Weirdest question you've fielded during a brewery tour?

[aleszu]

Hi All,

Columnist from BeerAdvocate magazine here working on an article about the increasingly craftbeer-savvy consumer and brewery visitor. I'm wondering what kind of off-base or weird questions you've been asked on a brewery tour. (Something like 'Can you email me your business plan?')

Feel free to contact me directly at writeaboutbeer AT gmail DOT com, too.

Thanks,

Aleszu

aleszu.com
writeaboutbeer@gmail.com
instagram: sciencewriter

[Selkirk]

I had just showed them everything;
grain handling,
mashing,
brewing,
fermenting,
filtering,
carbonation,
kegging and bottling
...and a woman asked me, as I was leaning on the brew stand, while her back was to the fermenters, "So, where do you make the beer?"

I told her we had it shipped in from China. She just nodded.

[ColdFusion]

"So when do you add the alcohol?" and the same question again after a short yeast explanation.

[GlacierBrewing]

I use star San in my blow-off buckets during fermentation and a very thick, dense head of bubbles forms when it's really rocking and rolling. I had a tour go through and after I explained everything, one lady pointed to the foamy bucket and asked "Is that where you make the beer foam?". Of course, I said yes.

Prost!
Dave

[ChesterBrew]

I was recently asked if the cows get drunk off of our spent grains...

[Bainbridge]

People often ask if the largely labeled "HOT LIQUOR" tank is where we keep the alcohol before we add it to the beer. A not-unreasonable assumption, I'd say.

[scarne78]

I was recently asked if the cows get drunk off of our spent grains...

I've been asked that one too.

[Dailybeer]

Questions

A good question, that caught me off guard, was asked by a Chinese national, married to an American from my town: Why don't you wash and reuse your bottles?
All I could say was that we don't do that any more in America but I know they do in other countries. Then she asked why?
All I could say was that I don't know.

[dick murton]

I was recently asked if the cows get drunk off of our spent grains...

Not quite such a daft question. We used to supply yeast (killed) (as slurry in beer) to pig farmers. They commented the pigs liked it, and the farmers liked it because the pigs were docile for a while due to being slightly drunk.

[dick murton]

A good question, that caught me off guard, was asked by a Chinese national, married to an American from my town: Why don't you wash and reuse your bottles?
All I could say was that we don't do that any more in America but I know they do in other countries. Then she asked why?
All I could say was that I don't know.

As far as the UK is concerned, and this probably applies to the States as well, a number of reasons, including -

Return glass has to be much heavier to cope with the addition bashing about - so it costs more
As a result of weighing more, it costs extra in transport
It has to be collected and the collection process is costly
Really, for economy, standardised bottles have to be used by all companies reusing the glass
Every company has to contribute pro-rata to usage to buying new bottles - and they never do
Every bottle has to be thoroughly cleaned and inspected for residual rubbish and chips - massive costs here in materials, water, detergents, effluent and energy
If you have ever seen any returned glass bottle depots - a nightmare of mess and safety issues
Marketing possibilities are very limited - only a limited range of bottles and limited packaging range. The secondary packaging has to be much Heavier than most current cardboard boxes due to the extra weight of the bottles

Cost of reclaiming and sorting used bottles in China, India etc is comparatively low because labour costs are still very low in comparison to Europe and the States. In India for instance they use totally unskilled labour for collecting and sorting, and the wonen and kids who do this are paid peanuts.
Transport of glass in NRBs is one way, and then they can simply be collected in communal glass recycling facilites, with minimal sorting - so return costs are eliminated.

[Larry Doyle]

Returnables

I read somewhere that the heavy lifting in the Indian sorting facilities is done by elephants. They are also paid peanuts.

[dick murton]

That may be true, but I have happen only ever seen humans moving sacks of malt, sugar, maize and sacks of glass bottles around.

And clearing broken cullet in bare feet of flip flops - quite scary to see (I have also heard this of China a few years ago from a then colleague)

[GlacierBrewing]

A good question, that caught me off guard, was asked by a Chinese national, married to an American from my town: Why don't you wash and reuse your bottles?
All I could say was that we don't do that any more in America but I know they do in other countries. Then she asked why?
All I could say was that I don't know.

Bayern Brewing in Missoula recently invested in a bottle sanitizer so they can reuse their bottles. I understand some of the distributors are not too keen on dealing with all the stinking return bottles but besides that, I think this is an inspired idea.
Prost!
Dave

[banjo]

washed bottles

Bayern Brewing in Missoula recently invested in a bottle sanitizer so they can reuse their bottles. I understand some of the distributors are not too keen on dealing with all the stinking return bottles but besides that, I think this is an inspired idea.
Prost!
Dave

United Bottling and Packaging provides recycled washed bottles if you want to support the concept. http://unitedbottles.com

[liammckenna]

Do you wear y-fronts or boxers?

Swear to God.

Usually takes more to make me blush but it just came out of nowhere.

Pax.

Liam