A Thank You Note

I want to thank so many people for pushing me into a new career. I want to thank Nate and everybody from Family Business Beer Co. for being amazing and reminding me what craft beer can be - a family.

I want to thank Tony for taking a chance on someone who knew next to nothing about beer or brewing on this kind of scale. For teaching me all that he could in such a short time and during a freaking pandemic.

I want to thank the women, especially my mom, who encouraged me along the way.

I want to thank my family and friends for believing in me. I want to thank my partner, Greg, for being so proud of me before I even officially became the AB at MudHen Brewing Co. He was gushing to people in Santa Fe about me while I shyly drank my beer on our 5th anniversary trip.

I had no idea where this path would take me, but I knew it would be a good journey. And it has been. I've met so, so many people in this industry who are accepting and lovely people. I think that's what I love so much about craft beer - the utter community of it all. No matter what you brew, or what your role is, the community is there.

Sometimes, we take a path and discover somewhere along the way that it's not ours to take. So, we diverge and try again.

I've been taking new paths again and again since leaving my home in 2014. Some of them were good paths, but most were not. And what is life if not a journey to find where you belong? This assistant brewer path has been arduous, yet exhilarating. I loved showing up to work to just get things done. Whether it was as menial as cleaning kegs or something like racking over a beer I've never racked over before, there was always something to learn. Something to take away. Something to get to know (I'm looking at you, Holly Beach Wheat). Something to feel proud of. It was a constant learning environment and I've always learned best doing things hands-on, preferably repetitive.

I'm sad to say my journey at MudHen has come to an end, but I wish them all the best. The beer is amazing, the food is terrific, and the staff love their craft. Each and every one of them has passion for this and there's no place like it in Wildwood. There never will be, either.

I'm so thankful, so grateful for the opportunities afforded me and the education I've received. 

A Day In The Life: Canning Days

Canning days can be long days, but they are exceptionally rewarding. There's nothing quite like seeing your days' work get piled up and stocked as you go!

So, what all occurs on a canning day? Well, Tony and I usually get in around 9-9:30AM to finish setting up the canning line. We plug everything in: electrical, printers, air, and water. Make sure everything's working properly, and then we can start sanitizing the actual canning line.

Hoses, lines, and surfaces that beer will touch all get sanitized after a quick rinse and prior to beer ever seeing the equipment.

After that's done, it's time to let the beer flow! As soon as we start, we usually fill two kegs before closing the valve to the keg filler and letting the beer go into the fill heads on the canning line. Then it's a matter of dialing in the fill heads, getting the perfect flow of beer into those cans, and off we go!

The filled cans then get lidded, seamed, rinsed, and blasted with air to dry them before I grab them off the conveyor to weigh them. Cans that make weight get sent down to be date-coded (check out the bottom of your Wildwood Haze or 1883 IPA cans for an example), and labeled.

After we've got a good steady run of cans coming down the conveyor, I hop over to the labeler to ensure nothing gets snagged or jammed.

Naturally, Tony and I need a couple extra hands on these days, so we usually have a couple people come in to help out on the depalletizer and with packing out. The four of us make a terrific team! Everyone knows their jobs and we work with one another to make the day go as smoothly as possible (our lovely social media extraordinaire also pops in to film and grab lunch orders, which is a lifesaver).

When a pallet is stacked to fulfill a distribution order, Tony and I peel away from the entire line for a moment to wrap and strap. Once the order is snugly strapped to the pallet, I use our amazing little forklift to get that pallet into the cold box as soon as possible (especially in this heat). Rinse and repeat for any and all distribution orders. The last thing we put on a pallet is beer for in-house sales, and that gets stored in our cold box, too, until we can stock our To Go fridge up front by the main bar.

Once our day is done, we clean up and start putting unused consumables away. The whole line gets a top-down rinse to get beer out of any nooks and crannies it might be hiding in before we mix up detergent to thoroughly wash everything that beer went through. The canning line then gets dried off and put away for next time!

And that's a canning day in a nutshell.

Enjoy your freshly canned 1883 IPAs this weekend, or grab some Wildwood Haze before we run out!

Just The Two of Us

I knew this summer was going to be hectic. Tony and I both knew it - we called it last year mid-pandemic. Everyone else who worked in the brewpub last year knew we'd be slammed every single day from Memorial Day to Labor Day (and probably until mid-December, if I'm being realistic).

This summer, we've been breaking records in how much beer is getting poured in a week. And that's to be expected as the brewpub grows and more people come to visit us, as well as things transitioning to a post-lockdown era.

We've also been brewing at least 3 days a week, racking at least 2 days a week, and cleaning kegs every other week. Usually these things are happening concurrently.

And it's just the two of us back there doing all of it. I'm trying to learn even more about brewing, while jugging at least one other task every single day I'm clocked in as the assistant brewer.

For instance, Wednesdays were originally designated as my "office" days. Where I'd come to the office, sit at a computer, order necessities like cans or kegs, write blogs, revise training materials for our servers, and then hold quick Beer Chats in the afternoon with our evening front-of-house crew. I even wore cute little office outfits for my first 3 weeks doing this.

Now? I'm juggling being in the brewery while getting my office tasks done because there is just so much to do to keep us on track with production and distribution. So, no more cute office wear! It's brewery clothes all day e'ry day!

