Ruby on the train
2008 March 1 · 1:43PM · Saturday · Oslo, Norway
Ruby on the train
2008 March 1 · 1:44PM · Saturday · Oslo, Norway
Wow, her eyes look incredible in this picture.
Ruby laughing
2008 March 1 · 1:44PM · Saturday · Oslo, Norway
Ruby is swathed in C hand-me-downs: the yellow vest, the jacket, the backpack, and the C hat.
Ruby cuters
2008 March 1 · 1:44PM · Saturday · Oslo, Norway
view of the river in Drammen
2008 March 1 · 3:00PM · Saturday · Drammen, Norway
I think the grey building there at the end in the Aas beer factory. That’s not where we were going.
Katy and Ruby running on the bridge
2008 March 1 · 3:00PM · Saturday · Drammen, Norway
Ruby was full of energy when we got off the train — she ran almost the whole way to the brewery, a 15 minute walk for adults! If you look at the full size of this one, you can see that Ruby’s elephant is nearly falling out of her backpack, which it did very soon after Chris took this picture!
the labeller
2008 March 1 · 3:21PM · Saturday · Drammen, Norway
We arrived at the factory and walked past the label-applying machine on our way into the brew room.
normal brewing equipment
2008 March 1 · 3:21PM · Saturday · Drammen, Norway
Here is a pile of secondary brewing equipment: not vital, but useful nonetheless. Duck tape, a hand capper, some pliers and such, engangshansker (plastic gloves), and strikk pinner (knitting needles). Johannes said he spotted some wool at the back of the brewery. Well, what else are you going to do while waiting for your wort to boil?
some grains mashing
2008 March 1 · 3:22PM · Saturday · Drammen, Norway
tour members touring
2008 March 1 · 3:22PM · Saturday · Drammen, Norway
tour members and brew members
2008 March 1 · 3:22PM · Saturday · Drammen, Norway
the tour leader in front of a bunch of malted grains
2008 March 1 · 3:24PM · Saturday · Drammen, Norway
tour leader, Ruby and Katy, and tour member
2008 March 1 · 3:28PM · Saturday · Drammen, Norway
Ruby got some grains off the floor
2008 March 1 · 3:29PM · Saturday · Drammen, Norway
Ruby eating the malted grain
2008 March 1 · 3:29PM · Saturday · Drammen, Norway
The leader gave everyone tastes of the different malts. They were actually pretty tasty and Ruby picked up lots from around the room and had a little snack.
Johannes checking it out
2008 March 1 · 3:39PM · Saturday · Drammen, Norway
That’s the big big grinder that Johannes is ponderingly looking into. Ruby’s also collecting falled malt grains from underneath — yum!
a man and his mash tonne
2008 March 1 · 3:40PM · Saturday · Drammen, Norway
big vats abound at the brewery
2008 March 1 · 3:45PM · Saturday · Drammen, Norway
the tour leader (one of the brewery owners)
2008 March 1 · 3:45PM · Saturday · Drammen, Norway
Haandbryggeriet’s dirty little secret
2008 March 1 · 3:46PM · Saturday · Drammen, Norway
a big vat
2008 March 1 · 3:46PM · Saturday · Drammen, Norway
I’m sure there was something special about this vat…
equipmenty stuff
2008 March 1 · 3:47PM · Saturday · Drammen, Norway
big tank of something
2008 March 1 · 3:47PM · Saturday · Drammen, Norway
Johannes admiring the bottle filler
2008 March 1 · 3:54PM · Saturday · Drammen, Norway
Johannes is usually the bottle-filler-operator at our place (our bottle filler being a tube with a special nozzle). He looks envious.
the big fermentors
2008 March 1 · 3:57PM · Saturday · Drammen, Norway
Each of those papers has the specifics about the beer inside. I noticed most of them showed a country of destination. Most of this great beer is exported!
Ruby and some big barrels
2008 March 1 · 3:59PM · Saturday · Drammen, Norway
I don’t know what they used the big barrels for. They didn’t appear to be currently in use.
at the tasting: pale ale
2008 March 1 · 4:06PM · Saturday · Drammen, Norway
at the tasting: bavarian weizen
2008 March 1 · 4:09PM · Saturday · Drammen, Norway
Ruby and Katy at the tasting: Ruby tasted water
2008 March 1 · 4:11PM · Saturday · Drammen, Norway
Ruby giving Katy a taste of water
2008 March 1 · 4:11PM · Saturday · Drammen, Norway
the first taste was pale ale
2008 March 1 · 4:14PM · Saturday · Drammen, Norway
next taste: bavarian weizen
2008 March 1 · 4:14PM · Saturday · Drammen, Norway
the winner: Ardenne Blond
2008 March 1 · 4:22PM · Saturday · Drammen, Norway
This is the one I liked the best. Fantastico!
Johannes’s hand fits the handprint on the bottle
2008 March 1 · 4:26PM · Saturday · Drammen, Norway
next taste: Norwegian wood
2008 March 1 · 4:34PM · Saturday · Drammen, Norway
smokin’!
Really, it was a little overwhelmingly smokey. The next day I was at the store and Chris was at home, he started a fire, which we haven’t done in a month or so. When I got back I walked into the house and thought “did Chris get some of that beer? It smells like that smokey beer in here. Wait, why… oh. It’s actualy smoke. From a fire.”
next: Norse Porter (and prettiest bottle)
2008 March 1 · 4:43PM · Saturday · Drammen, Norway
next: Dark Force (Double Extreme Imperial Wheat Stout)
2008 March 1 · 4:56PM · Saturday · Drammen, Norway
Ruby at the tasting
2008 March 1 · 5:17PM · Saturday · Drammen, Norway
Ruby keeping busy at the tasting
2008 March 1 · 5:22PM · Saturday · Drammen, Norway
the sign
2008 March 1 · 5:53PM · Saturday · Drammen, Norway
We visited the Haandbryggeriet in Drammen. It was awesome!