If you could ask a brew masters a question....

[SaltyTX]

Well, this certainly didn't garner the responses I was expecting.

Surprising how nobody mentioned the topic of clear beer (Which is attainable, but most just write it off as 'home brew') or really anything other than blasting someone who has more knowledge of beer than most on here (family tradition speaks of a lot of knowledge) because the worked for a brewing giant.

Oh well. I'll have a brew session with him eventually and I'm sure I'll learn tons. Perhaps I'll be better able to answer questions on the board in the future.

Thanks to BM for cleaning up the largess of the nonsense.

 

[Benthic]

I agree, clear beer would be a good thing to ask about. I would also probably ask what he thought were the three most important keys to making great beer. Or perhaps what he thought was the key to repeatability in brewing. As you say, there's a wealth of knowledge there.

Brian

 

[SpanishCastleAle]

Not that it matters (we all get to pick our own questions for our own reasons) but I wouldn't ask about clarity because they filter and do so on such a large scale that I'm not sure how applicable it would be. And since I have no intention of filtering my beer that wouldn't really interest me. IME you can get perfectly crystal clear beer without filtering (but it does take longer).

I would like to get some of the hop extract they use though. Can you hook me up brew master?

 

[iswenson]

I would ask how they adjust batch to batch for exact same taste.

I mean homebrewing you can brew a batch w/ exactly the same ingredients and same procedure and come up w/ slighty different colored or flavored beer. In my opinion the biggest claim to fame for the big brewers is the ability to replicate batch after batch the same exact product. The hops they use differ in AA%, yeast could be slightly higher in attenuation....etc.

 

[ongreystreet]

Not that it matters (we all get to pick our own questions for our own reasons) but I wouldn't ask about clarity because they filter and do so on such a large scale that I'm not sure how applicable it would be. And since I have no intention of filtering my beer that wouldn't really interest me. IME you can get perfectly crystal clear beer without filtering (but it does take longer).

I would like to get some of the hop extract they use though. Can you hook me up brew master?

Well there is a difference between asking a general question and asking one that would relate to homebrewing.

Maybe the difference is what would you ask them on the spot, or during the course of conversation, or something you have a specific interest in. I am sure they can explain the techniques they use to achieve clarity(or as much as they are allowed to), but you could look some of that up in a book, or online, or ask the question here and probably get a variety answers from many experienced brewers.

Not that there is anything wrong with asking a question that the answer is readily available. But I wouldn't compile a list of questions such as "how does a larger boil increase hop utilization", you can find that out today, but it wouldn't be a bad question to ask on the spot while brewing.

I'd want to ask questions beyond what resources are readily available. Again, I would be more interested in the industrial process then the actual brewing. Whenever I spoken with commercial brewers they usually know about a lot more then just brewing, marketing, distribution, legal, financial, etc.

I might ask about "green" building, hate that word. Have they had to convert any systems to be more environmental friendly or energy efficient. Have these changes been forced, or did AB make these changes voluntarily for some reason (they care about the environment, they care about energy costs, or maintenance or replacement was req'd anyway). Do they use heat reclaim and how. Such as, do they use the heat rejected from their cooling systems for water heating or space heating.

 

[SpanishCastleAle]

Good point about the 'green' stuff, that is something I would find very interesting. I toured New Belgium Brewery and some of the stuff they do there is pretty cool. At the scale AB is I'm sure they do lots of things to conserve energy. It would just save too much money not to.

But I was the one that wanted to know what their biggest dumper was. I'd ask trivial stuff and not really anything that I would expect to help me homebrew any better. Not that I don't need a lot of improvement, I do, I just wouldn't expect to get that here.

 

[ongreystreet]

Good point about the 'green' stuff, that is something I would find very interesting. I toured New Belgium Brewery and some of the stuff they do there is pretty cool. At the scale AB is I'm sure they do lots of things to conserve energy. It would just save too much money not to.

But I was the one that wanted to know what their biggest dumper was. I'd ask trivial stuff and not really anything that I would expect to help me homebrew any better. Not that I don't need a lot of improvement, I do, I just wouldn't expect to get that here.

