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Deschutes Brewery Quality Control Video

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Full Circle 2008 to 2014

In 2008, I took my first production job in the wine industry as a Vintage Cellar Hand at Delegat's Wine Estate Oyster Bay in the Marlborough region of New Zealand. It is the vintage I compare all my other vintage experiences to: workmates, friends made, cellars worked in, number of hours worked, wine and beer consumed (during work and after work), food to fuel the long days and the list goes on. Each vintage creates memories, and these memories are priceless.

My first vintage in 2008

Gabby and me digging out a Pinot noir tank in 2008

This marks my fifth vintage as a Vintage Cellar Hand (New Zealand, California, Australia, Oregon and New Zealand). I have spent the past 10 years working in the wine industry learning as much as I can and doing as much as I can. I started my career in 2004 as an Assistant Wine Club Manager at a winery in California. I continued to work there for the next three and a half years and became their Direct Marketing Manager. It was also at this winery where I caught the production bug. I wanted to know how wine was made, so I volunteered at harvest and helped measure the Brix in the ferments and did some punchdowns. Then I started commuting up to Napa Valley Community College to take Viticulture and Enology classes on Mondays. Yep I was hooked. I wanted to make wine! So I got my Certificate of Specialization in Enology, quit my job and went to work harvest in New Zealand.

Over the past 10 years, I have worked in various roles at different wineries all around the world. I have sat behind a desk as a senior manager of direct sales, I have cruised through 500+ acres of vines collecting samples of grapes on my John Deere gator  in the Russian River Valley in California, and I have worked 12+ hours as a Cellar Hand on night shift in New Zealand inoculating, transferring and racking Sauvignon Blanc. There is no text book that could have ever taught me this much about wine, about life and about how big the world really is. These experiences have opened up my mind and my outlook on life and made me into the person I am today.

It looks like I have made a full circle because here I am, right where I started six years ago in New Zealand. There are new workmates. Sixty or so seasonal workers from all over the world along with the permanent staff of which some are still there from last time I was here. The cellar has added some new vessels, there is a new barrel hall and some of the operations have changed slightly, but overall things are mostly the same. Even so, the 2014 vintage will be different from the 2008 vintage. Different fruit, different weather, different team of people which all equals different experiences and memories.

This year Delegat's expects to crush around 30,000 tonnes of fruit. Most of that fruit will come into the winery to crush in 12-14 days. It is going to be busy. Actually it is going to be very busy. Tomorrow we find out whether we are on day shift or the night shift and which team we will be on. There are going to be six teams: 1) receival/crush pad, 2) runners, 3) floatation, 4) white team, 5) red team and 6) barrels. Hoping for days and open to a few different teams. No matter what, I plan to make the best of it.

This will most likely be my last vintage. Not because I do not like wine anymore, but because I am really hoping to get a part-time or full-time brewing job in Bend, Oregon where I live. I recently wrapped up a three month brewing internship at Deschutes Brewery, so now I am just waiting for the right opportunity to open up. Until then, I will be busy enjoying making New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and drinking a nice, cold beer after my shift. Cheers.

A few of the tanks at Oyster Bay

Our Wedding at Smith Rock 02.14.2014

Brewing Internship Video

Click this link to see a cool video on my brewing internship at Deschutes Brewery.

http://cameo.tv/c/FHvM9rVM

Sometimes life is as simple as a bottle of water

Sometimes life is as simple as a bottle of water. It can change someones day. Today it changed mine.

I was on my way to go grocery shopping at Trader Joe's when I drove by a homeless man and his dog sitting on the corner. This is not the first homeless man with a dog I have seen, but there was definitely something that stood out about this guy. So while I was shopping at Trader Joe's I picked up a couple extra things for him. It wasn't much, but it was something I hoped would brighten up this guy's day. I stopped by the man and his dog, rolled down my window and waved him over. He humbly walked up, and I handed him a ham n' cheese sandwich, a banana, a bottle of water and a giant box of peanut butter dog treats. What happened next cannot be explained in words, but I will never forget the smile on his face and how truly thankful he was. He said to me, 'Thank you! Thank you! I just finished my bottle of water too." To think a 29 cent bottle of water just made this guys day. It made me cry.

