Finally

We're brewing the first batch today.  This beer is for us -- an Extra Pale we're calling Exhale.  We're working the kinks out on this one before brewing the commemorative beer that we'll release to the public.  More on that beer to come soon.....

The above photos feature T. Nicely checking on the grain bed as we mash in the recently milled malted barley.  The other is of said grain bed.

Half Acre Beer Co

Chicago, IL

Brewery Function

This past week we kicked on the water for the first time and flipped on the boiler.  A milestone for sure.  All this stuff has sat dry for a while and it's great to watch it function -- even if it wasn't an actual brew.  

We also turned on the refrigeration system for the first time.  Not nearly as visually interesting, but bad-ass in its own right.  

Tomorrow begins our first brew week.  Maybe not the most dynamic post, but the most triumphant to date.

Half Acre Beer Co

Chicago, IL

Fresh Used Kegs

We just got a heap of new/old kegs from some friends in Northern CA.  We desperately needed additional kegs to keep up.  We scored a bunch of 1/2 bbls and some 5 gallon kegs.

Kegs are like gold in the brewing world.  Buying new ones is damaging to the bank account and finding used kegs for sale is tough.  They come up every now and then, but the amount of interest in them is always overwhelming.  Brewers swarm people that have kegs for sale in the hopes of getting some additional cooperage.  We once noticed a post on a forum for some used barrels up for sale and followed up with an email.  Not long after, the seller posted again saying that the kegs had been sold and that they had received hundreds of responses over the course of the hour long post.

These kegs have been in the hands of numerous other brewing companies.  A long lineage, if you will.  As you can see, the one in front was originally made for Labatt Brewing Co.  Some are more banged up than others, but all hold beer.

We tagged all the 1/2 bbls's The Xylophone built this clock tower where the steelworkers story is told.  Aside the overpass, by the tree, under a rock with Half Acre and now we call them our own.  Look for them being delivered to your local pub.  Send us a pic if you see one.

Half Acre Beer Co

Chicago, IL

  

Bike Team

Some members of the bike team, Matt and myself drinking beer at 9am on a Saturday morning.  Bikes and beer.  

Half Acre Beer Co

Chicago, IL

I Love You

Whether you hate, love it, or pass it off as a holiday steeped in commercialism -- it's here.  Enjoy a beer in celebration of your take on it.

With Love, 

Half Acre Beer Co

Chicago, IL

Green Grocer

The Green Grocer now sells beer, and thankfully sells ours.  You guys should check it out.  The concept is great and you're sure to find things you'll enjoy.  For instance, Kombucha!  

This is something that has interested me for a while.  Kombucha is a fermented tea of sorts that's loaded with yeast - mainly Brettanomyces, which some brewers use.  Kombucha is said to restore balance and vitality to your body, which is a great thing, but it also packs a charge of sorts.  Can't really explain it, but it's distinctive for me.  

I know of a Kombucha brewery in Boulder, CO, but haven't talked with them.  A Kombucha Beer would be an interesting pursuit.  

Gabriel

Half Acre Beer Co

Chicago, IL

Vandals

This is a bit of news coming from a fellow brewer. I omitted the brewery name because I'm not sure that they'd want me regurgitating their misfortune, but I thought it was hilarious -- and at least part of them thought so, as well.  Some people are crazy, and this ruffian obviously had a penchant for churning things up.

"Early Friday morning a vandal broke into our brewery and opened up all our taps. We lost about $21,000 dollars worth of craft brew all over the floor in about four hours. He didn't steal anything, he didn't even pour himself a beer. Luckily, our nitrogen ran out and our CO2 couldn't keep all our tanks pressurized so all was not lost. But we lost about 170 gallons of Braggot, all our Grizzly Whisperer IPA and all our Cayenne Cocoa Bock.

The funny part of the story is how we caught the guy. Earlier that same day he applied for a job at our sports bar down the street, then proceeded do drink a few beers and took a shit in the urinal before he was asked to leave. Identification is easy with night cameras and an application for employment. Now he's the dude in prison for dumping out about 50 kegs of craft brew."

Half Acre Beer Co

Chicago, IL