Still not in Singapore
No, I'm still not in Singapore, but I'm working on it. You may ask yourself "what the hell does that boy do all day ?"Well, I am working on designing the brewing equipment and currently I am caught up in a discussion about material specifications - here is a little excerpt for you ..."With concerns over corrosion arising from the chloride / free chlorine content in Singapore's water, the piping, vessels, and material used for the processes should be stainless steel of 316L or equivalent to 1.4404 /1.4435. And although both 1.4404 and 1.4435 are classified as SS 316L, the difference is 1.4435 has 12% nickel (1% higher) and 2.5% molybdenum (0.5% higher). It is now more common to use 1.4404 for pipes and vessels. The finishing required on the materials is a matt finish (or a 2B finish).For heating elements in the vessels like heat exchanger's shell tubes and etc, the stainless steel specification should be 316TI or 1.4571 as these are subject to high temperatures and thermal shocks. For bolts to secure the suspension subjected to vibration like the spray rings or thermal shock; or to secure the heat exchanger, then A4 bolts shall be used instead of normal A2 bolts."Exciting stuff. I know you all are enthralled by this discussion and I will keep you posted on the specifications of the actual materials finally approved .
The First Test Batches
No, this is not Singapore (yet), but we needed to get some brewing going on, so I took a trip up to Seattle. I was lucky enough to be able to brew three test batches at the Elysian Brewing's Tangletown location. The Elysian's owners and crew really know how to help a brother out. Tangletown has a small 3 barrel brewery (just perfect for what we needed) and since they have another brewery across town as well, they had room for our three test brews. This was the first time Dick and I had brewed together since we had both worked at Pike Place Brewing over ten years ago. It was like no time at all had past, it was great fun. We brewed a California Pale ale (or a hoppy blonde ale if you prefer), a Belgian style Wit beer (with secret Asian spices), and a traditional English Pale Ale. All the brews ended up right on the numbers despite our recalculations and on the fly adjustments. Most of the beers will be shipped out to Singapore for sampling and focus group evaluations, but a keg or two might end up on tap at the Elysian or Tangletown - so if you are in Seattle sometime in late June keep an eye out for them .
Singapore is a very Green (and Damn Clean) city. This is a typical large thouroghfare. Traffic is (as you can see) not as bad as one would imagine for a city this size (about 4 million people). Public transportation is everywhere and cheap (as are the taxi cabs).
Street scenes around Singapore
This is a market area in Chinatown. On the shopping front Singapore has something for everyone; from Cartier to junk shops, and everything in between. There are products from around the world. The choice of local cuisines is unbelieveable; Chinese (from every regions), Indian, Indonesian, Malaysian, and mixed combinations of each. Really delicious, and really cheap (hor fun noodles with BBQ pork and baby bok choy- ummmmm)
There are a lot of Chinese writing and signs throughout the city but luckily for me everyone speaks at least some English (or I'd be doomed). I am really gonna have to bone up on my Mandarin.
An open air market in Little India.Not everything in Singaopre is ultra-modern. There are still markets like this one here and there. And dispite the almost 5 million people that live on the island there are still lots of trees and open green spaces.
There is nothing quite like a tropical rain storm.
Another street in an older section of Chinatown. This street is lined with the old two story building but you can see a more modern high rise in the background.
