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Lon Weatherson, Barley Brothers magic Brew Master |
Barley Brothers Bar and Grill
Lake Havasu, Arizona
The first thing you want to do whenever you visit a brewery is meet the Brew master, that is, if you can. After all, he is the one that is responsible for all of the magic elixirs that are produced.
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Lon Weatherson, Barley Brothers magic Brew Master |
If you are lucky, the main man, Lon Weatherson himself will be watching over the copper brewing vats in person. If not his assistant, Bill Behm may be there. Bill takes the active role in the processing of all of the ingredients that are combined to make up that golden brew that we love to partake of.
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Bill Behm - BillBrew to us prospectors |
Here's Bill standing amongst the tools of the trade. The brewing kettles. Yes, he's got shorts on under the apron. He's not wearing a dress! After all this is Arizona. No one but the tourists wear long pants. The apron and the boots are other tools of his trade. After each brewing session he crawls into these kettles from a hatch on the top to scrub the inside of the kettles. Cleanliness is a necessity for brewing. Unwanted bacteria can ruin the brew.
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Makes me thirsty just thinking of all the beer in this picture |
All of the brewing activities take place behind the bar and separated from the public by glass windows. This helps to keep the thirsty riff-raff like me out of the way when the real work is going on. My idea of doing my part is to sit at the bar helping to empty these brewing vats. After all, if no one drinks any of this stuff, quite a few people will have to hit the unemployment line.
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My idea of a tapper |
Here Bill is demonstrating what the bottom of the tank looks like. As much as I like the brown stuff, I don't want any of this in my glass. I'll wait until it's finished and then pour it.