March is upon us

So, it has been a while since I have posted an update. The past two weeks have been pretty stressful! We went through arguably the hardest part of the course and we are here to tell the tale. Most of our course work has been applied biochemistry, from yeast metabolism to aging characteristics of beer. Trust me, it can get pretty complicated!

On a food note, last weekend I tried chiliquiles which is the best non-breakfast breakfast food I have ever had. If you have a good mexican place nearby, get them to cook you up some chiliquiles for breakfast. Think black beans and rice with tortilla chips instead of rice (its more like nachos with an egg). Delicious!

I have continued my "real mexican food" experience, even at establishments not necessarily running that business model. I had some delicious tofu fajitas at Handlebar, a great little restaurant on W. North. I highly recommend it to any Chicago traveler!

Last week, we had our first taste of Germany. Our professor, Michael, a graduate of Weihenstephan with a Ph.D. in beer gushing, spoke to us regarding all things oxygen and beer. It is so helpful to have professors from Germany here in America so they can experience first-hand what we have been working on thus far. Class ended last week on a great note, despite having to say goodbye to our friends from Three Floyds Brewing Company and Starr Hill Brewing Company. Make sure you drink beer from these awesome companies! It is made by great people.

Friday we took a field trip to one of Chicago's new breweries, Metropolitan Brewing Company. The owner is a Siebel alumnus so if you are in the Chicago area, make sure you try some of their beer!








They have a cool little setup and we had a good time pre-gaming there before heading over to the Hop-Leaf, one of Chicago's great beer bars.








Hop Leaf gave some of us a chance to sit around and chat for the first time and I spent a fair amount of time picking Michael's brain. Beer and the drinking culture is very different in the United States and I can say proudly that in some aspects, the Germans are envious of what is going on here. It is like getting a compliment from a Ph.D. from Weihenstephan, err wait ... (for those of you who aren't familiar, Weihenstephan is home to the oldest continuously operating brewery and one of the centers of beer education in the world).

Time in Chicago is going by so quickly. We only have two weeks left, and while I am excited to be heading to Europe, I am going to miss this place. Chicago is a fantastic city with fantastic people. It is going to be very sad if I can't get back here soon.

As the end of my seven weeks approaches, I will try to post at least two more updates. Much of my time will be spent studying and enjoying the time I have left. I promise, I will have more updates when I am in Germany!

P.S. I taught my roommate, Justin, how to make O'Cain bread. He will be a baker before you know it.

Also, many of you have sent emails and I can't thank you enough! I apologize for not responding to most of them. I am having enough trouble finding time to call my parents. Trust me, I am studying and not ignoring you! It really means a lot to get words of encouragement!

Location:Chicago, IL

So that's what a Chicago Sidewalk looks like...

This past week has offered the other end of the weather spectrum in wonderful Chicago, Illinois. With temperatures more like the balmy south, I got my first glance of Chicago's sidewalks and I will tell you, they are pretty normal.

Mornings have consisted less of "make sure you have all of your winter gear" and more around sleeping! Combined with the discovery of the mobile train/bus tracker for the CTA, I have been leaving the apartment later and arriving at Siebel earlier.

School has been much more intense. The content level has increased dramatically as have the expectations. As crazy as last week was, this week should be equally intense. As many of you know, brewers are only in the business of creating what we call "wort" which is basically extracted sugar water in which we then cool and feed to yeast. We don't make beer, thats the yeast's job. Last week we learned all about making wort. This whole week is about yeast, microbes, more yeast, and finally, some yeast. Time to dust off my microbiology dancing shoes.

Last Tuesday, we piled 45 deep into a coach and drove the four hours to Chilton, WI to visit the nation's second smallest maltster, Briess Malting. I have to tell you, trips like this are worth the tuition price alone. It is one thing to sift through types of malts on the web or in your local homebrew shop, but to get into the malthouse and see how it is done, it gives you another kind of appreciation. We had an awesome guide who was truly passionate about not only what he did, but helping us understand such a key ingredient in our own process. One thing you will hear is that one of the best parts of the craft beer industry is the community. The guys at Briess have embodied that sense of community, granted in the end it was one big sales pitch of sorts (one of the speakers was a Siebel alumni). It works both ways though. We meet the people who make our major raw material and build a relationship which we will weigh when it comes time to signing a contract and they meet the people who they want to sell their product to. I can assure you they don't want to let us down. They realize our passion and our dedication and want to play a part in our dream.

