Co2 Kicked & Circulatory Fan Broken?
July 4, 2009 11:35 amFirst, the Co2 tank was kicked this week. I can’t even remember the last time I changed it, but I suspect it was around 6+ months ago. No problems here, just a $25 fill at Modern Brew in Cambridge. I also have a 2nd co2 tank, just for this occasion, so there’s no shortage of flow on the 4th of July!
I also suspect the secondary fan has crapped out. I’m calling it the secondary fan since the kegerator is still keeping the beer cold around 45°. I believe the fan that broke was an additional fan unique to “under counter” models that circulates the warm air behind the kegerator to keep it from over heating (via air cooling the compressor). About 3-4 months ago it started working intermittently and sounded like something small had gotten caught in it, potentially a piece of styrophoam that had been used to insulate the top of the keg.
The disadvantage to this is that a) it’s potentially technically broken (which will annoy me), and b) there’s a potential for the added heat to cause additional strain on the refridgeration unit and hurt performance (increased electrical cost?) or to fully break it. All bad things. The pro to this situation is that the secondary fan made a lot of noise – enough for everyone to question what it was. Now that it’s gone the kegerator operates virtually silently.
Berkshire Brewing Co. “Floor Malt Pilsner”
June 28, 2009 4:56 pm
I’m hoping to pick this one up today/tomorrow – had a huge delay making space since we weren’t drinking much recently. Apparently this one is quite rare.
From BBC’s website, “Now Available!! Limited Specialty in DRAFT only! This Pilsner is a true lager brewed with authentic Czech Republic two row floor malt. It is light in color, dry & crisp and hopped with Czech Sazz to impart a subtle bitterness in the finish.”
From Tim (Beer guru at Colonial), “BBC is releasing a Pilsner next week. It is only made every few years but they might be bringing it back if this batch goes well.”
I’m late to pick it up (arrived early May, now late June) and I hope it’s still there. It received a “B+” on BeerAdvocate (off three ratings so far) so I’m excited to try it.
Kicked after 2 about weeks! Great summer beer.
Welcome Phoebe!
4:32 pm
Phoebe at 25 minutes old.
Welcome to the world, Phoebe Ann Solar.
Born 6/24/09 and weighing in at 8.1 lbs and 21″. We’ll see about keeping the Black Lab Bar, with it’s ATF Agency theme, baby free for a while – for her safety, of course.
Cheers, Phoebe!
Breweries on Twitter
June 18, 2009 3:01 pm
Some of the most “value” (or entertainment) from Twitter has come from following breweries. Getting snippits of news or details about beer are interesting, plus it’s an easy way to interact with the brewers directly.
I started searching for a few more to follow and while two of my favorite breweries still aren’t on Twitter (Smuttynose and Berkshire Brewing Co), here’s a list of a few notable breweries that are;
New England:
@WachusettBrew
@Grittys
@ShipyardBrewing
@Harpoon_Brewery
@NewEnglandBrew
Outside NE:
@RogueAles
@NewBelgiumBeer
@SierraNevadaCA
@Yuengling_Beer
@DogFishHeadBeer
Please let me know if you find any others. I’m particularly interested in knowing when Berkshire Brewing, Smuttynose, Founders, Southern Tier, and Bar Harbor join Twitter. Peter Engelston said @Smuttynose was already taken by someone outside the company and Twitter can’t revoke the ownership. Hopefully they’ll snag a runner up soon.
Cheers
Sam Adams “Summer Ale”
May 2, 2009 4:45 pm
On tap 5/2/09, just in time for the beautiful weather; Boston Beer Co’s “Sam Adams Summer Ale”.
It received a “B-” on BeerAdvocate, which seems a bit low (but it’s been a year since I’ve had it).
It’s currently paired with Shipyard’s “Brewer’s Choice”.
Kicked 6/27/09 – very slowly, mainly due to having a newborn on the way.
Wachusett “Green Monsta Ale”
April 11, 2009 3:53 pm
The first Wachusett keg on tap is a good one, their “Green Monsta Ale”. It has a “B+” on BeerAdvocate, which seems accurate. Should be a fast beer.
Wachusett brewery describes it simply as, “A BIG PALE ALE with an awsome balance of Belgian malts with Fuggles and East Kent Golding hops.”
Pair with Shipyard’s 2008 “Brewer’s Choice Brown Ale”.
[Update]: Wow, that went too quickly… third fastest consumed beer. It was really that good.
