist on calling him raddle dozar.
From Hannah Nusz: Tyler its time. i wanted to wait until you were older to tell u this but i think ur ready. please cal this number (strange number, but different). it will explain everything.
From Katie Kritikos: (2 of 2) whose number is (...). Call him to retrieve your tuffet & curds & whey. Over and out. Katie K
From Paul Kaldahl: Hey, i've heard Big things about your package. People are talking.
From Nicole Schmidt: You need to call (the number). RIGHT NOW! And turn around...
From Nick Frisby: Remember to cut the blue wire first.
Graham also sent a text, but sent it today. He didn't know that I had already solved the mystery, but for his sake: A package has arrived in the land of port; Call the man whose name is a type of nail but not so large. (number).
So, understandably, I was confused. I think that I would have called these people back if I had gotten these texts slowly, over time. As a mass, though, I knew something was up and the only rational response was to follow it through. I was given two phone numbers to call and I dialed the one that was sent to me by Hannah. Her text was the most intriguing. The phone was answered by a lady, "Hello."
"Hey," I replied, "I received a call from this number earlier..." an obvious lie. "This is Tyler Harnett."
"Yes, Mr. Harnett. Where are you?" This seemed like a reasonable question because the lady's phone number was from DC.
"I am in Portland." I was confused but playing along.
"When did you get to Portland?"
"This afternoon. I am staying with my friend Phil." At this point, I butted in, "With whom am I speaking?"
"I am a super secret agent. I have something to deliver to you. Is there a place that I could meet you?" At this point, I was completely thrown off. I thought that my friends had found some sort of phone prank to play on me, but a delivery?!? My interest was piqued. I am staying with Phil, but my first thought was that I didn't want to involve his apartment.
"I am heading to the Bridgeport Brewpub. You could stop by there sometime in the next hour."
"In the next hour, sure. What are you wearing so that I can recognize you?" asked Super secret agent lady.
"uh, I have a brown Kansas hoodie, dark jeans, and I have a beard, and glasses."
"Thank you, Mr. Harnett, I will see you soon."
Phil and I continued walking to the Brewery as I told him about the strange phone call. Immediately, I realized that it could be a very socially embarrassing situation and I should have told her to come to Phil's. We sat down upstairs and my first thought was how hot it was and how I wanted to take off my hoodie, but I couldn't because of the super secret agent. Phil and I had a nice conversation, but I had my eye on every person who came up the stairs and looked around. There were a number of good looking girls and I got excited. I thought, maybe this is a blind date or something like it. There were a few people with things in their hands; "the Package," confused me. Finally, I was engrossed in conversation when a couple of people came upstairs that I recognized almost immediately.
Ben and Mirela Watson were Bridgeway folks (a church in Oklahoma City that Ichthus has a relationship with) who visited Lawrence once on their eventual way to Portland. I was surprised and happy to see them again. I was planning on getting in touch with them anyway to go to their House Church. They brought with them 'the package.'
It was a mailed bag full of Lawrence goodies for me from my friends and church. Hannah, Katie K, Alex K, Nikki, Jeff, Graham and Nicole all wrote me notes about how wonderful I am and how much they miss me. They also got me a long sleeve Freestate Brewery t-shirt to make up for my stolen clothes.
I felt fully loved by my community. It was an adventure and a great night.
Here is the complete texts in order.
From Katie Kritikos: dear tyler hipster usa holds a treasure for u. call this man. (phone number that I haven't seen before). he wil only tel u if u insist on calling him raddle dozar.
From Hannah Nusz: Tyler its time. i wanted to wait until you were older to tell u this but i think ur ready. please cal this number (strange number, but different). it will explain everything.
From Katie Kritikos: (2 of 2) whose number is (...). Call him to retrieve your tuffet & curds & whey. Over and out. Katie K
From Paul Kaldahl: Hey, i've heard Big things about your package. People are talking.
From Nicole Schmidt: You need to call (the number). RIGHT NOW! And turn around...
From Nick Frisby: Remember to cut the blue wire first.
Graham also sent a text, but sent it today. He didn't know that I had already solved the mystery, but for his sake: A package has arrived in the land of port; Call the man whose name is a type of nail but not so large. (number).
So, understandably, I was confused. I think that I would have called these people back if I had gotten these texts slowly, over time. As a mass, though, I knew something was up and the only rational response was to follow it through. I was given two phone numbers to call and I dialed the one that was sent to me by Hannah. Her text was the most intriguing. The phone was answered by a lady, "Hello."
