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The No Chicken Symbol is a friendly jab at RCB’s arch-nemesis, the Chicken City Ale Raisers.

Well, it is half way through the 2007 Mid-South Homebrew Series, and I’ve decided to take a break.  Tom Meier and I have been neck and neck since the beginning of the year, but he has been building a nuclear arsenal of excellent brews this summer, and I’m sure he would have blown me away.  But I still would have given him a run for his money if not for my move to Auburn.  The new job and the move kindof threw my brewing schedule and process into the wind.

The new location is a big factor.  I’ve really been struggling to adjust to the water here so I don’t end up with chlorophenols (Chlorine ruined one of my first of two batches here).  Also, I’ve been slowly making some adjustments to my setup (which is in a basement now rather than a garage), and it will take me a while to get the system like I want it.  What I hope to get to is using an Electric HLT and pumping up to the mash tuns, using gravity to run off into the boil kettles, and then rolling the boil kettles outside to boil with propane fueled flames.  So, I’ve been converting a couple of 15 gallon ice cube coolers into mash tuns and have identified a few welders in town that I may be able to take my kettles to for some modifications and to build the rolling stands.  In the end, my goal is to be able to have 4 batches going at the same time.  That’s 8 batches in a weekend and potentially 16 a month.  Beat that Tom!!!   Of course, that means I’ve got some storage and bottling issues to take into account too.

Also, since I’ve made some new homebrewing friends here in Auburn, it was easy for me to decide to start pulling some of the bottles from my competition stockpile to share with friends, instead of sending them off.  Once I’m re-established, I think I’ll start brewing with an eye on next year’s national competition in Cincinatti.