SheppyBrew

Comment: on Apricot Lovin' American Wheat

2/21/2012 3:40:46 PM

Apricot Lovin' American Wheat About time to go to secondary with the fruit. According to my calculations based on the nutritional values on the back of the can, the 3 lbs apricot puree should be adding 4.6 oz of sugar. This is actually about what I would carbonate this batch with. To be honest, this is lower than I expected, but I am pretty sure I did the calculations correctly.

Apricot Lovin' American Wheat

2/16/2012 6:12:21 AM

Exactly like the Summer Lovin' Wheat except is has Apricot flavor instead of the Coriander and orange zest.

Comment: Blow Out on Apricot Lovin' American Wheat

2/15/2012 5:59:04 AM

Apricot Lovin' American Wheat Blew out my bung and air lock sometime last night. There was a surprising small amount of mess. Cleaned it up and put in the blow-off tube (not sure it was needed). Temp up to 64. Fermentation still active.

Comment: on Apricot Lovin' American Wheat

2/14/2012 6:48:05 AM

Apricot Lovin' American Wheat Very active fermentation. Temp strip says 62/64.

Comment: Brew Day on Apricot Lovin' American Wheat

2/12/2012 4:57:57 PM

Apricot Lovin' American Wheat My first double infusion mash went very well. Temps almost exactly where I wanted them. Efficiencies pretty much on target. Wort sample tastes awesome.

Eric's Red Failure

2/10/2012 10:26:44 AM

Trying to brew Eric's Red and things went horribly wrong. Not a bad beer. On the light, watery side, but good enough to share I think.

Eric's Irish Red Ale

2/9/2012 7:15:34 PM

One of my favorite Mr. Beer recipes, now finally converted to an all-grain recipe.

Comment: on Eric's Irish Red Ale

2/9/2012 7:09:54 PM

Eric's Irish Red Ale Took sample. Good attenuation. Good taste. Good color. Happy with this beer so far.

Brewing Links

2/9/2012 9:16:16 AM

External links that I've found useful to my brewing. Maybe they will be useful to you too.

Free the Glutens! APA

2/7/2012 9:26:22 AM

The matriarch of the family who swaps kids with us has a problem with gluten. Thought I would try my hand at brewing a gluten-free beer.

Comment: on Free the Glutens! APA

1/30/2012 4:44:03 PM

Free the Glutens! APA Nice compliment from "Gretchen" on my facebook page: "I have a way for you to get rich....or just make a good friend happy! Make more of the gluten free beer you made for me! So so good....honestly better than what's out on the market. You could make a killing....or just sell your recipe to New Planet. I can connect you with the owners! In the meantime....will you PLEASE brew me another batch?! I've been savoring it and I'm on my last bottle." I guess I'll have to brew some more of this.

Comment: Brew Day (yesterday) on Eric's Irish Red Ale

1/23/2012 11:09:53 AM

Eric's Irish Red Ale Brewed it up. Everything went well. 1.056 OG in about 5 gallons wort into the fermenter. 60 degrees this morning and clear signs of yeast activity.

Comment: Starter etc ... on Eric's Irish Red Ale

1/22/2012 7:03:32 AM

Eric's Irish Red Ale Got my starter started last night. Considering this is the 2nd iteration of making starter, I may not have even needed to do it. This morning I realized my hops were not where they were supposed to be. I found them on the kitchen counter. My Columbus hops are 17% AA, so I needed to adjust the recipe a little. Hopefully today's brew day goes better than last week's failure.

Comment: on Eric's Irish Red Ale

1/19/2012 1:03:18 PM

Eric's Irish Red Ale Got ingredients for attempt #2.

Comment: Failure on Eric's Irish Red Ale

1/16/2012 1:12:18 PM

Eric's Irish Red Ale Brew day yesterday was a failure. Ended up with about 5 gallons of 1.040 wort which may or may not end up fine for a session beer. Decided to re-brew Eric's Red next weekend.

Comment: on Eric's Irish Red Ale

1/14/2012 10:04:36 AM

Eric's Irish Red Ale Making starter with 4 cups water and 1 cup dme. Brewing tomorrow. Probably should have done starter earlier. RDWHAHB

Comment: first taste on Stone Soup IDA

1/12/2012 5:50:26 PM

Stone Soup IDA Nice beer. Wonderful citrusy hop flavor and aroma in a smooth black beer. Not sure I would call it chocolatey. Certainly not what I would call roasty. Perhaps a bit caramel. Just a nice Black IPA. Perhaps a bit undercarbed. Put under 15psi after I grabbed a couple of glasses.

Comment: Bought Ingredients on Eric's Irish Red Ale

1/12/2012 5:35:43 PM

Eric's Irish Red Ale Bought the ingredients for this today. Made some adjustments at the LHBS. Went with Simpson's Maris Otter as the base grain. Changed from C120 to a little more of Simpson's C80. LBHS was out of EKG, so I grabbed some crystal hops instead. Really looking forward to brew day.

Comment: on Stone Soup IDA

1/7/2012 9:18:07 AM

Stone Soup IDA Put the keg in the keggerator. Probably won't try until next weekend.

Comment: on Rocktoberfest Lager

1/7/2012 9:16:22 AM

Rocktoberfest Lager Killed the keg. Glad I have those few bottles fun beer gun last week.

Stone Soup IDA

1/4/2012 6:43:31 AM

Hoppy like an IPA, but contains enough chocolate and black patent malts to darken it up like a brown or maybe even a porter.

Buckwheat's Belgium Pale Ale

1/4/2012 6:43:01 AM

My wife picked out a recipe from Brewing Classic Styles. This is that recipe with slight modifications.

Sheppy Brew Home Brewing

1/4/2012 5:55:13 AM

SheppyBrew Nano-Brewery is an adventure in homebrewing.

Comment: on Buckwheat's Belgium Pale Ale

1/1/2012 12:38:09 PM

Buckwheat's Belgium Pale Ale Still lots of foam but man this tastes good. Much better than last batch I think.

Comment: beer gun on Rocktoberfest Lager

1/1/2012 12:36:18 PM

Rocktoberfest Lager Bottled up 12 with the beer gun. Bottling didn't go all that well. Too much foam. Think I wasted about a beer and a half getting all 12 filled. Keg is close to gone. Did not chill the gun and tubing as I should have. Oh well. Had one that was just wonderful. Very yummy.

X-Mas Ale 2011

12/31/2011 5:05:30 PM

Continuing the tradition of brewing special X-mas ales.

Comment: Kegged (last night) on Stone Soup IDA

12/30/2011 7:27:58 AM

Stone Soup IDA Kegged it up after taking gravity sample. 1.013 is pretty good attenuation. Love the flavor. Think maybe I left some of the dry-hop aroma in the hop sacks. Maybe I should have submerged them? Pressurized keg to 30 psi and am letting sit off the gas in room temp for awhile. Want to try to open a spot in the keggerator in a week or two for this. Can't wait to drink.

Comment: on Rocktoberfest Lager

12/29/2011 11:05:55 AM

Rocktoberfest Lager Head retention has improved greatly since the last note. Been drinking and enjoying it from the keg. Need to beer gun some bottles so I can empty the keg and get my black IPA into the keggerator.

Sheppy Brew Wish List

12/27/2011 4:22:22 PM

Informational page to keep track of what I need. Now, I need to think about kegging as my next step.

Comment: on Buckwheat's Belgium Pale Ale

12/20/2011 8:31:41 PM

Buckwheat's Belgium Pale Ale Tasted my first pull off the keg. Tasted good, but there is lots of foam right now. Why does it take me so long to get the carbonation on the kegs dialed in?

Comment: on X-Mas Ale 2011

12/20/2011 5:53:10 PM

X-Mas Ale 2011 Tasting great.

Comment: on Buckwheat's Belgium Pale Ale

12/19/2011 5:35:54 PM

Buckwheat's Belgium Pale Ale Put in keggerator today. Will let it cool for a few days and then start letting the beer model drink.

Comment: Dry Hop on Stone Soup IDA

12/19/2011 5:21:49 PM

Stone Soup IDA Dry hopped with 2oz cascade and 1oz Centennial. Put about .5oz in each of 6 muslin hop sacks. Originally intended 1.5oz cascade and 2oz centennial, but under estimated how much centennial I had. May add another oz into the keg when we get there.

Pompously Illegitimate Red Ale

12/19/2011 12:41:07 PM

In honor of, but not meant to be a clone of Stone Brewery's Arrogant Bastard.

Comment: on Stone Soup IDA

12/19/2011 9:17:43 AM

Stone Soup IDA Meant to dry-hop yesterday. Never got around to it.

Comment: on Stone Soup IDA

12/16/2011 7:24:32 AM

Stone Soup IDA Still going. Temp at 68 in the morning.

Comment: on Stone Soup IDA

12/15/2011 11:42:42 AM

Stone Soup IDA Got a blow-off late yesterday. Fermentation still going strong this morning.

Comment: on Buckwheat's Belgium Pale Ale

12/14/2011 6:37:46 AM

Buckwheat's Belgium Pale Ale Carbonation phase is over. Going to let this sit at room temp for a few more days and then start the chilling process.

Comment: on Stone Soup IDA

12/14/2011 6:24:50 AM

Stone Soup IDA Beginning of day 3, still going strong. Temp up to 66.

Comment: on Stone Soup IDA

12/13/2011 6:08:35 AM

Stone Soup IDA Brewed on Sunday (see my blog entry "Another Batch of Stone Soup"). Temp started at 65 and got down to 62. Fermentation did start up well before day 1 was started. Going strong right now (day 2 morning) and still a bit above 62.

Comment: on Stone Soup IDA

12/8/2011 9:20:04 PM

Stone Soup IDA Got ingredients during the day. At night, made a starter with 4 cups water 1 cup DME and two harvested US05 pint jars.

Comment: on Buckwheat's Belgium Pale Ale

12/6/2011 8:22:46 PM

Buckwheat's Belgium Pale Ale Killed the old keg. Good thing I have this one almost ready to go.

Comment: on Tommy Hawk APA

12/2/2011 7:13:21 PM

Tommy Hawk APA Still love this beer. Almost out.

Comment: Kegged (last night) on Buckwheat's Belgium Pale Ale

12/1/2011 6:39:21 AM

Buckwheat's Belgium Pale Ale Kegged this up last night with 4.75oz sugar for natural carbonation. Got much better attenuation than last time and ended up with an almost 6% ABV beer. Sample tasted good. Had enough left over after filling the keg to get two PET liter bottles as well.

Comment: First Taste on X-Mas Ale 2011

11/23/2011 4:43:33 PM

X-Mas Ale 2011 Great chocolate malt aroma and flavor. Hazelnut really complements base beer. Sweet beer. Really like this X-mas ale.

