Ken Grossman put together his brewery in Chico, California, almost 40 years ago. Brewing equipment manufacturers did not make “microbrewery” brewing systems yet, so Grossman took welding classes and bought used dairy tanks to cobble together his brew deck. That’s not the Gemini II space capsule in the video. It’s the strangely similar-looking Sierra Nevada’s OG system on the floor at the Great American Beer Festival.
This simple two-vessel system was still in use at Mad River Brewing until recently. Now that it has been mounted on truck wheels for towing on the highway, Grossman wants to take it around the country to do collaboration brews with other craft brewers and perhaps to make fresh wort to give to home brewers to ferment. The first stop, he says, will be at SF Beer Week in February 2020. Enjoy Ken’s comments in this little video:
- By Gail Ann Williams
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