It’s 5 days before the first IBD exam, the girthy part of crunch time. I’m taking a study break. A few days ago I had the crushing realization that time is running out and I need to ramp things up. Since getting back from BC I’ve been putting in some respectable hours between class, getting up at 5:30 am to work in coffee shops and an few hours at night, but I also made sure to take the odd night off to hang out with Judith and/or some fellow brewers. I knew the exam was coming but it took until a few days ago for it to really hit me. I’m not going to lie the stress level has risen a bit. But when I start to read, draw diagrams and memorize moisture contents of grain at various stages of kilning, I remember what I’m learning about. It’s beer, and that’s pretty alright.

You know, the problem about reading and studying beer is it makes you want to drink one? I want one right now but am resisting because I want to get a couple of more hours in tonight. Actually, what the hell eh. I’ve got Lemon Ninja, Fuckin eh Brown Ale or Sierra Nevada Pale Ale in the fridge….. Lemon Ninja it is. When I brewed this beer a couple of months ago I dry hopped it with an ounce of Cascade and an once of Sorachi Ace. The Sorachi Ace took over and the name Lemon Ninja was born. Now it’s settled down to a pretty delightful level. If I could have clarified this beer a bit better it would be a pretty nice one.

A few random thoughts on clarification. The options are endless with what approach you want to take. Some breweries don’t do anything, maybe throw some Irish Moss in the kettle and call it a day. I am totally good with that, that’s what I’ve done with homebrewing for years. But if you want some stability, maybe use some PVPP for polyphenols, silica gel for proteins, throw in some prolyl-endo-proteinase maybe. You can filter using DE, perlite, you can membrane filter, sheet filter,cartridge filter, leaf filter, cross-flow filter. If you want every living thing out of your beer send it though a sterile filter. Tons of breweries are using centrifuges now, a really good option in my opinion. They may not remove every single particle but you can get the good unfiltered character that people talk about while still removing the vast majority of turbidity. Some breweries use centrifuges as the first step before other filtering. How bright and clear does a beer need to be? Over the last hundred years or so it’s become incredibly important to some people (large breweries), but do you care? Does it depend what you’re drinking? Is centrifuging enough? It’s on the top of my mind because I just spent an hour learning about centrifuges (check out my spiffy diagram!) and now looking at this beer and imagining how beautiful it would look if I would send it through one of these things.

+= ???

Hmmm, what else did I study today? Drawing out CIP circuits, all of the methods for various difference and descriptive sensory tests, origins and process effects of classic flavor compounds, review of all contaminating wild yeast and bacteria, lab methods of isolating/identifying cultures.

Soo, things in Davis are quickly coming to an end. It’s going to be sad to go but I am more than ready to move on to the next chapter. At this point I feel like I know as much as I’m going to get out of this class and from studying, save for memorizing some numbers and key points the examiners are going to be looking for. I am far more interested at this point in getting my ass back to Canada and starting at Steamworks, and then learning more while applying my new found knowledge. Every time I draw a diagram or write out what I would do in a typical brewery situation, I just want to get to the brewery and actually do it. I am so stoked for that to start.

It’s incredible how useful the four weeks I had on internship helped with what I’m learning. Being able to relate what’s written in text books to something you’ve seen in action is priceless in terms of being able to remember it. And having learned what I’ve learned in school and then going to the brewery brings a lot more meaning to all of the equipment we have.

So I am a bit restless, even though I am studying non-stop and at times stressed about some silly exams. Being in the brewery and away from sitting all day is going to be so refreshing. It is one major reason I made this jump. So just one more week of sitting/studying/writing, a couple weeks of travelling with my wonderful wife, and then it begins. I am so incredibly ready for that to happen.