The Twitter thread went like this:

BeerPulse @beerpulse
Modern Times Beer founder calls out use of ‘finest all-natural ingredients’ in beer marketing http://beerpulse.com/2013/01/modern-times-beer-founder-calls-out-use-of-finest-all-natural-ingredients-in-beer-marketing/ …#CAbeer @ModernTimesBeer

Societe Brewing Co @SocieteBrewing
@beerpulse @ModernTimesBeer From someone who actually makes beer “by hand,” he is wrong. #travissfirsttweet#beermadebyrealpeople

BeerPulse @beerpulse
@SocieteBrewing wrong about what specifically? he breaks down each word @ModernTimesBeer

Becuase I can’t comment on the question using twitter I decided to write the response below in which I “[break] down each word.”

Modern Times writes:
“No one makes beer “by hand.” At a production brewery, hands might be used to open and close valves or turn on and off a pump, but under no circumstances are they better than the automated version. In fact, manual process controls lead to more mistakes, which leads to less consistent beer. And I have yet to hear anyone comment on a beer’s rough-hewn, handmade quality because it tasted different than the last batch.”

It is easy to see why someone who does not/has not make beer on a professional level would think that all a brewer does is turn valves and flip switches. But a good brewer, like a good chef, is going to be making adjustments based on observation; something automation cannot do. It is not a matter of just opening a valve and turning on a pump. It is a matter of when and how much to open a valve, and when and at what speed to turn on a pump. You can set your automation to do these things to be the same every time, but the beer, like any natural product, will be different and will require special handling with variances in the raw ingredients, processes, and even the weather; things that are outside of the control of robots. Do you think top chefs should be replaced by automated machines? This has been done. Machines make great and consistent microwave pizzas, but do you think a machine can make a $50 plate of food as well as an experienced chef with his hands? It may take robots to make the most consistent beer possible, but it takes skill and experience to make the best beer possible.

Modern Times writes:
“What is gained by using “finest”? Nothing is gained. It cannot possibly make a positive impression on a single shopper. And the absence of “finest” does not lead one to assume that a product is made with shit ingredients. There are no grades of brewing ingredients, there are only the personal preferences of the brewer.”

The problem here is the assumption that using the “finest” is based on marketing. Using the “finest” isn’t about  “making a positive impression on a single shopper.”  It is about making the best beer possible. How can you say there are no grades of ingredients? Of course there are. The beef sourced by McDonald’s is lower quality than the beef sourced by The Addison at the Grand Del Mar. It is fine if one prefers the beef at McDonald’s; I do not judge someone for that preference. Likewise, there is a range in quality of malt, hops, yeast, and water. Selection based on preference is an absolute must, but higher quality ingredients will make better beer than lower quality ingredients.

Modern Times writes:
“All-natural” means nothing. It’s not even a phrase that was once meaningful that now means nothing, like “local.” The entire notion that some products are natural and others aren’t is absurd. At what point does processing make an ingredient “unnatural”? There is no meaningful answer to this question. Malt is processed. Whole leaf hops are processed. Your poop is processed.

Beer is and should be a natural product. It historically has been made from natural ingredients (grain, hops, yeast, water). It goes through a natural process of fermentation. Fermentation is a natural anaerobic metabolic process the yeast use to create energy and reproduce. If you want to use artificial colors, artificial sweeteners, artificial flavors, or preservatives in your beer then it is not natural. It would be what I call a “malternative” and I probably wouldn’t drink it.

Modern Times writes:
“We will use whichever ingredients lead to the tastiest beer and the most efficient workflow, in that order. That might mean we use the cheapest malt, or it might mean we use the floor-malted heirloom shit imported from a castle on a scenic European river. It makes no difference to me.”

 This is where we agree.

Travis

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Monday, December 24th = Closed
Tuesday, December 25th = Closed
Monday, December 31st = 11am-4pm

From all of us here at Societe Brewing Company, we wish you a joyous holiday season and a very happy new year!