This is not the first time I have done something like this, but today it just hit home. It brought me back to reality about what really matters in life...that is making a difference and realizing how lucky I really am. I am lucky to have a roof over my head, job opportunities, amazing family and friends, traveling around the world, good health and the list goes on. No matter what lies ahead, I am going to try even harder to live in the moment and cease opportunities to make a difference in other people's lives.

Six weeks down, six to go

“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”
Confucius

It is hard to believe I am in my sixth week as a brewing intern at Deschutes Brewery. Six weeks down, six to go. This week I finish up on day shift 6:00 AM to 2:30 PM. Next week I begin swing shift 2:00 PM to 10:30 PM.

Video of my first six weeks:

Here are a few lessons I have learned thus far as a brewing intern:

1. If a tank does not pressurize, look for missing pieces or crank the door tighter. Ugh!

2. Remember the racking arm.

3. Carhartts are cool!

4. Getting a boot in the brewing door is tough. Never give up.

So six weeks down, six to go and then what? Great question! I don't have the answer quite yet. I am still waiting for the day I find out my why.

I am an intern...again

"People are capable, at any time in their lives, of doing what they dream of."
Paulo Coelho

So here I am. Thirty-three years old. Two weeks ago, I started as a brewing intern at Deschutes Brewery. Two years ago I moved to Bend to pursue this dream. It was not easy and I almost gave up a few times. But here I am shoveling fresh hops in the Huppmann Brewhouse. Life is good. My internship last three months and then who knows what life has in store for me. I will have to connect the dots and take it from there.

"Again, you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something - your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life."Steve Jobs

Mount St. Helens...what a day!

Yep. That just happened. Yesterday I climbed an active volcano (aka Mount St. Helens).

Postcard Experiences

Worldly travels have opened up my mind to how I want others to experience the place I live and love. Long story short is we met a couple of people in the Deschutes Brewery tasting room on the 4th of July and one of them grew up in Iowa. That prompted a great conversation amongst us.

They had originally planned to just pass through Bend, but of course they were having such a great time  that they wanted to stay and enjoy all that Bend has to offer...beer, scenery and more beer. Being the 4th of July, all the campsites were full, so I invited them to stay with us. They accepted and had a great time in Bend. The next day they continued on their journey through Oregon.

Anyone who know me, knows that I love getting mail! So today was an epic mail day for me. I received a postcard. A postcard? It is amazing that such a small gesture can create a lasting impression of a place and at the same time impact someones lives by creating great memories. 

Postcard experiences: going above and beyond the normal human tendency to create an experience for others, even strangers, so that they want to write it on a postcard for the world to see.

I am going to strive to create more postcard experiences for people. How about you?

33

I stumbled across this website, "33 Ways to Make 2013 Your Best Year Yet" when I Googled "33".  Year 32 has had its fair share of challenges and life changing decisions. I have finally found a place I can truly call home...well besides Wisconsin. I am still sorting out my career ambitions which may or may not include a real 9-5 full-time job, but in the meantime I have been lucky to be overloaded with lots of wine consulting opportunities to keep me busy. 

Next week, when I begin year 33, I am going to remember to write more, let it go, write my damn book already, do more of what makes me happy, and be a lamp, or lifeboat or a ladder. You never know what might happen if you replace "Who's going to let me?" with "Who's going to stop me?"

33 Ways to Make 2013 Your Best Year Yet

1. Fewer resolutions. More resolve.

2. Increase your daily level of optimism. AMAZING things will start to happen!

3. Be a lamp. Or a lifeboat. Or a ladder.

4. Mean people suck. Don't become one of them. Not even for a second.

5. Write more. Journaling, blogging, morning pages, notes to friends and loved ones.

6. Feature and leverage other people.

7. Be more gracious and more grateful.

8. Less excitement. More execution.

9. Let it go. Yes, you know EXACTLY what I mean. (Thanks again, Joe Calloway!)

10. Create a mastermind alliance or partnership. It will make all the difference.

11. Write your damn book already.

12. Drink more water.

13. In case of emergency, oxygen masks will drop from the overhead compartment. Secure your own mask before assisting others. 

