Tour of Pale Fire Brewery with Ben Trumbo, 2016 February 11
- IntroductionPartial Transcript: "Thanks for joining me…Why don’t you maybe take me through the brewing process here at Pale Fire."Synopsis: Interviewer Gregory Hargreaves makes a brief introduction, and is joined by Ben Trumbo, Lead Brewer at Pale Fire Brewing Company for a tour of the brewery.
- Dry Storage - MaltPartial Transcript: "We’re coming straight off of our loading dock; this is also our dry storage area."Synopsis: Trumbo describes the various kinds of malt used in beer recipes of different styles. He likens the base malt to the stock of a soup, and the specialty malts to the seasoning. Trumbo then discusses how grain selection fits into the brewing process.
- Grist MillingPartial Transcript: "We’ll bring it [malt] into the grist room, which is where or mill and grist case is located."Synopsis: Trumbo describes the process, equipment, and configuration of grist milling in the brewery. Trumbo notes workplace safety features in the grist room, and demonstrates the facility’s rather impressive exhaust fan.
- BrewhousePartial Transcript: "Here at the brewhouse we have a three-vessel system."Synopsis: Trumbo describes the steps involved in the brewing process, narrowly defined, in the three vessels of the brewhouse: mash tun, lauter tun, and kettle. Trumbo discusses how adjustments made to various steps in the brewing process affect the final product. The timing of each step is detailed.
- Premier Stainless SystemsPartial Transcript: "Who manufactured the brewhouse?"Synopsis: Trumbo discusses the manufacture of the brewhouse, and compares it to brewing equipment he has used elsewhere. Trumbo notes that the brewhouse capacity is 20 barrels.
- FlooringPartial Transcript: "I can point out that we’ve got really great floors."Synopsis: Trumbo describes the specially-coated flooring installed in the brewery, and outlines some of its advantages over bare concrete.
- CellarPartial Transcript: "We’re here in the cellar now. Right now we have five forty-barrel fermenters."Synopsis: Trumbo describes the cellar or the fermentation area of the brewery. He reviews some of the advantageous features of the fermentation tanks, and his plans to expand the cellar and its operations. Trumbo briefly discusses working with yeast.
- Brite TankPartial Transcript: "In the brite tank is where we carbonate it."Synopsis: Trumbo describes the process of transferring liquid from the fermenter to the brite tank, emphasizing the need to handle it gently. Trumbo discusses the process of clarifying the beer, and the advantages and disadvantages of filtration.
- Packaging HallPartial Transcript: "Right now we’re just doing draft."Synopsis: Trumbo describes the packaging area of the brewery, noting that they only package in kegs at this time, but that they have plans to build a bottling line and expand brite tank capacity. Trumbo also discusses the chemical station and cleaning solutions.
- QA/QC LaboratoryPartial Transcript: "How else do you manage quality control?" "We have a lab."Synopsis: Trumbo discusses processes for maintaining quality assurance and quality controls in the brewery. He describes the laboratory where these processes are undertaken, and plans for future additions to quality control capacity. Trumbo notes that, in an ever more crowded craft beer market, quality will be the primary factor for success. He describes how working with microorganisms is a key factor in beer production.
- Cold Storage - HopsPartial Transcript: "In here is where we keep our packaged beer and our hops."Synopsis: Trumbo describes the cold storage facility, and how it fits into the logistics of the brewery business. Trumbo notes how tax regulations shape the space.
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