re: Homebrewing: What's New?

Bourbon barrel aged.

#craftbrewtrends

Blueberries don't have much flavor, but can add a bit of tartness
Something light seems best, but I have seen some blueberry porter recipes

So in La., you can either be a brewpub and make/distribute on premises, OR, you can be a brewery but you can't distribute on premises (for money)? Does Abita get away with it by simply having two physical locations?

I mean they're related, and I'm pretty sure they are owned by the same holding company, I think they just "technically" brew the beer served there, there, and I think that might be the only distinction.

ETA: I'm not trying to call you out on something stupid, I'm just getting at the point that I think you can achieve the "split" here, you just need two pieces of physical property to do it. Although Abita probably gets people to look sideways fairly often.

That I understand and agree that I have a really hard time understanding people defending it outside of self-preservation. I guess where that comes into play vis-a-vis other states (Co/Ca/Wis correct me if this isn't the case in one of these) is that you can open a brewpub, brew your stuff, but also get it distributed to supplement your income/more likely than not support what is probably a marginal business given the capital investment necessary to support what is effectively a restaurant that serves beer.

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is that you can open a brewpub, brew your stuff, but also get it distributed to supplement your income/more likely than not support what is probably a marginal business given the capital investment necessary to support what is effectively a restaurant that serves beer.

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Yes. In theory, you can make more as a brewpub if you build a good clientele because you pocket all of the $5-6 a person pays for the beer. Whereas if you sell to a bar, you as brewer only make $1-2 a beer. So in Colorado, wisconsin, etc., a brewer can go the sexy route and sell/distribute to bars and retail stores. But many of those small outfits make their money selling on premises in a little tasting room. Often times its 2 guys brewing during the day and tending bar at night. Which is why most of them in Denver close early...some at 8pm.

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Seems like if you had the capital to acquire a good location (just using Crescent City Brewhouse as an example here as to location) AND could brew legit beer, at least in downtown/whd nola where you got metric tons of foot traffic, you could make a killing.

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Maybe. I think you have to serve good food too. The craft beer market is still very small even in Texas. I think Austin has a couple of brewpubs....actual several now that I think about it. They actually sell other craft beer as well as their own. That would be the way to go so as not to limit your customer base. Then you are basically a normal pub that also brews your own Beer.

Question for the other brewers:

When you dry hop, do you put your beer into a secondary or just dry hop in the primary? If you go to secondary, why?

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I see no real reason to transfer to secondary for anything under a month or so on the yeast cake.

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This is what I think as well, just trying to get other opinions though. FYI, sent you a FB message about a potential trip this summer.

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When you dry hop, do you put your beer into a secondary or just dry hop in the primary? If you go to secondary, why?

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Secondary in a glass carboy. Whenever i dry hop i rack my beer on top of the hops. I believe this gives a better hop profile because your beer is in constant contact with the hops. Now, having said that, i've never dry hopped in the primary, so i have no experience as to the difference in taste. But it makes sense that you would have more contact with racking onto your hops, rather than dumping the hops in the wort. Unless you stirred your beer up, and at that point, after primary fermentation, would leave you with too much risk of aeration when you don't want it.