Comment: on Wetta Blonde Ale

11/20/2011 3:20:55 PM

Wetta Blonde Ale This beer has developed a wine-like flavor. Have no idea where it came from.

HopToberfest (sort of) Vienna Lager

11/20/2011 1:44:48 PM

I was really pleased with my Marzen lager and wanted to try a little Vienna Lager. This one is hopped a bit more than a traditional lager to match its name, though.

Comment: on Free the Glutens! APA

11/20/2011 12:00:27 PM

Free the Glutens! APA Giving away 10 today to the gluten - sensitive person we know.

Comment: Brew Day (yesterday) on Buckwheat's Belgium Pale Ale

11/14/2011 7:06:55 AM

Buckwheat's Belgium Pale Ale Everything went well. Think I need to up my expected efficiency and my boil-off rate. Used hop bags for both hop additions. Ended up diluting with about half a gallon of water. Ended up with about 5.75 gallons at about 1.055. Starter brought up above 6 gallons. Fast start to fermentation. Had to add blow-off tube this morning.

Comment: on Free the Glutens! APA

11/13/2011 7:37:49 PM

Free the Glutens! APA Tried one. High carbonation. Nonexistent head. Centennial hop comes through with a orange flavor. Malt starts off sweet. There is a hint if a metalic flavor at the end. Not bad overall.

Comment: on Buckwheat's Belgium Pale Ale

11/13/2011 7:13:26 AM

Buckwheat's Belgium Pale Ale Brewing today. Did the starter yesterday afternoon with 2 of my harvested S33 jars in 4 cups water and 1 cup DME.

Comment: on Tommy Hawk APA

11/10/2011 10:08:07 PM

Tommy Hawk APA Still great hop aroma. Still love this beer. Need to brew this up again.

Comment: on HopToberfest (sort of) Vienna Lager

11/8/2011 6:42:46 AM

HopToberfest (sort of) Vienna Lager Giving away 2 6-packs today. See Beer Gifts.

Comment: Bottled on X-Mas Ale 2011

11/6/2011 1:41:14 PM

X-Mas Ale 2011 Bottled up from my keg using the beer gun. 2 cups water with 1 oz Hazelnut extract and 1 tsp cinnamon. Sample tasted awesome. The hazelnut really compliments the nutty esters from the WY1272. Got 25 12oz bottles, 5 bombers, 4 liter bottles, and 2 growlers.

Comment: on HopToberfest (sort of) Vienna Lager

11/4/2011 5:15:54 PM

HopToberfest (sort of) Vienna Lager Tried a liter. Nice german malt flavor. Firm hop bitterness and flavor. Love this beer.

Comment: on Stouticus American Stout

11/3/2011 4:43:09 PM

Stouticus American Stout #StoutDay Had the first of this batch (from the main fermenter). Absolutely awesome. Passed out the bribe at work too.

Comment: on X-Mas Ale 2011

11/2/2011 3:16:28 PM

X-Mas Ale 2011 Took a sample. The FG seems to be right at 1.020, which puts us at about 7.3% ABV and about 73% ADF. The flavor is awesome. Nice subtle chocolate malt flavor on top of the 1272 nuttiness. Comes across slightly sweet which is perfect for a winter warmer. I've decided that the peppermint is not what I'm going to use. Instead, I'm going to use the rest of the hazelnut extract that I've had since brewing the Bluefield experiment. That should compliment the nutty flavor I'm already getting. Probably will bottle this up Saturday or Sunday.

Comment: on Rocktoberfest Lager

10/30/2011 4:15:03 PM

Rocktoberfest Lager Tastes great. Not much head retention. What is up with that?

Comment: Bottled (yesterday) on Free the Glutens! APA

10/30/2011 6:08:25 AM

Free the Glutens! APA Bottled it up yesterday. Didn't take a gravity reading. Just forgot to do it and decided I didn't care THAT much after I had it all sugared up. I did try a sample. It seems more bitter than I intended, but we will see how it turns out.

Comment: on Free the Glutens! APA

10/28/2011 7:12:34 AM

Free the Glutens! APA Cold crash today. Will probaby bottle tomorrow.

Comment: on Whisky Wife Wit

10/27/2011 6:15:07 PM

Whisky Wife Wit Had a bottle. I am actually pretty impressed with the orange flavor comes through in this old a wheat beer. I think this is a nice beer to drink.

Comment: on Free the Glutens! APA

10/25/2011 5:48:49 AM

Free the Glutens! APA Quick fermentation. Up to 68 this morning and appears to be just about done.

Comment: on Stouticus American Stout

10/24/2011 11:19:24 AM

Stouticus American Stout Tried one of the "satellite" beers yesterday. Thought it tasted awesome. I am sure if this one turned out good, the "real" batch turned out just fantastic.

Comment: Brew Day on Free the Glutens! APA

10/23/2011 6:07:28 PM

Free the Glutens! APA Brewed this up. Got a much higher OG than expected. Not sure if I did not measure the syrup right or if it has a higher sugar content than I was expecting. The sample tasted pretty good. Looking forward to seeing how this turns out.

Comment: on Free the Glutens! APA

10/23/2011 5:29:02 AM

Free the Glutens! APA Bought ingredients on Thursday. Made starter yesterday. Will brew today. Hope to have the Beer Model give these to G on 11/11, which is a pretty quick turn-around, but seems very possible with such a low gravity beer.

Comment: Bottled on HopToberfest (sort of) Vienna Lager

10/22/2011 6:22:26 AM

HopToberfest (sort of) Vienna Lager Bottled up this batch with 4.125oz sugar. Used the keg and beer gun again. Didn't actually take an FG reading, but I figure the one I took a few days ago is probably close enough. Will carb this for two weeks and then distribute to various lucky individuals. Got 29 12 oz bottles, 5 liter bottles, and 3 bombers.

Comment: on Rocktoberfest Lager

10/20/2011 7:42:11 PM

Rocktoberfest Lager Have had the keg in the keggerator for a few days. Tried a draft tonight. Might have have been a bit undercarbed so I pressured up the CO2 to 15psi. Will leave it for a few days. The beer tasted perfect to me. The rich malty munich was balanced perfectly with hop bitterness. Loved the flavor.

Comment: on X-Mas Ale 2011

10/20/2011 12:11:29 PM

X-Mas Ale 2011 Removed the blow-off tube last night and put the air-lock back on. Still fermenting away, but seems to be slowing down a little bit.

Comment: on HopToberfest (sort of) Vienna Lager

10/19/2011 5:10:44 PM

HopToberfest (sort of) Vienna Lager FG at about 1.011. A little bit more in Tuke. A little less in Rutt. This puts us at 4.8 ABV and about 77% ADF. Flavor is right about exactly what I wanted. I think I was hoping for a bit more hop aroma, but I am pretty fine with the sample in whole. Hope to bottle this weekend if I have enough bottles.

Comment: on X-Mas Ale 2011

10/18/2011 3:00:26 PM

X-Mas Ale 2011 Good thing I had the blow-off tube in there. It blew off later the same day.

Comment: on X-Mas Ale 2011

10/17/2011 6:05:37 AM

X-Mas Ale 2011 Brewed this up yesterday (see the article on my blog). This morning, the fermentation was going strong at about 68 degrees. I put in the blow-off tube just in case.

Stouticus American Stout

10/16/2011 6:51:35 AM

Black and roasty with coffee and chocolate notes and a fair amount of citrusy hops. A stout-lover's treat. Developed to share with the good people at FHS.

Comment: Bottled on Stouticus American Stout

10/16/2011 6:49:58 AM

Stouticus American Stout Bottled up with 4.25oz sugar in a keg. Used the beer gun to bottle. Still at 1.020. I really thought the sample was fantastic again. Got 39 12 oz bottles; 4 bombers; 2 liters.

X-Mas Ales 2009 - 2011

10/14/2011 6:04:47 AM

Every year I make an X-Mas Ale and every year it is a little bit different. Here they are:

Comment: on HopToberfest (sort of) Vienna Lager

10/13/2011 10:41:34 AM

HopToberfest (sort of) Vienna Lager After the first few days, I let the temps rise above lager temps in both fermenters. We'll see how this ends up tasting.

Comment: on Stouticus American Stout

10/9/2011 6:07:43 PM

Stouticus American Stout Took a sample. 1.020 OG. Makes it 5.3 ABV and 66.7% ADF. Was expecting a slightly better attenuation, but I'm ok with 1.020. I was going to add lactose to get it up to 1.020 anyway. The sample tasted amazing IMHO.

Comment: Brew Day on HopToberfest (sort of) Vienna Lager

10/9/2011 6:00:50 PM

HopToberfest (sort of) Vienna Lager Brewed up this recipe. Did the starter early in the morning. Things went pretty well, although mash efficiency was not as high as usual.

Comment: on Gringo Cerveza Jalapeño Cream Ale

10/9/2011 12:17:08 PM

Gringo Cerveza Jalapeño Cream Ale Still drinking. Still great.

Psychotically Dark and Bitter IDA

10/8/2011 7:28:15 AM

Dark in color bitter because of an insane amount of high-alpha hops in such a small batch. This is an India Dark Ale.

Comment: on Rocktoberfest Lager

10/6/2011 9:08:26 PM

Rocktoberfest Lager Looks like I made the same mistake with this as I did with Buckwheat ... I primed as if I had 5.5 gallons instead of the 4.8 gallons in the keg. Am going to off-gas this a little bit every day.

Comment: on Stouticus American Stout

10/6/2011 9:00:39 PM

Stouticus American Stout Put some of the beer from the satellite fermenter into 4 bottles. Dumped out the rest. Didn't take an OG reading. Sample tasted very good.

Comment: on Phat & Tyred Amber Ale

10/6/2011 8:58:54 PM

Phat & Tyred Amber Ale Was going to use the beer gun again. Filled one bottle and the keg died.

Rocktoberfest Lager

10/4/2011 5:49:21 PM

Seasonal beer to drink during the baseball playoffs ... hopefully while the Rockies are going to another world series. The first one was a dark, balanced, almost sweet brew with a decent ABV. It was sort of a dunkle munich style ale. 2010 is closer to a traditional Ocktoberfest lager without any Mr. Beer ingredients. Am planning to brew this every August to be ready around October.

Comment: Kegged on Rocktoberfest Lager

10/4/2011 5:47:26 PM

Rocktoberfest Lager Kegged these up with about 4.75oz table sugar. Set the psi to 15 or so to seal the keg up. OG ended up right at 1.011 for both fermenters. Sample tasted great. Exactly what I think a flat Oktoberfest should taste like.

