Mellody Brewing

Great Pumpkin

 

This time of year calls for lots of things, and Pumpkin Beer, in my mind - is not one of them.  I'm in a minority here it seems, but I'm just not a fan of the stuff. Everyone I have had tastes like fake pumpkin pie.  But, in honor of Halloween, here's some fun music to celebrate.

Also, Mellody Brewing is back on Twitter.  Check us out at @mellodybrew

Mellody Brewing Apartment Concert Series

I've written here about my love of music.  I've dreamt of supporting local artists in the brewery I'd love to own someday.  I've posted YouTube videos for the Friday Hootenanny, talked about pairing music to beer and well, done lots of talking.  I need to stop talking and writing and get busy doing.

Recently I learned about an organization called The Philadelphia Sessions.  The goal of The Philadelphia Sessions is to positively expand the reputation, and recognition of the city of Philadelphia through its music, and to do so by selecting local musicians and helping them get international experiences - and then bringing them back to Philadelphia.  As Bill, the founder, said at a recent event at Yards, "we support our local scene by sending our artists away."  I recently spent a few hours listening to two musicians at a fundraiser The Philadelphia Sessions held at Yards Brewery.  It was everything I've ever dreamed of doing at my own place someday.  It was bitter sweet.  I left thinking about how I need to stay focused and motivated and how I need to work harder at making my dream a reality - so I can have a night like that.

Since I don't have a brewery, but am still passionate about helping out - I've decided to settle for the next best thing: a house concert, or in this case apartment concert.  Bill and I have been emailing and I'm working on setting up a night for one of his artists to come to my apartment for an evening of music, food and a Mellody Brewing Ale on draft.  The cost is minimal, about $10 a person, and all the money goes to the artist.  We're aiming to get about 25-30 people for the night.  Sure, my place is small, but I think we can fit everyone, and I also think the space will be conducive to a fun atmosphere as we gather for the music.  More to come on dates and times and other details.  I hope you can make it and this is the beginning of a series.

iPhone Posting

So I did it and got an iPhone. This should be fun. Look for live posts more often, especially in what's pouring.

CONVOY!!!

The mother ship is telling me I need to spend less time on board, so it's time to plan a vacation.  My current workplace tracks vacation by hours, and once you reach your given allotment, you stop earning and essentially "lose vacation time."  I'm losing, or about to so I need to start planning the next great adventure.  I had been holding off on any big trips as I am saving for the business, but figure it can't hurt to do a research vacation and do a beer tour of the west coast.  Thinking of taking a week, or two maybe.  Driving up or down the coast and hitting breweries, bars, parks and seeing a few friends as well.  I'll work a day here and there to stay afloat and extend the trip.  I've got miles, hotel and AMEX points so we're going to supplement the trip where possible.

So far the initials list of stops are as follows:

• Russian River

• Rouge

• AleSmith

• Port Brewing/ Lost Abbey

• Green Flash

• Stone

• Hair of the Dog

• Descheutes

• Lagunitas

I'm sure there will be more. I'd also like to stop at Pebble Beach, Redwood forest, and some other places.  I have friends in LA, San Fran, Seattle and Portland - so it'll be nice to have some company for the ride and beers at local beer bars.  If you are interested in joining me for a leg, or the whole trip - let me know.  I haven't set dates yet, but I'm aiming for this fall at some point.

Ultimately, the goal will be to fill up on beer for the cellar, experience some cool breweries, research bars, brewery set up, styles, etc.  Also, just to disconnect and explore. 

Bar Concept #1

So, in the eventual pursuit to the brewery I've always thought that starting a bar then expanding.  I've talked about this in the past.  I've been thinking about this a lot more lately as if I do it right, I can incorporate all the things I have been wanting to.  I can be part of a local community, have live music, serve good beer, great food and brew too.  The thought is to slowly move into the brewing, so the space might need space for expansion to a small brewpub set-up.  The latest thoughts that I'm putting into the draft business plan and brainstorm notebook are below.  These are brain storm bullets - let me know what you think.

• Mellody's Brew House
  1. Small brew set up and invite local brewers and home brew club winners to brew specialty beers monthly.
  2. Live music Saturday Nights, with a true Hootenanny one night a week.
  3. No TVs, but a dock allowing patrons to play their iPod.
  4. Select taps, doing everyting to turn them over regularly.
  5. Firkin Firday's
  6. Modern Misson style decor
  7. Bottle menu focused on 750ml bottles for sharing

Wazoo Recap

Who ever thought of having a beer festival in Florida in August should be certified.  This is my second year here and first chance to get to Wazoo.  It came as advertised.  Hot, steamy, full of people and beer and food.  The layout is nice and the beer selection decent.  Nothing truly out there or rare, except St. Somewhere's beers, and Bob's dry hopped Lectio and the Elephant IPA on cask at Tampa Bay Brewing Company.  Two very good beers.  The rest were standard fare, but all good.  I'm not complaining, just saying that for the educated beer drinker it was tough to find something new and different here.