Cheers!

Societe Brewing Company

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On May 9^th 2012, with kinks still being worked out, we opened our doors to the public! Much to our delight we already had a following and many customers ready and waiting to come sample our beers. The feedback was, and continues to be, encouraging and keeps us working on brewing great beer!

These past months have been full of great opportunities for us. We have been able to participate in the Craft Brewers Conference, the Great American Beer Festival, and San Diego Beer Week 2012, just to name a few of the big ones. We were also able to be part of a number of other craft beer festivals in California, as well as a few private charity events here locally. We have partnered up with some amazing chefs to create some fantastic beer dinners and beer and cheese pairings, and have contributed in making some tasty desserts with a couple bakeries. We have been able to work with many beer bars, pubs, and restaurants getting our beers on tap and available all over San Diego County.  Our Grand Opening Celebration in June, with so many of you in attendance, was the best way to start it all off of course! But more than all of this, we just really enjoy making, serving, and drinking great beer! After all, that’s what it’s all about, right? Making great beer!

Here’s a quick look back at some of the last six months.

May 9th 2012 – Societe Opens its doors!

Line forming for entrance to the Grand Opening

Grand Opening Celebration

Gentlemen of Societe at the Grand Opening

Mayor Sanders with Travis and Doug at the Grand Opening

Societe Staff Picture at the Grand Opening

Mammoth Festival of Beers: Travis, Tucker, and Mark

GABF: Mark, Doug, Tucker, Travis

Societe table at The San Diego Brewers Guild Festival 2012

All of us here at Societe Brewing Company want to thank you for your support and encouragement, and for spreading the word about us and our beer! Without you we wouldn’t have had such a great first six months.

Can’t wait to see how Societe grows from here!

Cheers!

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What to expect at our Grand Opening:

We will have two sessions: 1pm-4pm & 5pm-8pm.  Each session will have 150 tickets available.

Tickets will be $5 and will only be available online through brownpapertickets.com. You will need to print your ticket and present it upon entrance. We are sorry, but tickets will not be sold at the door and no admittance will be allowed without a ticket.

Your ticket provides your admittance and your first beer of choice.

Speaking of beer, we are excited to say we will have 7 beers on tap for the Grand Opening!

Also, don’t be afraid to come hungry, MIHO Gastroruck will be on site for both sessions with a variety of tasty menu options for you to choose from!

Please note: there will be a designated smoking area provided for this event should you require one.

Attendees must be 21 years of age or older. IDs will be checked at the door. Thank you for understanding.

For more information or questions, please email: events[at]societebrewing.com

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We would like to take a moment to thank you all for your support and encouragement over the last 16 months! It’s been quite a journey getting Societe built and to full operation.

We have enjoyed sharing all the details of the progress with you. We are happy to now announce our upcoming Grand Opening!Mark your calendars for Saturday, June 30, 2012!  We are still working out the specifics, so stay tuned for all the exciting details concerning our Grand Opening Celebration.

And now, we are happy to finally announce the truth behind the rumor that Societe Brewing Company is up and running. As of Wednesday, May 9^th we will be opening our doors.

Our tentative hours are as follows:
Wed: 2-8pm
Thurs: 2-8pm
Fri: 11-8pm
Sat: 11am-8pm
Sun: 11am-6pm

As this is a soft opening, we will have limited beers available on tap, but you are welcome to visit us at 8262 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., San Diego, CA 92111 and get a taste of what’s to come.

Cheers,
Societe Brewing Company

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Mark is a San Diego native, born and raised. He began building his taste for craft beer with Sierra Nevada and “Sam” in the mid-90’s, but quickly graduated to the “newer” and more local craft breweries such as Stone and Ballast Point.

After seeing what was being crafted right here in his own backyard, Mark and his dad were inspired to start homebrewing together. This was both a fun and educational experience, and encouraged him in his desire to be part of the craft beer culture.