"Hey," I replied, "I received a call from this number earlier..." an obvious lie. "This is Tyler Harnett."
"Yes, Mr. Harnett. Where are you?" This seemed like a reasonable question because the lady's phone number was from DC.
"I am in Portland." I was confused but playing along.
"When did you get to Portland?"
"This afternoon. I am staying with my friend Phil." At this point, I butted in, "With whom am I speaking?"
"I am a super secret agent. I have something to deliver to you. Is there a place that I could meet you?" At this point, I was completely thrown off. I thought that my friends had found some sort of phone prank to play on me, but a delivery?!? My interest was piqued. I am staying with Phil, but my first thought was that I didn't want to involve his apartment.
"I am heading to the Bridgeport Brewpub. You could stop by there sometime in the next hour."
"In the next hour, sure. What are you wearing so that I can recognize you?" asked Super secret agent lady.
"uh, I have a brown Kansas hoodie, dark jeans, and I have a beard, and glasses."
"Thank you, Mr. Harnett, I will see you soon."
Phil and I continued walking to the Brewery as I told him about the strange phone call. Immediately, I realized that it could be a very socially embarrassing situation and I should have told her to come to Phil's. We sat down upstairs and my first thought was how hot it was and how I wanted to take off my hoodie, but I couldn't because of the super secret agent. Phil and I had a nice conversation, but I had my eye on every person who came up the stairs and looked around. There were a number of good looking girls and I got excited. I thought, maybe this is a blind date or something like it. There were a few people with things in their hands; "the Package," confused me. Finally, I was engrossed in conversation when a couple of people came upstairs that I recognized almost immediately.
Ben and Mirela Watson were Bridgeway folks (a church in Oklahoma City that Ichthus has a relationship with) who visited Lawrence once on their eventual way to Portland. I was surprised and happy to see them again. I was planning on getting in touch with them anyway to go to their House Church. They brought with them 'the package.'
It was a mailed bag full of Lawrence goodies for me from my friends and church. Hannah, Katie K, Alex K, Nikki, Jeff, Graham and Nicole all wrote me notes about how wonderful I am and how much they miss me. They also got me a long sleeve Freestate Brewery t-shirt to make up for my stolen clothes.
I felt fully loved by my community. It was an adventure and a great night.
Newport = Dirty Bingo?!?
Newport is the home of Rogue Ales and a cute little bay community. I had high expectations considering Rogue because they are one of most innovative breweries in the NW. The Rogue tour was normal, their facility is small, relatively, but they have a community that is unparalleled. You can sign up to be a Rogue Nation Member, which is free, and then you receive benefits of discounts on beer and merchandise. Yearly, they petition the UN for statehood; they are rejected yearly. They are not only a Brewery, but a Distillery. I was interested in the distillery because Spirits have an almost mythical quality to me. They are like the mysterious older sister of beer. Many Spirits are made out of grain, especially barley, like beer. I couldn't wrap my head around how a beer like product is turned into straight alcohol.
So, I was excited for the tour - only to be disappointed. The head distiller walked out of the small adjacent room with the still and sat down behind the bar. I was expecting a long discussion on distilling, similar to the beer tours, but he just poured shots of the different spirits. I asked about the four o'clock tour, and he waved his hand toward the still and said, "that's the still." Upon further discussion of home-brewing vs. moon-shining, I decided not to be a moon-shiner. Alcohol burns without a visible flame so your batch could be on fire, burning the house down, and you wouldn't know until something else was torching - like the carpet, or the walls.
I had to really work to get this guy to talk, but as he took a smoke break and I left he spoke his mind. I asked him about the best way into the industry and he said that I should try to win some home brewing awards. This was a good idea that I had heard of other brewers doing, but I hadn't considered for myself because of cost. He said that I should try to home brew 'to style' instead of trying new creations to show that I understand how the different styles are made. Good advice from an otherwise jerky guy.
Later, I went to Rogue's Public House for dinner and a beer. I sat down at the bar next to a couple of guys and we began talking. They both were travelers. One was up from SoCal, the other from North Carolina. In a strange twist of fate, a local came by, patted us on the shoulders, and said, "Bingo in the back room in 10."