14. Clean up. De-clutter. De-pile.

15. Make more lists and use them wisely.

16. When it comes to social media: Post value (not ego); Re tweet generously; Shout-out loudly; Thank abundantly.

17. Carry a notebook everywhere. Got an idea? Write it down. With today's date. And a "next action" step. Repeat.

18. Get more sleep.

19. Do more of what makes you happy.

20. If you speak or present regularly, your ideas deserve beautiful slides. This might help.

21. If you DON'T speak or present regularly, you are missing out on the #1 way to boost your career, grow your business, and magnify your impact on the world.

22. Nobody buys your products, services or ideas "sight unseen." So go get seen.

23. "If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough." ~ Mario Andretti

24. Read Getting Things Done by David Allen.

25. Master your inbox once and for all. Massive freedom will follow.

26. Tap into trends to generate more and better ideas for both your business and your life. Start here or here.

27. Stop worrying about the HOW. Focus on your big ass WHY and a small set of very specific WHATs. The rest will take care of itself. Honest.

28. Become more in tune with the time/space continuum. Seriously. Rather than wanting everything to happen "Now, now, and now" (which only causes overwhelm and frustration) focus more consistently on what you need to do "Next, next, and next."

29. The three factors to your long-term success:

1. Your Authenticity

2. Your Expertise

3. Your Enthusiasm.

30. Replace "Who's going to let me?" with "Who's going to stop me?" (Hint: Maybe no one?)

31. Reflect on the shortness of life. And pack as much goodness as you possibly can (for you and for others) into every single day.

32. Always pick up the check and leave a big tip.

33. You're pumped... You're peaked... It's game time... Bring it!

My first brewing assignment

In February, I received a call from Brewmaster Cam at Deschutes. Although my internship doesn't begin until September, he wanted to know if I was interested in helping out on a special brewing assignment. I am always up for adventure, so of course I was in.

I met one of the brewers, Eric Moore, at the brewery at 8:00 AM for departure to Maragas Winery. I know what you are thinking. Winery? Hold on. The story is just beginning. Bend may be bursting with breweries, but there are a few wineries and distilleries in the area as well.

Sunshine, snow capped mountains and a bone chilling 19 degrees, greeted us when we arrived at the winery about 35 minutes later. My first Oregon crush in February. February? Yes. February and I am not even in New Zealand!

Our mission: destemming and crushing 2 tons of 2012 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir into 5 gallon buckets. These grapes were harvested in 2012 and frozen in picking bins like the ones pictured below.

Deschutes Brewery is celebrating their 25th anniversary this year. They have teamed up with a few other breweries who are also celebrating their 25th anniversary to do a special Class of '88 Collaboration Series.

These grapes will be part of a special collaboration beer between Deschutes Brewery in Bend, OR and Goose Island in Chicago, IL. Having lived in both of these cities makes it that more special. This beer is a combination of a Belgium-Style Strong Golden Ale aged in Muscat barrels with Riesling juice and Pinot noir must. It will be out at the end of the year.

The biggest adventure you can take is to live the life of your dreams.
Oprah Winfrey

All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them. -Walt Disney

Fenarkle

Fenarkle. When you don't really have a plan and you don't know what to do, you fenarkle around (a.k.a. monkeying around).

Doing something and nothing all at the same time. Sounds like my life right now. Since my contract ended with WGGA, I have been searching for my next career opportunity in the wine or beer industry. Finding a job nowadays is quite a challenge. Being selfish and having chosen to live in Bend instead of a big city or wine country has limited my career opportunities to some degree, but I promised myself I would find a job opportunity that allows me a good work, life balance. Bend offers unlimited outdoor adventures, great beer and has a Midwest community feel.

Making a monkey face at Monkey Face rock with my monkey face hat

Working is important to me. I have been blessed with a career that I love and have had such wonderful opportunities around the world to learn new things and meet new people. I have accomplished a lot for someone my age. But I am not finished yet! There is still so much more I want to do and explore. So I am reaching out to old friends and using social media and other resources to uncover any opportunity that may be out there for me. I find it fitting on Inauguration Day to quote President Barack Obama,  "If you're walking down the right path and you're willing to keep walking, eventually you'll make progress." 

