We check in with Brewmaster Anthony to get his thoughts on how life goes in the new place. A hint at what’s to come gets dropped but you’re definitely still never going to see a Pumpkin beer. Have a question for the brew crew? Drop me a line on twitter/facebook/instagram @tenayacreek and maybe you’ll be apart of our next edition.
The Five Questions with Anthony
With just over half a year in the new place, what do love about it?
AG: For us in the brewery the extra space is a plus for sure. It has
allowed us to start our canning operation, room for a 1000 sq/ft walk
in cooler to store our packaged beer for distribution and room to add
an additional eight fermenters.
Another great feature about the new building is the tap room and
viewing area. The tap room has such a different feel from our other
bar. Our guests constantly comment how comfortable and inviting the
tap room is and how great the beer selection is. It has the feeling
of being in another city because of the absence of gaming machines and
smoking. The viewing area just up the steps from the tap room has a
floor to ceiling glass wall that looks directly into the brewery.
Makes us feel like fish in a fish bowl!
Are you running the system at full capacity yet?
AG: We are a ways away from reaching full capacity even with just the
six fermenters we currently have. Those six fermenters give us 280
barrels of fermentation space. Our new brewhouse where we produce the
wort, the fermentable liquid the yeast consumes to create the actual
beer, can make six 20 barrel batches in 24hrs.
Just how different is the water from the old place?
AG: The water we used at our old brewery was city water that was run
through a charcoal filter to remove the chlorine. It worked well for
us but was not consistent because the source changed frequently
throughout the year. Our new brewery has a reverse osmosis system so
the water is neutral to start and we can add minerals back to change
the profile of the water to suit the style of beer were brewing.
With the core beers on point, and the seasonal the Tenaya Creek
audience loves, is there a style of beer you and the team want to
crack next that you haven’t done before?
AG: We have thrown around the idea of making a kettle sour and starting
a barrel aging program.
As a brewer, any thoughts on the beer-cocktail fad that is on the rise?
AG: I have never tried one.
