Visit to Baying Hound Aleworks

Last week I had the opportunity to meet someone I first interacted with on this blog.  This is the first time my "blogging life" has intersected with my real life.  I was visiting family near Silver Spring, MD who live a short drive away from Baying Hound Aleworks, who we recently interviewed as part of our nanobrewery series.  I contacted Paul Rinehart and he graciously agreed to let my family and I visit his brewery.

My immediate observation upon seeing the brewery is how small nanobrewing can be.  This is something I understood intellectually, but it did not fully dawn on me until we walked around Paul's brewery.  The brew house features two 55-gallon Blichmann stainless pots, one acting as the mash tun and the other as the kettle, with two 42-gallon Blichmann conical fermenters and a plastic fermenter.  While bigger than many homebrewer breweries, it is not that much larger (they use the same size propane burner as Jeff does at home).  The other observation that stuck me is the obvious enjoyment that Paul and his assistant brewer, Hank Miller, take in their jobs.  This was apparent in their interest in discussing brewing processes with me, their excitement in tasting and analyzing the Baying Hound ales, and their excitement over Paul's plans for the future.  Their good-natured humor is best captured through the following "Brewery Rules," which were posted on the wall:

1. Must consume [beer] at least once during bottling and/or brewing.
2. No burping unless you can't help it.
3. When in doubt, have a beer.
4. It is encouraged to break into song, especially when you have a beer in your hand.
5. The beer you drink at the brewery is only rented.
6. The toilet [seat] may be left up if no ladies are present.

Here are some of the pictures I took at the brewery.

Baying Hound Blichmann pots and burners, which is the same burner Jeff uses at home

Baying Hound Blichmann fermenters - they use the plastic one for test batches

Baying Hound Pale Ale labels, which were just redesigned, the new one is on the left

Thanks to Paul and Hank for sharing their beer and stories with me.  The visit was definitely a highlight of my holiday travels.

Sincerely,

TW

Nanobrewery Interviews: Baying Hound Aleworks (Part 2)

While most of us have toyed with the thought of starting up a nanbrewery, others have taken the plunge.  To find out more about who these people are and what makes them do what they do, Jeff and I embarked on a series of interviews with regional nanobreweries to get their stories.

Baying Hound Aleworks

Rockville, MD

http://www.baying-hound.com

In the second part of our interview with Baying Hound Aleworks, we conclude our conversation with Paul Rinehart.  Paul founded Baying Hound Aleworks in the summer of 2010 and it just officially opened earlier this month.  Baying Hound Aleworks beer can be found in Montgomery County, MD.

* * *

Lug Wrench (LW): If you were speaking to an individual who is considering the prospect of opening their own nanobrewery, what advice would you give them?

Paul Rinehart (PR): Be patient but don't let the government slack.  The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) can take up to 90 days to even look at your paperwork.  Do your research regarding local jurisdictions.  I get a lot of people asking if they could do it out of their basement and they seem a bit disappointed when I tell them they can't, not legally at least.  My first location got turned down by the TTB because it was a shared space, so I found an affordable warehouse.  Also, keep in mind, that the TTB and even some state agencies require you to have a physical location, so be prepared to pay up to 3 months of rent without being able to bring in any revenue.

LW: What's the most interesting thing that has happened to you since you started the brewery?

PR: Interviews and tours.  I love it when people come by the brewery, some just want to talk shop, while others just want to see what a nanobrewery looks like.

LW: Your website has a number of recipes that are prepared with or would go well with beer.  Can you provide us with more information about your interest in pairing beer with food?

PR: I have a culinary background, I've worked in a few area restaurants, some of which did a lot of beer dinners.  A few years ago, a friend of mine and I did a pod cast called Better Beer Food.  We only did two seasons but it was a great experience and really made me think about food and beer pairings.  I took that a step further with my beer, I designed it to go with food.

LW: Is there anything else you think our readers might enjoy learning about you or your brewery?

PR: I'm a really nice person and I love to talk.  I hate drinking alone, so come for a tasting one of these days.  Baying Hound Aleworks is the only manufacturing brewery in Montgomery County, it is also the smallest brewery overall.  The only other breweries in the county are all brew pubs or restaurants.

LW: Many of our readers are homebrewers and love to hear about new recipes.  Could you provide us with a recipe you think may be of interest?  It can be a recipe from your current brewery, one from your homebrewing past, or even one you always wanted to try, but never got around to doing.  Anything goes.