Making progress in life at Smith Rock State Park (January 20, 2013)

You have three choices in life: Give up, give in, or give it all you’ve got. So here is to giving it all I've got. Sometimes not having a plan is the best plan of all.

Monkey Face rock at Smith Rock State Park

Right up my alley

I am officially a member of the Central Oregon Beer Angels which is a group of women who love all things beer. This seems right up my alley. Speaking of alleys...

Did I ever mention that I grew up in a bowling alley? Well, I did. Kind of. My grandparents, Carol and Ray Lee, owned two bowling alleys in Wisconsin. Along with the bowling alley there was a bar and restaurant at each. Showboat Lanes was a place for the locals to gather, have a drink and socialize. My Grandpa and Grandma put me to work at a very young age. Grandpa taught me how to use the cash register and how to make change properly by counting it back to the customer. He made sure that I put all the bills facing the same way in the register and it something I still do to this day. I was also responsible for sanitizing the returned bowling shoes and tying them together, shining the flashlight for moonlight bowling when someone had a striped headpin and conditioning the lanes with the fancy plugged in machine. I have a lot of fond memories at the bowling alley.

I started bowling as a child too. I even had a bowling coach. She taught me how many steps to take, where to throw the ball and how to pick up spares. I made it to state a few times and won some tournaments. There is even a box full of bowling trophies somewhere in my parents basement to prove it. Bowling was something we did as a family. As I got older, I did not take bowling as serious. You can check out this video of my wicked bowling moves. Note: I was a pitcher for softball.



Sometimes I wonder why I am so lucky to have found a career that I love so much. It has not been without challenges, but then again what in life is? Sometimes we need to ask ourselves if we are working to live or living to work. While most people find themselves waking up each morning to the sound of an annoying alarm clock for a job that they hate, I have been blessed to enjoy most days doing what I do. And for that, I consider myself lucky.

My work with the Wisconsin Grape Growers Association has come to an end. So now what? Great question. There are lots of irons in the fire. Just like in the past, I know that whatever is meant to be will be. That doesn't mean I won't be stressed or excited about the possibilities. Usually I like change. But eventually, you find a place you can call home and hope that this is the last time you have to unpack your suitcase.

Becky Rochester, Brewer. At least for a day.

On Monday, November 12, 2012 I dusted off my old work boots and headed to Deschutes Brewery where I was going to be a Brewer for the day. My interdepartmental started in the Huppmann Brewhouse with Brewer Brent. Seven batches of Mirror Pond Pale Ale was on the whiteboard. “No sweat,” he said. We brewed batch after batch adding things like hops and gypsum and moss as prompted on the computer. He gave me a tour of the Huppmann Brewhouse including downstairs. We transferred some wort from one of the batches into the yeast propagation tanks to feed the yeast and keep them happy. We also changed out a water filter.

Where the magic happens

Brewer Brent showed me the ropes on the computers and as the morning progressed I was able to dump some hops in the boil kettle. Brewing in the Huppmann seemed like a piece of cake compared to some of the wineries I have worked in. I was dry and clean and happy.

Huppmann Brewhouse Computer System

Getting setup in the Huppmann Brewhouse

Later in the day I got to spend some time in the cellar with Ryan. This is where the action is! We transferred some Jubelale through the centrifuge and monitored the carbon dioxide levels with a Gehaltemeter, and we re-carbonated the Jubelale up to spec. We also signed off on some nitro stouts in two tanks by timing the pouring and settling in the glass. I volunteered to be the taste tester. We used the clean in place system and got some caustic for cleaning. By the end of the day, I was finally dirty. Now I felt like a true Brewer. There is nothing like a hard day of work.

I learned a lot during my time as a Brewer for the day experience. For one, there are many similarities between winemaking and brewing. I realized that I still enjoy manual labor. Brewing has a lot more leeway when it comes to creativity and styles. While Deschutes Brewery is the most computerized place I have worked in, it still takes a lot of hard work to make damn tasty beer.

Cheers,

Becky Rochester, Brewer. At least for a day.