The two of us can handle it - are handling it! And with poise, if I do say so myself. (Just ignore my red, sweaty face when I emerge from the brewery like a schmapp-covered goblin, please & thank you.) But the impending expansion brings thoughts of more people working back there with us, having a blast, and making some of the best craft beer New Jersey has to offer. 

We're just a team of two, right now, and an amazing team of two, but someday we'll be an amazing team of more.

Never Too Early For Beer

The past few weeks, our Marketing Coordinator and I (hey, I'm Liz, the assistant brewer, and I write all these blogs!) have been working the Wildwood Farmer's Market every (very early) Saturday morning. Loaded up with beer in packaged cans (while supplies last) and Crowlers, we've been greeted by folks who have either been to MudHen the night before, have plans to head over there later in the day, or are some of our year-round local regulars.

It's always great to hear when people have been to the brewpub and had a great experience, especially since we're entering our busiest season of the year.

But the number one comment we get from Farmer's Market patrons is, "it's too early for beer!"

Which only makes me smile. While it is before noon, I love a good beer tasting either before or during breakfast - just so long as my mouth's not still full of toothpaste. In fact, Tony sometimes greeted me behind the bar in my first several months at MudHen asking, "Beer for breakfast?" with a taste of something he was working on or just about to tap.

Although we don't make a habit of drinking beers first thing in the brewery - there's wayyyyyyyy too much to get done in the day! - when I clean our tap lines first thing in the morning, I often taste the beer that's pulled through after the cleaning process to ensure it tastes the way Tony intends.

To me, having a beer during breakfast hours is no different than having a mimosa or Bloody Mary. Beer packs just as much nutrients, vitamins, and minerals into a pint as some other breakfast items you might enjoy (like a bowl of oatmeal). And beer was a household staple to so many cultures over the course of history that having a beer for every meal wasn't taboo that long ago.

Still, I know it's not for everyone to have a taste of beer at 9am on a Saturday, but for those who enjoy it: come see us! We have samples and several different varieties for sale.

Maybe we'll just have to get matching shirts that say "It's never too early for beer!" to wear to the Farmer's Market.

(And by the way? Our Captain Doug's Porter pairs so well with the breakfast sandwiches sold on-site.)

Summer Swelter

If you don't know by now, my name is is Liz and I write these blog entries detailing my job as the assistant brewer at MudHen Brewing Co.

Summer is full-swing and we are going at 90mph to ensure we have the freshest beer on the island ready to enjoy for all of you who come to see us.

Not only that, but we've finalized our GABF competition entries for this year, and are working on getting those packaged up and out the door!

It's just the two of us back there, sweating and joking and brewing the days away. As I type this, Tony's working on racking over a new batch of the 1883 IPA that will be on tap probably first thing Thursday morning. I'm taking a little break from cleaning kegs in order to get this posted, since I'll be back at it tomorrow in there cleaning even more kegs and helping out with a double brew day.

The summer is going by faster than I expected, but after an entire year of utter chaos, I guess it's to be expected. 2020 was the year that wouldn't end, and 2021 is the year that flew by!

We're nearly out of the Kitty Cats & Fireworks 4-packs, which isn't surprising how popular it is. But those of you looking for MudHen cans, have no fear - we'll have the Wildwood Haze NEIPA back on shelves before August, so keep your eyes peeled for that. I'm sure I'll have a blog detailing another canning day when that happens, so if you're reading this: stay tuned!

Red, White, and Blueberry

The Fourth of July is upon us once again, and the island is filled with beach-goers galore. I even got my first - and hopefully only - sunburn of the season this past weekend.

We're gearing up production back in the brewery in preparation for the masses to stop in and have a beer, which means quicker turnovers of our Fruitie Patootie and IPA varieties.

To complement the banners and flags that will be waving this weekend, Fruitie Patootie blueberry will be tapped on Thursday, July 1st. The following evening, we'll have our imperial IPA Kitty Cats & Fireworks on tap, just in time for you to stop in and have a glass before the fireworks!

If IPAs or fruited blonde ales aren't your thing, we have Shorezy - a crisp, clean, refreshing summer ale sitting at a quaffable 4.9%. It's quickly becoming a seasonal favorite, so make sure you have one before it's gone.

I know I'll be sipping on one after a long day of brewing!

Cheers,

Liz (Assistant Brewer)

15 Thousand Steps

15 thousand steps is the number of recorded steps I took last Wednesday, the day after we canned our Kitty Cats & Fireworks imperial IPA. It's a 9% ABV that certainly doesn't drink like one. That gorgeous blue, red, and silver label will be adorning local store shelves soon, so keep your eyes peeled!

We'll also be tapping it in-house on 4th of July weekend, so make sure you stop by to get a crowler or growler to enjoy.

For a limited time only, you can still stop in to the pub and purchase a 4-pack (or 2) of it while supplies last.

Not coming down to the shore and worried you might miss out on Kitty Cats & Fireworks this year? We sent several barrels out for distribution, too, so you can always use Beer Finder to check if we're pouring anywhere in your area.

Summer is officially here, and there's no better way to celebrate the season than with our imperial IPA, featuring Centennial hops.

Beer Fests Are Officially Back!

I don't think I could contain my excitement for beer fests returning any longer, so thank GOODNESS Atlantic City Beer and Music Fest happened last weekend!

