Taking it in the Can

So, I got to go by the Tank as they were using the services of Iron Heart Canning. Guess what make of canning line those guys use? Wild Goose! So, here are some notes from my field trip with Moh and the gang at Iron Heart and the Tank.

The Truck from Iron Heart

Here is where the cans are cleaned and sanitized before being purged of O2 and filled.

Keeping the system supplied with the right amount and strength of cleaners and sanitizers

This is a messy process, but they lose very little: Less than 10%

One side of the purge/fill process

Cans are purged of CO2 with O2, then filled with delicious beer, then the lid is slapped on and seamed.

Each can is weighed to insure a proper fill.

Throughout, Willie, pulls random cans out for checking O2 pick up. All of these samples were within tolerances.

Checking again, and again.

Close up of the labeler and spritzer.

Another shot, this one includes the Zahm, which checks for pressure in the cans.

They have this bad boy as the loader, a little redneck engineering.

Blair Goes to a Hop Farm

The backbone of the West Coast IPA

So, Last week I got to go to a hop farm in Apopka. I had been trying to meet up with Richard Smith, the UF plant scientist who has spearheaded the hop growing and breeding program here. We played a little tag, and I honestly was getting a bit frustrated until I found out he is also co-parenting, and has a special needs daughter. Then I felt like a schmuck, which is more in my normal operating mode.

One Monday, super early in the AM, I schlepped up to Apopka and back to see one of the private farms that is experimenting with growing hops in the Sunshine State. This place mainly grows ferns, and does a couple million dollars doing that. Maybe we should get in the fern business...

Ace Hops

Cascade

You can see that the hops are not super well-tended, and considering that, these were really healthy specimens. Ready to be picked.

Cascade

Donald Trump's hand for scale.

The scoop on the hops in Florida is this: We can grow any American strain of hop. We have two seasons as opposed to one, which leads to the same yield per year, but two times for fresh, wet hops, which is awesome. The facility and program is located in Ft. Pierce, and Richard will do a presentation for us, and other brewers from the area. I have gotten Moh from the tank, and Monty from Lincoln's Beard on board, with 26 Degrees, Descarga, and a few others interested as well. The harvest is in August, and we can get a bunch of hops from UF then for free. I have already decided on one beer to collab with Lincoln's Beard on, and am working with Moh on one with the Tank in their Pilot house. We will need a few disposable kegs for those beers, and this is good way to get some recipes scaled up as well.

Hope to see you all soon. I miss you guys.