How about put those two together, how would you go about dumping a large amount of beer? I am assuming you can't just pour hundreds, or thousands of gallons of brew into the sanitary sewer. I wonder if they have to treat it or dilute it. I wonder the same thing for every day loses. I am sure a big brewery such as AB keeps loses at ridiculously low amount, not so much because of the money, but because of their efficiency. But when you brew that much beer, you gotta be sending quite a bit down the drain.

 

[IceFisherChris]

I would ask if he needs any help. I would work for beer.

 

[rjwhite41]

I would like to get some of the hop extract they use though.

From what I have read they use whole hops (at least with Bud for sure). I know Miller Lite uses extract though.

I would ask how they adjust batch to batch for exact same taste.

Blending and taste testers. Saw it on a documentary. They also brew it to a high gravity and then dilute with water, fyi.

I would also add that he probably isn't at liberty to discuss a lot of the details about how they brew their beer. The big boys keep things pretty close to their vest.

 

[BierMuncher]

I agree, clear beer would be a good thing to ask about. I would also probably ask what he thought were the three most important keys to making great beer. Or perhaps what he thought was the key to repeatability in brewing. As you say, there's a wealth of knowledge there.

Brian

Now...you guys talk as if homebrewing and clear beers are mutually exclusive.

 

[LVBen]

View attachment 21588

WTF is that last pic of? That does not look like an appealing beer. Was it in a dirty plastic glass?

 

[ongreystreet]

Now...you guys talk as if homebrewing and clear beers are mutually exclusive.

This makes my head hurt.

 

[BigB]

Personally, I would rather discuss how Biermuncher got those beers looking so good. Well, I know I am thread jacking, but damn, did you use whirlfloc/irish moss and just cold crash? Or was gelatin involved or something else?

 

[SpanishCastleAle]

Here's a pic KingBrian took of a brew I sent him (he takes WAY better pics than I do):

 

[wildwest450]

WTF is that last pic of? That does not look like an appealing beer. Was it in a dirty plastic glass?

How long before this gets deleted?

_

 

[pwndabear]

i skipped reading all the posts leading up to this and am going to answer the subject line question directly:

I would ask him for a job.

 

[ongreystreet]

Personally, I would rather discuss how Biermuncher got those beers looking so good. Well, I know I am thread jacking, but damn, did you use whirlfloc/irish moss and just cold crash? Or was gelatin involved or something else?

This thread has already been jacked one time over this sort of issue, without provoking the previous "discussion" that has since been deleted, I think we can all mostly agree that there is a definitive difference between professional brewers and homebrewers. But I will also say that this doesn't imply a gap in experience, skill, and knowledge between a professional brewer and a homebrewer. But asking a professional brewmaster about making beer clear is sorta like asking Curtis T. McMullen to solve a quadratic equation, good question for an expert, also a good question for a high school senior, you might end up with the same answer either way. You can ask the professional brewer anything you want, I am sure they'd be happy to give you their input, but that doesn't guarantee their answer will be any better or more relevant to you then an answer you'd get from a member on this board(such as Biermuncher), or any other brewer.

That's why I'd ask questions that pertain more to professional or large scale brewing as opposed to brewing in general. Of course you could go on for days asking questions about fermentation times and temperatures, whole hops or hop pellets, water quality and make-up, etc.

As mentioned before, anything really interesting that you can't learn from the internet, books, experience, or by talking to other brewers is probably locked up tight by the big boys anyway.

 

[rjwhite41]

Hey Biermuncher that's enough of that. Get back on topic now.

 

[mikeysab]

Hey Biermuncher that's enough of that. Get back on topic now.

Nyuk nyuk nyuk

 

[ongreystreet]

Okay, how about this for a question, is there a technique or piece of equipment the big boys are using that the homebrewer isn't, but might be able to? Some sort of new DIY project.

 

[KingBrianI]

Here's a pic KingBrian took of a brew I sent him (he takes WAY better pics than I do):

Hey, if you ever need any more beers photographed send them over!

