Moving Around Big Things

Rachel and I went to San Francisco for the weekend so I could judge the Sam Adams Longshot competition. While we were in the area, we had fun hanging out with Ali and Cooper, good old friends from college, and Matt and Lisa, my brother-in-law and his girlfriend. It was a great weekend that was followed by moving the majority of my brewing equipment from Ukiah / Windsor / Hollister to Orange County.

Starting out at the Mendocino Brewing Co., we had a crane picked up pieces of the platform used at their old brewery in Hopland, CA. We also picked up the grain mill that was used at the original brewery. Then on to Quality Stainless in Windsor, CA, just outside of Santa Rosa. The bulk of the equipment such as the mashtun, boil kettle and whirlpool were located here. After 7 hours of moving equipment around, Rachel and I visited Russian River Brewing Co. for a beer and lunch before our long drive home. I met with Vinnie and Travis, who showed me how they bottle their bottle conditioned beers. I'll be bottled in just about the same way as they do, which they described as being a pain in the ass. I don't doubt it. We got home at 12 AM.

Yesterday morning I arrived at the brewery to receive the equipment. My friends Lyn and Mike and my brother Casey graciously donated their time and skill to unloading the trucks and getting everything into the brewery. I am indebted to these guys for their help. Things went fairly smoothly and we were finished by 2:30.

Various photos of the weekend:


Matt, Lisa, Rachel and I at a Burmese restaurant in SF.


The tasting room at Stryker Winery in Alexander Valley.


Mendocino Brewing Co.'s old brewery location. My equipment used to live there.


The "oh shit" look waiting for the crane to arrive in Ukiah.


Looking at the rusty platform I'm supposed to put back together.




Loading the boil kettle.


The truck is ready to go.



Unloading the vessels at The Bruery.







Celebrating the end of a tough day.