Beer fests are... an Experience. My first one was GABF and that was an amazing introduction! Obviously, nothing is ever going to compare to the sheer size of that (at least not in Jersey), but ACB&MF is probably the closest we'll get this year! With most COVID restrictions in NJ lifted only weeks before the festival, it was slated to be outdoors on an airstrip and each booth spaced about ten feet apart. 120 breweries from all over (including Terrapin, from Athens, GA!) the country showed up to celebrate a semi-return to normalcy. It was different not being on top of another brewery, and there was a lot more walking to be done, but that didn't deter folks.

Friday night's event was heralded by a massive thunderstorm, followed by a double rainbow, which made me gleeful driving down the AC Expressway. My partner Greg was with me, and was about to experience his second-ever beer fest - and his first was nothing of the size or capacity of ACB&MF. Through the wind, which shoved those storms out to sea, we wandered the tarmac, and he tried a lot of new stuff while I paced myself and was the responsible DD. I had to be up at 6am the next morning, anyway.

We had a great time Friday night, sharing jokes and making up new band names (for a band we'll never create, naturally) along the way.

Saturday morning, I worked my first ever Byrne Plaza Farmer's Market! I learned a lot from that experience, and am looking forward to the ones ahead.

And Saturday night, Greg and I headed back to ACB&MF to work the booth. We met up with the crew that worked the daytime shift, hanging out by Slacktide and Gusto (because where else would a Cape May County crew hang out?). The evening session flew by with the sun setting behind us and before we knew it, we were packed up and heading back to Wildwood.

If you saw us at ACB&MF, thanks for stopping by! I hope you had as great of a time as we did and we'll see you at Battleship New Jersey.

A Day In The Life: Brew Days

I haven't actually written much lately about what I'm DOING in the brewery, so I figured that needs to be rectified with a Day In The Life entry.

This will be a series of entries, starting with a brew day!

Most days, I get to work at 10AM (unless I'm cleaning tap lines, then I usually pop in no later than 9:30). By this time, Tony's either just beginning to mash in, or about to finish that process.

I usually begin with rinsing any gear that's been soaking overnight in detergent. Once that's done, and the gear not specifically needed to rebuild one of the fermentation vessels (FV) has been put away, I move over to sanitizing the FV we'll be knocking out into.

Sanitizing an FV takes approximately 18 minutes, not including the time it takes to attach equipment. When that process is started, I hop over to the mill room to vacuum it thoroughly. We don't want any leftover grain enticing anything to come in for dinner!

With that finished, I hop back over to the FV and crack open valves to sanitize the blow-off hose and racking arm. After that, I remind myself to crack open the door during the last 2 minutes of the cycle to ensure that gets nicely sanitized (sometimes I forget, stop the pump, and then turn it right back on and crack the door).

We then pump that sanitizer into several buckets (blow off buckets, extras, and at least one Lexan if we need to harvest yeast) for later.

If we harvest yeast to use in that day's brew, this is when that typically happens. We simply use yeast from a previous brew (that's finished fermenting, of course), and pitch it into the sanitized FV for the wort being made.

There's not much to do when the wort gets pumped into the brew kettle except keep an eye on things and flip a couple switches at the appropriate times - until it's Mash Out time! If I'm not doing something else, like a rack, I'll step in and pull the spent grain out of the lauter tun into our 400lb steel dumper. It's a team effort most times, with Tony hosing down the rakes and plow when the grain gets low while I scrape as much out as possible.

The dumper then gets fork-lifted into the parking lot where it waits for the farmer to come take it. The lauter tun is thoroughly hosed down, and the loose grain removed, before it's rinsed with the remaining hot liquor (really hot water, but not boiling hot). I'm still learning the precise process of opening and closing valves at the appropriate times to rinse the lauter tun (there's, like, a dozen of them and they all go different places, so it's important to remember which does what).

The rest of the brew is spent adding the needed hops at the right times, keeping the wort at a consistent boil, and then knocking out (transferring oxygenated wort into the FV where we pitched the yeast in order for it to ferment and turn into beer).

After knock-out is complete, it's time to clean the brewhouse equipment! It's a mostly automated process that takes about 30 minutes. If there's nothing else going on that day, this is when I usually spray down the emptied dumper, then hose down the floors. When we're done, if we have beers from other breweries that people have brought us, we'll crack open one or two and share our thoughts on it. Or we'll taste our own brews, just to see how they're coming along.

And then it's about time to head home! Brew days usually last 6-7 hours (again, if nothing else is going on simultaneously), so it's a good days' work making beer for all of you to enjoy.

Weather Permitting

This weekend marks MudHen Brewing Co's return to the Wildwood Farmer's Market. I'll be working it, as many Saturdays as the weather allows, through Labor Day weekend.

I'm not a morning person, but I can manage selling beer I help make with a smile on my face for a few hours every weekend!

We'll have a smattering of beers for sale in 4-packs and 6-packs, as well as Crowlers. The market will be open at 8AM sharp, perfect for early birds to stock up on beer to enjoy for the weekend.

Also back on tap this weekend - Captain Doug's Porter! Our award-winning porter is often requested by locals and visitors alike. Light-bodied enough to enjoy during the warmer months, it's still a robust, flavorful porter that beer drinkers of all kinds can enjoy.

We'll have it on Nitro, of course, listed as our Primary Cut beer selection while it lasts!

Forgetting to Write Blogs

Okay, so it's not that I'm forgetting, per se, rather there's so much going on that the blogging kinda takes a backseat to everything else. I've been returning things, coming up with weekly Beer Chats for ongoing beer education in-house, ordering items for packaging to go beers (did you know there's a national shortage on growler lids?!), and so on. Not to mention we did three racks this week. THREE. And, as I type this, Tony is just about to knock out the first half Kitty Cats & Fireworks - coming to MudHen Fourth of July weekend.