Comment: on Stouticus American Stout

9/27/2011 7:45:06 AM

Stouticus American Stout Brewed on Sunday see Thankyou Stouticus blog entry. Put a little over half a gallon in 1 gallon water jug as a sort of satellite fermenter (although not at same temp). It seems to be done. Main fermenter started quickly and is going pretty well at 64 on day 2.

Comment: on Wetta Blonde Ale

9/24/2011 5:08:55 PM

Wetta Blonde Ale Tasted LB. Beautiful gold color with thick white head. Nicely balanced malts with goldings hops. Wonderful beer.

Comment: First taste on Psychotically Dark and Bitter IDA

9/23/2011 4:54:38 PM

Psychotically Dark and Bitter IDA Had the LB. Very hoppy and pretty dark as advertised. Certainly not a black IPA, but a beautiful dark brown. Somewhat citrusy, but sort of an earthy pungency from the hops really play nicely with the dark chocolate malts. Great IDA!

Comment: Starter on Stouticus American Stout

9/22/2011 5:33:18 AM

Stouticus American Stout Made a yeast starter of about a quart water to 1 cup DME last night. Working away this morning.

Comment: Samples on Rocktoberfest Lager

9/21/2011 5:03:28 PM

Rocktoberfest Lager Took a couple of samples. Tuke was right at 1.012 and Rutt was about 1.014. Average out to 1.013 means about 6% ABV and 77 ADF. Both samples taste absolutely fantastic.

Comment: Bought ingredients on Stouticus American Stout

9/21/2011 2:19:36 PM

Stouticus American Stout I purchased my ingredients yesterday. I am substituting flaked barely for 1 pound of the 2-row. Need to update recipe. Brewing this weekend.

Comment: on Psychotically Dark and Bitter IDA

9/20/2011 5:04:43 PM

Psychotically Dark and Bitter IDA Labeled the bottles and put some in the fridge.

Comment: on Wetta Blonde Ale

9/18/2011 6:00:31 AM

Wetta Blonde Ale More in the fridge. Huera will be here soon.

Comment: on Rocktoberfest Lager

9/18/2011 4:42:11 AM

Rocktoberfest Lager Well, Tuke seems pretty much done. I'll let his temperature rise to finish up. Rutt still seems to be working away. I'll keep his temp low. I probably had a bit more variation in temperature than I really wanted in both coolers. They certainly stayed in the right range, but they went back and forth between 52 and 56 depending on what phase the ice bottles were in.

Comment: on Rocktoberfest Lager

9/12/2011 10:16:10 PM

Rocktoberfest Lager Now both are at 52 and chugging away.

Comment: on Bluefield Chocolate Ale

9/12/2011 7:39:03 PM

Bluefield Chocolate Ale Last liter. Nice, rich, deep chocolate. Ages well.Will have to see what we can do for the next iteration of Bluefield Ale.

Comment: on Rocktoberfest Lager

9/12/2011 6:06:32 AM

Rocktoberfest Lager Both are at a good temperature. Tuke is visually fermenting away. Rutt is lagging, but looks like he should be going by the end of the day.

Comment: Brew Day on Rocktoberfest Lager

9/11/2011 3:46:24 PM

Rocktoberfest Lager Brewed it up. Everything went pretty well.

Comment: on Phat & Tyred Amber Ale

9/10/2011 6:14:13 PM

Phat & Tyred Amber Ale Filled 14 12 oz bottles and 1 bomber from the keg. First time using the beer gun. Have some process tweaks, but all-in-all it went well.

Comment: on Wetta Blonde Ale

9/10/2011 6:05:50 AM

Wetta Blonde Ale Put some (the bigger ones and the LB) in the beer fridge. The rest went into the conditioning cooler. I'm hoping that the ones in the cc will help stabilize the temps on the Rocktoberfest lager I'm brewing this weekend.

Comment: Bottled on Psychotically Dark and Bitter IDA

9/10/2011 5:26:44 AM

Psychotically Dark and Bitter IDA Bottled up in 13 12oz bottles, 4 22oz bombers, and 2 1 liter bottles. Batch primed with 2.25oz cane sugar. This is certainly not dark enough to be called a black-ipa. Might be more of an American Brown, although I've never tasted a brown that is this hoppy. Sample was good. Not as much hop aroma as I expected.

Comment: Dry Hop on Psychotically Dark and Bitter IDA

9/7/2011 4:34:44 PM

Psychotically Dark and Bitter IDA Added .5oz of Columbus for dry hop.

Comment: on Wetta Blonde Ale

9/7/2011 4:56:38 AM

Wetta Blonde Ale Labeled the bottles today. Still has some time to carb, but should be ready to drink soon.

Comment: Updated Recipe on Rocktoberfest Lager

9/6/2011 7:52:55 PM

Rocktoberfest Lager Will most likely brew this up over the upcoming weekend.

Comment: Need to brew again on Stouticus American Stout

9/6/2011 8:56:43 AM

Stouticus American Stout I am using this beer as a bribe to donate to the 2nd Wind Fund.

Comment: on X-Mas Ale 2011

8/28/2011 5:12:53 AM

X-Mas Ale 2011 Got the recipe for the base beer finalized, but what about the spices?

Comment: Fermentation on Psychotically Dark and Bitter IDA

8/28/2011 3:09:23 AM

Psychotically Dark and Bitter IDA The fermentation has been going strong and is still going pretty well. Has been up to 70 or 72. Currently at about 68. Getting pretty strong hop aroma in the fermentation cooler.

Comment: on Wetta Blonde Ale

8/27/2011 4:49:51 AM

Wetta Blonde Ale 76% ADF by the way.

Comment: Bottled on Wetta Blonde Ale

8/27/2011 4:46:44 AM

Wetta Blonde Ale Bottled up with 2.75oz honey. 1.012FG which give it right at 5% ABV. Got 12 12oz bottles; 4 bombers; 2 liter bottles.

Comment: First taste on Phat & Tyred Amber Ale

8/26/2011 4:12:22 PM

Phat & Tyred Amber Ale Poured myself a couple of mugs from the keg. Carbonation seems about right. Nice color. Maybe a little more fruity esters than previous batches of P&T, but that might just be because I have not had it in awhile. Very tasty.

Comment: Brew Day (last night) on Psychotically Dark and Bitter IDA

8/26/2011 7:27:49 AM

Psychotically Dark and Bitter IDA Another simple recipe and another quick brew night. Used a hop-sack for the ridiculous amount of Columbus hops at the 10 minute addition. I pitched at about 70 and cooled in my fermentation cooler last night. This morning, the temp was at about 65. There were signs that fermentation was getting started this morning. Hope to see it going crazy tonight.

Comment: on Wetta Blonde Ale

8/25/2011 10:13:19 AM

Wetta Blonde Ale Think I'm going to bottle this up this weekend.

Comment: on Wetta Blonde Ale

8/18/2011 5:57:07 AM

Wetta Blonde Ale Early morning, looks like kraussen is starting to form. Temp still right at 65.

Comment: Brewing Day on Wetta Blonde Ale

8/17/2011 8:00:47 PM

Wetta Blonde Ale Did it pretty much all during the hour that I let the kids watch Phineas and Ferb before bed. Everything went smooth. Pitched at 65. 1.051 OG. Excited to have some in a month or so.

Quarter Life Crisis Hoppy Red Ale

8/17/2011 8:54:46 AM

Extreme American amber. Big, bold, lots of hops. Brewed it up using Jamil's West Coast Blaster as sort of a basis of the recipe.

Comment: on Phat & Tyred Amber Ale

8/15/2011 5:12:43 PM

Phat & Tyred Amber Ale Drained some beer off the top and re-pressurized to 35psi. Did not get the spillage back into the CO2 line, so I hope that means I got enough out so that the gas dip tube is no longer under beer. Going to keep this keg warm for a couple of weeks I think.

Comment: on Tommy Hawk APA

8/14/2011 5:51:09 PM

Tommy Hawk APA Finished off the last non-dry-hopped bottle. So good. Sad to see it gone.

Comment: Killed the Keg on Quarter Life Crisis Hoppy Red Ale

8/11/2011 9:43:32 PM

Quarter Life Crisis Hoppy Red Ale Well, I filled a growler up to take camping this weekend and blew the keg. Boy, that didn't last long.

Comment: on Quarter Life Crisis Hoppy Red Ale

8/9/2011 7:43:11 PM

Quarter Life Crisis Hoppy Red Ale The problem with drinking from a keg is that you don't know how much is left. I've been drinking this. I'm not sure it is as good as my last batch. I don't think the naked hops dry hop was a good idea. Still good. Just not sure it is as good. Plus, not sure some this high in alcohol should be this easy to pour and drink. Would like to bottle some of this from the keg and put something else in the keg.

Comment: Kegged on Phat & Tyred Amber Ale

8/9/2011 6:03:58 PM

Phat & Tyred Amber Ale Kegged it up. Still at 1.018. Tasted good. Got my PSI up to 35 and then disconnected because beer leaked into the gas line. Think I overfilled the keg.

Comment: Gravity Sample on Phat & Tyred Amber Ale

8/6/2011 5:11:34 PM

Phat & Tyred Amber Ale Today, I used the wine thief to grab a sample. The gravity was a little high at 1.018, but my mash temps did get a bit high, so that is not unexpected. The aroma coming out of the carboy seemed a bit off, but the sample tasted very good with the nice biscuity, nutty flavor that this yeast does a good job giving me. It does seem a bit sweet, but that is probably due to the high FG. Plus, I am used to drinking QLC, which is much more bitter.

Comment: Brew Day on Phat & Tyred Amber Ale

7/25/2011 7:27:04 AM

Phat & Tyred Amber Ale Yesterday was brew day. Things went pretty well, although it was very hot outside. Wort was at 60 this morning and the yeasties had not really started yet. Hope to see activity when I get home tonight.

Comment: Different is good! on Phat & Tyred Amber Ale

7/22/2011 9:51:44 AM

Phat & Tyred Amber Ale Mine's a little different but different is good and based on your #3 I do believe. Great beer and is superb alternative to all those citrus beers out there! Great job!

Comment: on Phat & Tyred Amber Ale

7/22/2011 7:34:05 AM

Phat & Tyred Amber Ale Bought ingredients yesterday and made my yeast starter last night. Brewing this weekend.

Comment: on Gringo Cerveza Jalapeño Cream Ale

7/21/2011 9:18:18 AM

Gringo Cerveza Jalapeño Cream Ale My father-in-law really seems to like both these beers.

Comment: on Quarter Life Crisis Hoppy Red Ale

7/19/2011 7:08:30 PM

Quarter Life Crisis Hoppy Red Ale The keg of Summer Lovin' died this weekend, so today I transferred from one keg to another. Letting new keg cool again before trying to serve from that keg. Did leave quite a bit behind in keg 1 and auto-siphoned that off to drink. Yummy.

