Well tomorrow is the first day of the course and it’s been quite a journey to get here.  Before leaving Vancouver last week we packed up our place and put everything in storage. I’ve got to say I thought I would be a bit more emotional about that. I always get a bit emotional when I move (and I move a lot because Vancouver housing is a pain in the ass), but this time it really feels right. I think maybe that’s because I’m finally following my gut on something and doing what I know will make me happy. I haven’t always made choices that way in the past; I’ve maybe been a bit too practical and cautious.

On the Friday before departure I joined Evan (of Doans Craft Breing Co…so close to opening!), m y brewing buddy Doug, I met Joel (who works at 33 Acres and makes an incredible pickled pineapple), Alex (works with Evan), and Rod (a brewer at Steamworks) for a beer tasting evening at Evans apartment.  We sampled some big sours, imperial stouts and barley wines that we’ve been saving for a special occasion. We didn’t really have a special occasion so we just got together and made one up. You can probably tell by the photo below that it was a tasty evening.

The next day, my brain a bit foggy and still trying to pack our lives away in to our CRV, my wife threw me a surprise party. I was sincerely and utterly surprised. I was expecting to go to a friends’ place for a quite dinner and walked in to a house full of about 40 of my closest friends from Van. I was touched and humbled by this experience and it meant a hell of a lot to have all of my good friends there to wish me luck on my journey to California.  I think they all feel the same as I do, that me changing careers to become a brewer just fits my personality.  The party was a “beer pot luck” so to speak and everyone showed up with a huge selection of great beers. I think I was quadruple fisting at one point.  I’m going to miss all the lovely Vancouver folks when I’m away, and I hope some come to visit.  My wife also commissioned our good friend Brad to make me a set of tap handles (also to my surprise) and Brad presented these to me at the party (which was also at his house). Brad has his own woodworking business called Re-form and Design and is a super talented artist; I suggest looking him up if ever in need of a creative design or artwork for a brewery or other business.

So with a really foggy brain, a storage locker full and various boxes, plants and furniture strewn about Vancouver we tried to sleep off our hangovers and then hit the road. With amazement, we fit everything we wanted in our car, made it across the border without any major hiccups and began cruising down the I5. We stayed one night in Eugene (no time to hit up any breweries this time unfortunately) and then rolled on in to Davis. We set up our small but cozy apartment over the weekend and we spent today walking around San Francisco before I had to drop my wife off at the airport.  Judith is heading back to Van to finish up some work and will join me again close to the end of February. So I’m on my own for a little while. Hopefully I can get in to a routine, gather the few pieces of brewing equipment I couldn’t bring with me, brew a couple of batches and really sink my teeth in to this course.

Tomorrow we meet the professors and brewmasters that we will be fortunate enough to learn from and get to know.  This includes some really exciting people who have vast amounts of knowledge about brewing and brewing science and includes, but is not limited to Michael Lewis, Charlie Bamforth, Tim Marbach, Steven Presley, Tom Shellhammer, Susan Langstaff, James Brown, Michael Vasquez and Mike Hutson.  I feel really lucky to be in the presence of these people and cannot wait to pour everything I have in to learning from them.  I really need to make the most of this opportunity because it is truly once in a lifetime.

But right now it’s getting late and I still need to review the first couple of chapters from my text yet again. Until next time, when I will hopefully have a bit more insight in to the course.