Mark has worked in different sales and management positions over the years. However, when he saw the local craft beer scene was really expanding, he decided to shift his focus.

In 2007, Mark was able to make his way into the local craft beer industry. He was pleased to be selling something he enjoyed and was proud of, craft beer.

Societe is excited to have Mark as part of the team; we all look forward to working
with him.

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Lorah Smith’s love for craft beer began in 2002 when Travis (her boyfriend at the time) kept hinting at the idea of making his own beer. It was then she realized she had to help foster this love and searched for the best home brew kit she could find. It was a hit! And she quickly learned that she too loved great beer. She became a member of the local homebrew club, made some of her own homebrews and a couple of collaborations with Travis, all while continuing on in her teaching career.

Since 2005, she has devoted much of her free time to work at as many craft beer festivals as she could squeeze in – pouring or just promoting great beer.

In 2009, Lorah, together with Travis and their two children, moved to Southern California to be closer to their families. Of course, her love and encouragement for the family remaining in the craft beer industry continued. She was hired at a local San Diego brewery in 2010 as their Social Media and sometimes publicist contact person. Right away she knew she loved the San Diego craft beer culture, and was anxious to help plan and promote in such a fun and beer loving city.

In 2011, when Societe Brewing Company started needing an extra hand, she gladly and proudly started working as a Writer/Editor/Public Relations/ Social Media/ Miscellaneous Other Extraordinaire! While the job description and company’s needs have changed a few times, her love and devotion in helping put Societe (and great craft beer in general) on the map has not.

As a craft beer lover, as well as being a Brewer’s Wife, Lorah has developed a respect for the art that is beer and brewing. She wishes to pass on her love and knowledge to everyone she meets, as well as hopes to help educate her children in the craft.

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Unveiling the first tank.

Travis & Doug with one of the 20bbl fermenters

Societe’s custom designed JVNW tanks include a 2-vessel 20bbl brewhouse (which can be expandable to 3-vessel at a late date if needed/desired), two 20bbl cylindro-conical
fermenters, two 40bbl cylindro-conical fermenters, two 40bbl bright beer tanks,
a 60bbl hot-liquor tank, and a 60bbl cold-liquor tank.

There isn’t much more to explain that the pictures can’t. So might as well let the pictures do the talking from here. You know what they say: “A picture is worth a thousand words.”

A Clean Slate.

The first set of tanks to arrive.

The first vessel to be unloaded. A 20bbl fermenter.

Bringing them in one at a time.

Our 20bbl fermenters.

Placing one of our 40bbl fermenters.

Placing and Leveling.

40bbl Bright Beer Tanks.

Backside view of tanks. From Left: 20bbl fermenters, 40bbl fermenters, 40bbl bight beer tanks.

2-vessel 20bbl brewhouse.

We are excited to be spending a good deal of time right here.

With the equipment in place, we look forward to the next step…Brewing!

Thank you all for your continued support!

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Some of you may have noticed that we recently posted a job opening for an entry-level brewery position on TapHunter’s CraftBeerCareers.com.  As of yesterday, we hired our newest employee, Tyler Tucker!

Tyler’s love for beer began like many with a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.  He became hooked on craft beer and constantly sought out many styles and varieties from breweries near and far.  After some time, Tyler moved to San Diego where his love for beer was fueled by the many excellent breweries this city is gifted with.  His fiancée noticed his strong love of beer and bought him a homebrew kit.  “The monster was born,” Tyler recalls.  He began homebrewing round-the-clock and applying to breweries all over the county.  As fate would have it, he and Travis connected when Travis brewed at a small brewpub.  Travis saw potential in Tyler and allowed him to work long hours in horrible conditions for no pay.  Since that time Travis and Tyler kept in touch while Tyler was working at different breweries in San Diego (most recently Manzanita).

