(Draft of the Freedonia Logo)
Prologue: Brewing in 2012 AD, 10 gallons at a time
T minus 7 days: First Contact with Braumeister Norbert Weber in Kenzingen, with brother Tim
33 Hectoliter Brewhouse, a 1955 Jacob Carl, copper, Triple-Decoction-ready
Lauter Tun
Kettle
DAY 01 (Dec. 9th)
Frankfurt-Kenzingen
Bret Allen Tschacher, after 100 years of family absence, minutes upon touching down in the Fatherland.
First Autobahn Impressions
First Old World Lager. Alas, from Austria!
Homestretch
Guess who walked into our Schnitzel Joint? Norbert Weber, owner of the Hirschenbrauerei. Small world. Kenzingen does have over 9000 inhabitants. Big day tomorrow...
DAY 02 (December 10th):
The optional (yet heaviest) job first, for warm-up
Dismantling of the Grist Mill. Weight of Mill: 1600kg, or 1.6 metric tons (or 3527 Pounds).
Braumeister Weber looking a little skeptical
DAY 03 (December 11th) -
A FOGGY DAY IN KENZING-TOWN
Perfect day to get the 3600 pound (1.6 ton) grist mill out of the attic. Nothing a few Euro-Pallets and a come-along won't be able to take care of.
Up a few inches to free the hopper
Separating the copper dome from the stainless Lauter Tun
Bret in Heaven. Look at the sparks.
First grinder smoking kaputt
Oh well...
...I'm just gonna finish up with the big grinder.
Discussing matters with Hubert, "Il Professore"
Our Romanian friends Niko and Alin taking care of heavy business. No hole in the copper.
Copper and a little soot. Still no holes!
Time for a Schnitzel?
DAY 04 (December 12th, Thursday)
Schemel's Time to Shine
Great progress by ole Hubert, "Il Professore" and our Romanian Team, while we were trying to figure out container and customs logistics. Turns out that we won't be able to get a container (and related paperwork) done before the New Year, so a German foggy Christmas it is for me...
Compliments to Samuel Schemel for his (remote) crane operating skillz! You're the Man, Sam!
Since our fermenters, lager tanks, etc. are at the Albin Halbritter dealership way out East (Maxhütte, close to Nürnberg), and is only open during regular work days, we decided to use the rest of the day for a nice foggy road trip.
"Hey Bret, how do you like Germany?" "Oh, I don't know: lots of Black, White, and Red. Black for the asphalt and the dark, white for the headlights in the fog, and red for the tail lights in front of us"
Spending the night in some stupid hotel in Schwandorf, close to our destination. Looking forward to tomorrow's shopping spree at Halbritter's.
DAY 05 (Friday the 13th)
Halbritter
No change on the fog, just a little colder in Upper Palatinate. Especially at Halbritter's yard. He was kind enough to let us roam around his lot during his lunch break...
...and showed us some really interesting stuff
When our drool was about to start freezing, we went into the office to brainstorm on the best way to get the kettle out of Mr. Weber's building, without tearing the door down. While the lauter tank is made of stainless steel, sawing off the copper hood was a no brainer. The all-copper kettle, however, is joined to the hood by means of hundreds of copper rivets. Mr. Halbritter was shocked when he heard that we were planning to saw the copper apart just under the rivets. However, his best idea at first was to convince poor Mr. Weber that enlarging the door of his historic old brewery wouldn't hurt too much. Anything but cutting the precious copper in two.
How do you fit this (diameter 2.10 meters)
Good thing we had this blog online. Here we see Mr. Halbritter and Mr. Pfeiler nerding it out with Bret. Note the (foggy) daylight outside in the early pictures.
It took hours to finally figure it out: Drill out each rivet, heat the rim enough to losen the solder, and wiggle the hood until it separates from the kettle. Then, since the ancient skills of riveting copper seems to have disappeared even in the Fatherland, use flathead screw from the inside, nuts on the outside (the rivets are under the tiles anyway), and finally solder to prevent leaks. Thanks, Mr. Halbritter (and Mr. Pfeiler) for sharing your wisdom. Bret and Erich really hit it off. Since the day was done by the time we finished our visit in Maxhütte, we decided against returning to Kenzingen, but to treat ourselves to a weekend in Bamberg, the birthplace of Rauchbier. The simple lack of daylight does not worsen visibility anyway, so on the road again it is. Will the fog ever lift?
DAY 06 (December 15th)
Bamberg, Capital of Beers
Foggy, colder, but with rain for a change. Again, Bamberg on a weekend (last time on May 1st, 2012), so no chance to see my favorite malster, Weyermann, from the inside. The sweet smell of steaming malt made it all worth it. We talked to an Australian intern, though, who was kind enough to hand us a bottle of their latest creation in the research brewery.
