Stairmaster - Ragbrai
Thats what I did today, as I filled 30 kegs of rootbeer for the Iowa State Fair (I did 20 Schild Brau kegs the other day), and brewed a batch of Wheat at the same time. Its funny how you can get really good at knowing when its time to run back downstair and change the taps to the next set of kegs. And then make it back upstairs just in time to catch the pump as it finishes transfering the beer from on tank to another in the brewhouse. Haste does make waste though, and at one point I carelessly dumped some hops into the beer without turning down the steam. The result was pretty impressive boil over! you think that after all these years I would learn… oh well it was just a dozen gallons of beer or so.
30 kegs of rootbeer.. that is more kegs of pop than what we have sold of the Warsh Pale all year. If only people drank more beer instead of soda! It would be better for us, and better for them, because beer is actually good for you, unlike our sugar filled soda!
I also would like to say that I did two days of Ragbrai with my brother last week. It was really fun, but the beer selection was pretty sad. Its has been a long time since I drank so much crappy light beer. Lets see I drank Budweiser, Bud-light, Old Style, Miller Lite, and Coors Light. Coors-Light was the only beer with any malt flavor. You know your in the middle of nowhere when you are thankful that they have one non-light beer at a bar!
Anyway, I am seriously considering putting together a Millstream Brewery Team. If anyone would like to join, or help me organize putting a team together please email the brewery. In our team, there will be no Yellow Fizzy Beer. There will only be good beer, and we will probably be very popular! I really enjoy bicycling, so if there is some way to combine these two activities of mine (beer being the other) it must be a good idea!
August 12th, 2004 at 7:18 am
Hmm. A brewery team? That might actually get me back on the ride. I did one day of ‘brai this year, and the best beverage stop was at the Daly Creek Winery in Anamosa; otherwise, it was the usual crop of bad beer.
The week before, I was in Idaho, and even in the small town bars it was possible to find an interesting local beer or two. Come on, small town Iowa! Get with the program, open your eyes, and start serving decent beer!
August 13th, 2004 at 8:16 am
I just heard that there was some Honkers Ale in Atkins. Unfortunately, I skipped that town and kept riding. I was impressed on the ride by the number of people with microbrewery jerseys. I saw many ‘roaddog’ jerseys, and even a couple ‘arrogant bastard’ jerseys. But no one was catering to them. It was very sad, I hope that RAGBRAI will let us do something. I wonder how much influence the big breweries play in the whole event?