Archive for the ‘Breweries’ Category

A Winery with ADHD you might say….

Thursday, October 2nd, 2014

Marketing our place is well…..challenging. Let’s see back in the 1800’s my wife’s family settled here in Marlboro Township Ohio. Since then they have been hunters, farmers, leather tanners, school teachers, truck drivers and what ever else put food on the table.

Making Hay while the sun shines

Making Hay while the sun shines

Today we are a farm, farm market, “Agri-Tourism Destination” with a corn maze, pumpkin patch and whole host of family centered attractions and activities. We even have a pumpkin cannon that can heave a pumpkin about a half mile. Back in 2005 we opened a winery and have about 10 acres of grapes mixed in with the 600 or so acres we farm. Most recently we have opened a craft brewery that is doing very well.

New stainless tanks this year!

New stainless tanks this year!

Try and fit all that in one blog, face book page, G+ page or just about any other vector that makes sense. I’m often unsure if my post about the latest beer bread we made from spent grain from the brewing process will motivate someone to stop liking our face book page. After all they liked us after a trip to our pumpkin patch and corn maze.

GoPro view of our 2014 Corn Maze "Sea Turtles"

GoPro view of our 2014 Corn Maze "Sea Turtles"

You might say we offer a Vintage for all the seasons of your life. On the same day we have hosted birthday parties for one year old’s and 92 year old’s and even threw a bachlorette party in between. We serve five course paired wine dinners and craft beer tasting events as well and toasted cheese and hot dogs. It all depends when you are here and what you like.

One day they left me to watch the beer boil!

One day they left me to watch the beer boil!

At the same time we don’t try and be all things to all people. We offer a reflection of our personalities combined with what the land we live on and work with provides for us in the form of a competitive advantage. We are not the cheapest place around but feel we offer one the best values for your time if you enjoy an authentic agricultural based fun experience.

Crusin' the Vines, Metal Muscle Nites

Crusin' the Vines, Metal Muscle Nites

We do weekly car cruises that connect generations. Families come out to see grandpa’s car outside instead of just covered in the corner of the garage on holiday visits. This blogs author grew up with the older guys in the neighborhood wrenching on 57 Chevy’s and 68 Chevelle SS’s etc.

Three generations returning from our pumpkin patch

Three generations returning from our pumpkin patch

So before the sun sets on another Ohio summer please visit with us if you have the chance. And don’t worry well will be here all winter open as well getting ready to bring you new things to see and do down on our farm.

Our goats up on Goatapalooza ramp walkway enjoying a sunset view.

Our goats up on Goatapalooza ramp walkway enjoying a sunset view.

Balloon Lift off September 27th 2014, Corn Maze wagon rides and a whole lot more.

Thursday, September 11th, 2014
Lots of hot air!

Lots of hot air!

We open our Corn Maze in Mid-September but our Balloon Lift has grown into our sort of unofficial Kick Off for the fall harvest season. It takes a few crisp mornings and few trees changing color to get people thinking about a trip to the pumpkin patch or corn maze.

Up close and personal

Up close and personal

Our balloon lift started over a dozen years ago when I asked a neighbor who owned a balloon if he would get a few friends together and take off from our farm. It has gotten to be a fall tradition. We launch between six and eight balloons from the meadow up back near our corn maze and campfire site area. Folks are welcome to get a up close view of the balloon crews at work as they prepare to take to the skies.

Grab a seat wherever you can!

Grab a seat wherever you can!

You can bring a blanket a lawn chair or grab a seat wherever you can! Our giant hay/straw crawl is a favorite place to relax as the balloons unfold and inflate and take to the skies.

Or just keep crawling!

Or just keep crawling!

Kids just love to climb on things! One thing we learned over the years is if it sticks up out of the field, Kids love to climb on it so we just go with it. We try and build as many farm theme consistent safe and fun fresh air opportunities to get out and have fun!

Wide open spaces!

Wide open spaces!

One unique thing about our farm is the setting. We sit up on a nice gentle hilltop surrounded by fields. The field we launch balloons from we make hay off of.

Somebody left their "sippy cup" unattended!

Somebody left their "sippy cup" unattended!

Some people ask can you have alcohol at a “family event”? We say yes you can. There are three to six hours worth of activities depending upon your level of abilities and interests. Folks can easily enjoy our wines or now new craft beers responsibly and be safe going home.

Did I mention kids like to climb?

Did I mention kids like to climb?

We encourage parents to get out and have fun with their off spring! We have lots of places for fresh air and exercise. So come on out September 27th, visit the balloon lift link on our web site for more information.