Bamberger Christmas Market for some Glühweins. There, we ran into Mr. Caspar Schulz Jr. himself, manning the Rotary stand. Caspar Schulz is THE manufacturer of Brewhouses worldwide. Besides Jacob Carl, who built the one in Kenzingen we are dismantling. Nice to nerd out with him in the drizzle for a while though.
Wild Bret having a blast.
Wild Bret from his gentler side
Then, dinner at the world famous Schenkerla. Rauchbier and goose legs.
DAY 7 (Sunday Dec. 15th)
Fässla
What could have been our last half day of vacation before returning to Kenzingen, turned into a hard working brew day for Bret. To complete our tour of Bamberg's famous breweries, we had to pay the ole Fässla brewery a visit:
(http://www.faessla.de)
Instead of allowing him to enjoy a few deserved cold ones...
...they put him straight to work, like it's 1649
Up and down the stairs...
Unfortunately, I wasn't allowed to take pictures in the brew house. Luckily, we were able to find some sketches of his typical tasks:
Despite his utter exhaustion, at the end, they even made him carve a few wooden chairs...
...before allowing him his first drink. Bret should really join the Gnome Brewers' Union
DAY 8
Back in Kenzing-Town!
Spent most of the time finding bark-beetle-free-certified pallets and wood, and someone to build a box for the kettle (which needs to travel lying down, hood attached and all). Also re-thinking the drilling-out-rivets option. Would still be a shame. Lunch with Schäuferle (Google it!) at the Webers'.
Sweet wirehair Francie made both Bret and me homesick :(
DAY 9 (Dec. 17th)
"Mr. Cosovanu, Tear Down This Wall!"
We decided to go with Plan C: Keep the kettle and hood intact (no drilling out of rivets), and instead tear down the wall around the hot liquor tank (hot water tank). Then back the vessels out through the back atrium. Thank you Mr. Weber for your understanding! Better save the copper than the age-old, possibly load-bearing sand stone columns. The building is sold, after all. Good choice!
DAY 10 (Dec. 18th):
Dear Diary,
today may be my last entry: Nerves are beginning to wear thin, and machinery is getting heavier. Will that beautiful, intricate structure that once was the Brauerei Hirschen hold up long enough for us to pull out those kettles?
Today's tasks: removing the Main Power Transmission Axle (luckily flanged in three pieces) and the agitator from under the lauter tun.
Nico: "Arschloch Deutsche mache immer schöne Arbeit: Kugelschreiber, Gabelstapler. Rumänen Drecksarbeit!" (Damn Germans always have the nice jobs: Ball Pen, Fork Lift. Romanians Shit Jobs)
After a few tries, the nice job went to the Arschloch Americano (aka "Trapattoni"), I suppose. If anyone, he earned it due to his skills, and the 9 days of shit jobs he went through already.
Sliding the agitator assembly out from under the lauter tun
Communication is really hard. I am constantly translating between English, Italian, and German, and the Badisch accent of locals (especially Il Professore) creates further confusion.
Today's example: Mr. Weber was telling Bret to go "ab" with the forklift, which only sounds exactly like "up", but really means "lower", or "down" in German.
The agitator needs to stay in one piece.
Bret just had to take the age-old air pump, too. You never know...
Meanwhile, Cristian had to shave off every inch for the exit route of the kettles:
Krautburger taking a break from documenting :)
DAY 11 (Dec. 19th)
A small step for Bret, a giant step for Freedonia
But let's go in order:
The Brauerei Hirschen, built in that location in 1890, had seen a major upgrade in 1955, year in which Jacob Carl provided the copper kettles, and the rest of the high tech equipment we are now having such a hard time dismantling. This brewery was not built with the possibility of ever re-modeling or upgrading in mind. Still, nobody, including Mr. Weber, the Braumeister, has any idea about how ole Jacob managed to put in the kettles. That skillful riveting job must have been done in situ, judging from the sandstone pillars around the doors.
As far as brick and cement work constituting the brewing platform goes, we discovered that all kinds of post-war steel parts were used to reinforce the concrete. Particularly interesting was the discovery of recycled irons once employed in the Siegfried Line (West Wall) pictured below: barbed wire was run through the loops, with the pointy part sticking up. Not effective enough back in the day, but a royal headache for the Romanian-American allies in 2013:
An hour with the Big Hammer proved more effective than half a day of jackhammering.
Today's heroes Yonut and Dani. Thanks again for staying "a little" longer...
Removing the agitator from the brew kettle, so it would fit through the opening.
Safety first!
Tada!
DAY 12 (Dec. 20th)
"We should be done by noon, hit the road, and have a nice, relaxing day in Cologne on Saturday"
While the brew kettle was still blocking the newly created opening toward the courtyard, Bret skillfully queued-up the lauter tun. The truck delivering the wooden crates should arrive any minute now.
