Justification, a statement.

I expanded our little brewery recently, trebling available capacity. You may have heard me mention it. Along the way it became obvious that one question pervades amongst a reasonable portion of the population I come across: why expand? On occasion I became slightly uncomfortable fielding questions along the lines of 'how's world domination coming along?' and the like. It got me thinking, and I've been meaning to do that thinking out loud for a while now.

So, why expand a small brewery? (I didn't know any of this when I started brewing).

Firstly, some context: we had a teeny, tiny, mini capacity before, and now we have a small one. We were probably about 650th of 700, now we might be up to 350th. We were, and still are, far smaller than most think. Just so you know.

Anyway, reasons to grow:

1. Technical - the bigger the vessels, the more justification there is for adding bells and whistles. Now B & W's of themselves are (normally) a useless waste of money, but well designed ones, ones the brewer wants and can use, are a real boon. Yes, I can make a decent batch of beer in a bucket but doing it day in, day out is more difficult. So there's a natural desire for a brewer to want to grow, simply to get better spec toys to play with to brew better spec beer, more often.

2. Fear - if there is demand, and if you don't meet that demand, someone else will. And then they'll come after the rest of your business. There appears to be no plateau - just a slope, and most of us don't want to slide down, so we crawl up. Not a pretty picture. But if you get in a stride it's serene and almost beautiful.

3. Fun - gotta keep life interesting. It's taken too many years to gain a root hold in this rocky ground not to make the most of it.

4. Duty - with a family to provide for, and mates needing work, given the opportunity to grow and create a more secure future for those around you, it would be churlish to wimp out.

5. Cold, hard cash - I'll settle for a salary and a pension, thanks.

In summary: one never finishes building a brewery, there's always something to work on, to improve. Without that mentality you aren't leaving the starting blocks. So, given that, the path ahead is set and if you find yourself in the right place, at the right time, you too will be expanding capacity (and plotting to rule the world).

I hope that clears that up. Now, when I am in charge, tangerine will become, by decree, the colour of choice.

Finishing touches

My mate Fat Andy: (Trumpet & Ale)* gave me a couple of flash Bose sound monitors about 12 years ago. I promised I'd find somewhere to use them, and now I have.

It looks like it's balancing on those (very hot) pipes, but it isn't.

'Bout time you visited mate (I'll protect you from the kids).

*I'm not calling him rude names, this is the way he's identified on the album cover of Live at the Hive.

Job done?

My minor epic is close to done and dusted. The new (second hand) brewery was put through its paces on Friday and Saturday, crafting batches of GADDS' #7 & GADDS' #5 respectively. It performed wildly better than I could ever have imagined and to be honest, I struggled to keep control of it for a bit. Finishing touches have already begun: a temperature probe here, a hook there, Bose music monitors in the corners, all the usual stuff one finds one needs shortly after the first brew.

So, back up and running; beer in the system and ready to deliver in 8 days time. Stock left from the brewathon? Erm, little really. Just enough to squeeze us through for the next 5 days. A quick look at my original schedule........damn! 4 days late, but that could have been worse. And budget.........double damn! £10k over. That's a vast miscalculation on my part down to the known unknown of the Emmanuel the Boiler, but the money isn't wasted: we're the proud owners of one hell of a high pressure steam system.

So, pats on backs and beers all round.

Though I promised a blow by blow account I never really delivered one. It felt a bit weird to publish accounts of events that those with malicious intent could use against me. Not that they read this. Not that anyone reads this really. But you never know, you know?

Who's the f**&ing Daddy?

We shut down 4 weeks and 5 days ago, ripped out the old system, rebuilt services, rebuilt malt store, cold room, brewhouse and hop store, installed new (second hand) plant, installed a high pressure boiler, commissioned the lot and are ready, willing and able to brew tomorrow. And we didn't let our regular customers run out of beer.

We're the f**&ing Daddy, that's who.