I was intrigued. Bingo? like old people? like gambling? ooh! I was wrong. It was the raunchiest, lewdest, dirtiest bunch of locals who were passing out free boards to win prizes. The caller had to have been a stand up comedian at one time in his life. If you won, you had to come up and tell a joke - some of you may have gotten texts from me asking for one. After three or four winners, there was a challenge between the group for a prize - drinking from a frisbee without hands, Wii bowling, straw swallowing, etc. The other classic part of the night was the calls. For a large number of the balls, the caller would say some irreverent or funny anecdote to remind the players what the ball number was. "Thank God it's ... B9." ; "Our favorite ball on the board... O69." ; "They are finally legal... I21." etc.
And some were made up during the night. Tom was one of the other travelers and somehow the caller found out that he was 43 years old, so when N43 was called he would say, "The Tom-Tom... N43." Once, when it was called, Tom was no where to be found. The caller guessed that he was out in his mobile home having a snack or going to bed. We all ran out there - a 'Tom-Tom break' - and shook his mobile home to almost tipping over. Tom eventually made it to the door, took the joke well, and came back inside to finish the night.
I can't recall all of the hilarious events of that night, but I can say that it was worth playing Bingo with a bunch of strangers.
So, I was excited for the tour - only to be disappointed. The head distiller walked out of the small adjacent room with the still and sat down behind the bar. I was expecting a long discussion on distilling, similar to the beer tours, but he just poured shots of the different spirits. I asked about the four o'clock tour, and he waved his hand toward the still and said, "that's the still." Upon further discussion of home-brewing vs. moon-shining, I decided not to be a moon-shiner. Alcohol burns without a visible flame so your batch could be on fire, burning the house down, and you wouldn't know until something else was torching - like the carpet, or the walls.
I had to really work to get this guy to talk, but as he took a smoke break and I left he spoke his mind. I asked him about the best way into the industry and he said that I should try to win some home brewing awards. This was a good idea that I had heard of other brewers doing, but I hadn't considered for myself because of cost. He said that I should try to home brew 'to style' instead of trying new creations to show that I understand how the different styles are made. Good advice from an otherwise jerky guy.
Later, I went to Rogue's Public House for dinner and a beer. I sat down at the bar next to a couple of guys and we began talking. They both were travelers. One was up from SoCal, the other from North Carolina. In a strange twist of fate, a local came by, patted us on the shoulders, and said, "Bingo in the back room in 10."
I was intrigued. Bingo? like old people? like gambling? ooh! I was wrong. It was the raunchiest, lewdest, dirtiest bunch of locals who were passing out free boards to win prizes. The caller had to have been a stand up comedian at one time in his life. If you won, you had to come up and tell a joke - some of you may have gotten texts from me asking for one. After three or four winners, there was a challenge between the group for a prize - drinking from a frisbee without hands, Wii bowling, straw swallowing, etc. The other classic part of the night was the calls. For a large number of the balls, the caller would say some irreverent or funny anecdote to remind the players what the ball number was. "Thank God it's ... B9." ; "Our favorite ball on the board... O69." ; "They are finally legal... I21." etc.
And some were made up during the night. Tom was one of the other travelers and somehow the caller found out that he was 43 years old, so when N43 was called he would say, "The Tom-Tom... N43." Once, when it was called, Tom was no where to be found. The caller guessed that he was out in his mobile home having a snack or going to bed. We all ran out there - a 'Tom-Tom break' - and shook his mobile home to almost tipping over. Tom eventually made it to the door, took the joke well, and came back inside to finish the night.
I can't recall all of the hilarious events of that night, but I can say that it was worth playing Bingo with a bunch of strangers.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Further Bend Fun
Just keepin you updated...
Bjorn came to Oregon via Minnesota where he grew up. He is an intense Twins/Vikings fan. Providentially, I have been able to enjoy big games in these teams' seasons in the time that I have been with Bjorn.
Sunday, the Twins beat the Royals to force a playoff with the Detroit Tigers. That playoff is in an hour.
Go Twinkies!
Last night, Bjorn and I watched a great Monday Night Football game at a local Theater, yup, and watched Brett Farve thwart his former team and heated rival, the Packers. It was joyous and epic.
He loves the game!
I love sports.
Bjorn came to Oregon via Minnesota where he grew up. He is an intense Twins/Vikings fan. Providentially, I have been able to enjoy big games in these teams' seasons in the time that I have been with Bjorn.
