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ghost in the machine continued
Even though the ghost steers clear of the Merlin, it has been known to cause errant knocking in the vapor condenser. This is a device that captures the steam evaporating from the Merlin, and uses it to heat the water for our next brew. This is a much simpler system, and it doesn’t contain anything resembling a witch’s hat.
After boil, the wort is cooled, yeast is added, and it goes into a fermenter. After a few magical days, it becomes beer, and it is filtered and carbonated. The ghost is hardly finished. It loves to abruptly cut filter runs short, forcing us to clean the filter and start over.
We have yet to see any pallets of glass mysteriously toppled over in our warehouse. Or kegs. The ghost must be afraid of all the fancy conveyor belts, high-tech fillers, and labelers in the fast moving packaging area. Hundreds of bottles are filled every minute. It’s noisy.
But in the end, it’s a mighty fine brew, if a little haunted.
In order to make beer one needs to be in tune with the physics of thunderstorms; the chemistry of water and germination, and the life cycle of fungi. Both the visible and the invisible form the miraculous marriage called beer. Like any good marriage, one must possess an awareness of ingredients, knowledge of limitations, and willingness to sacrifice and compromise, troubleshooting problems as they arise. Also, one must be open to mystery. Good beer casts a spell. Here at New Belgium, we are all enchanted.
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