One thing that is becoming massively apparent is the alumni association and networking capabilities at Siebel. There are Siebel grads doing very awesome things all over the world. The network which we are building will be very influential in the future!

On a non-beer related note, after enjoying a relaxing weekend full of mexican food and studying, I watched Inception and was blown away. If you haven't seen it yet you need to. Hans Zimmer does the soundtrack and it certainly brought me back to a really fun time in my life in which Hans certainly played a big influence. That guy is a genius!

I will get an update with some pictures next weekend because I guarantee I will have my head buried in books all week.

I will leave you with the following tips that I have learned in while in Chicago:

- Watch your step on the sidewalk, lots of dog mines.
- Chicago cuties come out when its cold too. Enjoy the scenery.
- Get to the train/bus 5 minutes early cause it sucks to see it drive off.
- If you are hungry, get mexican. It is cheap and delicious.
- When studying, listen to Pandora.
- The commute is a great time to study your notecards.
- This city has great beer. Drink it.

Location:Chicago, IL

Pilsen

I haven't given everyone an update on Pilsen yet, so thats what I am going to be showing you today. Most of the blog will be pictures but I am ok with that. Pilsen is the section of town that is mainly an emerging arts district and a large latino community. It is the general area southwest of U of IL Chicago and south of Cook County Hospital. I live with two amazing people, Justin and Jessica. They are extremely easy going and are very friendly. I don't think the transition could have been as easy if it weren't for them! Now its picture time.


Thats my little desk in my room in Pilsen where all the magic happens. Many a beer fact has entered my brain at this station.


My nice little couch pull out bed with my "dresser" located on the floor (at least it isn't a pile of clothes right?)


Our awesome kitchen. Perfect size!


One thing that no one can complain about...Chicago knows how to make water hot. Won't be seeing a cold shower here.


Jessica and Justin hanging out in our living room. The door to my room is off to the left.


It is a household of apple products! Justin is checkin' some stuff on the web. This was right after we went to "Dona Torta" which is an awesome little mexican restaurant down the street. I ordered the "chicharito" because why wouldn't I order a dish named after a Man U star?


One of the best parts of the apartment are the two resident cats. Freedom (above) is still getting used to me. He loves to play fetch and chases Calley all over the apartment.


This is Calley. She is very affectionate! Reminds me of my first girlfriend back in the Central Methodist days. Whatever happened to her!?

Off to prep for this week. We will be taking a trip to Briess Malting in Wisconsin on Tuesday. Unfortunately they do not allow photographs in the facility, so I wont have an update with that but I may have some from an upcoming brewery tour at Goose Island.

Location:Chicago, IL

Week One Done!

I apologize for taking so long to update the blog. Its been a hectic week and we had our first test on Friday. The tests haven't been graded yet but I know I did well. Studying has taken up most of my non-class time which isn't bad because the content is so interesting. Friday marked the last day of "raw materials" in which we covered the processes that barley undergoes from the farm to the mash, water chemistry, and hops! While malting and kilning aren't directly involved in brewing, like anything, good quality raw materials are a necessity for a quality finished product. The major takeaway that I have from this week is that I am now an informed consumer!

Some of the guys and I have been doing most of our studying at the Goose Island Brewpub which is conveniently located right across the street from Siebel. A normal afternoon involves getting out of class, heading to the bier stube. (below)





That is where we eat lunch every day and gather after classes are finished for "R&D" / "product analysis". So far we have gone through a keg of Victory Prima Pils, Goose Island Honkers Ale, and we are currently working on a keg of Half Acre Daisy Cutter and a Kolsch (Don't know the brewery but it's delicious).





Classes are in a room about the same side as the lunch area, directly below the bier stube. It is all lectures by industry specialists and we have had one sensory training class so far. School is everything I expected it to be and more. All of the faculty are amazing and most of them have a beer with us after the day is over!

My gastronomic experiences have been predominately mexican and brewpub food. Mexican is amazing in Chicago because it is made with high quality ingredients in an authentic way. Abuelo's is a great neighborhood mexican restaurant which I frequent and is right next to my L stop! A picture sits on the wall stating: "Some people say football is a matter of life and death. I can assure you it is much more serious than that." I am right at home!

The L has been my main mode of transportation and I have also been taking the busses. Reliable public transportation is one of my favorite things in the world. I do walk on average about 2 to 3 miles a day, to the train stations and back which, combined with studying, builds my appetite! It's just a great way to live.

