While visiting Nicole and Jason in southeast New Hampshire, they suggested I stop in for a free brewery tour at the Anheuser-Busch Brewery in Merrimack, NH. Located in the scenic New England countryside, the sprawling campus also houses the famous Clydesdales but unfortauntely that facility wasn't open on Wednesday. The tour was an informative lesson in large scale brewing and even offered a few free samples of the latest brews from InBev. The Johnny Appleseed Cider sure had a nice kick and did a good job of taking the heat away from the humid morning. Our tour group of 3 was almost a joke since the facility is designed for tours of 20+, yet I got to know the couple from upstate NY as we worked our way through the facility. The cavernous room housing the control facility and brewing equipment is around 100F in the summer as stainless steel kettles produce the wort which will eventually become Bud Heavy. In contratst, the cool fermenting rooms and process is controlled at 50F and comes as quite a refreshing shock as the air tight door seals behind me. Here the addition of beechwood chips continues to add fermentable surface area for the yeast. Surprinsingly, it took some prying for the tour guide to admit that the product produced in the end is indeed beer but is nearly undrinkable as a thick concentrate. This is then combined with water and added carbonation then bottled and pasteurized into the Budweiser American's have come to love. At least I know how it is made now but it certainly isn't my beer of choice.
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Mike SaundersIn May 2014 I quit my job to ride a Honda Ruckus over 69'000 mi and counting. Wild camping most nights and cooking most of my own meals, I keep the costs low and the landscape changing. Archives
April 2018
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