Pride comes before a fall and brewers know this better than most. However, I just can't contain my excitement. Besides, f%$k superstition: human ingenuity, hardwork and dedication usually renders it irrelevant.

Steam heating 1.0

Our new (third hand) boiler is almost ready to go: all associated tanks, vents, flues and drains are done and there remains only a few yards (these pipe fitters are old school) of return mains to pipe in. We'll be testing the lot later today.

In the past we've used vessels with great big electrical elements in them to heat brewing water and boil the wort, but we're on a different scale now and there are more efficient ways available to us. High pressure steam, costly on installation - cheap to run, gives excellent light touch control and a wonderfully clean heat transfer through stainless steel coils, eliminating burnt or caramel flavours that can otherwise arise from this area.

The boiler delivers steam at about 80 psi (15 is atmospheric pressure) and 160 degrees Celsius through an inch and a quarter diameter 'black iron' (steel) pipe to a 2 inch diameter stainless steel coil (total length 5 meters - apologies for mixing my units: I'm quite comfortable doing it, I hope you are reading it). It's here that the steam gives up its heat (well, energetic enthalpy really, 2000 kJ/kg) to the wort, subsequently condensing, whereupon it's forced through a funky gate (the steam trap) to a three quarter inch return main, at atmospheric pressure, returning to the boiler for a repeat performance.

Thermodynamics is the subject - this time it's practical so I may just, finally, get it.

We haven't named the boiler yet - feel free to make any suggestions. The lucky winner gets to have their photo taken next to the big fellow.

Good-news bad-news joke.

After a 'challenging' start to the week, progress on-site has gone smoothly, however, by Friday afternoon we were closer to crying than laughing.

Construction of the dry and capacious new malt store was started on Monday and finished by Wednesday, bang on schedule. The cold, dry and capacious new cold cellar is nearly finished and all brewery pipework and cleaning systems have been completed, with commissioning well underway (commissioning = checking it works). Installation of the high-pressure steam boiler, with its associated pipework, is the one remaining major task and, since this is the only way we can raise water and wort temperature, it's pretty fundamental to producing beer. This has always been the great known unknown: the boiler is an old one requiring a costly and time consuming rebuild in order to prepare it for insurance certification. The engineer in charge isn't quite as old but, due to a life of hard graft, has himself required a certain amount of rebuilding in order to walk, having trapped nerves in his back during the project. On Friday afternoon he gave me the good-news bad-news talk: the boiler is great but the timescale is three weeks longer than our beer stocks have allowed for. Calamity. No end-of-week laughing matter.

I emphasised the gravity of this situation and Jim the Boil rang back at 5pm to say that he, Lou the Flue and the Two Robins would descend, mob handed, in ten days time to knock the job out, leaving me not a single day's worth of stock to spare before production re-starts.

So I was laughing in the end.

I love building breweries - I've done a few in my time. But now this, the largest and sexiest so far, has started to take shape and display its ergonomic and technological beauty, I'm itching to get the wellies on and put it through its paces.

Unknown unknowns #1 reveals its truth

Not only is the steel frame that supports the 1 tonne hot liquor tank constructed of irregular length legs, it is structurally weak when out of plumb and likely to attempt to shed its load if disturbed.

That's the truth we found out to our cost today. And cost it did: a full day's work for myself, Rob the Build and Tom the Boy getting the whole structure, and its piggy backing stainless lump of mass, back in place, safe and sound. All manner of skills, techniques and technologies were hurled at the 'issue', the trusty old (and knacked) forklift truck reluctantly providing the finishing touch.

We're still on schedule. And on budget. But the next unknown unknown could change all that.

"That was the scariest day of my life" hissed the rookie Boy through a stress dissipating drag on his fag when it was all over. We guffawed, in experience, though I suspect we might have found more common ground on this point than we cared to admit.

Spot the difference

We got 'em in with inches to spare. Well, two, but that was enough.

Now then, just got to try and remember how they fit together.