2013...No looking back

Over the past year I have had a major case of writer's block. According to Urban Dictionary, writer's block is "a period of time when a writer's mind is completely blank and drained of any kind of inspirational essence. They are unable to write. They start to bang their head against the basement wall." I never went as far as banging my head on the basement wall, but maybe that is only because there aren't any basements in Oregon.

Some of the finest writing professionals like author F. Scott Fitzgerald and pop culture cartoonist Charles M. Schulz also struggled with this condition. So I will look at this lack of creativity and writing as some sort of mini-sabbatical.

I did not make any New Year's resolutions for 2013. I believe one should always be trying to better oneself at all times. This year, there is no looking back. No regrets. Just forging ahead and going for it. I will not over analyze things. I will just trust my gut and go for it. Live life to the fullest. Less technology and more doing.

No looking back.

As the wise Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.”

Becky Rochester, Wine and Beer

Everyone should take advantage of BrandYourself. It is a great way to help control Google results and also create an online webpage for your resume and portfolio.

Check out Becky Rochester's BrandYourself page: http://beckyrochester.brandyourself.com/.

I said "You Betcha"

The spot at Crater Lake where Brent asked me to marry him

Picture right before he proposed

The beautiful ring

Add caption

Yellow diamond

Practice is the best of all instructors

Today I attended my first session of sensory training at work. We lined up ten samples of a pale ale spiked with various sensory elements that can be found in beer (both good and bad aromas and flavors) along with a reference sample (#11).

Here are the ten sensory elements I learned today:

1. Isovaleric Acid: aroma, stinky cheese, can be caused from improper storage of hops or by bacterial infection.
2. Diacetyl: aroma/flavor, buttery and butterscotch, can be caused from yeast or from dirty draft lines.
3. Chlorophenol: aroma, Band-Aid or disinfectant, can be caused from water.
4. Geraniol: aroma, rose-like and fruity.
5. Earthy: aroma/flavor, damp soil, freshly dug soil, can be caused from water.
6. Almond: aroma/flavor, bitter almonds and Marizpan, can be caused by aging of beer.
7. Phenolic: aroma/flavor, spicy, herbal, clove.
8. Catty: aroma/ flavor, tom cat urine, can be caused from certain hop varieties.
9. Isoamyl Acetate: aroma, Laffy Taffy Banana, fruity.
10. Onion: aroma, garlic and onion, can be caused from hops.

Beer sensory analysis is similar to winetasting sensory analysis. Eight years of working in the wine industry with many tastings and classes may have helped me today. There are some differences in descriptors ie: earthy in beer is damp soil and earthy in wine is more like tobacco, leather and barnyard. Unlike winetasting where you spit out the sample after swirling it in your mouth, in beer tasting you have to swallow the sample in order for it to register on your flavor receptors at the back of your mouth.

At the end of the session, there was a blind tasting test where we had to identify the ten samples and what was wrong with them. I scored 10/10. Not too bad for my first time, eh? I have never smelled or tasted beer quite like this before.

Hopefully, I will continue to expand my beer tasting skills and knowledge of craft beer. That takes time and commitment. As Pubililius Syrus (Roman author, 1st Century B.C.) once said, "Practice is the best of all instructors."

No Bake Granola Balls

Ingredients: Trader Joe's Roasted Coconut Chips, Trader Joe's Clover Honey, 

Trader Joe's Rolled Oats, Trader Joe's Natural Peanut Butter, 

Bob's Red Mill Flaxseed Meal, Ghirardelli 60% Cacao

The finished product

1 inch No Bake Granola Balls

Delicious!

No Bake Granola Balls

Ingredients:
1 cup Trader Joe's Roasted Coconut Chips
1/3 cup Trader Joe's Clover Honey
1 cup Trader Joe's Rolled Oats
1/2 cup Trader Joe's Natural Peanut Butter
1/2 cup Bob's Red Mill Flaxseed Meal
1/3 cup Ghirardelli 60% Cacao
1 tsp. Vanilla

Stir all ingredients together in medium size bowl. Chill in refrigerator for half an hour and then roll into small balls. Store in fridge for up to a week.

Feel free to substitute or add in dried fruit, nuts or other chips. Add more honey or peanut butter if too dry.