This week we've dealt with our first big snow, and now tons of rain and wind. This usually leads to the number one thing on my list but first: 3) 🐞Bugs!: More annoying than inconvenient. We have these bugs called "Western Conifer Seed Bugs" and every year they take over the whole friggin area. They fly from place to place but they generally just sit there, barely moving, it's a wonder they survive in nature at all. I bet I pick up and toss in the trash hundreds of these damn things every year, whether in the brewery or the Taphouse. I'm always worried someone who isn't from around here is gonna think they're a big cockroach. Oh, and did I mention they're a kind of stink bug? Every one that gets squished gives off this weird cooked banana smell. I hate them lol 2). 🚚Supply runs and deliveries: Before we had the Taphouse open, our first two years, we had no "in town" presence at all. This might not be a big deal if you're close to a highway or have a large flat area for semi trucks to get to, but we are not and do not. Whenever I need a c02 tank, or pick up grains from my local maltster(Im just outside of his delivery area) I have to personally drive 50 miles on way to get things. And anything that might arrive on a truck bigger than a UPS van? Forget about it, Im either sending them to another business that lets me ship there, or I'm meeting them down on the highway at one of the logging companies landings to do the pickup. As you may well know, delivery drivers tend to show up at the worst times, or forget to call ahead, sending me scrambling down the road suddenly. Also if you plan on ordering a pallet of grains etc from a big distributor it's 150 bucks shipping whether its 4 bags or 14. 1) ❄️💡Snow plowing and power outages: The snow plows only handle county roads, so if we're dealing with a big snow event, guess who's the one plowing our steep half mile driveway, me! An easy way to burn a whole morning when Im already strapped for time. But this week the biggest inconvenience has been the power outages. Being at the end of a long dirt road, we are where the power lines end. Many a mile of line runs through thick timbered properties and when the wind starts to blow, trees fall. And when trees fall on the lines, it's night night for anywhere from 4-24 hours. Although USUALLY it's 12 at the most, we were without power for 48 hours a couple years ago. I was lucky this week and didn't have any tanks that are heating, so the worst that happened was my chilled tanks warmed up from 36 to 40 maybe, but were quickly cooled off again once the power was restored. So far only once have I had a tank that was fermenting at 90 degrees F and we lost power for over a day. Luckily things never really got below 60 something and when the power came back on the yeast had no problem kicking back up and everything was fine.

Never seen them before, but was treated to a nice light show as I walked out of my front door on the way to the brewery to start carbonating a new beer I’m working on. One of the perks of having a business in the country. I like to start carbonating slow either at night or in the morning and let it slowly trickle in over a 12 to 24 hour period. Test it then hit with another 6-12 hours usually if it’s a little under. I bought an expensive tester once but I found that nothing is more accurate than just pulling a sample and testing with your mouth, a full pint at a time!

I’m the head brewer of a small brewpub up in Green Bay, WI. I’ve worked at 4 different breweries over the last 7 years doing everything from keg washing and wort production to sales and distribution. I’ve messed around with launching my own THC beverage brand, but now I have twin babies at home so I pivoted to trying to help beer lovers out online haha. The dream someday is to have my own seasonal wild yeast brewery in the beautiful Wisconsin countryside…hopefully I can get there with the help of this group!

Since football season started I’ve been opening the taphouse on Mondays with a little mixed success, but the last couple weeks have been dead. People will come in and tell you “Oh I’m so glad you’re open on Monday!” But you might see them once a month when they decide to actually go out on a Monday. And I don’t blame them, I was thinking about all the places that I LOVE in town, and they might only see me once a month. You can’t take it personally, and every business feels the pinch this time of year when the tourism dies down (for us). Just gotta trim the fat, limit your spending, and keep the faith!

Hey Brett! Welcome to the academy! We’re still growing the community and I’m still building the page but thanks for being an early member of the group!