Sunday, the Twins beat the Royals to force a playoff with the Detroit Tigers. That playoff is in an hour.
Go Twinkies!
Last night, Bjorn and I watched a great Monday Night Football game at a local Theater, yup, and watched Brett Farve thwart his former team and heated rival, the Packers. It was joyous and epic.
He loves the game!
I love sports.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Bend OR break
get it?
Bend has been exceptional. I drove through the mountains of Oregon from Eugene to Bend on Saturday morning with the sun shining through the trees. I saw some unbelievable landscapes. The river followed me most of the way, but there was a section of visage where it looked like the highway crews had taken a backhoe to everything but a few trees. I asked myself, "how did they get so close to those trees and miss their roots?" I learned that the landscape had been torn apart by Volcanic rock and not a backhoe. When the landscape looks like it is in conflict with itself, I love it. I had this experience is Ireland and somewhere else, I can't remember.
Bjorn was waiting for me. He had a whole day planned for me.We had lunch at Cascade Lakes Brewing Co which was great except we saw Minnesota fail to make the comeback and Michigan bomb in overtime. Good beer, pub beer and an IPA on Nitro - great. Bjorn took me on a tour of the Deschutes Brewery. It was a large brewery, but they make a lot of great beer. They reminded me of Odell in their business model and New Belgium in their commitment to green brewing. We went to The Old Mill district to a Mc Menamins and smoked some cigars in the gentle snow. Yes, the snow! I was not ready; I came to the NW to get away from Fall, not speed it up! It was beautiful, though. The highlight of the beer day was the Deschutes Public House. It was in a different location from the brewery, but had a smaller brew setup and made some beers for the pub only. They have 20 of their own beers on tap. TWENTY!!! This is astounding. Four of them were IPA's. I had some beers that hadn't even crossed my mind as a possibility. 1) A Black IPA. Dark in color, but not deep in mouthfeel. Full of Hop aroma and bitterness, but smooth. 2) A Wheat IPA. Surprisingly, the wheat shows up. This is the type of revolutionary brew that could make a Kansas (wheat state?) brewery if I find the balance and uniqueness of hops and wheat. Write it down, this is it.
That evening, Bjorn, his wife Elise, and I went and listened to Shawn Mullins. You may know him from the popular song from a few years back, "Rockabye." He is a classy, singer-songwriter, storyteller.
Sunday, I got to go to Bjorn and Elise's church, Nativity Lutheran Church. It was a classic liturgical church. But they have found a passion for Social Justice, actually giving to and serving the poor, environmental stewardship and having an invitational community to groups not normally invited into the Church. In church, these themes dominated because it was St. Francis of Assisi day, but afterward, it seemed to me that they were good at community. I was invited to an afternoon meal with close friends of diverse ages within the church. I was impressed with the way that they discussed what was actually going on in their lives and planned on creating webs of support for each other. It was a beautiful example of a possible progression of our House Church in Lawrence.
I am going to try and stay another day because it is really fun to hang out with Bjorn and Elise. They are great hosts and giving with their time and home.
Bend has been exceptional. I drove through the mountains of Oregon from Eugene to Bend on Saturday morning with the sun shining through the trees. I saw some unbelievable landscapes. The river followed me most of the way, but there was a section of visage where it looked like the highway crews had taken a backhoe to everything but a few trees. I asked myself, "how did they get so close to those trees and miss their roots?" I learned that the landscape had been torn apart by Volcanic rock and not a backhoe. When the landscape looks like it is in conflict with itself, I love it. I had this experience is Ireland and somewhere else, I can't remember.
Bjorn was waiting for me. He had a whole day planned for me.We had lunch at Cascade Lakes Brewing Co which was great except we saw Minnesota fail to make the comeback and Michigan bomb in overtime. Good beer, pub beer and an IPA on Nitro - great. Bjorn took me on a tour of the Deschutes Brewery. It was a large brewery, but they make a lot of great beer. They reminded me of Odell in their business model and New Belgium in their commitment to green brewing. We went to The Old Mill district to a Mc Menamins and smoked some cigars in the gentle snow. Yes, the snow! I was not ready; I came to the NW to get away from Fall, not speed it up! It was beautiful, though. The highlight of the beer day was the Deschutes Public House. It was in a different location from the brewery, but had a smaller brew setup and made some beers for the pub only. They have 20 of their own beers on tap. TWENTY!!! This is astounding. Four of them were IPA's. I had some beers that hadn't even crossed my mind as a possibility. 1) A Black IPA. Dark in color, but not deep in mouthfeel. Full of Hop aroma and bitterness, but smooth. 2) A Wheat IPA. Surprisingly, the wheat shows up. This is the type of revolutionary brew that could make a Kansas (wheat state?) brewery if I find the balance and uniqueness of hops and wheat. Write it down, this is it.