To say it was hot is an understatement.  Walking around a humid zoo, with no breeze, no relief was enough.  Yet with the crowd, the aroma of zoo animals and sweat that didn't seem to know how to stop dripping off my body I was happy to get into the car and home to a cold shower.

This is a great event, albeit over priced if you asked me.  The proceeds go to the zoo, so I shouldn't complain but it's a steep price to pay for the heat and hassle.  I really wish they'd do this in late fall, early spring.

Now, observations:

• Breweries didn't all have on-site representation.  This troubled me as a consumer as I'd like to talk to a knowledgeable person about what I'm drinking.  I'm a minority, sure, but can't see how some would sell beer if they don't have a rep there.
• Give-a-ways = popularity.  Koozies, openers, stickers, coasters galore.  If you didn't act fast they were gone.  Oh and the Pabst tattoos = class.
• Signage or table decorations were minimal and really not needed.

That's really it.  Seems to be the festival is a great way to showcase your beer, but not the best venue for some small craft breweries to hit a discerning market.  This isn't what it is supposed to be, so I can say this was probably a success for all.  I've got some ideas for Mellody Brewing someday, that I'll list out in another post.

C Clef Coffee Stout

A good friend of mine is slightly obsessed with stouts.  Milk stouts, chocolate, coffee, breakfast, you name it - he likes it.  As I wrote in What's Pouring the other day, I've decided that Mellody Brewing's next beer will be a stout, and not a breakfast or bourbon or imperial stout, as these are clearly all the rage right now.  I'm thinking a coffee stout.  One were I'll roast my own beans for addition to the recipe.  I'll spend Sunday Night Research today looking at recipes as well as how to roast my own beans.  This will be a great addition to the coffee/beer bar idea we've been floating around as well.  A product that lasts the entire day in essence.  The clef is also something I'm exploring from a branding perspective, having the beers fall in a clef range or something to match their style.

 

 

I'm just an average man, with an average life...

"When I come home at night, I bolt the door real tight. "Can't help but sing along, "I always feel like somebondy's watching me...tell me is it just a dream"...um Yes! 

I've added Twitter to the list of insane social networking tools to this site.  It's in the right hand side, "Tweets."  This way you can keep up with the inane ramblings of Mellody Brewing.  If you really want to stalk...click a tweet and subscribe. Otherwise, just follow along when you are here. 

I love that MJ sings the hooks in the song and is in this video by the way.  I feel like I need to go find my zipper pants and leather jacket from 5th Grade.

Cricket Hill Brewery - A Passionate Dialogue on the Big Three Breweries

I have to go to this place...

I have discussed how when Mellody Brewing does tours someday I want it to be an experience.  Forbes recently posted a list of the best brewery tours out there, which has resulted in a fine discussion on Beer Advocate.com  I can't say I've been to all the breweries list on Forbes, but the one's I have been to don't seem to touch the tours they discuss.  I've already discussed my favorite, Lakefront Brewing in Milwaukee, WI.  I'm headed to Brooklyn Brewery this up coming weekend for a tour, so that should be interesting as well.  This video above isn't as much a tour, but a passionate speech, and I love it.  I can't wait till I can give a speech like this someday. 

If I had only known that I wasn't going to get action from those Twins, I would never had bought that Coors 30 pack...but now I know - and knowing is half the battle.

Schooling, Volunteering, Vacationing

So, a few months ago I made a plan to start taking an on-line brewing course.  The cost was high, but I figured it would give me the needed experience to try to break into the industry or at least give me the knowledge on starting my own brewery.  The cost is steep and while I was excited to do it, many people said I should wait.  The peanut gallery wins, I have decided to hold off on the class.  This is for many reasons: 1. Money; 2. Timing; 3. Money; 4. Advice from respectable people and friends.  It boils down to should I spend thousands of dollars on learning something that I may never do, or at least not in near future.  Should I just keep working the networking scene and see what happens, and hope I'll get a break and then reevaluate school at a later time period.  The answer to all of this after much thought is yes.  For those that know me, I make decisions through talking them through with you all.  Then after hearing all the sides, make a call.  I was premature writing I was going to take the class now, I just got excited about the possibility of it.

So, now that I have a little bump of capital, I'm taking a much needed vacation.  Well, a few long weekends at least.  I am getting pushed at work and really and burnt out a bit.  A few days or more away would be ideal.  I plan on volunteering at the Beeradvocate American Craft Brew Festival in June - looking for hotels and flights now.  I am also thinking of camping out west or something to totally disconnect.  Anyway, this isn't beer related but that's what's going on. 

Seminole Sunset "B" batch will hopefully hit the kettle this weekend. I've transferred "A" and while the numbers are low, still looks and smells great.  I'm also gathering with some local BeerAdvocates Saturday afternoon and the local homebrew club next week.  I'm sure there will be some fun what I'm drinking adds as well as some Drunken Ramblings on the horizon too.