How Sophisticated Brewers Make Decisions
Ok, so here’s the thing. We want a new wort chiller. We have one now – a counterflow system that Matt built with his bare hands. I think it’s pretty cool, but truthfully, it doesn’t quite get us in the temperature range we want. So, the goal is to come up with a solution to the problem of getting 212-degree wort down into the 70-75-degree range in as little time as possible.
So, each of us reads up on thermodynamics, we talk to engineers who are supposed to know this stuff, we look at how the products that are out there work, and we treat the whole experiment as a meritocracy: that which does the best job wins.
As is usual with Bamf, we consider something to “work best” when it requires the least amount of work on our part while still getting the job done. Laziness must be factored into the decision. If it cools 5 gallons of wort to 70 degrees in less than 10 minutes, that’s great…. unless it means Matt and I turning a handcrank, reloading ice, and hiring 40 women with pottery on their heads to run down to the river for water.
So we tossed around ideas for engineering a wort cooling system based on plate chillers we’ve seen online. This is a non-trivial engineering problem. A neighbor pointed us to a site that sells chillers for aquatic systems. No go, but some good ideas were there too. We mucked with the problem and wasted lots of paper and ink on the issue for about two weeks.
Then it happened. Finally, a catalyst made its way into the decision making process. Something that made the decision so easy it practically made itself. The efficiency with which this all took place is not to be believed. From the discovery to the decision took all of 20 seconds – perhaps less. Are you ready? Here it is:
Matt needed a place to keep his Harley.
So here’s the entire Bamf decision making process as it was played out in this case, in its entirety:
Matt: Dude, I’ll give you $30 a month to store my bike in your garage.
Brian: Dude, just buy the plate chiller and we’ll call it even for 6 months.
Matt: Deal.
And that’s it. No engineering, no crazy fabrication. Done.