Craft Beer, Cask Beer Grand Opening Monday Sept. 1st 2014 10:00am

Sunday, August 31st, 2014

Monday, Labor Day 2014 we are set to embark on yet another new adventure at Maize Valley. If you enjoy Craft Beer please come and join us for our Grand Opening of Maize Valley Craft Brewery. But WAIT there is more!

We will be tapping a Cask of Stout too! What does that mean, I asked Jake our Brewmaster and here is a description:

Cask Beer is a traditional method of conditioning and carbonating ale before the advent of pressurized forced carbonation.

A modern Cask

A modern Cask


After primary fermentation, ale is transformed to it’s serving vessel with the addition of priming sugar or unfermented sweet wort. The residual yeast still suspended in the beer eats the sugar and CO2 stays in the beer solution.

Permeable plug used to release excess pressure before tapping

Permeable plug used to release excess pressure before tapping

Casks were traditionally kept in tavern cellars to keep the cool and pumped up to the bar with a beer engine. Cask Beer is a living beer that changes over time.

Tap that will be pounded into the Cask

Tap that will be pounded into the Cask

It takes a skilled cellarman to ensure the quality of the ale at time of serving. If done right, it should produce an ale that has a creamy head and soft carbonation.

Our "Itty'Bitty" bright or carbonation tanks

Our "Itty'Bitty" bright or carbonation tanks

Above are our “Itty-Bitty” carbonation tanks. Starting out we are not even a Micro-Brewery but rather what they call a Nano-Brewery. But that is okay we want to learn how to crawl and then see how the walking goes.

Craft Beer, More of the “More” to what we are

Saturday, August 30th, 2014

Well maybe we need to change this Blogs name? It is hard for us to get across the marketing message that is Maize Valley. We span a lot of different things.

Here we grow again

Here we grow again

Briefly “Maize Valley Farm” was began by Kay and Donna (Rohor) Vaughan my wife Michelle’s parents in the 1960’s. Kay’s ancestors were the third settler’s in the township dating back to the 1800’s. Donna’s parents moved into Marlboro township in the early 1900’s. After graduating from Kent State Kay and Donna were married and started the farm and family. They taught school and farmed as many as 6,000 acres. The farm included grain crops and dairy with their son Steve as well as other livestock over the years.

Michelle lower left, Breanne upper left, Donna upper right and Brett

Michelle lower left, Breanne upper left, Donna upper right and Brett

In the late 90’s the farm changed again selling the cows and some equipment and adding a produce market and agri-tourism venture including pumpkin picking and a corn maze. As houses closed in more in 2005 a winery was added and now in 2014 a craft brewery is set to open on Labor Day, September 1st 2014. Today we still farm about 600 acres, with a wide variety of crops ranging from garlic to green beans to grapes to pumpkins and hops.

Harvest 2014

Harvest 2014

Todd Vaughan is the wine maker and overseeing the beer production with the help of brewmaster Jake Turner. Michelle (Vaughan) Bakan manages the market and food service with the help of main staffer Scott Mann and a whole host of great employees. Bill Bakan is the Fun TSAR in charge of most all outside operations from grounds maintenance to all things “Corn Maze” and such.

Marlboro Madness our Pumpkin Cannon

Marlboro Madness our Pumpkin Cannon

Stay tuned as we work at using this blog to give “The Rest of the Story” of what goes on and how we try and manage folks expectations. We hope we do well for you. Thanks for stopping by.

Hot Chicks, Breanne and Cara Bakan at Maize Valley

Hot Chicks, Breanne and Cara Bakan at Maize Valley

BB

Corn Maze, planting the field part 6

Wednesday, August 20th, 2014

Since the fall harvest season makes up a huge part of who we are and what we do we spend some time talking about it. People ask us many questions about how we create some the designs. From a produce market and pumpkin patch with a corn maze we have grown into a winery and now a craft brewery. This summer’s weather has been very challenging. In fact we got about another 2-3 inches of rain again last night.

Sweet Corn field

Sweet Corn field

This blog post about our Ohio Corn Maze shows how we actually plant the corn. We are “old school” by modern agriculture standards in the sense our planter is about twenty years old but it gets the job done.

John Deere 7200 Corn Planter

John Deere 7200 Corn Planter

The corn planter plants six rows at a time each row is 30 inches apart. Our planter can plant No-Till or conventional where you till or work the soil from plow to field cultivator as discussed in past posts. Click here for tillage information Our planter is a vacuum planter.

Seed box for an individual row

Seed box for an individual row

What that means is we use the tractors hydraulic pump to run a air vacuum pump like on a floor sweeper that draws the individual seeds against a depression with a small hole in it positioned around the rim of a circular planter “plate”.