Summer Lovin' American Wheat

7/19/2011 5:00:12 PM

My beer model wanted to brew a beer like New Belgium's Sunshine Wheat on the 2011 National National Home-Brew Day.

Comment: on 15 Year Anniversary Amber Ale

7/19/2011 4:56:22 PM

15 Year Anniversary Amber Ale Sadly, just about gone. Just one left.

Fox Sox Knox Rye Pale Ale

7/19/2011 4:55:13 PM

Based mostly on a Can you Brew It recipe for Terrapin Type Pale Ale, this is my first recipe using rye.

Comment: on Fox Sox Knox Rye Pale Ale

7/19/2011 4:54:53 PM

Fox Sox Knox Rye Pale Ale Gone!

Comment: on Summer Lovin' American Wheat

7/16/2011 6:55:46 AM

Summer Lovin' American Wheat Brought up the keg of Summer Lovin to Breckenridge with the Beer Model's family. It was emptied early the first night. Nice beer. Might have to brew this again before the summer is up.

Comment: on Tommy Hawk APA

7/14/2011 9:23:54 PM

Tommy Hawk APA OMG this is a great beer.

Comment: on Fox Sox Knox Rye Pale Ale

7/14/2011 9:22:45 PM

Fox Sox Knox Rye Pale Ale Wow this tastes great.

Comment: on Quarter Life Crisis Hoppy Red Ale

7/7/2011 12:05:03 PM

Quarter Life Crisis Hoppy Red Ale Tuesday night I tried to get some out of my keg. None came out. Eventually, I figured out that hop material is clogging my beer poppet. I guess I should not have dry-hopped naked. My plan is to rack the cold beer into another keg. Hopefully being cold will allow the hop material to drop to the bottom. Not sure if I'll buy a new keg or wait for Summer Lovin' to be emptied. Hopefully this ends up working.

Comment: Kegged on Quarter Life Crisis Hoppy Red Ale

6/23/2011 8:00:00 PM

Quarter Life Crisis Hoppy Red Ale Racked into keg. Pressurized to around 30psi and rocked the keg for awhile. Will let it "condition" for at least a week at room temp and then chill.

Comment: on Gringo Cerveza Jalapeño Cream Ale

6/21/2011 8:32:46 PM

Gringo Cerveza Jalapeño Cream Ale Found an unlabeled botlle in one of the carb coolers, and decided I better drink it. Foamed up quite a bit warm. Still the perfect pepper beer IMHO.

Comment: on Tweedle Beetle Imperial Stout

6/21/2011 8:26:14 PM

Tweedle Beetle Imperial Stout Had one. Really a wonderfully rich roast and malt flavor balanced still with hop bitterness. Such a wonderful treat. Hid the rest behind the keg in the kegerator.

Comment: on Quarter Life Crisis Hoppy Red Ale

6/21/2011 4:24:01 PM

Quarter Life Crisis Hoppy Red Ale Took a gravity reading. Got 1.013, which makes the ABV around 7.7% and the ADF at 82%. Tasted the sample. It has a wonderful hoppy flavor and aroma with a great malty / caramel backbone. Should keg this up soon.

Comment: Let's go Bruins on Tommy Hawk APA

6/15/2011 7:54:33 PM

Tommy Hawk APA While watching game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals, had one (so far) in my new New Belgium globe glass. Really good head retention in this glass. Still a great beer even if I have to drink it cheering for the Bruins instead of the BlackHawks.

Comment: on Quarter Life Crisis Hoppy Red Ale

6/15/2011 5:20:08 PM

Quarter Life Crisis Hoppy Red Ale Dry hopped with 1oz cascade and 1oz centennial. Just put them in "naked". Hope they don't just sink to bottom without giving the hop flavor and aroma.

Comment: on Quarter Life Crisis Hoppy Red Ale

6/11/2011 6:24:08 AM

Quarter Life Crisis Hoppy Red Ale Took out the blow-off tube today and put the air-lock back in.Still lots of krausen, but I think the main fermentation is close to done. Will probably dry-hop tomorrow.

Comment: on Gringo Cerveza Jalapeño Cream Ale

6/9/2011 5:46:22 PM

Gringo Cerveza Jalapeño Cream Ale Had another wonderful jalapeno beer paired with taco salad. Really like the way the pepper compliments the light refreshing cerveza.Nice with the taco salad, too.

Comment: on Quarter Life Crisis Hoppy Red Ale

6/9/2011 5:13:44 PM

Quarter Life Crisis Hoppy Red Ale In the morning of the fourth day of fermentation, decided to add a blow-off tube. It is a good thing I did because when I came home, some had come out of the fermenter. Think it will start to go down now.

Comment: on Summer Lovin' American Wheat

6/7/2011 4:42:27 PM

Summer Lovin' American Wheat Yes, this is a very nice summer beer.

Comment: on Summer Lovin' American Wheat

6/3/2011 4:21:41 PM

Summer Lovin' American Wheat Had a few tiny samples. Very good, and seems a bunch like NB Summer Bright. Not sure about carbonation.

Comment: on Summer Lovin' American Wheat

6/3/2011 4:18:26 PM

Summer Lovin' American Wheat Had gas leak out of gas in poppet. Disassembled and reassembled. No leak now.Hope I did not cause problems.

Fat and Stoopid Amber Ale

6/3/2011 5:00:05 AM

An attempt at make Phat & Tyred gone horribly wrong.

Comment: Gone on Fat and Stoopid Amber Ale

6/2/2011 5:29:20 PM

Fat and Stoopid Amber Ale Well, I did not realize we were so close, but the keg ran out tonight. Bummer.

Comment: RE: BIAB Bag on Summer Lovin' American Wheat

5/31/2011 8:02:31 AM

Summer Lovin' American Wheat Clint, I use a 24 x 36 "sparge bag" that I bought from one of my LHBS's. It fits perfectly in my 8 gallon pot. The guy at the shop and I spent quite awhile going through what he had before we found one that looked like it would be big enough, and he only had one, so I hope I don't have to replace this one. I do think most hard-core BIAB-ers make their own, and I don't think it would be that hard if you have access to a sewing machine.

Comment: BIAB Bag on Summer Lovin' American Wheat

5/31/2011 7:23:38 AM

Summer Lovin' American Wheat Where did you get your bag for BIAB brewing? Did you make it or buy it and how big is it? I've been doing BIAB Mr. Beer size batches with paint strainer bags but figure I need something bigger for some upcoming 5 gallon batches. Thanks!

Comment: on Whisky Wife Wit

5/30/2011 5:32:22 PM

Whisky Wife Wit Had the last liter of the old batch. Lots of orange. Very good. Very pleased with how well this beer ages.

Comment: on 15 Year Anniversary Amber Ale

5/30/2011 6:13:46 AM

15 Year Anniversary Amber Ale Drank up that growler. Still wonderful beer (even in those little plastic camping cups). Not as hoppy as it was younger. The weaker hops give the malt character an opportunity to come through. Very nice.

Comment: Bringing Camping on Whisky Wife Wit

5/27/2011 8:06:49 AM

Whisky Wife Wit Have a growler of WWW coming camping with me this weekend. Between this and 15 year, hope I don't get too drunk.

Comment: on 15 Year Anniversary Amber Ale

5/27/2011 7:32:52 AM

15 Year Anniversary Amber Ale Bringing my growler of this camping. Can't wait!

Comment: on Fox Sox Knox Rye Pale Ale

5/26/2011 5:38:25 PM

Fox Sox Knox Rye Pale Ale Had a couple. Yummy. Still hoppy, although probaby not as hoppy as it was younger. Great head.

Comment: Kegged on Summer Lovin' American Wheat

5/22/2011 11:05:03 AM

Summer Lovin' American Wheat The Beer Model and I kegged this up today. Very good attenuation. Think if I make this again, might want to increase the mash temp. But then again, the sample tasted what I think an American Wheat should probably taste like. Coriander and orange very subtle, which is perfect. Am trying to force carbonate this to around 2.7 volumes, which means about 31lbs at about 68 degrees.

Comment: on Gringo Cerveza Jalapeño Cream Ale

5/18/2011 7:41:30 PM

Gringo Cerveza Jalapeño Cream Ale The pepper aroma on the jalapeno beer is just awesome. The pepper flavor come through nicely too. There is some spicy heat, but pretty subtle. Love it. This is exactly what a jalapeno ale should taste like.

Comment: on Gringo Cerveza Jalapeño Cream Ale

5/18/2011 7:32:41 PM

Gringo Cerveza Jalapeño Cream Ale Had one of each. Very little aroma on the non-pepper beer, but pretty much what I expected for the flavor. Light and refreshing. Nice taste for a lawnmower beer. Think this is a great gateway beer.

Comment: on Gringo Cerveza Jalapeño Cream Ale

5/16/2011 12:02:32 PM

Gringo Cerveza Jalapeño Cream Ale Put a few of each in the fridge last night. Might try a couple while watching the Bulls on Wednesday night.

Comment: on Summer Lovin' American Wheat

5/10/2011 8:28:11 AM

Summer Lovin' American Wheat Brewed up with the Beer Model on Saturday. Active fermentation soon after pitch. Temp has been pretty consistent 64 for 3 days. Seems to be slowing down, but still a buch of kraussen.

Comment: on Fat and Stoopid Amber Ale

5/5/2011 7:32:21 AM

Fat and Stoopid Amber Ale Been drinking. Seems carbonated abut right, but I am still getting a bit of foam.

Comment: Bottled on Gringo Cerveza Jalapeño Cream Ale

4/30/2011 11:42:23 AM

Gringo Cerveza Jalapeño Cream Ale Bottled up the non-pepper and then the pepper. Got 14 12oz bottles; 3 bombers and 2 liter bottles out of the non-pepper. Got 27 12 oz bottles of the Jalapeño. Really like the jalapeño flavor and aroma from the sample.

Comment: on Fat and Stoopid Amber Ale

4/29/2011 6:18:46 AM

Fat and Stoopid Amber Ale Still doesn't seem fully carbed to me. I bumped up the pressure a bit. See how it tastes tonight.

Comment: on Fat and Stoopid Amber Ale

4/25/2011 5:05:14 PM

Fat and Stoopid Amber Ale Tried another little sample from the tap. Still not fully carbed, but might be a little less flat. Temp down to 37. I do like the biscuit flavor with the centennial hops. Very good amber ale.

Comment: on Gringo Cerveza Jalapeño Cream Ale

4/25/2011 5:03:05 PM

Gringo Cerveza Jalapeño Cream Ale Tried another little sample. Seemed about the same pepper flavor. Might be a little more heat. Still good. Decided to take the peppers out.