The United States lost one of its great portraitists this past week and I send my deepest condolences to Peter and Jas Gentling and their family. Scott Gentling is a man I never met, but the stories about him and his paintings are things I will never forget. There is a great article written about him after an art show in 2008

I will post an update tomorrow with pictures of my room and my apartment. I hope everyone is doing well! Thanks for posting comments! Keep 'em coming.

Location:Chicago, IL

First Chicago Snow

I arrived safely on Thursday at O'Hare! One thing I must comment on is that Chicago knows how to handle snow (see picture). Coming from the south, where the mere mention of snow means everyone is running to the grocery store to prepare for the armageddon, it is impressive to see how quickly everything was back up and running.


I am living in Pilsen which is a great little part of town with two amazing people Jessica and Justin and their two cats Callie and Freedom (I still miss Dave!). They have a great apartment with a nice little private room that I rent from them. Full kitchen, bath, living space and NO TV! Great for studying and exploring. While it would be nice to wake up and be able to watch soccer in the comfort of my apartment, I am forced to go to a bar and interact with the people of Chicago! Luckily I have a really good friend who works at one. Small Bar is certainly going to be my weekend soccer destination!

Rob, Paul and I decided to take a trip down to Indiana (my first time) to visit the Three Floyds Brewing Company on Saturday night. It was a great place with amazing beer, delicious food, and awesome service (don't remember the hosts name but he treated us like kings because Rob and Paul knew him from working at Small Bar). Dreadnaught IPA is probably the best imperial/double IPA I've ever had.

Sunday we had our meet and greet at Siebel followed by watching the Super Bowl at Goose Island Brewpub which is conveniently less than one hundred yards away from Siebel. The class is a great bunch of guys from all over the US and the world (England, Egypt etc) and one brave girl! It takes a certain type of person to throw caution to the wind and go for your dream. The Siebel class is full of those people. I encourage everyone to do whatever possible to take that leap. You will never be happier!

First day of class played out like Christmas morning with the lectures being received like a sought after toy. Never have I, in my life, been disappointed that it was the end of the school day, until today. The enthusiasm for learning resonates throughout the class. Ohh ya, we have free beer in our bierstube. More on that later!

Now that I am settled I will keep everyone updated on a much more regular basis. Please feel free to leave comments at the bottom. I will be reading them! Make sure you click on the comment link, type your message, and then hit "post comment". If you guys have trouble email me and I will see if we can't get it figured out! I leave you with a picture taken from a bridge Matt G told me to visit (I think its the one!)

Location:Chicago IL

2011 Year of the Master Brewer

The goal of this blog is to keep family and friends updated on my adventures in Chicago and Munich while completing Siebel Institute's Master Brewer program! One thing that I have learned very recently is that sometimes we do not share enough with each other despite our incessant need to update each form of social networking with a greater urgency than we have to stop and talk with one another. Instead of spending all my time updating everyone every 5 seconds, I will use this as a public journal to keep for myself and those interested.

Friday January 28th was my last day with Wachovia! I will miss the people and I truly appreciate what I have learned. I am leaving to attend Siebel Institute of Technology and am enrolled in their Master Brewer Program. The program starts in Chicago where I will be until the 25th of March. I will then hop on a plane to Munich Germany where I will continue my studies at Doeman's Academy. From May 1st until June 5th I will be exploring/adventuring in Europe! Then I will return to Doeman's to complete the program from June 6th until July 30th. My flight home is scheduled to be at the end of August from Manchester, you know what that means. Old Trafford awaits!

I have been waiting my whole life to take an adventure like this, whether I knew it or not. Patrick told me in Paris that it is massively important to study abroad. Well Patrick, I took your advice to heart. Your courage to go to a new place, by yourself, conquer the language and learn the culture has inspired me to stamp my place on the world as well.

Obvious thanks goes to my Mom and Dad, it would take a book to describe all the things you have done for me. I appreciate most your support and encouragement to follow my passion.

A handful of other folks deserve legitimate credit for helping me come to this place in my life. Wes Gibson, Greg Smith, Will Robbins, Ben Harrison, Sed and Melissa Canfield, Alex and Nicole Lissenden, Peter and Jasmin Gentling, Zenda Addis and Terry Powell. I can't thank you all enough. Though in all honesty, the place that deserves most of the credit is Asheville, NC and the wonderful people who have impacted my life so greatly. Thank you all!

Enough of that. Keep checking back for updates! Obviously pretty soon this will become much more beer related and much less "sappy thank you" related. Chi-town here I come.