CO2 Saga

Thursday I stopped by my usual CO2 supplier to get my cylinder refilled. Usually they do it while I wait, but it turns out there is only one guy who can do it and he was out that day. "He should be back around 4:00, so if you want to leave it here, you can pick it up tomorrow." OK, no problem, I can wait a day.

The fellow running the shop that day also raved at length about 'The Ale House', a pub down in Mukilteo. I did a little research and figured out he was probably talking about Diamond Knot Ale House. I'm a fan of their beers, but had never been to their pub, so a couple of co-workers and I decided to give it a try for lunch the next day.

On the way to Diamond Knot on Friday, I stopped to pick up my CO2. However, the juice man never made it in to the shop the day before, and was not certain to be in that day either, so it might be Monday before they could fill my cylinder. That was longer than I wanted to wait, so I gathered up my empty and headed on down the Mukilteo Speedway for Diamond Knot.

The pub is right across the street from the ferry dock. They have an interesting way of presenting many of their menu items. They are served uncooked on a platter with a piping hot slab of granite. The diner cooks the meat, vegetables and anything else on the stone at the table. I had a salmon sandwich, and my buddies each had pork, one Hawaiian style and the other Jamaican style. It was all really good. So was the beer.

On the way out, I was poking my head in the brewhouse when Dan, one of the brewers, happened to walk by. He was very happy to chat, telling me how he runs things and answering my questions. What a treat! He even offered to send me home with some yeast if I came back with something to put it in when they were kegging.

On the way back to the office, I stopped by Central Welding, one of the alternate sources for CO2 recommended by my usual supplier. They would exchange my bright shiny new cylinder for a full one of theirs, but wouldn't fill it. Bummer. No thanks.

Back at the office, I began to search for other places I could get my cylinder filled. The only other place I could find was AAA Fire & Safety in Fremont. I had gone to them once before, but they are pretty far away and only open weekdays until 4:30. By this time it was 3:30 on Friday, and I was in Canyon Park. Since I had no other options, I decided to head on over.

Traffic was cooperative and I made it with about 10 minutes to spare. The guy I had talked to was there, with all the lights out and ready to go home for the weekend. "You made it! I was waiting for you." He suggested that I might save myself a trip in the future if I bought one of his 5 pound cylinders in addition to my own. He also showed me 10 and 20 pound cylinders. The 10 pound was quite a bit taller than the 5 pounders, and the 20 pounder was slightly taller than the 10. I decided to go for the gusto and bought the 20 pounder. It was $120 full. Also refilled my 5 pounder, so I have that as a backup now.

On the way home, I began to wonder if the new tank would fit in my cooler. I measured it before hefting it in, and it was almost exactly the height of the cooler. There is probably less than a quarter inch to spare. The regulator has to be mounted at just the right angle, but it fits too. Very cool (so to speak).

I'm very excited about this latest capital acquisition! It will save me three or four trips to the CO2 supplier and works perfectly with my existing setup.