 

[BierMuncher]

WTF is that last pic of? That does not look like an appealing beer. Was it in a dirty plastic glass?

Condensation. The effects of a fresh cold draft on a hot summers' day.

 

[BigB]

This thread has already been jacked one time over this sort of issue, without provoking the previous "discussion" that has since been deleted, I think we can all mostly agree that there is a definitive difference between professional brewers and homebrewers. But I will also say that this doesn't imply a gap in experience, skill, and knowledge between a professional brewer and a homebrewer. But asking a professional brewmaster about making beer clear is sorta like asking Curtis T. McMullen to solve a quadratic equation, good question for an expert, also a good question for a high school senior, you might end up with the same answer either way. You can ask the professional brewer anything you want, I am sure they'd be happy to give you their input, but that doesn't guarantee their answer will be any better or more relevant to you then an answer you'd get from a member on this board(such as Biermuncher), or any other brewer.

That's why I'd ask questions that pertain more to professional or large scale brewing as opposed to brewing in general. Of course you could go on for days asking questions about fermentation times and temperatures, whole hops or hop pellets, water quality and make-up, etc.

As mentioned before, anything really interesting that you can't learn from the internet, books, experience, or by talking to other brewers is probably locked up tight by the big boys anyway.

Funny, I don't remember saying anything about professional brewer vs. amateur vs a guy that jerks off frogs (Beerfest hint, hint)... Nor do I care about discussing fermentation times, temps, etc, etc. I really have no interest in your previous heated discussion. I simply was asking Biermuncher what HE did to make HIS beers that clear. I didn't think anyone could get anything else out of my post. I have no desire to join your other debate and will certainly not respond further to it.

 

[ongreystreet]

Yea, but I caught crap (and some childish name calling) from a bunch of probrewers on this board for saying I'd rather get advice from a homebrewer then a probrewer, on a thread about questions for a probrewer. Just didn't want the same to happen to anyone else.

Those pics look awesome, can't imagine needing beer to be any clearer then that.

Back on topic.

Another question I would have for a probrewer would be what conditions affect big brewing that most people wouldn't think of. We can all assume that larger breweries that brew the same beer year round and world round, as opposed to seasonal brews from regional breweries, deal with things such as crop availability, crop variations, weather, different water supplies, etc. But is there anything that might not be so obvious, but is still a major factor?

I'd also be interested if a larger company like AB uses the same equipment to brew their beer in each brewery(this information might not be that hard to come by, I am sure someone who has been on a few brewery tours might have a general answer). It's hard to imagine from a scheduling or maybe even a maintenance stand point that every beer, let's say Budweiser, is brewed using the same equipment.

 

[TheBroonery]

Here's a question - How do they get the beer carbonated for packaging so quickly? Not sure how true it is, but my dad claims they used to go to the old Rolling Rock Brewery in Latrobe and get cases to go, that were still warm from the bottling line!

 

[SpanishCastleAle]

Here's a question - How do they get the beer carbonated for packaging so quickly? Not sure how true it is, but my dad claims they used to go to the old Rolling Rock Brewery in Latrobe and get cases to go, that were still warm from the bottling line!

As I understand it: In the case of Budweiser that's part of the 'Beechwood Aging' process. The not-quite-finished-fermenting beer is put into huge horizontal tanks with the pre-boiled Beechwood spirals which make a big lattice for yeast cells to land on (tons of surface area). The beer naturally carbonates in those tanks as it finishes.

 

[BigB]

Yea, but I caught crap (and some childish name calling) from a bunch of probrewers on this board for saying I'd rather get advice from a homebrewer then a probrewer, on a thread about questions for a probrewer. Just didn't want the same to happen to anyone else.

Ahhh... Ok, that explains it. By the time I saw Biermuncher's pictures, those posts had all been deleted, but I gathered it was a heated discussion.

 

[bigbeergeek]

I'd ask why beechwood? Why not some other surface of nucleation sites? Or another wood?