On top of a marathon canning run last week and everything else going on, I worked the first beerfest of 2021 up in Morristown, NJ with our marketing coordinator. The Beer, BBQ, Bacon festival started at noon on Saturday. So, I was up at 6am to get to the brewery by 7:30am to load out by 8am. Thankfully, no highway shenanigans were had, although we did show up and get placed, unloaded, half-way set up, and then... promptly asked to move to another location on the field.

A lot of things happened in Morristown that made me wonder if it's because two women were representing MudHen or if it was just happenstance. Don't get me wrong, I'm pretty certain the dude who stopped at our tent and asked if we were "the brewers or just the cute faces" wasn't asking Three 3's or Spellbound reps that question.

Another guy asked if we were sisters... pretty sure he wasn't asking the dudes if they were all brothers.

And still another asked if I was married. Not sure if he meant to one another or to someone else, but it was still a really weird, random question I've only ever gotten working a beerfest with another woman. Things that make you go hmmm.

And things that make you go mmmmm!: This weekend we're debuting 2021's third iteration (already?!) of Fruitie Patootie. It's mango and pink guava flavored. A little sweet, a little tart, and perfectly balanced to quench your thirst on what will be a warm, beautiful weekend down here at the shore. Also back on tap this weekend is the Düneslager - it's been lagered since late March, patiently awaiting its return to service. Stop in, stock up on cans, or grab a Crowler or Growler of your favorite, and celebrate that Summer is nearly here!

Fourteen Hour Days

It's no surprise, to either Tony or myself, that our days in the brewery are getting longer. As the sun lingers in the western sky a little more each day, heralding the oncoming Summer - and maybe a return to semi-normalcy - we also find our days stretching little by little.

But a fourteen-hour canning day was unexpected. I'd only read about absurdly lengthy canning days, and it always seemed it was due to there only being one person doing the task.

It couldn't be helped, seeing as how there's always new things to learn on our Wild Goose machine, and this was our first experience doing 12oz cans on it. We take what we know of the machine, as well as what others have taught us, and apply it. What weights to go by, our personal preference on can fills, and what can actually be sold as viable product all go into deciding the final product. There's always loss when we dial in for a new beer type on the machine, but we usually manage to get everything up and running fairly fast.

Of course, the day we try to can two new (for the machine) brands in a new size can (for the machine), we run into issues we have to stop and troubleshoot, which slows everything down.

Smaller can sizes meant I, as the in-house Can Weigher(tm), had to seriously adjust to keep up with the flow of things coming down the line. And even though we achieved a good rhythm of cans going through the labeler for the Pils canning, with the help of some Bob Marley in the background, it seemed the labeler had had enough by the time we got around to canning Holly Beach Wheat.

With several people assisting the machine components and ensuring cans don't tip over or get jammed up somewhere, it's inevitable that we're only able to move so fast. A long day was expected, but once we hit the twelve hour mark, we resigned ourselves to just Doing The Thing and getting the product packaged.

And holy MOLY what a package it is! The cans are simply beautiful. The gold foil on the Pils cans shines in the late morning sun. The copper foil on the Holly Beach Wheat makes the lettering and painting simply pop. Stop by this weekend and grab a 6-pack of either for $10 and enjoy it. These beers are sure to welcome you to the shore and remind you that Summer 2021 is just around the corner.

A beautiful day down at the shore - perfect for picking up a 6-pack of this crisp Belgian Wit style beer

Don't you wish you were here?! Grab a 6-pack for your favorite person (or yourself - or both)!

See you soon!

Mother's Day at the MudHen

Mother's Day is fast approaching and - thankfully - I'm ahead of the game this year. Having already ordered my mom a gorgeous bouquet of tulips from my favorite flower delivery service, I naturally forgot to put her card in the mail this morning!

Oh, well. We can't all be perfect, right?

Speaking of Mother's Day - what better way to show Mom you love her than bringing her out to MudHen Brewing Co? We'll be having Bloody Mary and Mimosa specials as well as a special Mom's Day menu available. If your mom enjoys beer, treat her to a strawberry Fruitie Patootie (or two)! After all, who doesn't like a strawberry blonde?

Just tapped last weekend, the strawberry is 2021's second iteration of the rotating fruited blonde ale series you've come to know and love. Organic strawberry puree was added (by yours truly) to a crisp, balanced blonde ale and is available only on draught while it lasts! If mom's far away or you have other plans for Mother's Day, stop in and grab a crowler or growler of her favorite brew.

Isn't she gorgeous?! Photo by social media guru Hannah.

Mother's Day menu and information can be found here: MOTHER'S DAY | Mudhen Brewing Co. We'll see you soon!

Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days...

Alright, wrong artist, but I can't help that Nat King Cole is my go-to for summer anthems involving the word "hazy." I didn't grow up in Wildwood, NJ, which has its own anthem performed by 1960's teen idol Bobby Rydell.

"Wildwood Days" debuted in 1963, almost 60 years ago, and shined a national spotlight on Wildwood, NJ.

Almost anywhere you go in Wildwood these days, you'll find tributes to Rydell and the rock-and-roll movement that erupted out of this small, Atlantic Ocean community.

And to honor those musical pioneers, from Bill Haley & His Comets to Chubby Checker and everyone who came between and after, we've released a New England-style IPA aptly called "Wildwood Haze."

