I am living the dream! Apprenticing at a brewery.

[Brooklyn-Brewtality]

Haven't been around in a bit, and here's why:

The past month, I have been working part-time (2-3 days a week) at Cricket Hill Brewery in New Jersey. It has been a dream come true. I finished the Seibel Tech online course in November, and a friend introduced me to the owner of Cricket Hill, Rick. He was nice enough to set me up to come in a few days a week and learn the ropes.

Cricket Hill is such a small operation, I have been able to do a lot of everything. Some days I am just cleaning, some days filling kegs, and some days I get in and just fire up the 15-barrel brewhouse and brew.

I'll be sticking around there until I have everything set-up to open my own doors in Brooklyn or Queens next year.

 

[weirdboy]

What did you think about the Siebel online course?

Also, now that you are in a production brewery, how do you feel the course material matches to your experience?


Whoops, also meant to add, awesome gig and I'm totally jealous.

 

[Brooklyn-Brewtality]

What did you think about the Siebel online course?

I really liked the online course. Learned a lot, and moved at a good pace. Never felt too bored or too overwhelmed, seemed to always have a good amount of information and work.
The only negative, IMO, is that the weekly discussions we're too short. 75 minutes is not enough time to answer everyone's questions and still cover the subjects/scenarios that the professor wanted to discuss.

Also, now that you are in a production brewery, how do you feel the course material matches to your experience?

The course prepared me as much as it could, but naturally every brewery is different, so there is still a lot to learn. There was a ton in the course that I learned that I am not using now, but might need later. And there is a lot I am learning at Cricket Hill that ~could~ have been covered, but would have been to no use but anyone unless they were using the same system I am.

 

[Brooklyn-Brewtality]

Here a couple pics I've snapped.

The fermenters (2 30-bbl, 3 15-bbl)

The Boil Kettle

44-lbs of hops, smelled orgasmicly delicious.

Rick driving the fork life on the icy parkling lot with 2 full pallets of bottles. we were all about as nervous as could be during that.

 

[mobeer75]

that guy should run for president

 

[SourHopHead]

You see ABG grad Rick H there for his Apprenticeship?

 

[Brooklyn-Brewtality]

You see ABG grad Rick H there for his Apprenticeship?

I met him briefly. He was coming in one evening for a double brew day as I was leaving.

 

[fineexampl]

Good for you mate! Cricket Hill is a solid brewery with some fine beers. The people that run it are super nice as judged by their visit to the Woodbridge beer festival last year.

Supremely jealous here!

 

[SourHopHead]

I met him briefly. He was coming in one evening for a double brew day as I was leaving.

Cool. He's a good guy. Met him at Newark airport heading to Vermont for our residency week at Otter Creek. I knocked out my Apprenticeship last yr and I really miss my brewery time. I started taking notes, but once it is in your head you never really forget. Sounds like your getting taken care of.

Gratz!!!

 

[Brooklyn-Brewtality]

Just got home today.

Brewed the Colonel Blide's Cask Ale today, filtered the East Coast Lager, cleaned a few fermenters... good times.

going back in on Thursday, brewing the Lager then.

 

[SourHopHead]

Just got home today.

Brewed the Colonel Blide's Cask Ale today, filtered the East Coast Lager, cleaned a few fermenters... good times.

going back in on Thursday, brewing the Lager then.

How did the filtering go? I watched guys do it a few times and all they did was make a mess and the lager still turned out cloudy.

3 cycles on your fermenters? Caustic/Acid/Sanitize?

 

[fineexampl]

Just got home today.

Brewed the Colonel Blide's Cask Ale today, filtered the East Coast Lager, cleaned a few fermenters... good times.

going back in on Thursday, brewing the Lager then.

isnt the EC lager unfiltered???!

had the Nocturne tonight because of this thread. It was VERY easy to drink. gone in 'bout 5min.

