For the past 7 years I have been a brewer at a New England production brewery producing nearly 150,000 barrels a year. Tuesday the 9th of August my employment ended. I am both a motorcycle and brewing fanatic. I have been considering doing this for about a year but due to a demanding schedule at a production brewery this was little more than a pipe dream. Now I am unencumbered by silly things like employment and a steady paycheck and able to take some time for myself......
The plan is a 4-6 week tour of the US by motorcycle. During this trip I will stop and visit a preselected group of small brew pubs and micro breweries. The primary focus of the trip will be stopping at as many places as I can fit into each week and doing a day of labor with the Brewers. This can include anything from shadowing a Brewer or filtration and packaging crew to cleaning drains. I will even be willing to move spent grain or clean the parking lot! I will then write a small journal entry on each brewery and my experience there along with any other information the owner/brewer would like to convey to potential customers. This could be info on the best beer they feel they produce or a rant about a brewing trend that they feel should be altered.
The secondary focus of the journey is for me to meet interesting people and travel the roads of the US and write a bit about that as well. I am not an experienced writer and I am also not sure whether this entire thing will go beyond the first post you see before you. If it works it is cheap press for anyone kind enough to help out, if not it is an easy way to get a working interview for myself.
The trip will start this Sat August 20th and go until I lose all my money or ability to ride and write.
This is a lot to ask of both the brewing community and my abilities as a writer and organizer. Any contacts or experiences I gain from the trip will, at minimum, serve to help me find a new job. Plus, It will be a hell of a lot more fun than sitting in Cambridge, MA collecting unemployment and scrambling for a new source of income.
Thanks in advance to anyone who allows me to visit and takes some time for this project.
Go Ray! We will watch your progress with great interest.
ReplyDeleteLet me know if you're heading through Virginia...I know some guys at breweries in and around DC.
ReplyDeleteThis is awesome Ray, Russel and I will definately keeping an eye out for new stuff. With every end comes a new beginning and what an amazing idea, so glad you are getting to experience a dream!!
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