Now in 4-packs available for purchase in our pub, it will soon be on tap adding to our pre-summer IPA line-up of Bakers' Double IPA, 1883 IPA, and Ryesing Tides Rye IPA.

You won't want to miss out on this hazy IPA, heavily hopped with cashmere and motueka. Only available while it lasts!

#BreweryStrong

Our third anniversary party last week was a fantastic excuse to party (socially distanced, naturally) with all our brewery brethren here in Cape May County, and it was also a chance to donate a portion of proceeds towards a great cause.

Born in March/April 2020, the brainchild of Rob Callaghan, #brewerystrong, came to fruition during the early days of the pandemic. With taprooms and tasting rooms closing for several weeks, as well as distribution coming to a grinding halt, breweries all over the country were facing an immense hurdle.

Just over a year old now, the non-profit has seen immense support from all over New Jersey's craft beer scene - and for good reason. Their initial fundraising endeavors were for direct financial aid to those in the hospitality industry suddenly facing unemployment. According to their website, Brewery Strong will also set aside funds to go towards a scholarship for brewery education initiatives. 

#BreweryStrong VP John Couchoud was our guest of honor at last week's shindig, holding a Q&A for head brewer Tony, owner Brendan, and local artist Russ. Many laughs were shared, a certain assistant brewer's musical choices were called out (to be fair, I only listened to Rammstein that one day), and beers were raised to toast all of Cape May County's breweries who came out to show us love and support a great cause. It was truly an example of how close-knit this community really is.

If you're looking to help support #BreweryStrong, you can make direct donations at brewerystrong.org or shop their merch. This pandemic has brought many challenges for so many of us that any little bit helps, even over a year into it.

Must Be Spring Because

We've been busy with production!

On top of the release of the Open Brow for this weekend - our annual salute to the Coast Guard community right here in Cape May County - we've also debuted this year's first iteration of Fruitie Patootie! It's blueberry, so you know we're starting off strong. (Anybody wanna take a guess at what flavors will be this year? Hint: some old favorites and something new!)

AND this week we canned the 1883 IPA again. Just in time to stock up for the gorgeous weekend weather. Take a four-pack of that (and maybe some Cackling Coot while supplies last) to the beach or crack one open after the MudHen Race series if you're running this year.

Also back on tap this weekend after a week-long hiatus is the Bakers' Double IPA. At a whopping 9.1%, this beer still drinks just as easy as it's previous 8% batches.

On top of all this production, we've just celebrated our 3rd Anniversary Party. Thank you to everyone who came out to support us, John Couchoud, local artist A. Russ Simmons, and our MudHen Brewing Co. staff for making it an exceptional event. We can't wait to celebrate our 4th Anniversary with you all!

Cheers to our US Coast Guard, everyone racing this weekend, and all of our local brewery friends.

Keeping Notes

Note-taking and note-keeping is something that most people equate with meetings or school. In the industry of brewing, though, note-taking and keeping is essential.

I started my career as assistant brewer armed with a small spiral notebook and a pen. I quickly learned that pencils are the superior option, considering I spend a lot of time in a space that's consistently 36F. And there's a lot of water all the time. Pencil may smudge, but it won't run and it certainly won't freeze in the midst of taking meticulously detailed notes on how to cycle a service vessel. 

Last summer, I was running around the brewery with a pencil tucked into my hat and my notebook in-hand for quick references. I usually still have my notebook with me, though I reference it less and less. That's not to say I'm not still keeping notes - quite the opposite, in fact. It's just that instead of running to grab my notebook, I've found I can type up a list quickly and efficiently on my phone's Notes app. And I'll probably need to put those notes alongside all my other ones, eventually. For now, they're within reach most of the time, and easily readable without having to flip pages to find them.

I rarely use those notes anymore, unless it's been a few weeks since I last racked something. I might reference how much of a chemical I might need or what I'm supposed to do during the 20-minute caustic cycle depending on which kind of rack (transfer) I'm doing. Only working 2 days a week in the brewery for about 10 months really doesn't lend itself to confidently performing tasks - hence the notes.

But I would've never been able to rack by myself as soon as I did without those notes. And in the age of Covid-19, it was imperative I needed to perform the task without Tony walking me through it each and every time. So, thanks to a childhood of learning how to take notes and realizing I learn best through writing stuff down and then doing said stuff! 

Someday, I may very well share these notes with another brewery team member.

Of Trains and Training

When I got hired as MudHen Brewing Co's assistant brewer, I knew I'd be a proverbial bridge between the brewery and the pub, but also between the brewery and the public. It's why I've stayed behind the bar and why I'll be out and about at festivals - when we start doing the festivals thing again.

A while ago, Tony handed me a thick booklet of how to put together a training program for brewpubs. The goal, of course, being to implement an actual standardized training for our FOH staff. It's been long in the making, and the final manual is still being compiled by yours truly.

I've never had to come up with a training manual on my own. But with a background of having been a floor trainer at a big sports bar in Midtown, Atlanta, and an assistant manager a small pizza pub, I figure I can do this. Easy! It's just a matter of trying to find the appropriate materials and passing along the right information.

Some of the tips I've found include taking staff on field trips to visit hops farms and bakeries. Intriguing ideas, but our staff is so rotational due to the seasonal nature of the location that something a little more basic is probably better.

