As CHAOS marks its tenth anniversary year, the brewhouse will undergo a spectacular $10,000+ upgrade in equipment, benefiting all its member brewers. New brew kettles will enhance three brew stations. The fourth brew station will have its natural gas burner and kettle replaced with an all-in-one electric brew system. A new, single-tier-three-vessel system will replace the current tower-of-power system.
This overhaul is made possible by the generous support of the Harper Foundation, which approved our request for underwriting of the club’s capital improvement project. No funds from the club’s operating budget will be used to purchase equipment, which will also include pumps, connectors, hoses and other miscellaneous pieces.
The proposal was a group effort, the work of five CHAOS board members and officers. James Faircloth identified the opportunity and submitted the proposal on the club’s behalf. Reed Roussel researched the equipment and the budget needed for the project. Ben Resch prepared the financial statements needed, and Jim Vondracek wrote and prepared the proposal submitted to the foundation. Steven Lane managed the entire process.
We will purchase the equipment from Spike in Milwaukee, including their Solo all-in-one-electric system and Trio single-tier-three-vessel-electric system. The Solo represents one of the fastest growing segments in homebrewing equipment and will offer CHAOS brewers the opportunity to use different techniques, including step mashing. The Trio and systems like it are used by commercial breweries as pilot systems and will offer aspiring professional brewers a commercial-like system.
After the equipment is secured, the club will announce training opportunities for both systems. All members who successfully complete the training will be able to brew on the new Solo system, while the Trio will be available to alchemists who go through the training.
While we are still early in the implementation process, we anticipate that club members will be using the new equipment by March.
