dj_van_gilder
Well-Known Member
My First week working at Rahr and Son’s Brewery
For those who don’t know Rahr is located in Fort Worth Texas. My first day was both tiring and enlightening. I started out by sweeping a large puddle of water from the corner out the garage door. This I would come to find would be an almost non-stop job that needed to be done. I simply had no idea how much water is used in a brewery and also how much of it ends up on the floor. Just about everything uses water in some way, whether it is for cleaning or during its operation.
Next I cleaned 45 kegs four at a time. After that we CIP’ed (Clean in Place) a fermenter in preparation for the batch of Blonde we were going to brew the next day.
The bottling crew, which consists of all volunteers, came in at one and began bottling a double batch of the Ugly Pug. There are many bottles that don’t fill properly during the process, i.e. too full or not full enough, or mis-cappings. These get set on the table and are open for anyone to have. How cool is that? I get to drink while I work. But to be honest I don’t drink very much at work. I’m usually sweating my ass off and I need plenty of water, not beer. There are lots of hoses to move around and connect and lots of stooping and lifting involved.
Tuesday was brew day and I started out by filling the Kegs from the day before with the Ugly Pug. I need to get a better feel for when a keg is totally full. There were a few that ended up being a bit short and we had to go back and top them off. We did the boil in two batches and I stood and watched with a spray hose the entire time in case it tried to boil over.
Wednesday we filtered the Bucking Bock using a rare filter machine that uses diatomaceous earth. I also cleaned out one of the uni-tanks. That was very hot and uncomfortable due to the residual CO2 and steam in there.
By the end of my three days working there I was completely sore and had blisters on my feet. I learned a lot about a commercial brewing operation though, and I look forward to going back next week.
For those who don’t know Rahr is located in Fort Worth Texas. My first day was both tiring and enlightening. I started out by sweeping a large puddle of water from the corner out the garage door. This I would come to find would be an almost non-stop job that needed to be done. I simply had no idea how much water is used in a brewery and also how much of it ends up on the floor. Just about everything uses water in some way, whether it is for cleaning or during its operation.
Next I cleaned 45 kegs four at a time. After that we CIP’ed (Clean in Place) a fermenter in preparation for the batch of Blonde we were going to brew the next day.
The bottling crew, which consists of all volunteers, came in at one and began bottling a double batch of the Ugly Pug. There are many bottles that don’t fill properly during the process, i.e. too full or not full enough, or mis-cappings. These get set on the table and are open for anyone to have. How cool is that? I get to drink while I work. But to be honest I don’t drink very much at work. I’m usually sweating my ass off and I need plenty of water, not beer. There are lots of hoses to move around and connect and lots of stooping and lifting involved.
Tuesday was brew day and I started out by filling the Kegs from the day before with the Ugly Pug. I need to get a better feel for when a keg is totally full. There were a few that ended up being a bit short and we had to go back and top them off. We did the boil in two batches and I stood and watched with a spray hose the entire time in case it tried to boil over.
Wednesday we filtered the Bucking Bock using a rare filter machine that uses diatomaceous earth. I also cleaned out one of the uni-tanks. That was very hot and uncomfortable due to the residual CO2 and steam in there.
By the end of my three days working there I was completely sore and had blisters on my feet. I learned a lot about a commercial brewing operation though, and I look forward to going back next week.