We'll begin holding a weekly mini beer school to ensure the basic information about beer gets passed to all staff. I'm excited to be leading this endeavor as some of my new assistant brewer duties!

I Really Miss Beer Fests

It's surreal to think that my last beer fest was over a year ago. I'm sure I don't speak for myself when I say we were all optimistic that by this past August, we'd have things under control enough to at least hold smaller fests, if not ones the size of GABF. And yet, more than an entire year after 2020's Philly Craft Beer Fest, things are slowly starting to manifest in the way of events and festivals.

It'll be wild to be among throngs of people again, trying new beers and having old favorites; introducing people to MudHen beer and connecting with others who have a passion for beer.

Already on the docket for 2021 is the local Wildwood Farmer's Market every Saturday from Memorial Day Weekend to Labor Day Weekend. We're also signed up for AC Beerfest (this will be my first one), the Beer BBQ Bacon Showdown in Morris Plains, and the Battleship New Jersey.

Keeping my fingers crossed we'll be at GABF again so I can say hello to some of my other favorite breweries across the nation.

In the mean time, hope to see some of you at beer fests in New Jersey!

Boats Out

In case you haven't caught on to the naming conventions of the beer we make at MudHen Brewing Co., a lot of it has to do with the ocean and general features of the island. Ryesing Tides, Holly Beach Wheat, etc.

Today, we canned - for the first time ever, our White IPA Sea Tiger. It's single-hopped with Citra and fermented with Belgian Ardeness yeast. It's almost like a hybrid between a wit-style beer and a hazy/juicy IPA. A warm-weather favorite, we plan on keeping this on tap and on shelves for a little while longer than some of our other brands.

Stop into the brewpub this weekend to grab a 4-pack for you (and possibly your friends if you're planning to have a safe post-vaccine hangout). It may not be summer with this winter weather in the forecast, but Sea Tiger will help usher in the warmth.

Besides, how gorgeous are these cans?

Makes me wanna hop on a boat and ride the waves, despite the chilly air! More likely, it'll get drank in front of the backyard firepit this weekend.

Cheers!

Full Taps

Well, it's only March and here we are with full taps ready for the throngs of weekend shore-goers as South Jersey slowly warms up and we transition into Spring.

Freshest on our line-up is the Ryesing Tides IPA (formerly known as Y Not Rye). A personal favorite - and one I've missed over the past year - you can catch me enjoying it on tap and in cans (for sale in the brewpub and around South Jersey).

And if you've been craving something wildly different from the usual IPA line-up, why not try the Wee Heavy Wilson? A Scotch Ale with a significantly peaty and earthy aroma imparts a shockingly smooth malt sweetness on your palette. I will go ahead and say I hate Scotch whisky. Like, it's up there with Jaegermeister for me - undrinkable. But this Scotch Ale is perfectly drinkable.

We also have the bourbon barrel aged version of it on tap for a very limited time and for in-house consumption only. The bourbon infusion masks a good bit of the earthy aroma, and it developed that malty sweetness into a borderline whiskey flavor. It barely tastes like drinking a beer, so if bourbon whiskey is more your style but you really want a beer, ask for the Barrel Aged Wilson. It's around 10%, so if you plan on having more than one, pair it with a smoky barbecue platter or a Peanut Butter Explosion dessert (or both, really). You won't be sorry!

Lastly, for all of you looking for something sweeter that isn't as strong as a Belgian Tripel, don't worry. We'll have the Fruitie Patootie back on tap in time to enjoy some Springtime sunshine before the real summer crowds flock down here.

One Year Anniversary

Today, March 1st, marks my official one year of being Assistant Brewer at MudHen Brewing Co.

Sure, I only got about four days in the brewery last year before most of the country shut down, but it's still the date I officially got to clock in as Assistant Brewer. Now that the vaccine is getting distributed, I'm optimistic that we can keep the ball rolling because there's still so much I have to learn.

I'm feeling a little nostalgic, so let's recap the past year, shall we?

March 1st, 2020 - my life pretty much changed instantly. I'd been in talks with Tony about helping out in the brewery for a couple of months but it hadn't really sunk in. My spouse was excitedly introducing me as the "new assistant brewer" pretty much every where we went, which made me kinda... shrink into my seat. It's not that I wasn't ready, I was! I just wasn't sure if I'd be any good at it.

Looking back, that seems ridiculous. I have an amazingly great teacher and I'm building more confidence with every task as the weeks go by.

March 15th, 2020 - my life changed again. I got texts from both bosses about shutting down "until further notice" and nobody really knew what that meant. Cape May County didn't see its first positive cases until April. GABF and AC Beerfest had already been canceled/postponed, and the beer Tony and I spent an entire day bottling for WBC went to make hand sanitizer. The entire world flipped upside down and I'd barely begun my new job! I had no clue what to expect.

May/June 2020 - I was called back in to work to help out with Take-Out and Delivery. Shifts behind the bar, I poured beer and made cocktails for take-out only. I spent my days in the brewery with Tony mostly cleaning growlers. When he decided to stop recycling used growlers, I followed him around with a notebook and pencil, taking detailed notes of every tiny thing he did for larger tasks, like racking. Cleaning lines and kegs were some of the first things I could do without supervision (with a permanent marker reminder on my forearm to turn on the glycol for the lines the first few times I did it). Racking wasn't too far behind.

The whole summer was insanely busy for us back there and before I knew it, we were celebrating Oktoberfest weekend here at MudHen - and had a brand new canning line!

