Italian Bottle Filler, etc...

In the last month and a half we have been unable to access our internet for a total of two and a half weeks. In the modern world, that is a lifetime.  Today, the 'net came back up after a week off and let us hope it keeps going for a while.With no internet one has a hard time researching purchases and filling out federal and state forms.  These last two are critical for us at this point. Not having internet access made me realize two things: How important it is to modern American life and how much time it wastes.

 

So why is it that the Italians are so good at cars, bikes, and bottlers?

Now to the good news.  We have finally received our bottler!  It is a stainless steel Italian beauty that is completely mechanical.  It takes a bit of charm to get it going, but once it is up and running it is a dream and will be a big contributor to the function of our brewery.  

In other news, today I picked up the parts for the chimney.  We had contracted this job but both contractors were unable to complete the job. So now it is a do-it-yourself proposition.  My brother-in-law, Eric Gauvin, has agreed to come up and help out.  Any others who are available to help out are welcome. This Saturday we may have a new chimney to show off!  

Dear Reader, I shall keep you posted...

The Less Pleasant Activities

Lately I have been occupied with the less pleasant activities of a brewer's life, namely, applying for permits.  This is a critical aspect of the brewery's existence, yet the one I find least tasteful.  At least we can now do all this stuff on the internet.  Why can't they just trust that I will be a good brewery owner?

On a more fun note, I have ordered our bottler, and it should be here this week.  Some time ago I had discovered that an Italian firm still made stainless steel gravity-feed bottle fillers.  These are designed for small wineries, but since our beers will be bottled conditioned, it will work just fine for us. Actually getting one of these turned out to be a bit problematic.  Even though their existence was unknown to me until recently, they are actually quite popular and not one dealer in the US had one in stock.  At the time, I was told that more were expected within 2-3 weeks (the old retailer's standby answer).  In the end it proved to be about two months until one showed up on Woburn, MA.  I jumped at the chance and have been assured that it is on its way here.

Let us hope....