Big crates for a small forklift
Let's see what's inside
But now, how do we tilt the kettle standing in the courtyard on its side, so it fits through the door and into the crate, and eventually, container? After long deliberations, we thought we'd consult Sam Schemel again, the man who loves challenges, especially on a Friday afternoon. Not that we couldn't have done it ourselves, but we just needed to get it done quick, without any surprises so close to the finish line. Forklift with a loop of ratchet straps, and a guiding rope from the stair case through the top, then, outside, the crane.
View from the staircase above, after gently laying it down:
Big Boy
...and the next vessel (a little heavier, because of the stainless-inside-normal steel, double-wall):
...fitting like a glove through the "door", but not quite as easily into the box (we hadn't considered the copper connectors in the back, but turning them diagonally it eventually did fit Thanks again, Bret: Your patience was exemplary, despite the conflicting, multi-lingual directions offered.
22:10: Done for now! Both boxes packed. One stays outside, under a tarp, the other in the neighbor's courtyard, until I shall return with a container. Thank you Mr. Weber, Dani and Yonut for sacrificing your Friday night!
Before we hit the road, we have to clean up the bachelor's pad. So forget the relaxing day in Cologne. Departure around 10:00 tomorrow
My room at 8:00:
Ms. Kopf, our Landlady.
DAY 13 (Dec. 21st)
KÖLN via KOBLENZ, land of Bret's ancestors
While still trying to make it for a last night pig leg and Kölsch blow-out in Cologne, I owed Bret at least a few hour long visit in his ancestor's home town Koblenz, city where I incidentally spent my times as a soldier, in the trenches of the Cold War, back in 1987 (close to there, I also famously lost my gun in the forest, but that shall be told in a different Blog).
We decided to do a quick tourist thing, check out the confluence of the Moselle and Rhine rivers (Koblenz = Con-fluentes), and take the cable car up to Festung Ehrenbreitstein for a nice overview.
Alien, yet strangely familiar to the Fatherland
A slice of the Berlin Wall
Bret and the Kaiser
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deutsches_eck
And at last, the moment of truth: How many Tschachers will we find in the Koblenz phone book?
To Bret's disappointment, not a single one! They must have moved to more exciting shores. The coolest one sure has...
A quick walk around Cologne, then off to Pig Legs and Kölsch at the Paeffgen (photos unavailable)
Stay tuned for after the New Year's celebrations. When part "b" of part one, the container packing shall be documented. Merry Christmas to everyone. And Bret: take a few days off. I can already see you pouring over schematics. Let it go for a few days!
PART 1 B
DAY 34 (Sunday, January 12th)
KENZING-TOWN VIA FRANKFURT, BAMBERG, MAXHÜTTE
Bamberg
DAY 35 (Monday)
To round up the deal, I found some interesting decorative items at Halbritter's, such as lauter lanterns (to convert into lights) and some weird, turkey-tail looking copper chillers. Nobody knows what they were used for exactly, or who made them...
DAY 36-38
Packing with brother Tim on Tuesday and Wednesday, then on Thursday packing of crates outside, IN THE POURING RAIN, so no pictures. Tomorrow container from 10:00 to 12:00, with possibility of extending until 15:00 to make the Rhine barge from Germersheim.
DAY 39
HOKA HEY!
Container arrived at 12:00 instead. First, let's load up the biggest box, containing the copper missile
Oh wait: despite repeated assurances by the Frick Wood company who built the box, it did not fit!!!
While trying to resolve the issue with the company, we loaded up the lauter tun first.
We finally had to knock out the rails underneath, and slide it in without ever being able to fit the forks of a forklift under it to pull it out again. It's gonna be a super fun time on February 13th, I expect. We may miss the barge after all. Thanks, Mr. Sticker (not the real name) from the Frick Holz company (real name)!
Also the Whirlpool fit like a glove...
The giraffe sarcophagus is for the lauter tun agitator, in one piece
15:39
Chiller left against the container wall
Having the church bells ring every hour certainly didn't help: 20:00
Dani, Christian, aka Pagliuca, aka Rambo, and Rudi Ratlos, the helpful trucker ready to seal the container. Oh wait, Rudy didn't bring a seal. However, all of a sudden he seems hopeful again, because apparently the barge leaves Germersheim at 23:00 (not 15:00, 19:00 etc.). He just needs to swing by customs to get a seal really quick. BTW., customs officials did not show up to inspect, neither in Maxhütte, nor in Kenzingen. Whoever might open the container now will think we are exporting a load of scrap metal, since we threw all kinds of pipes, axles, even the old brass railings in last.
20:33 Godspeed!
Estimated Time of Arrival in Norfolk, Virginia: February 13th, 2014
DAY 42 (Monday, January 20th):
ROTTERDAM!
Rudi caught the barge in Germersheim on time, apparently. The container is in Rotterdam already, where it will wait until the 30th. Almost makes me want to go there and secure a few items even better :)
Stay Tuned...