T minus 2 hrs

Last week was frankly pretty dull: knocking stuff down, building walls and pouring concrete. Taxing only mildly in logistics and cost; the engineer could have managed it from the pub.

This morning, however, the fun re-starts as Lofty Paul and the Very Capables (promotion) arrive before elevenses, fully laden with 6 tonnes of GADDS' brewhouse aboard three 'outsize load' articulates. I ought to be smiling again by teatime.

Special thanks to Anon of Concernedville but I ain't tired and the change of plan was a quality decision.

Phase 3? Well, the next bit anyway.

New (10 yr old) plant decommissioned and uplifted from its former home - check.

Fermenters installed at Hornet Close (that's our place) - check.

Brewathon to create enough stock to shut down for four weeks - check.

That all sounds like things are on track, progressing nicely, according to a plan doesn't it? I'll reluctantly agree that it is a reasonable perception. However, now we're into the messy bit where all manner of known, and unknown, unknowns lurk. We must make suitable preparations to receive the brewhouse vessels on Monday next - some demolition (done today), a little concrete pouring for these new vessels to sit on (tomorrow, but a breeze for an ex-civil engineer who's poured more of the stuff than he cares to care about) and some fibre-glass floor finishing (a complete left field change of plan encouraged, nay, dreamed up, by Rob the Builder - *he* reckons it'll work but wtf does he know about brewhouses? Why do I listen? Am I easily led? Or is this intuition?).

And I don't even want to mention the steam boiler. Doh, I just did.

If I only think a few days ahead I can ignore next week's worries, and the worries of the week after. And the stock. And the cash flow. Jeez, does anyone actually *do* this for a living?

Brewathon 10 and 11 of 11

Done. And with lots of hops too.

Beer.

Sleep.

With a smile, just a little one though.

Brewathon, 7, 8 & 9 of 11

'You're not my Mum, I don't want you' said Stan, 4, as I get home a little earlier than of late. We haven't played football in the kitchen, made paper aeroplanes, watched X-Men or wasted any Runners for at least 4 days so he's forgotten I'm his Dad. To be fair, he hasn't actually seen me since Sunday but still, I thought we'd spawned something with a longer memory than a goldfish.

But only two days of brewmania left: we finish off some Common Conspiracy (tell you later) tomorrow morning and then a triple brew of Überhop Traditional Lagerale, a special brew for my be-sandled friends to be showcased at the East Kent Beer Lovers Highlight of the Year Weekender.

I enjoy the work, but I do miss football with the lad.

Brewathon, 6 of 11

Ah, money fer old rope this double brewing lark is - get up early, work like a horse, drink beer, go to bed early. Repeat ad mortem.

So we're into week two and halfway there. Fermentations from week one have proceeded exceptionally well and the cooling has performed far better than we initially suspected it would. We're on time now and I can't see a reason why we won't have canned 10,000 litres of top East Kent Ale by Saturday evening.

Except that any brewer will tell you the moment you think things are going well something trips you up. It isn't superstition, it's observation.

So long old friends

Our old fermenting vessels left for their new home in the Essex Badlands today - it could have been an emotional affair: Stevie and I have known them, in one place or another, for 20 years or more and many, many a happy night has been had drinking beer produced by them. But they've gone to an old buddie of Stevie's, another fellow dreamer and soon to be skint, overworked but happy brewer (hi Mark). So in the family they stay and we'll be seeing them again one day.

Clearing the old FV room on time is essential to the Schedule so another hurdle, er, hurdled.

Brewathon, 4 and 5 of 11

I've mashed in 10 times this week. The way it works is thus: I start on my own (only way to be) at 06.00 hrs and Chelsea Boy (2nd brewer) or Hang 'Em High (3rd brewer) take over after I've mashed in the second brew at 13.00 hrs. They get most of the cleaning and a little responsibility, I get the obverse. Getting the logistics right is crucial and the morning is pretty much total, and high, concentration. And whilst it's exhausting it *is* extremely satisfying and, ultimately, relaxing: the phone is switched off, conversation is minimal and as many senses as I can muster are focused on the job in hand - making beer. Wonderful.