Seed box removed, black disk top of photo is the plate.

Seed box removed, black disk top of photo is the plate.

One bag of seed plants about 3 acres.

Bag of seed corn

Bag of seed corn

Seed corn in planter seed box. We “drop” or plant, between 24,000 to 35,000 seeds per acre (an acre is approximately the area of a football field) depending upon the type of corn, and the end use. For corn mazes I shoot for the low end because we plant the field twice at a right angles to each pass.

Seed corn in planter seed box

Seed corn in planter seed box

A individual planter “Plate”. Plates come in different sizes depending upon crop and seed size to be planted. The larger the seed the larger the “cup” in the plate, you also adjust your vacuum if the seed is heavier to hold it in place as it travels around the until it is dislodged by the brush.

Planter plate below seed box

Planter plate below seed box

A chain drive turns the plate and as it rotates once a revolution it comes in contact with a brush that pushes it away from the plate.

Chain drive

Chain drive

The seed travels down a tube and into the soil where another part of the planter creates a trench and then closes it after the seed is deposited. Row wipes lead the way directly in front of the seed disk openers. Which are located under the above mentioned planter boxes.

Row wipes are mostly used for No Till planting

Row wipes are mostly used for No Till planting

A Fertilizer Disk opener is positioned two inches to the side of the seed opener and a depth of two inches below the seed. “2 Down and 2 Over it is called. This helps to ensure the fertilizer is where the plant needs it when it needs it and is not wasted.

Fertilizer Disk opener

Fertilizer Disk opener

A closing wheel travels last closing the seed trench to ensure good soil to seed contact.

Closing wheel

Closing wheel

When planting you try a drive as straight as possible, it is a matter of pride and it also helps to maximize field area and yield. Our planter uses old style row markers. An arm extends from the side of the planter towards the side of the field yet to be planted. At the end of the arm is a disk that leaves a small trench that you line up the center of the tractor on. Today’s modern planters use a Global positioning satellite system to do this. Many tractors have this tied into their steering systems such that the computer/satellite actually drives the tractor.

Row marker trench you follow

Row marker trench you follow

The difference when you plant a corn maze field vs. a normal field is you make a second pass at a 90 degree angle to your first pass thereby creating a grid. This makes for a denser field of corn with great vegetation coverage which makes for a better corn maze experience.

View looking back toward planter from tractor seat.

View looking back toward planter from tractor seat.

If you have good weather and soil temperatures are good your corn should emerge in about seven to ten days.

Corn coming up in rows!

Corn coming up in rows!

We wait now about five to six weeks to start the maze carving process where we carve the corn maze design into the field from a solid field of corn. We like to have the corn be large enough a mower will kill the majority of it but not too tall to make cutting difficult.

Cutting the paths that make up a corn maze design

Cutting the paths that make up a corn maze design

Coming soon the “nuts and bolts” of how we create those crazy Maize Valley Ohio Corn Maze designs!

What is the “More” in Ohio Wine and more….it is a lot of things, this time a brewery!

Tuesday, March 4th, 2014

When I started this blog we already knew what we did as a business, family farm, farm market, winery, pumpkin patch, corn maze etc. etc. was different. Wine gave so much talk about it took center stage for the title, the more was about the other things. It was about the parts when added up we hoped made us greater than their sum.

We are not greedy, if we were we would have left agriculture a long time ago. It is just when we see an opportunity that fits into our area of possibilities we take it. The state of Ohio recently created a new permit that allows us to manufacture and sell beer! Yea pretty cool. It will fill a gap we have in our product offerings. We hear from our lady guests often how they would come out more often or come at all but do not because their significant other like beer.

Todd and Michelle practicing with some recipes

Todd and Michelle practicing with some recipes

Today my wife Michelle and her brother Todd are working in our kitchen experimenting with a recipe for an American Pale Ale. A great deal of the the beer making process relates to making wine. That is not saying they are the same at all but rather it is sort of like getting familiar with a set of ideas and tools. When you learn to solve one set of problems a lot of that information transfers, or at least the process does.

The diffuser we rigged for the "boil" into the mash

The diffuser we rigged for the "boil" into the mash

So we are starting off very small and humble. In the next month or two we will install a one half barrel unit to get us started brewing beer for sale. We will see how to run it well and make what we plan on being “craft beers”.

Old original trailer

Old original trailer we started selling sweet corn out of in about 1997-ish


But after all we started selling sweet corn out of the back of a two wheel trailer I originally built to feed heifers with when we used to milk cows. So who knows how far this may take us?