Tri-Clamp Gaskets, and Big Root Beer Orders

More necessary tedium today: replace all the tri-clamp gaskets in the brewhouse. (The ones on the fermenters and bright tanks will get their turn later.)

One ring, two ring, old ring, new ring

There are 137 tri-clamp fittings in this picture. Can you find them all?

Two tri-clamp joints and a valve

That took most of the day, and I was looking forward to a relaxing beer before going home. But a phone call from our wholesaler in Council Bluffs asking for sixteen half-barrels of root beer was shortly followed by an order from our wholesaler in Norfolk asking for 40 five-gallon kegs and 20 half-barrels of root beer, all of which needs to be delivered by Friday. I don't have that much root beer in the cellar, but I do have fourteen barrels ready to go, and another 28 standing by, uncarbonated, upstairs.

So here's the plan: fill as many half-barrels as possible from one of the tanks in the cellar, then transfer seven barrels into that tank from upstairs and carbonate it tonight. Then I should be able to fill the rest of the kegs tomorrow.

Filling a keg: The (root) beer comes out of the tank and into the keg "backwards" through the keg coupler

The keg is full when (root) beer comes spewing out the other side of the keg coupler

I got twelve half-barrels plus one quarter-barrel out of the root beer tank. I can take ten to Council Bluffs tomorrow, then come back and fill up the ones for Norfolk for delivery on Thursday. And I did have time for that relaxing beer that I thought I was going to get earlier.

I'll have to rewrite my schedule for the next few days when I get home.