That evening, Bjorn, his wife Elise, and I went and listened to Shawn Mullins. You may know him from the popular song from a few years back, "Rockabye." He is a classy, singer-songwriter, storyteller.
Sunday, I got to go to Bjorn and Elise's church, Nativity Lutheran Church. It was a classic liturgical church. But they have found a passion for Social Justice, actually giving to and serving the poor, environmental stewardship and having an invitational community to groups not normally invited into the Church. In church, these themes dominated because it was St. Francis of Assisi day, but afterward, it seemed to me that they were good at community. I was invited to an afternoon meal with close friends of diverse ages within the church. I was impressed with the way that they discussed what was actually going on in their lives and planned on creating webs of support for each other. It was a beautiful example of a possible progression of our House Church in Lawrence.
I am going to try and stay another day because it is really fun to hang out with Bjorn and Elise. They are great hosts and giving with their time and home.
Eugene - Go Ducks!
PUNCHED! That was what my time in Eugene was like, jk.
Eugene was a great relief. If you had to have a conversation with me during my post-robbery, slow-car-fixing, dealing-with-insurance-from-MIZZOU, bs time, then you would know how frustrated I was. If not, I was frustrated. Stuck in the muck of Eureka. So, Eugene was wonderful. I got a place at the Eugene Whiteaker Hostel.
It is a hip, clean, comfy hostel in the middle of downtown Eugene. It is a diverse area - I'll take pictures when I go back later this week. I was able to have a good whole day in Eugene. I planned on restocking my closet because Eugene has so many thrift stores, but I only got 2 shirts by 2 pm. I shopped through all of the Good Wills and was planning on hitting other stores, but gave up to despair. The two shirts I got, you'll like, but it is hard - I am picky.
Then I went beer-ing. I decided to check out Ninkasi Brewery, but their power had gone out. They were scrambling around their parking lot trying to get things that needed chilled into portable chillers. I didn't get to talk to anyone, but I will swing back by. I also went to Steelhead Brewery, but they don't get a hyperlink. I was really excited walking into the brewpub. I saw the brewers working behind the glass wall and I thought, "I'll drink a flight of trials and then have something to start the conversation over." But when I finished each trial beer, I was less impressed with the brewers than before. I walked out disappointed with their beers - all were at or below average. After drinking, I couldn't have lied and told them that they were great.
I spent my evening watching "The Fifth Element" with the roomies in the Hostel. It was a green evening, super green.
I am excited to head back to Eugene. It is a cool town.
Eugene was a great relief. If you had to have a conversation with me during my post-robbery, slow-car-fixing, dealing-with-insurance-from-MIZZOU, bs time, then you would know how frustrated I was. If not, I was frustrated. Stuck in the muck of Eureka. So, Eugene was wonderful. I got a place at the Eugene Whiteaker Hostel.
It is a hip, clean, comfy hostel in the middle of downtown Eugene. It is a diverse area - I'll take pictures when I go back later this week. I was able to have a good whole day in Eugene. I planned on restocking my closet because Eugene has so many thrift stores, but I only got 2 shirts by 2 pm. I shopped through all of the Good Wills and was planning on hitting other stores, but gave up to despair. The two shirts I got, you'll like, but it is hard - I am picky.
Then I went beer-ing. I decided to check out Ninkasi Brewery, but their power had gone out. They were scrambling around their parking lot trying to get things that needed chilled into portable chillers. I didn't get to talk to anyone, but I will swing back by. I also went to Steelhead Brewery, but they don't get a hyperlink. I was really excited walking into the brewpub. I saw the brewers working behind the glass wall and I thought, "I'll drink a flight of trials and then have something to start the conversation over." But when I finished each trial beer, I was less impressed with the brewers than before. I walked out disappointed with their beers - all were at or below average. After drinking, I couldn't have lied and told them that they were great.
I spent my evening watching "The Fifth Element" with the roomies in the Hostel. It was a green evening, super green.
I am excited to head back to Eugene. It is a cool town.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)