Wanting to learn more about brewing, Tyler enrolled at the Siebel Institute of Technology and began taking classes in Chicago.  While at Siebel, he applied to the posting on CraftBeerCareers.com.  Upon returning to San Diego, Travis and Doug interviewed Tyler and offered him the position of Scrub Monkey & Keg Shepherd (and assistant brewer).  Societe is proud and excited to have Tyler on board and looks forward to working with him.

We want to recommend CraftBeerCareers.com to anyone hiring in the industry. It is not limited to just brewing positions, it is designed for any job openings revolving around craft  beer.  Congrats to TapHunter for launching such a useful tool.

More posts to come soon!

-Doug and Travis

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On August 29, 2011 we broke ground. The first cuts into our soon-to-be brewery floor were made. This has been the most costly and most exciting aspect of our build-out to this point, and we are happy to say that as of January 26, 2012 our brewery floor is finished! There is really no way to fully convey the depth of this project, but to give you an idea here is a summary of the process.

After finalizing our plans and deciding exactly where our brewery floor would be, we plotted out our 48′ x 34′ (1600sq ft) brewery and cellar floor. Then the existing floor was cut, the concrete was removed in huge slabs to reveal the earth below, and the digging began.

When the excavation was underway, and we began digging 2 feet down in the whole 1600 sq ft area, it seemed like the there was an endless supply of dirt. We are unsure exactly how many tons or truckloads it took to haul away  the 120 cubic yards of soil, but try to imagine taking that dirt and filling a few swimming pools and you might be able to get at least a general idea of the quantity. It was quite a lot in other words.

Once all the excess dirt was removed (and Travis took his family “camping”) we had 3 drains strategically placed: one under the brewhouse/work area/barrel cleaning area, and then the other two between rows of fermenters. We also had a 300 gallon Sump installed adjacent to the floor for our brewery/cellar floor to drain to, from the sump it then gets pumped out to the sewer.

You’ve probably noticed (or maybe not) that, generally speaking, brewery floors have a slight slope to them, ours is no exception. We decided on a 2% grade slope (which means it falls about ¼ inch per foot), and a few curbs around the perimeter in order to manage and direct the liquid that will inevitably spill and/or be used to clean the floors and brewery equipment. After the slope and curb details were finalized, two layers of rebar were installed to provide strength for the floor. Then we were ready to poor the concrete!

It took approx 13 trucks of concrete and approximately 10 hours to fill it in, followed by a few days to cure as we kept it covered in water. When it was ready for the final polyurethane/concrete coating we decided to go with gray urethane cement.  Through our research we found this to be the best option for us. It is chemical, temperature, and impact resistant; it should last us many years and many thousands of barrels of beer.

Looking back on the whole process, it was so much fun for us to spec it the way we wanted it. We basically designed the floor to meet our wants (and the requirements of the engineers) and to work with the brewery and equipment as well as we could plan. Ultimately, we found the complexity of issues surrounding the floor very interesting. Most people will only see it as a floor and not understand what went into making it, but now you know at least a little bit of what went into the creation of the Societe Brewing Company
floor too.

We know you are anxious to see the whole process. Thank you for your patience. So without further ado… Enjoy!

Old floor marked up and ready to be cut.

First Cuts!

First pieces of concrete removed.

The old floor was removed in huge slabs.

Picking up stacks of concrete exposing the earth below.

Just some of the slabs we removed.

Ready to being excavation.

Beginning stages of excavation.

Future home of the sump.

Getting ready to haul the dirt away.

All cleared out!

First layer of rebar going in.

First layer done...now onto drains and plumbing.

Some welding being done for the floor drains.

Drains going in.

Sump put into place.

Installation of plumbing.

More plumbing, and curb framing.

Second layer of rebar in. Almost ready to begin pouring!

This is it! Moments before the floor was poured.

Rather than post numerous still photos of the concrete being poured, we have created a time lapse video for you. Enjoy.

Keeping the new floor covered with water as it cured.

All Finished!!

Thank you, again for your continued support and encouragement!

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