Comment: on Fat and Stoopid Amber Ale

4/24/2011 9:54:16 PM

Fat and Stoopid Amber Ale Tried one just for the fun of running the tap. Tastes good. Still not fully carbed, but not completely flat. So exciting.

Comment: on Gringo Cerveza Jalapeño Cream Ale

4/23/2011 8:02:11 AM

Gringo Cerveza Jalapeño Cream Ale Took a gravity reading from the Jalapeño beer and tasted the sample. Really nice pepper flavor and aroma coming through. A bit of heat, but not too much. I think I would be ok bottling this today, but I'll probably leave it in a couple days. Gravity at around 10 or 11, which puts the ABV at about 4.5%. Perfect.

Comment: Kegged on Fat and Stoopid Amber Ale

4/23/2011 7:58:44 AM

Fat and Stoopid Amber Ale Kegged it up. Soooo much easier than bottles. Although, I'm not sure I saved time today. Sample was wonderful. A bit on the bitter / hoppy side of balanced. Exactly what I was going for. Pressurized the keg to a little under 30. Not absolutely sure when I'll put this in the kegerator.

Comment: on 15 Year Anniversary Amber Ale

4/21/2011 7:51:33 PM

15 Year Anniversary Amber Ale Had a completely flat one. No carbonation. Threw out the bottle.

Comment: on Gringo Cerveza Jalapeño Cream Ale

4/21/2011 4:51:52 PM

Gringo Cerveza Jalapeño Cream Ale Chopped up the 6 Jalapeños, and soaked them in vodka for awhile to sanitize. Put them in a couple of hops sacks and then threw them into Tuke.

Comment: on Fat and Stoopid Amber Ale

4/19/2011 11:18:45 AM

Fat and Stoopid Amber Ale Purchased a 5 gallon corny keg to "bottle" this batch in. Not sure if I'll sugar-prime or just pressurize to desired carbonation.

Comment: on Gringo Cerveza Jalapeño Cream Ale

4/18/2011 5:10:21 PM

Gringo Cerveza Jalapeño Cream Ale Active fermentation. Decent kraussen. Getting home from work, put the ice in coolers for awhile.

Comment: Brewing Day on Gringo Cerveza Jalapeño Cream Ale

4/17/2011 1:39:59 PM

Gringo Cerveza Jalapeño Cream Ale Well, first BIAB went well. My mash efficiency seems to be on par with the mash tun. I decided to go with a higher mash temp so I increased my strike temp, but I went higher than I wanted. I'm sure it will turn out fine though. I diluted quite a bit at the end. My wort chiller only got me down to about 70, so I stored awhile in coolers to bring it down further. Not bad at all from my first BIAB.

Blackhawk Black Ale

4/16/2011 5:55:11 AM

Inspired by New Belgium Brewery's 1554, but it is not really the same at all. But, I love this beer. It has a nice citrusy hop flavor in a black chocolate backbone.

Bluefield Chocolate Ale

4/12/2011 9:06:10 PM

Experimental brew. Trying to make something Chocolaty that my sister would like. Doomed for failure, but the worse that could happen is that I would have to drink it.

Comment: on Bluefield Chocolate Ale

4/12/2011 9:03:23 PM

Bluefield Chocolate Ale The beer gets better as I get closer to finishing the glass. One thing is for sure: this beer is over carbonated.

Comment: on Bluefield Chocolate Ale

4/12/2011 8:54:06 PM

Bluefield Chocolate Ale Had one after a couple of Wits (WWW and Avery's). Tonight is a night that I'm not really a fan of the hazelnut flavor in this beer. But, still, not a bad end to the night.

Comment: on Whisky Wife Wit

4/12/2011 8:39:31 PM

Whisky Wife Wit Having one tonight. Went side-by-side with Avery's "White Rascal". WWW is certainly more Americanized like Blue Moon. The flavor of WWW is hitting its peak, I think. The orange comes through very nicely. One thing I really am noticing tonight is that this WWW is much darker in color than the photo I have on this page (and MUCH darker than Avery's and Blue Moon). It is almost orange in color, I would say. And, I'm trying to figure out why this batch would be so much darker in color. The wheat extract was boiled for the full 60 minutes, but I did that on my last batch too. The only thing I can really think of was the toasting of the oats. I remember that I did just about burn some of the flakes, but I'm not sure that can account for this huge difference. Of course, I'm inside tonight and the picture was in the sun. I do think this beer is darker, though. It's a mystery to be sure. Right now, though, I love this beer.

Comment: on Tommy Hawk APA

4/8/2011 4:55:47 PM

Tommy Hawk APA Am having a bomber of the DH while watching the Hawks and Wings.Hawks up 3-0 right now. Really an amazing head on this beer. Wonderful malt and hop flavors. Love this beer. Hope the Hawks can hold on and win.

Comment: on Fat and Stoopid Amber Ale

4/4/2011 5:33:54 PM

Fat and Stoopid Amber Ale Took a gravity reading and sample taste. 1.012 or so. Nice APA or amber ale flavor. Not much hop aroma.

Comment: on Fat and Stoopid Amber Ale

3/27/2011 3:58:58 AM

Fat and Stoopid Amber Ale Big kraussen and air lock is bubbling away today. Temp at 60.

Comment: Brewing Day on Fat and Stoopid Amber Ale

3/26/2011 1:54:40 PM

Fat and Stoopid Amber Ale Meant to make Phat & Tyred but things went badly and I had to improvise. Thank goodness for Beer Smith. I think I ended up making a pretty good beer, but won't know until it is ready to drink.

Comment: on 15 Year Anniversary Amber Ale

3/25/2011 6:02:36 PM

15 Year Anniversary Amber Ale Had a liter with tacos. Really a great beer. I am glad we had a big batch, because with both the beer model and me drinking it, it does not last long.

Comment: on Blackhawk Black Ale

3/24/2011 8:34:36 PM

Blackhawk Black Ale Had one. Tastes good, but it is getting old. Need to finish these off and brew some more.

Comment: on Whisky Wife Wit

3/17/2011 7:43:04 PM

Whisky Wife Wit Had one tonight. Really starting to blend together nicely.If I had fridge space, I would put them all in, but since I don't, I'll let condition some more.

Comment: on Tommy Hawk APA

3/17/2011 5:42:49 PM

Tommy Hawk APA Had a green dh. I like the dry hopped version better.

Comment: on Tommy Hawk APA

3/13/2011 4:23:35 PM

Tommy Hawk APA Tried the LB which has been in the fridge since yesterday. Exactly what I want this beer to taste like. Then I tried one of the dry hopped and liked it even better. DH really seems to help the head formation and stability. I think that is not supposed to be the case, but it sure seems to be true in my experience.

Phat & Tyred Amber Ale (archive)

3/12/2011 2:26:47 PM

Previously brewed recipes of Phat & Tyred Amber Ale

Comment: on Fox Sox Knox Rye Pale Ale

3/10/2011 7:35:49 PM

Fox Sox Knox Rye Pale Ale Drank the liter.Really really really good.Nice and hoppy,but very smooth.I had forgotten this is almost 7% abv and I could really feel it.

Comment: on Bluefield Chocolate Ale

3/10/2011 5:02:04 AM

Bluefield Chocolate Ale Had another last night. Must have been in the right mood, because it really tasted good.

Comment: on Tommy Hawk APA

3/5/2011 6:20:25 AM

Tommy Hawk APA One of my PET's was flat. I guess I forgot to properly close it, and the CO2 escaped. Probably should just be happy it has never happened before. Just added some sugar to this bottle. Got a bit of a gusher. The hop aroma was wonderful. I'll probably have to keep an eye on this bottle in case there was residual sugar in there. I'll also drink it early because I did not really sanitize the sugar.

Test Page

3/2/2011 2:52:54 PM

Nothing special. Just testing a couple of things.

Comment: on Whisky Wife Wit

3/1/2011 1:01:45 PM

Whisky Wife Wit I tried one last night and one a couple days ago. Pretty good. Might be a little too much orange peel. The head is thin and doesn't stick around very long. Don't think this batch is as good as the last time I brewed it. I will let it condition longer.

Comment: on Tommy Hawk APA

2/28/2011 8:52:17 PM

Tommy Hawk APA Had the last of the previous batch while watching the mighty Blackhawks play the evil Wild.Is anyone else still pissed that the North Stars are in Dallas?

Comment: on Bluefield Chocolate Ale

2/26/2011 8:43:16 PM

Bluefield Chocolate Ale Had one. Enjoyed it.

Comment: Bottled on Tommy Hawk APA

2/26/2011 2:39:26 PM

Tommy Hawk APA Bottled up both batches. 2.25oz sugar in 1.5 cups water each. The boys actually helped this time which really made things go faster. For the dry-hopped batch got 15 12oz bottles; 2 22oz and 2 liter bottles. For the non-DH, got 13 12oz bottles; 3 22oz and 2 liter. Yum.

Comment: on Whisky Wife Wit

2/26/2011 9:29:28 AM

Whisky Wife Wit Labeled this batch and put them in a conditioning cooler. No ice, though. I put the LB and an O into the beer fridge. May sample tonight or tomorrow, or I may wait a week.

Comment: on 15 Year Anniversary Amber Ale

2/26/2011 6:48:20 AM

15 Year Anniversary Amber Ale Clearcut America: Hey, thanks for stopping by. I don't know if you'll see get this comment. I need to program some sort of email subscription for the comments. The easiest way to do a website is to start a blog. If you send me an email (use the Contact Us form), I can give you some advice on starting out.

Comment: Recipes on 15 Year Anniversary Amber Ale

2/25/2011 8:30:50 PM

15 Year Anniversary Amber Ale I just started doing Partial mash 5 gallons and was looking to stock up on some recipes for Mr.Beer sized batches. Im glad I stumbled upon your site. Looks pretty good. I wish I knew how to build a website about my brewing

Comment: on Tommy Hawk APA

2/24/2011 6:00:22 PM

Tommy Hawk APA Drank what I thought was the last of my previous batch, but it turns out I still have one liter left. Compared it to Mighty Arrow. I like my beer better. More of a malt-backbone and better balance. Can't wait to get the new batch bottled up and tasted.

Beer Quotes

2/22/2011 1:09:59 PM

Quotes about beer.

Comment: on Girly Berry Blonde Ale

2/19/2011 5:44:27 PM

Girly Berry Blonde Ale Finished up the last liter. Still a pretty nice beer. I guess I will have to get this brewed again.

Comment: Yummy uniqueness on 15 Year Anniversary Amber Ale

2/19/2011 4:44:36 PM

15 Year Anniversary Amber Ale It is somewhat interesting to me that the beer model seems to like this. It is a great beer, but it does have a significant hop aroma flavor and bitterness, and she is not a hop-head. The biscuit plays real nice with a nutty ester from the yeast. The floral flavor from the crystall and the hop bitterness just add a real nice finishing touch. I am pretty sure that I have never had a beer style quite like this.