The fall is a blur, honestly. I know I was alone in the brewery once or twice doing things, which signaled that Tony really trusted me to do what needed to get done while he went up the road to get yeast or whatever else he needed to do. Being alone back there doesn't happen often, yet. I'm glad he feels comfortable enough to leave me alone to complete certain tasks.

Wintertime sped by with the pub remaining busier than ever before, and here we are already back in March! One year into a pandemic and it's still just the two of us back there, chugging away; canning and brewing and racking. Rinse. Repeat.

I can't wait to see what the next year brings, especially with my newer duties as Assistant Brewer and more time spent on that side of things.

Cheers!

Work-Work Balance

As MudHen's only assistant brewer (currently), I've been working two different - yet similar - jobs since last March. I'm behind the bar three shifts a week and with Tony in the brewery two shifts a week (or more, if we're canning). Soon, however, that balance will shift and I'll be taking on more shifts in the brewery and less behind the bar.

What better time to reflect on the differences between bartending and brewing?

Bartending, for me, is therapeutic. Even on my worst days, when life has run me over with a flatbed truck, put it in reverse, and run me over four more times, making drinks instantly puts me in a calm state of mind. It's methodical and helps me focus on things other than what life's putting me through. I guess you could say, that for the past almost-ten years, it's been my "happy place."

Because brewing is still so new to me, it's not so much a place where I can clear my head. Rather it's a full-body experience that involves my mind and my muscles in much different ways than bartending ever would.

Where in bartending, if you miss a step with a simple cocktail, it's not necessarily critical to add ingredients in a certain order. I can throw in triple sec before vodka or after. With work in the brewery, most order of things is absolutely essential. Hot rinsing before cold rinsing, for example. Turning valves in a specific order or ensuring the pump is at the correct setting are critical to prevent injury (both to body and to equipment).

Behind the bar, I pay attention to the feel of my shakers, the color of my drinks, and the smell of wine to ensure it's still good to serve. In the brewery, using those senses is also crucial for much different reasons. Perhaps one of the more surprising senses I utilize often in the brewery is hearing. If something is dripping when it shouldn't be, for example, or how the cycle of a vessel sounds - it can tell me right away if something is wrong or not working properly. Behind the bar, of course listening to customers, coworkers, and the printer are all important things, but it's nothing like using hearing in the brewery.

While it may take awhile yet for tasks in the brewery to become second-nature the way making a bay breeze or margarita is, I'm already much more comfortable performing duties given to me on any given day. I don't think I ever want to get comfortable enough to where I can shut my brain completely off but I will relish the day when I can confidently - without second-guessing myself - get through a day in the brewery.

My bar shifts are numbered, sure, but I look forward to continuing to make and serve Wildwood's best - and freshest - craft beer for people to enjoy.

A Sign Of Things To Come

While Tony and I seem to constantly discuss our business growth and what it means for the brewery and pub, it doesn't quite seem real that this summer will be the busiest yet for MudHen Brewing Co.

But reality is, well, reality, and the outside expansion already underway for the Biergarten proves just that. On the brewery side of things, we've cleaned and passivated our newest fermentation vessel to get it ready for use and are awaiting news of when brewery expansion will begin. 

Things are happening quickly around here, including our canning runs.

This week, we're tackling back-to-back canning runs. By the end of the day on Wednesday, you'll be able to find both brands in the To Go fridge beside the main bar in the front dining room. Swing by, grab a 4-pack (or two, or three...), and stay warm this weekend with some MudHen IPAs. And they'll be showing up on store shelves in the southern Jersey and Philly areas very soon!

Cheers.

We Belong Together

This weekend, we have another new beer to debut. A delightfully delicious collaboration between MudHen Brewing Co. and Laura's Fudge will be released at 5pm on Friday, February 12th - just in time for Valentine's Day weekend - and is aptly named "We Belong Together."

A first for MudHen, our chocolate fudge porter (fudge supplied by Laura's Fudge) was infused with fruit puree a few weeks ago to ensure your taste buds will be tickled pink. Available in either chocolate-covered strawberry or chocolate-covered raspberry flavors, this delectable concoction is EXTREMELY limited in supply!

My suggestion is that you make plans to be at MudHen this weekend to partake in this one-of-a-kind release. And bring that special someone; you'll want to split a slice of chocolate cake or cheesecake for dessert while sipping this beautiful fruited porter.

Beer and Black History

It's officially Black History Month here in the United States, and I wanted to shed a light on something very noticeable about the craft beer industry: how very homogenous it is.

When the average person thinks of craft beer, they probably don't immediately think of the 60+ craft breweries that are black-owned and operated. They probably think of a white dude in his late 30's or early 40's, and probably bearded, standing over a mash tun or posing with a glass of hops or malt. Which is certainly not a false picture but it doesn't reflect the deeply colorful history of beer.

This blog is somewhat inspired by the Beer School Tony held on January 31st and driven by my own curiosity.

Let me take you back a little ways. White Europeans weren't actually the first people to make beer! It's speculated that the people of Mesopotamia, people of color, were the first to discover beer. When civilizations began popping up, and nomadic life became agriculturally based, women became the beer makers for the home, and - in later centuries - the entire neighborhood or village. Those TV or movie scenes of pubs crammed with men while a woman holds four tankards of ale leave something important out - that woman probably made that ale.

