Bouncer Meetup - The Men Behind The Screen - AdventuresInHomebrewing.Beer

One sponsor of this website is the Bouncer Beer Filter. I have done some reviews for Doug and Tim for a little while now. I can say that I truly enjoy their products. They are open to feedback. I have always corresponded via instant messages or by email. I now know… it’s official, Tim and Doug are real, and they are not like Milli Vanilli! They are who they say they are; beer guys with some awesome homebrewing products. Meeting them in person was a blast!

So, in the daytime job, I am a teacher. It is not often that we get to travel for “work” . So, when the Beer God smiles, it is time to drink! I had a unique opportunity that sent me to a conference in Wilmington NC. Can you guess who is there? Yep, Tim and Doug from Bouncer, and they call this their hometown area. So I scheduled a meetup with the guys at their go to drinking hole, the Wilmington Brewing Company. A Sunday afternoon meeting for shenanigans and business discussions sounded perfect! We talked about current product offerings and a few things in the works.

Enroute to the meeting of the minds, I found myself just a few miles away from the Untappd HQ. So, I had to make the pilgrimage. After struggling to find cheap and accessible parking in the thriving metropolis, I parked my chariot and walked a few blocks to get my selfie outside the HQ. Surprise! A new badge for checking in there. I doubt I will get the chance to level that one up, but to say I did it was pretty cool. Unfortunately, I didn’t bring a homebrew for that check-in, I used a local brew hidden inside a coozie since it was technically an open container, and I wasn’t current on all the NC alcohol rules.

Then I made the quick drive to the Wilmington Brewing Company. I got there a few minutes early, so I explored the homebrew shop. Then, I saw Tim and Doug show up, in full Bouncer brewing gear, so they were easy to spot! Formal introductions occurred, since we have never met in person before. Then the presentation of a gift, a few bottles of Neapolitan Dynamite. These bottles came through the flight cushioned in Bouncer coozies. I did get a little note from TSA for flying with beer, at least they didn’t drink it!

When having a meeting about homebrew, it is only fitting to have some good brew. I grabbed some of the jalapeno saison. It had just the right level of heat, and a phenomenal flavor. I also tried the Mexican Lager, since I had tried the flagship Tropical Lightning IPA at a local watering hole the night before.

So what did we talk about? Bouncer, the Boil Bro, the coming soon Growler Bro, the later upcoming Racker, some new screens, and some “other” things . Holy cow. My head was spinning with all the homebrewing conversations! So let’s break down a few of these talking points.

Bouncer Beer Filter

Hats off to Tim and Doug for making my beer better. With over 10,000 sold world wide now, that is showing the need for this awesome device. While pondering what to write about the Bouncer and Bouncer MD, I realized I could use it on my mash tun….in case the screen misses a few pieces of grain. Also, after cooling my wort post boil, I could be filtering with the Bouncer. I guess I have some new things to work with!

New Screens

So let’s bring out more screening options! The guys said people are clamoring for finer and finer mesh screens. So here come the new ones! Two finer options, and it is amazing. I can’t wait to see just how clear the new screens get it. I am almost worried the color will be removed! It blows my mind that we are looking to refine our beer so much more, but they said there is a huge demand. I’ll be doing reviews of the new screens as I use them. The packages are not out yet, but coming soon. I love that the guys have not abandoned the idea of making a great product, but instead are looking for ways to improve it even more.

Two new mesh screens!

All four levels of filtering screens

Boil Bro

This is a product that I am surprised more people haven’t grabbed. The Boil Bro helps for notes during your brew session, and taking quick pics of it at the end helps you capture those fleeting thoughts and measurements. The organization of your brew day materials, and a quick cleanup at the end make it an every brew day accessory for me. If you brew outside, it makes carrying in a bunch of stuff a cinch. I reviewed this a while back, and it is still holding up strong!

Growler Bro

Oh my! A new toy! Still in the design/prototype phase, this is ready to hit it of the park! Think of the possibilities. A mini beer infuser, or a small “randall” unit that fits inside a growler. This allows you to try different combinations of hops in your beer before brewing a full batch. It allows you to try adding in flavors of spices, chocolate, or coffee on a small scale. Imagine that each time you bring beer, it can be a slight modification from the last growler. Your homebrew suddenly has expanding possibilities! But wait, there’s more! What if your local craft brewery had that option too! The Growler Bro gives you and them a chance! I am super lucky to have one of only a few prototypes! Test #1? Whoppers cut in half and put into Neopolitan Dynamite. Verdict? Yep, there may have been a little gusher from my growler. This was not the Growler Bro’s fault. I will be trying different things with it, and will also be chatting with my brewing buddies about it! Looks like “Octoberish” for a release.

This is just a prototype….the actual production version may be slightly different.

The Racker

The “last” product that the guys showed me was the Racker. Quite often your siphon needs just a little help at the end to get the last bit, like around the last gallon. Or maybe you don’t have the space to truly do a full gravity siphon. This product allows you to have your vessels at the same level and still be efficient. A big plus is this will not stir up your trub like a racking cane! Let’s say your Bouncer filter was getting filled up with dregs, this simple pump allows you to keep going without stopping and emptying to it. I see a great need for this. Another great feature is how easy it will be to sanitize it….after all, sanitize, sanitize, sanitize! The prototype is still in development, but I love the idea. I don’t want to let the cat out of the bag on all the info, but let’s just say, I think this will become another useful tool. I think it will help you get the most out of your Bouncer, as well as it will help brewers with small space concerns become more efficient.

Follow Them!

The last thing that was awesome during our meeting was Bouncer’s presence on Facebook. Their page hit 10,000 likes while we were hanging! Wow! Talk about awesome! If you don’t follow them yet, pop on and give them a follow! I also hit 10,000 visitors around the same time.

Notice the 10,000 people like this!

CONTEST TIME!

So let’s celebrate this with a contest! I have lined up a giveaway with the guys from Bouncer! The giveaway will happen on September 28th, National Drink Beer Day. I will enter the names onto wheeldecide.com to find out our winner! The winner will receive a Bouncer Beer Filter. Each thing you do will get you an entry.

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So there are some great things coming from Tim and Doug. While we were hanging out at the Wilmington Brewing Company, they gave me a tour. I will have more on that in a future post.