Comment: on Tommy Hawk APA

2/19/2011 3:37:59 PM

Tommy Hawk APA Dry hopped into Tuke only. I got the amounts mixed up between cascade and amarillo. Oh well. Beer smells really good at this point.

Comment: on Whisky Wife Wit

2/19/2011 6:36:31 AM

Whisky Wife Wit Its been a week and the bottles seem to be firming up pretty well. I've been nervous that perhaps I did not add enough honey. I did get a bit of a boil-over when preparing the priming solution. But, the firmness of the PET bottles is a good sign. Not really a whole lot I can do about it anyway, so I'll just see what happens.

Comment: on X-Mas Ale 2010

2/19/2011 5:12:12 AM

X-Mas Ale 2010 This page got wiped out somehow. Need to repopulate the content. Hope it was my stupidity an not some hacker.

Comment: Still love the Kox on Fox Sox Knox Rye Pale Ale

2/17/2011 9:36:38 PM

Fox Sox Knox Rye Pale Ale Been awhile since I had this beer. Had one tonight after working out.So tasty and refreshing. I love it still. I have decided this is different enough from tommy hawk to keep them separate. I would call this more of an APA and TH more of an IPA.

Comment: Yum on 15 Year Anniversary Amber Ale

2/13/2011 6:49:16 PM

15 Year Anniversary Amber Ale Had the LB. Really like this beer.

Comment: Brewing Day on Tommy Hawk APA

2/13/2011 2:53:54 PM

Tommy Hawk APA Brewed it. Let the mash work while at church. The temp was right at 154 when I left and up to 160 when I got back. My SG into the pot was 1.055 at about a 6.75 gallon volume, which gives me a 95% efficiency. Obviously, my mashing is not that efficient, so I must have measured something wrong. First time using my new wort chiller. It works awesome. Boiling to about 80 in 10 minutes. Got down into the low 60's after about 20 minutes. Very cool.

Comment: on Dragon Spit II Brown Ale

2/12/2011 5:40:51 PM

Dragon Spit II Brown Ale Sadly, these are almost gone. I do love the blend of flavors in this beer. The cinnamon flavor is still there, but I'm not sure I would recognize it as cinnamon unless I already knew that is what it was. Not sure when I'll get to brew this again. Too many batches are already planned.

Comment: Bottled on Whisky Wife Wit

2/12/2011 9:15:15 AM

Whisky Wife Wit Batch primed with 6oz honey. Seemed to take forever and wiped out most of my bottles. Got pretty good attenuation. 39 12oz bottles. 1 bomber. 2 liter bottles. 1 growler. Sample was good. Maybe too much orange peal, but based on last time, I think that blends into the background in a couple of weeks.

Comment: Ingredients on Tommy Hawk APA

2/11/2011 1:27:22 PM

Tommy Hawk APA Purchased my ingredients today. It will nice to have lots of this beer ready for the 2nd half of the hockey season.

15 Year Anniversary Amber Ale (previous recipes)

2/4/2011 11:54:37 AM

The beer model and I have been married for 15 years (as of 9/2/2010), and this is a little bit of a celebration ale.

Comment: In the fridge on 15 Year Anniversary Amber Ale

2/4/2011 11:40:48 AM

15 Year Anniversary Amber Ale Not even done with the standard 2 weeks carb, but decided to put a few in the fridge so that I will have the option to drink while watching the Superbowl.

Comment: Still going on Whisky Wife Wit

2/2/2011 7:04:40 AM

Whisky Wife Wit Cleaned up Rutt last night. It is still pushing out kraussen. Sort of weird. Rutt has been 58/60 the same time. Tuke has been warmer without as much going on.

Comment: Blowout on Whisky Wife Wit

2/1/2011 7:40:51 AM

Whisky Wife Wit Rutt blew its top sometime last night. It looks like both fermenters are calming down now.

Comment: Brewing Day 3 on Whisky Wife Wit

1/29/2011 12:45:57 PM

Whisky Wife Wit The rest of the brew day went fine. I think maybe my scale is telling me to put too much of the LME in. The higher OG is ok, though. Pitch right at 65 into both Tuke and Rutt. No additional water.

Comment: on 15 Year Anniversary Amber Ale

1/29/2011 12:39:27 PM

15 Year Anniversary Amber Ale Had one of the old batch. Really good still. I'm glad I have that 2nd batch coming right behind it.

Comment: Brewing Day 2 on Whisky Wife Wit

1/29/2011 6:33:17 AM

Whisky Wife Wit Also zested up the oranges. Took 5 medium sized oranges to get 2 18oz zest. Note: I zested right after washing. Don't know if the water on them increases the weight. I would assume so, but I don't know by how much. Just need to be consistent next time I make this.

Comment: Brewing Day on Whisky Wife Wit

1/29/2011 6:09:48 AM

Whisky Wife Wit Got up early to go to King Soopers for oranges (6 @3 for $1) and oat meal. Got store brand quick oats. Cooked them up at 325 for around 15 minutes on a couple of cookie sheets.

Tommy Hawk APA (archive)

1/28/2011 4:56:22 PM

Archive page for show the previous recipes of Tommy Hawk APA.

Comment: on Whisky Wife Wit

1/27/2011 10:17:36 PM

Whisky Wife Wit Stepped up the starter with 4 cups water and 1 cup DME. Poured the whole fermenting 1st starter in. Seems to be going nicely. Should be plenty of nice healthy yeast for the beer.

Comment: Starter on Whisky Wife Wit

1/26/2011 12:37:06 PM

Whisky Wife Wit Made a starter last night with about 2 cups of water. Will step it up to a whole liter before brewing. I will probably brew this weekend.

Whisky Wife Wit (previous recipes)

1/25/2011 11:44:37 AM

Inspired by blue moon.

Comment: Bottled on 15 Year Anniversary Amber Ale

1/23/2011 5:27:19 PM

15 Year Anniversary Amber Ale First time using my bottling bucket. Went ok I guess, but probably could have gone smoother. Got 33 12 oz bottles; 4 liter bottles and one 1/2 gallon growler. Sample tasted great.

Stone Soup IDA (archive)

1/17/2011 6:33:11 PM

Really hoppy dark ale.

Comment: on 15 Year Anniversary Amber Ale

1/14/2011 11:28:34 AM

15 Year Anniversary Amber Ale Took the fermenters out of the coolers last night. The 1.055 took off and finished quicker than the 1.051. Temps got up to about 70. Not too bad.

Comment: Brew Day on 15 Year Anniversary Amber Ale

1/9/2011 5:16:11 PM

15 Year Anniversary Amber Ale Brewed everything up and split into two Mr. Beer fermenters. Got 1.051 in one and 1.055 in the other because I had to do some filling with water to get to the right volume, and probably didn't evenly distribute. I really need to get a full 5 gallon fermenter. I also need to look at increasing my boil evaporation rate so that I don't end up having to fill.

Comment: Brew Day! on 15 Year Anniversary Amber Ale

1/9/2011 8:01:58 AM

15 Year Anniversary Amber Ale I really like the design layout of your site, it's awesome. The recipes look like the makings of some fine ales, I've used the Munich in several recipes myself and have been curious to include the Biscuit to taste its impact as well. Someday I'd like to pick your brain on the yeast harvesting, mainly how you do it, I'm racking 5 batches to secondaries this weekend and it's killing me to keep tossing out the yeast.

Comment: New Page on Sheppy Brew Home Brewing

1/6/2011 9:53:33 PM

Sheppy Brew Home Brewing I'm keeping track of people I give beer to at Beer Gifts.

Comment: on Bluefield Chocolate Ale

12/30/2010 1:49:52 PM

Bluefield Chocolate Ale she did not seem to be a fan.

Comment: on Bluefield Chocolate Ale

12/30/2010 1:47:51 PM

Bluefield Chocolate Ale Well, I got my beer to Michigan and was able to share one with my sister.I was not a fan of the hazzlenut during this taste. Had another the next night in the hotel and thought it tasted fine. Think it was a matter of my mood.Anyway, Mrs.Bluefield took 5 home to Wisconsin.

Comment: on Bluefield Chocolate Ale

12/25/2010 3:48:48 PM

Bluefield Chocolate Ale Had a beer float with this. Sort of disappointing. Certainly not as good as the float I had with Tweedle Beetle Imperial Stout.

Comment: on X-Mas Ale 2010

12/22/2010 9:07:41 PM

X-Mas Ale 2010 The aroma has a bit of cherry with a rich malty flavor.The flavor starts with an initial malty sweetness and is immediately complimented by the cherry fruitiness.The apple pie spice joins in and the cinnamon seems to provide nice bitterness at the end.The ingredients are really blending nicely together.

Comment: on Fox Sox Knox Rye Pale Ale

12/18/2010 3:52:41 PM

Fox Sox Knox Rye Pale Ale Had one to photograph for this page. It is really a tasty beer. It has a unique color and a great head. Love this beer.

Dragon Spit II Brown Ale

12/17/2010 3:37:19 PM

And still another beer I want to redo with my own recipe rather than using Mr. Beer ingredients. This uses mostly the grain bill from a Moose Drool clone I got from a combination of The Brewing Network and D-Rock's Moose Drool Clone. I am hopping similarly to my original dragon spit and keeping the brown sugar and cinnamon. This may end up being my most original recipe.

Whisky Wife Wheat

12/17/2010 3:37:19 PM

Mr. Beer version of a Belgium Wit for my wife.

Mr. Cowboy Gold Ale

12/17/2010 3:37:19 PM

Nothing spectacular. Just using up some Mr. Beer UME / HME. Pretty standard blond / gold ale.

Tweedle Beetle Imperial Stout

12/17/2010 3:37:19 PM

Roasty and bold.

Leprechaun Stout

12/17/2010 3:37:19 PM

A nicely balanced Irish Stout with just the right amount of peppermint to make this a minty treat.

Comment: on Tweedle Beetle Imperial Stout

12/9/2010 9:07:03 PM

Tweedle Beetle Imperial Stout Been awhile since I had one.Still wonderful.Sweet malty roast flavor balanced with significant hop bitterness.

Comment: on Bluefield Chocolate Ale

12/6/2010 4:26:38 PM

Bluefield Chocolate Ale Well, I'm not sure I know what my sister means by a "beer taste", and since she is sort of the "target audience", that will be the final test. IMO, it is dominated by cocoa. It is beer, so I guess technically it tastes like beer.

Comment: Bluefield Chocolate Ale on Bluefield Chocolate Ale

12/5/2010 7:35:07 PM

Bluefield Chocolate Ale 3 lbs of DME... so it doesn't have a "Beer-ish" taste to it?