 

[chrisgray]

"I'll be sticking around there until I have everything set-up to open my own doors in Brooklyn or Queens next year."

What an amazing experience!

Please keep us up to date on your future endevours!

 

[Brooklyn-Brewtality]

How did the filtering go? I watched guys do it a few times and all they did was make a mess and the lager still turned out cloudy.

3 cycles on your fermenters? Caustic/Acid/Sanitize?

Filtering goes pretty smoothly. We use a DE filter, which is a little bit of a pain, but works pretty well. It is an older unit, and was bought used from Italy, so it has its kinks. Leaks a little in some places, but works well enough.

Yea, 3 cycles. Nerve racking part is raising and lowering the temperature of the tanks, especially the brite tanks in the cold room. Have to go very gradually, or you will crush the tank. One of them popped in a little dent in the cold room yesterday, but we just pumped it back full of cold water and popped the dent back out.
I say that's the nerve racking part, but of course, every time i pick up the caustic, i get a little worried. got a little bit on me one day, stuff burns!

isnt the EC lager unfiltered???!

had the Nocturne tonight because of this thread. It was VERY easy to drink. gone in 'bout 5min.

I am reasonably sure that all Cricket Hill beers are filtered, except for the seasonal wheat. So far I have filtered the lager, IPA, and American Ale.

 

[smmcdermott]

sorry if these are personal questions and feel free to decline answering them. How old are you and are you getting paid to do this? If you do get paid, is it anything you can live off of? I would love to do this and am fairly young, 24. I figure now would be the best time to do it, not having a family and all. Thanks and congrats.

 

[Brooklyn-Brewtality]

sorry if these are personal questions and feel free to decline answering them. How old are you and are you getting paid to do this? If you do get paid, is it anything you can live off of? I would love to do this and am fairly young, 24. I figure now would be the best time to do it, not having a family and all. Thanks and congrats.

I am 24, as well. And no, not getting paid. I am volunteering, main reason why I am only in 2 days a week. It is a real tough decision to make, to lose 2 paid days a week, but it is an investment in my happier future. I do have a family, though, as my wife is now pregnant, so.. yea, tough times.

 

[smmcdermott]

Thanks for the answers. My problem is that I wouldn't be able to give up any time at my current job. I don't know that I can do it financially and of course, not sure I would want to open a brewery at all.

Congrats on the baby though, best of luck!!

 

[SourHopHead]

Filtering goes pretty smoothly. We use a DE filter, which is a little bit of a pain, but works pretty well. It is an older unit, and was bought used from Italy, so it has its kinks. Leaks a little in some places, but works well enough.

Yea, 3 cycles. Nerve racking part is raising and lowering the temperature of the tanks, especially the brite tanks in the cold room. Have to go very gradually, or you will crush the tank. One of them popped in a little dent in the cold room yesterday, but we just pumped it back full of cold water and popped the dent back out.
I say that's the nerve racking part, but of course, every time i pick up the caustic, i get a little worried. got a little bit on me one day, stuff burns!



I am reasonably sure that all Cricket Hill beers are filtered, except for the seasonal wheat. So far I have filtered the lager, IPA, and American Ale.

I hear that! Did it plenty of times myself. I tried to keep a bottle of Iodophor handy if I did spill/splash it then just use it to counter act the chemical. Worked pretty well, but i'm no chemist.

I remember them telling me about the vacuum generated when cleaning tanks and we would leave the tank vented and the glycol turned off. I would get asked periodically if I have to vent the tank for this step of CIP. So many different tanks and different ways to vent them. The SV in the cold room needed an elbow attached where the C02 stone would go to vent it. Those tanks aren't cheap and I did not want to epic fail at CiP.

They were using a DE filter and I guess it was inconsistent how much perlite to use. One batch would be good and the next wouldn't clear.

I'm going to have to stop by my local brewery and see those guys again and chat a little.

Cheers and keep up the good work! Hard work, but makes you feel good at the end of the day.