Copy Link
Add to Bookmark
Report
HOMEBREW Digest #5307
HOMEBREW Digest #5307 Thu 06 March 2008
FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Digest Janitor: pbabcock at hbd.org
***************************************************************
THIS YEAR'S HOME BREW DIGEST BROUGHT TO YOU BY:
Your Business Name Here
Visit http://hbd.org "Sponsor the HBD" to find out how!
Support those who support you! Visit our sponsor's site!
********** Also visit http://hbd.org/hbdsponsors.html *********
DONATE to the Home Brew Digest. Home Brew Digest, Inc. is a
501(c)3 not-for-profit organization under IRS rules (see the
FAQ at http://hbd.org for details of this status). Donations
can be made by check to Home Brew Digest mailed to:
HBD Server Fund
PO Box 871309
Canton Township, MI 48187-6309
or by paypal to address serverfund@hbd.org. DONATIONS of $250
or more will be provided with receipts. SPOSORSHIPS of any
amount are considered paid advertisement, and may be deductible
under IRS rules as a bsuiness expense. Please consult with your
tax professional, then see http://hbd.org for available
sponsorship opportunities.
***************************************************************
Contents:
Bottle Sizes (Scott Birdwell)
Re: Brew Pub (Michael Stumpf)
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* The HBD Logo Store is now open! *
* http://www.hbd.org/store.html *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* Suppport this service: http://hbd.org/donate.shtml *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* Beer is our obsession and we're late for therapy! *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Send articles for __publication_only__ to post@hbd.org
If your e-mail account is being deleted, please unsubscribe first!!
To SUBSCRIBE or UNSUBSCRIBE send an e-mail message with the word
"subscribe" or "unsubscribe" to request@hbd.org FROM THE E-MAIL
ACCOUNT YOU WISH TO HAVE SUBSCRIBED OR UNSUBSCRIBED!!!**
IF YOU HAVE SPAM-PROOFED your e-mail address, you cannot subscribe to
the digest as we cannot reach you. We will not correct your address
for the automation - that's your job.
HAVING TROUBLE posting, subscribing or unsusubscribing? See the HBD FAQ at
http://hbd.org.
LOOKING TO BUY OR SELL USED EQUIPMENT? Please do not post about it here. Go
instead to http://homebrewfleamarket.com and post a free ad there.
The HBD is a copyrighted document. The compilation is copyright
HBD.ORG. Individual postings are copyright by their authors. ASK
before reproducing and you'll rarely have trouble. Digest content
cannot be reproduced by any means for sale or profit.
More information is available by sending the word "info" to
req@hbd.org or read the HBD FAQ at http://hbd.org.
JANITORs on duty: Pat Babcock (pbabcock at hbd dot org), Jason Henning,
and Spencer Thomas
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 5 Mar 2008 14:17:12 -0600
From: Scott Birdwell <defalcos at sbcglobal.net>
Subject: Bottle Sizes
Our Fearless Leader, Pat Babcock noted:
"The carbon dioxide in beer is an overlooked source of bitterness,
though
the larger bottles being more carbonated than the smaller would be
counter-intuitive. I vaguely recall discussions regarding more highly
carbonated beers interfering with the perception of hop bitterness.
Maybe
this is at play here?"
I heard a few years ago that AB had reduced Budweiser's IBU level to
around 10 and to compensate had upped the CO2 level. Apparently,
they gave up on this after a while, and went back to the current 12
IBU level. This might be hogwash, but I seem to recall it coming
from a reliable source. You have to ask yourself whether this was
done as an economizing measure or whether they just thought that this
is what their customers wanted. Anyway, CO2 levels definitely can
influence your perception of hop levels. Just think about how
different a whisky and water tastes than a whisky and soda. At most
bars, the "soda" is just the water with CO2 injected. It may not be
hop bite, but the soda version definitely has a tang to it.
Scott Birdwell
DeFalco's Home Wine & Beer Supplies
Houston TX
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 05 Mar 2008 22:25:28 -0600
From: Michael Stumpf <mjstumpf at pobox.com>
Subject: Re: Brew Pub
Regarding whether or not it makes sense to start your own beer production:
I considered doing this in a different context, attacking a market I see
as emerging. As yet I've not done it, but I did collect a lot of
recon. Chatting up a seasoned brewmaster in NYC, he shared some thoughts.
He told me not to bother trying to fabricate new stuff; there's plenty
out there. Just get good at copying. (Honestly, I tend to agree with
this); if you're brewing for fun, brew for fun, but most people don't
appreciate the stuff you do. Make sure there's a miller-lite clone on tap.
He said the perceived "cost savings" evaporate when you factor in that
you have to have someone doing the brewing, and they tend to be prima
donnas. The minute they start getting good and having options, they
shake you down for more money and threaten to leave.. at the very least
you risk a disruption of service because that guy was the one who had
your beer production fine-tuned. On the positive side, as a corollary
to the above, most customers won't notice.
He said if it were him, he'd open a beer bar but buy a wide variety of
products on the market. If customers don't like something, punt it. It
is a simpler business model and it's far more flexible.
Now, my opinions: I see where he's coming from, and maybe usurious
taxes from New York are contributing to his dour world view. But it
sounds like you're looking at providing beer to a venue where typical
customers drink swill. As long as you brew the right products, you can
use this as a massive cost savings; I think he's overestimating some
things but one should definitely consider the sunk cost of equipment,
the effect on your bottom line of bad batches, etc.
Another example to consider is in Las Vegas. 1 or two blocks off strip,
near the Hooters casino, is an older casino most young people would
never step foot in. If memory serves, it's Ellis Island Brewery and
Casino. Google it. People call it a dive, a casino with the theme of
motel 8, etc. True! But What struck me, and why I ended up there
daily, is they offered $2.00 16-oz homemade beer (infact it's all they
sold--their own). It was a little on the bland side, but I still valued
it. And, that guy was no doubt leveraging that cost savings into making
the place more profitable.
Hope that helps. I'd be curious to hear what you learn, as you learn it.
------------------------------
End of HOMEBREW Digest #5307, 03/06/08
*************************************
-------