Comment: on Bluefield Chocolate Ale

12/5/2010 6:51:57 PM

Bluefield Chocolate Ale The beer model and I shared a bottle. Not bad. Very chocolaty and has a nice hazelnut flavor. Not sure if my sister will like it (probably not), but at least it is not a horrible beer.

Comment: on Fox Sox Knox Rye Pale Ale

12/2/2010 6:30:26 PM

Fox Sox Knox Rye Pale Ale Tried the LB. Wow, this is good. It is a lot like Tommy Hawk, especially in the Amarillo aroma and taste. Really nice gold color. A bit cloudy, which might just be since it was the LB. Great white head. Medium to light body. Not sure if I can detect the rye or not. Great beer.

Comment: on Bluefield Chocolate Ale

11/27/2010 4:08:13 PM

Bluefield Chocolate Ale Put a couple in the beer fridge. Probably won't try until next weekend.

Comment: on Fox Sox Knox Rye Pale Ale

11/27/2010 4:07:35 PM

Fox Sox Knox Rye Pale Ale Put in conditioning cooler.

Comment: on X-Mas Ale 2010

11/26/2010 8:12:55 PM

X-Mas Ale 2010 Had the LB. More cherry flavor than I remember before. Also sweeter. Nice and festive.

Comment: on X-Mas Ale 2010

11/20/2010 11:15:19 AM

X-Mas Ale 2010 Last night I had one of these and one of the 2009 X-Mas Ales. Both were delicious. 2009 really aged well. I'm not sure I'll be able to, but I might try to save at least one for X-Mas 2011. I will certainly try to save lots of this batch too. Next year, I might make a bigger batch so that it will be easier to save for years.

Comment: on X-Mas Ale 2010

11/16/2010 6:46:15 AM

X-Mas Ale 2010 Put 6 of these in the upstairs fridge.

Comment: on Bluefield Chocolate Ale

11/15/2010 6:07:08 AM

Bluefield Chocolate Ale YD ... I think about 3 lbs DME would be about the equivalent to that much 2-row, BUT ... I would not suggest making this recipe. It is too experimental at this point. At the very least, I would get rid of the lactose and cut the cocoa in half.

Comment: B C A on Bluefield Chocolate Ale

11/13/2010 9:18:42 PM

Bluefield Chocolate Ale Looks interesting. How much DME to replace the 2 row?

Comment: Bottled on Bluefield Chocolate Ale

11/13/2010 10:49:40 AM

Bluefield Chocolate Ale Bottled up. Used two cups water, 2.25oz table sugar and about a 1 fluid oz of hazlenut extract. The flavor of the sample is certainly chocolaty. Hazlenut adds a nice touch. It is very full-bodied at 1.040, but I think it will be drinkable. Probably will make nice beer-floats.

Comment: Bottled on Fox Sox Knox Rye Pale Ale

11/7/2010 7:03:36 AM

Fox Sox Knox Rye Pale Ale Bottled up. Got 19 12oz bottle and 2 liter bottles. Sample tasted awesome. Attenuation is almost too good.

Comment: on Bluefield Chocolate Ale

11/2/2010 8:12:07 PM

Bluefield Chocolate Ale At bedtime, fermentation had slowed down and the chocolate kraussen seemed solid enough to perhaps suppress the yeasties from doing their thing. I top-cropped some of that chocolate. Smells and taste good! At least some of the cocoa seems to precipitated off the top. Don't know, but I think this beer may turn out ok afterall.

Comment: on Fox Sox Knox Rye Pale Ale

11/2/2010 8:01:02 PM

Fox Sox Knox Rye Pale Ale "Racked" into the bottling bucket for dry-hopping. Did this so I could collect the yeast for 2nd generation. Spilled some of the beer because I left the spigot open. Stupid!

Comment: on Bluefield Chocolate Ale

11/2/2010 3:36:40 AM

Bluefield Chocolate Ale I let the temperature heat up a bit last night. Really active fermentation now. Chocolate aroma is amazing. Weird black cocoa kraussen.

Comment: Brewing Day on Bluefield Chocolate Ale

10/31/2010 2:03:32 PM

Bluefield Chocolate Ale Well ... everything went pretty well. The unsweetened chocolate really thickened this up based on the 1.088 OG. I'm assuming that the cocoa is unfermentable. I probably should have just left the lactose out. My pre-boil gravity was right about where it should have been, so the extra 27 points all came from chocolate. Pitched at about 70. Starter was pretty much at high-krausen. Guess we will see how this turns out.

Comment: on Fox Sox Knox Rye Pale Ale

10/28/2010 8:22:27 AM

Fox Sox Knox Rye Pale Ale Listened to CYBI again. Bittering hop was Magnum instead of Columbus. They used Fuggle at 30 and Cascade at flameout. IBU came out to 40.3 on their show. They used a little less 2-row (about 70%), more Munich and Rye (10% each), Victory and Honey about the same I guess. Wonder if I can find the Terrapin Rye PA somewhere.

Comment: on Fox Sox Knox Rye Pale Ale

10/27/2010 4:59:06 PM

Fox Sox Knox Rye Pale Ale There was liquid on the bottom of the cooler when I got home today. I guess I got an overflow, but it might be a leak. I guess I'll have to keep an eye on it. Temp still at 62 and fermentation still crazy.

Comment: on Fox Sox Knox Rye Pale Ale

10/26/2010 4:45:49 AM

Fox Sox Knox Rye Pale Ale Fermentation going well this morning. Temp at 62. Put ice bottle in. This will be my only temp control for this batch.

Comment: on Fox Sox Knox Rye Pale Ale

10/25/2010 5:34:10 PM

Fox Sox Knox Rye Pale Ale No activity. Temp on the keg was down to 58. Added warm water bottle to cooler, and then sanitized a whisk to mix things up. Hopefully this will get it started.

Comment: Brewing Day on Fox Sox Knox Rye Pale Ale

10/24/2010 4:44:12 PM

Fox Sox Knox Rye Pale Ale Did the starter early in the morning today. Probably defeats the purpose of a starter ... but oh well. Brewing day went pretty good. Really vigorous boil and much higher evaporation rate. Pitched at about 65. Slightly high on the OG. Oh well.

Comment: on Dragon Spit II Brown Ale

10/21/2010 6:36:05 PM

Dragon Spit II Brown Ale Drank another. More hop flavor compared to ds1. Detect just a touch of chocolate. Cinammon is much more restrained. Nice beer.

Comment: on Dragon Spit Brown Ale

10/20/2010 8:06:22 PM

Dragon Spit Brown Ale The cinnamon blends so nicely into the malt and hop taste and aroma. I wonder how many people would taste this beer and realize it has cinnamon. There are only 6 left. Don't think I'm going to be able to hold onto these much longer.

Comment: on X-Mas Ale 2010

10/16/2010 5:36:47 AM

X-Mas Ale 2010 I guess my carb phase is over. Put in the conditioning cooler, but nothing else is in there, so I am not cooling it. Plenty of time for this beer. Hoping to put off any real taste until Thanksgiving, but might have to sneak a QA bottle some time.

Comment: on Dragon Spit Brown Ale

10/7/2010 5:40:43 PM

Dragon Spit Brown Ale Connor brought me one to drink with dinner. It is interesting how as the cinnamon fades it starts to take on sort of a hop bitterness character. This beer tastes really good right now.

Comment: Bottled on X-Mas Ale 2010

10/2/2010 2:49:55 PM

X-Mas Ale 2010 2.25oz sugar and a teaspoon of apple pie spice in 2 cups boiling water. I had quite a bit of beer left on the bottom, along with the cherry pieces. I think next time I'll using fruit flavoring instead of real cherries. Really impressive attenuation, especially since I did not really account for the sugar from the cherries. Got only 16 12 oz bottles along with 2 liters and a 22oz bottle. Now, I just need to wait until Thanksgiving or so to taste these. (good luck with that, Sheppy)

Comment: on X-Mas Ale 2010

10/1/2010 12:12:26 PM

X-Mas Ale 2010 Last night, I started the "cold crash" process.

Comment: on Tweedle Beetle Imperial Stout

9/28/2010 5:45:04 PM

Tweedle Beetle Imperial Stout Thought it would be appropriate to try one on National Beer Drinking Day. Really like the way this beer tastes. Probably should think about getting this one on the schedule again.

Comment: on Mr. Cowboy Gold Ale

9/25/2010 3:29:29 PM

Mr. Cowboy Gold Ale Just remembered my comment about the "fusel". That is certainly gone. Nice mouth-feel. Beautiful gold color. The malty sweetness is there. My initial response was that it needed more hops, but this is actually exactly what I think it should be. And the beer model really likes it.

Comment: on X-Mas Ale 2010

9/22/2010 5:31:56 PM

X-Mas Ale 2010 Last night, I blended the cherries in a sanitized blender. Put them in another fermenter and drained the beer on top. Have a bit of krausen on top today.

Comment: on Mr. Cowboy Gold Ale

9/15/2010 5:26:06 PM

Mr. Cowboy Gold Ale Tried one. Got the Mr. Beer taste ... interesting since I did not use the MrB yeast. Probably could use some hops. Good beer. Probably not great. Will let this condition a bit.

Comment: on Mr. Cowboy Gold Ale

9/13/2010 4:56:13 AM

Mr. Cowboy Gold Ale Put one in the beer fridge and the rest in the conditioning cooler.

Comment: Brewing Day on X-Mas Ale 2010

9/13/2010 4:17:19 AM

X-Mas Ale 2010 Brewed it up yesterday. Everything went very well. Think I might have gotten better efficiency with the new stainless braid. But, cannot really say for sure because I do not really know how much of the grains I actually got. Substituted apple pie spice for the allspice.

Comment: on Girly Berry Blonde Ale

9/10/2010 5:43:02 PM

Girly Berry Blonde Ale Might have something to do with the dragon spit II I had before but the fruity esters taste Belgium to me. Nice.

Comment:

9/10/2010 5:33:49 PM

Tried the AG with the original version. They taste very close. I think I might have detected more mouth feel in the original but not much. The AG is lighter in color, but I am pretty sure I would not detect a difference in a blind taste test.

Comment: on Dragon Spit Brown Ale

9/8/2010 7:59:14 PM

Dragon Spit Brown Ale Still like DSII better, but this is very good too.

Comment: on Dragon Spit II Brown Ale

9/8/2010 7:57:22 PM

Dragon Spit II Brown Ale Such a wonderfully unique taste. Really enjoy the flavors in this beer.

Comment:

9/8/2010 11:37:07 AM

Put a couple in the fridge. Need to make room to add some more.