PR: I'm really tempted to use herbs de provance in a beer.  This is a recipe off the top of my head.  This contains some dried malt extract (DME) just to speed things up a bit.  Also, the recipe uses a no sparge technique.  6 gallon

Herbs De Provance Beer (6 gallon recipe)

• 3 lbs White Wheat Malt
• 1 lb 30L Crystal Malt
• 2 lb Pale Malt
• 2 lb Vienna Malt
• 3 lbs Light Dried Malt Extract
• 1 lb Flaked Wheat
• 2 oz Saaz Hops (45 min)
• 2 oz Saaz Hops (30 min)
• 2 oz Saaz Hops (15 min)
• 2 oz Herbs De Provence (last 15 minutes)
• English ale yeast

Instructions:

1. Bring the water up to about 160F.  Add the grains and hold at 160F for 30 minutes.
2. Siphon off the wort into another pot and add the DME.  Allow the DME to dissolve then return it to the heat.  Bring to a boil.
3. First 15 minutes, add the first hops.  Repeat at the 30 minute mark.  with 15 minutes left, add the remaining hops, the herbs and some Irish moss.
4. I use a plate chiller myself, bring the temperature down to an appropriate pitching temperature.  Add the yeast.
5. Let this ferment for about a week.  If using a conical you don't have to use a separate secondary.
6. Prime with priming sugar, about 5 oz and bottle.  Allow it to condition for at least a week.  It is drinkable after a week but let it age for another week, it will be much better.

* * *

The prior installment of our interview with Paul can be found here.

We want to thank Paul for taking the opportunity to write to our readers.  It is very much appreciated.

If you want to find out more about Baying Hound Aleworks, check out their website, read an article about them in the Washington Post, or stop by the brewery and buy some of their beer.

Cheers,

TW

Nanobrewery Interviews: Baying Hound Aleworks (Part 1)

While most of us have toyed with the thought of starting up a nanbrewery, others have taken the plunge.  To find out more about who these people are and what makes them do what they do, Jeff and I embarked on a series of interviews with regional nanobreweries to get their stories.

Baying Hound Aleworks

Rockville, MD

http://www.baying-hound.com

In the seventh installment of our Nanobrewery Interviews, we spoke with Paul Rinehart, the founder of Baying Hound Aleworks, located in Rockville, Maryland.  Paul is a trained professional chef who comes from a line of chemists, brewers, and bootleggers.  He began brewing at a young age and has continued homebrewing to this day.  Paul's interest in beer, along with his chef training, has pushed Baying Hound Aleworks's beers towards pairing well with food.  In fact, Paul offers recommended beer and food pairings, along with a number of recipes on his website.

The Baying Hound Aleworks began operation in Rockville in July 2010, though it only officially opened for business earlier this month.  Paul uses a 55-gallon brew house and two 42 gallon fermenters.  He bottles the beer and offers it for sale within Montgomery County, MD, though he hopes to eventually distribute in the District of Columbia and Virginia.  The brewery is named in honor of Marmalade, Paul's late bloodhound companion, who used to enjoy left-over spent grain from his basement homebrewery.

Below is our interview with Paul.

* * *

Lug Wrench (LW): What inspired you to start-up a nanobrewery?

Paul Rinehart (PR): I always wanted to open a brewery, starting a nanobrewery seemed to be the next logical step in the evolution of a homebrewer.  The only thing that sets me apart from a homebrewer is that I can legally sell my beer.

LW: How did you gather the required capital to start the nanobrewery?

PR: I took out a loan and got financial backing from my family and some of my savings.

LW: How have you involved the community in your brewery?  Do you interact with local homebrew clubs?

PR: Since I started my nanobrewery, which is actually the only manufacturing/wholesale brewery in Montgomery County, I have had a lot of homebrewers asking me what it would take to start their own.  I took part in a beer festival back in October, and will be doing a few other festivals soon.  I am responsible for some beer festival organizing so I've been given the job to try and contact other local brewers.  I love networking and this is a great way to do it.  The only interaction I have with a local brew club is being invited to a cask ale tasting put on by the Brewers United for Real Potables (BURP) homebrewing club.  I hope to have a little more involvement with them in the future.

LW: With regards to selling your beer, what has been the biggest challenge you have faced in getting draft accounts or shelf space?

PR: In Montgomery County, I went to places that specialized in craft brews and not the mass produced beers, not naming any names.  As for the rest of the DC metropolitan area, that is pretty much up to my distributor.  The biggest challenge is getting your foot in the door, but once you are in, you're in.

LW: Looking forward, what are the biggest hurdles you see your brewery facing?

PR: Keeping up with demand.  I currently produce two barrels per week, that's about 30 cases.  Last week I sold 40 cases.  But that's the beauty of a nanobrewery, because of its small size, its easier to upgrade.

* * *

The conclusion of our interview with Paul Rinehart and Baying Hound Aleworks will be posted shortly.

If you want to find out more about Baying Hound Aleworks, check out their website, read an article about them in the Washington Post, or stop by the brewery and buy some of their beer.

Cheers,

TW