That my friends is a picture of a frothing kettle of wort. After several system failures and many, many trips to Home Depot, our brewery is up and running. The fun part has officially begun. On Wednesday, we brewed our first batch, Workingman Mild, a luncheon beer. Things didn't really go perfectly, but that's pretty much what you expect on the first brew. The steam system in particular has been finicky but in the process of addressing all the problems we've learned the inns and outs of our gently used equipment, which didn't come with an owner's manual.
I've heard an old brewer's superstition that you should toss out the first batch, but this one's already tasting good on day two and there's no sense wasting beer now is there? We are staining and sealing the bar top over the holiday since the place is quiet and dust-free for a change. The silence is a nice change since it has been hectic lately with all the finishing touches being made. I took a few minutes today to just sit on the steps in the fermentation cellar and listen the bubbling blow-off bucket attached to that first brew. Very peaceful. I hope everyone else got what they wished for this year too.