So we *can* brew this much over a sustained period. But can we get the fermenters empty on time and ready to fill next week? Two questions arise:

a) With the new shape of vessel (they're tall and thin, not short and squat) will the fermentation proceed according to plan? Early indications suggest yes, yes they will. Which is as per text book and a boon to our process.

and b) Will the cooling system be robust enough to reduce temperatures, at the end of fermentation, sufficiently fast to allow us to cask the beer on time (we like them at 7 degrees Celsius for at least 24 hours)? Early indications suggest no, no it won't. Well, not in the height and heat of summer anyway. We may just shade it for a couple months but further investment is clearly necessary. Anyone fancy a part stake in a brewery cooler?

I have to confess to feeling pretty weary. But we're in the zone and I'm already looking forward to next week's challange.

Brewathon, 3 of 10, er, make that 11

By the end of day three we had two batches of Seasider Mellow Amber Ale sitting in Fermenter Number 2 and this morning I'm knocking out a third batch, filling the 3000 litre vessel to capacity. But it's not going to be enough, according to projections (and you lot are remarkably predictable, en masse). So next week's brewing will be to absolute full 60 barrel capacity, designating Saturday as the final brewday and meaning we still finish before the end of the month.

06:30 hrs and two tonnes of shiny new stainless arrives

Brewathon, 2 of 10

Despite being hijacked by littlest brother Andy and his flash, charming friend last night (in town for filming and looking for a little late relaxation, pub style), I got the first brew of the day in on time (6am) and in top order. Hang 'em High took over for the back half of the second batch, allowing me a decent feed at home and a much needed early night. Two batches of GADDS' Number 5 now reside in FV4, bang on specification. But that's only 4 brews of 20 - there's a long way to go yet.

Yesterday's brews of GADDS' Number 7 are motoring away, faster in the new fermenter than we're used to and looking pretty good.

Brewathon, 1 of 10

The hot liquor tank (HLT) supplies all our heated brewing water but it holds only just enough for a single batch. Therefore, when double brewing, it's imperative filling and heating operations run smoothly so I can get cracking on the second brew before lunch. Today, for the first time in two years, it tripped out for no discernible reason. Now if I were the superstitious kind I'd be tempted to make up a whole load of rubbish surrounding this event based probably on some deity and punishment for an act of 'sin'. Since I'm not inclined to believe shite, or make it up, I'm happy to put it down to unusual circumstance and keep a watchful eye out for it happening again.

Besides, it only cost me an hour in the end.

Brews 1 & 2 went very well despite the minor delay and the new fermenters are looking cool.

Fingers crossed

Sometime soon I'll be shutting down the old brewhouse and building a new one in its place. This will take a certain number of days to complete, during which time we'll not be producing any beer. Therefore, in order to keep the beer (and the money) flowing we need to build up sufficient stock to see us through. The sums go like this:

I need 100 barrels (3600 gallons) of beer to shut down and we brew 5 barrels (180 gallons) per batch. I have 10 brewing days available. Therefore we're brewing twice a day, every day, for the next two weeks.

Clive and I have practised double brewing sometime ago and it's perfectly possible, though extremely hard work, with the current brewhouse (this brewhouse is nearly 30 years old and has never worked this much in its career). There is one over-riding necessity however: it must work like clockwork with no slip-ups or breakdowns, stock shortages or power failures, sicknesses or hangovers.

We can do it alright, but whether we do do it or not is now up to the gods.

Phase I - on budget but 4 days late

True to character The Capables turned up 24 hours early, got stuck in, had a cup of tea and were on their merry way within an hour and a half. They've left me with a total of 96 hectolitres of fermenting capacity. (And that ought to keep me busy for a year or two).