When America was colonized, and obviously through the late 1800's, white women delegated the task of making beer to the house slave women, while field slaves cultivated the hops used to flavor that beer. So, once again beer-making was in the hands of women (and people) of color.

Fast forward to prohibition, which was partially rooted in racist sentiments: painting saloons and pubs as places of sin and immoral activity, where only the most degenerate would spend their time (much like the treatment of the opium dens of the West Coast). When the 21st Amendment finally passed, big, white-owned beer corporations were quick to snatch up a large portion of the beer-making industry. Unfortunately, those corporations also held racial bias and racist sentiments that kept a lot of black Americans from working in the beer industry through the Civil Rights Movement.

So, it's no wonder that at last year's All Women Brew Day here in New Jersey, there were only a couple of non-white women present. The beer industry, while also being an expensive endeavor (this is a whole other discussion on systemic racism), hasn't exactly been welcoming to black Americans. Not only was it noticeable there but at every festival I've worked there was a distinct lack of people of color in attendance or behind the booths.

One undisputable fact, since the discovery of it, is that beer brings people together. It's a bridge across cultures, across time, across continents, and across oceans. I would love to see a more diverse craft beer industry here in the States, and I hope someday it will be. We have a long way to go on breaking down walls and ceilings (see: Annie Johnson) but the future is diverse. The future is bright. The future is colorful.

A list of black-owned breweries in America (as of 2020) is a good place to start looking at what's in your region if you're curious. Supporting these breweries is but a small step we can take to support diversity in our industry.

Happy Black History Month and cheers!

To Name A Beer

One might think that naming a craft beer is a simple task. However, there's a lot involved in what goes into naming a beer. One major aspect of naming a beer is whether or not other breweries have used the name or some iteration of it. Another is whether the name makes the beer sound like it tastes good or is appealing to a first-time consumer. For instance, you probably wouldn't reach for a beer that's named in a way as to conjure the smell at low-tide in the estuary. Or of stinging insects that can be a nuisance. And you probably wouldn't want to order a beer that's hard to pronounce or is downright perplexing if you've never had it before.

Clean, simple, unique - these are what a beer name ideally should be. The name should tell you something about the beer that will make you want to purchase one (or try one, at least). Maybe it hints at the broad history behind the brewery or the area it's located - like the 1883 IPA.

It often takes an entire team of people to come up with - and approve - a beer's name. Someone is constantly checking to see if it's taken. Someone else is establishing an understanding of what direction the beer name should go. Here at MudHen, we also have our resident artist, Russ, whose input is always valuable and our can designs kind of (really) depend on him.

Stay tuned for new beers on tap and in cans. We hope the names delight you and entice you to have a pint (or two).

Cheers!

Downtime? What is Downtime?

We're well into January 2021, and one might expect that means a lot of downtime in a place down the shore. Quite the opposite, in fact. Pub-side business is booming, Tony's got most of the year already planned out for the brewery, and - despite it being off-season - there is always something to do brew-side.

Because we have plans for expansion, and those plans are already in motion, it was high-time to rework some plumbing and piping to some of our fermentation vessels. With that done and out of the way, we took the opportunity to clean the outsides of all 9 vessels. Decidedly not a dry job, Tony and I donned our rubber boots and safety goggles, and we broke out the ladders. Then we got to work ensuring the stainless steel would be blinding in the mid-afternoon sun that comes through our street-side garage doors. With most of our storage racks out of the way, I tackled the floors behind the mill room and got them ready for a brand new year of brewing, too.

Again, this job isn't glamorous or thrilling. It is exciting, it is labor-intensive. it is one of the most fun jobs I've ever, ever had.

And when I'm done with my day in the brewery, I usually enjoy a well-deserved pint of whatever's my current favorite on tap. As I write this, I have a pint of MudHen Pils next to me. Crisp and refreshing with a vaguely floral finish. It's this beer in particular that makes me wish domestic beers were made in compliance with the German Purity Laws. This is truly a gratifying beer to end a long day.

Cheers!

Getting Bigger

 The past week was a whirlwind of activity in our brewery becaaaauuuuuuse 

we've gotten permits approved for physical expansion!!!

Originally scheduled to can the Cackling Coot on Wednesday, we ran into some hiccups (it happens) and had to postpone the run. Tony and I tag-teamed day after day of transferring (racking) beer to our service vessels. We then spent the weekend canning in preparation for the preliminary work to be done in order for the expansion to begin.

For the first time since before we opened, we will have exactly zero full fermentation vessels in our brewery for a few days while work is being done on the pipes. And then it'll be brew day after brew day to fill them right back up and keep the beer flowing for our pub patrons.

Whoever said off-season was down-time never worked in a brewery.

2021 is shaping up to be our biggest year, yet!

Of And Relating to Aquatic Birds

For the past two days, I've had a visitor in my backyard of the Great Blue Heron variety. It was hanging out by the koi pond all day Sunday until my spouse decided to shoo it off, since we enjoy having koi fish. This morning, it was perched on the edge of our above-ground pool until I opened the blinds to get a better look at it.

It's very fitting we were visited by this flying dinosaur due to the fact we are canning our Cackling Coot Belgian Tripel this week in the brewery.

Named after the American Coot's call, an homage to the migratory bird found in the rivers, streams, and marshes of Southern Jersey, our Cackling Coot is a delightful, strong Belgian ale with a fruit aroma and a touch of spice from fermentation.

We'll have four-packs for sale and the beer on tap in our pub later this week, so make sure you stop in to have a pint.

Cheers!