Comment: on X-Mas Ale 2010

9/8/2010 11:33:59 AM

X-Mas Ale 2010 Got my grains today. Had an accident where the bag fell over, spilling some of the cracked grains. Don't think I lost too much, but I may have to adjust with some LME to get the desired OG.

Comment: on X-Mas Ale 2010

9/7/2010 7:02:57 PM

X-Mas Ale 2010 Thinking about adding oats. Maybe toast a bit in the oven. Probably steep so I do not have to worry about stuck sparge.

Comment: Bottled on Mr. Cowboy Gold Ale

8/29/2010 6:46:00 AM

Mr. Cowboy Gold Ale 1 cup water 2.25oz sugar. Got 12 12 oz. 2 liter bottles. 1 1/2 gallon growler and a pint bottle. Nice gold color. Sample was good. Could use more hops I think, but we knew that with this recipe.

Comment: on Mr. Cowboy Gold Ale

8/23/2010 5:49:54 PM

Mr. Cowboy Gold Ale Took a little sample. Might be detecting a bit of fusel... but just a bit (if it is there at all). Temp up to 72.

Comment: on Mr. Cowboy Gold Ale

8/22/2010 6:52:22 AM

Mr. Cowboy Gold Ale Krasen looks to be dissipating. Took out of cooler to let the yeasties stay warmish to finish up. Did a pretty good job I think of keeping things cold until things started slowing down.

Comment: on Mr. Cowboy Gold Ale

8/19/2010 8:17:38 PM

Mr. Cowboy Gold Ale Ok... if I put the Booster in as an extract instead of an adjunct, I get the right OG. Wow. It will be interesting to see how this beer turns out. I'll bet the Beer Model will like it.

Comment: on Mr. Cowboy Gold Ale

8/19/2010 8:15:09 PM

Mr. Cowboy Gold Ale Double checked the OG. I was right. Tried putting the recipe in Q-Brew and got 1.063 as the OG, so I'm thinking I put something in wrong into Beer Smith. Can't quite figure out what it is, though.

Comment: on Girly Berry Blonde Ale

8/19/2010 8:06:02 PM

Girly Berry Blonde Ale Tried another. Happy with how this is tasting. The esters are there, but blended nicely into the malt an hops. Fruity, light, crisp, clean. Nice girly beer.

Comment: Brewing Day on Mr. Cowboy Gold Ale

8/19/2010 7:56:04 PM

Mr. Cowboy Gold Ale Brewed it up real quick on a Thursday night. My OG was real high... unless I measured it wrong. Have no idea where my extra gravity points would have come from. Maybe I thought I read 1.064 when I actually read 1.054. Anyway, pitched at 60. Put it in cold cooler, but took out ice bottles. We'll see what happens.

Comment: on Dragon Spit II Brown Ale

8/13/2010 5:00:01 PM

Dragon Spit II Brown Ale Had one for the picture. Wow... this is a great beer. Really has a nice combination of hops cinnamon and the brown sugar mixed with the darkish barley. Love this beer.

Comment:

8/8/2010 5:38:37 AM

Bottled up with 2.25 oz sugar in 1 cup water. Got 13 12 oz bottles and the 5 liter keg filled up. Really good attenuation. Significantly lighter in color and does seem thinner in the mouth feel. The nice biscuity flavor is also not as pronounced. A learning experience for sure. Need to get this AG process nailed down better. Think this will still be a pretty good beer, especially for the light beer fans.

Comment: on Whisky Wife Wheat

8/6/2010 7:08:44 PM

Whisky Wife Wheat Opened one that just went all over. Too much carb I guess. Tasted too much like orange peel. Put as many as possible in beer fridges. The rest in the conditioning cooler. Need to get rid of these.

Comment: on Blackhawk Black Ale

8/5/2010 5:51:16 PM

Blackhawk Black Ale Yum yum yum yum! Really nice. I really should try to get myself another 6-pack of 1554 to compare. I'm sure I'm still not quite there, but this choice of hops is certainly closer.

Comment: on Dragon Spit II Brown Ale

8/5/2010 5:04:57 PM

Dragon Spit II Brown Ale Put a few in the beer fridge.

Comment:

8/3/2010 5:47:01 PM

Had a little shot glass. Lighter in color than the partial mash. Tastes thinner.

Comment: on Dragon Spit II Brown Ale

8/3/2010 5:11:59 AM

Dragon Spit II Brown Ale Tweaked the recipe in Beer Smith to go to all-grain. Added in just a touch (1oz) of roasted barley and brought the chocolate malt up to 2oz, reducing the pale chocolate to 1oz. Also removed the willamette hops, changed the cinnamon, and changed the yeast to s-04. All this should move the beer closer to Moose Drool, but I think will still leave the Sheppy Brew flavor that I like.

Comment: on Dragon Spit II Brown Ale

8/1/2010 6:09:42 PM

Dragon Spit II Brown Ale Tried the LB side-by-side-by-side with DS1 and Moose Drool. This is the best. Both the beer model and I agree on that. The only big difference between DS1 and DS2 seems to be the cinnamon flavor. Not sure why this had less than DS2. Might go back to 1/4 tsp and maybe add just a touch of roasted malt next time I make this.

Comment: on Whisky Wife Wheat

7/27/2010 8:17:50 PM

Whisky Wife Wheat Bottled up with 4oz honey in 2 cups water. Got 20 12 oz and 2 liter bottles. Sample tastes like maybe I overdid it on the orange and lemon peal, but we'll let it condition awhile and see how it goes. Certainly none of the Belgium beer taste that I hate to get too much of.

Comment: on Girly Berry Blonde Ale

7/25/2010 5:02:19 PM

Girly Berry Blonde Ale Tasted again. This beer is right where I want it now. I guess all it needed was some time in the fridge. Yum.

Comment:

7/25/2010 9:41:13 AM

Fermentation is going. Temp at about 62. Took out the ice and will let it heat up naturally for the rest of the fermentation.

Comment: on Dragon Spit II Brown Ale

7/25/2010 9:40:07 AM

Dragon Spit II Brown Ale Put into conditioning cooler.

Comment: Brewing Day

7/24/2010 4:46:22 PM

Brewed up my first all-grain batch. My OG is pretty bad for an embarrassing 61% brew house efficiency. Overfilled. Boil over, so maybe it is not quite as bad as it seems, but even so, probably need to figure out how to get more sugars out.

Comment:

7/23/2010 5:02:50 PM

Yep, batch 2 is as good as batch 1.

Comment: on Dragon Spit Brown Ale

7/23/2010 4:58:18 PM

Dragon Spit Brown Ale Had the LB last night and another sample today. The cinnamon is prominent, but I like it. Might want to try to save some of this for Thanksgiving or Christmas.

Comment: on Tweedle Beetle Imperial Stout

7/20/2010 7:50:09 PM

Tweedle Beetle Imperial Stout Had one. Wonderful beer. Think it has actually improved. So nice.

Comment: on Whisky Wife Wheat

7/20/2010 6:57:42 PM

Whisky Wife Wheat Tasted a little sample. Actually tasted real good, pretty clean for the kind of yeast I used. Also, "dry hopped" another orange peal and 2 small lemons zested. Not sure why. We'll have to see how it turns out.

Comment: on Whisky Wife Wheat

7/16/2010 4:49:24 PM

Whisky Wife Wheat Cooled down nicely to around 63. Nice activity, so I changed out the ice bottle. Let temp rise from here.

Comment: on Monkish Wit

7/16/2010 4:44:49 PM

Monkish Wit Finished these up. WWWII is better, but this is a nice beer that I would be proud to share with anyone. But, I doubt I'll ever make it again. Oh well.

Comment: Brewing Day on Whisky Wife Wheat

7/15/2010 8:39:14 PM

Whisky Wife Wheat Squeezed the lemon and lime into the wort. Left a bunch of the peal in the cold break. Forgot that I did not want to put hops in until 15, so ended up just doing the 15 minute boil. Yeast starter was pretty big compared to the volume of wort. Started off a bit warm (about 72). I'll just let it cool with ice overnight and then never change that out.

Comment: Bottled on Dragon Spit II Brown Ale

7/10/2010 3:37:50 PM

Dragon Spit II Brown Ale Bottled with 2.25oz sugar in 1.5 cups water. Pretty good attenuation. Sample was very good. Not quite as much cinnamon brown sugar taste as DSI. Looking forward to trying these two side-by-side-by-side with Moose Drool.

Comment:

7/9/2010 7:11:24 PM

Tried the lb from the new batch. Wonderful. Consistent to the other batch.

Comment: on Girly Berry Blonde Ale

7/8/2010 8:52:46 PM

Girly Berry Blonde Ale Tried another From the first group in the fridge. Still got the mr.b taste.

Comment: on Dragon Spit Brown Ale

7/8/2010 6:59:34 PM

Dragon Spit Brown Ale 14 12oz bottles. 2 liter bottles. 1 half gallon growler.

Comment: Bottled on Dragon Spit Brown Ale

7/8/2010 5:30:03 PM

Dragon Spit Brown Ale Bottled up with 1.5 cup water and 2.25oz table sugar. Used my growler, 2 liter bottles, and the balance in 12 oz bottles. Almost a whole percent higher in alcohol than the estimated due to the high OG. Could really taste the cinnamon and I think the brown sugar came through as well. This is extremely tasty right now.

Comment: on Dragon Spit II Brown Ale

6/29/2010 5:33:49 AM

Dragon Spit II Brown Ale More overflow this morning. Probably the worst ever. Doesn't make sense. Fermentation was pretty cool (at about 65 right now). OG wasn't high at all. Did not overfill. WTH? Think it is slowing down now.

Comment: on Dragon Spit II Brown Ale

6/28/2010 7:23:30 PM

Dragon Spit II Brown Ale Kraussen overflow. I am surprised since this is only 60 on the OG.

Comment: on Dragon Spit Brown Ale

6/27/2010 6:33:42 AM

Dragon Spit Brown Ale Temps pretty well controlled until this morning after DSII was in with this. Got up to 72, but I think most of the heavy fermentation is done. Removed from the cooler for the remainder.

Comment: on Dragon Spit II Brown Ale

6/27/2010 6:30:54 AM

Dragon Spit II Brown Ale Was in with DSII overnight. Fermentation active with lots of kraussen. Temps up to 66/68. Took out Rutt and added a frozen water bottle.

Comment: on Dragon Spit II Brown Ale

6/26/2010 3:59:39 PM

Dragon Spit II Brown Ale Did a mini-starter with yeast on this batch. 1 cup water 1/4 DME. I forgot to close the spigot as I poured into Tuke, so I lost some beer, but still had to add a bunch of water to get down to the 1.060 OG. I guess it was not a full wort boil after-all. Pitched at about 64. Put in the cooler next to Rutt full of DSI. Excited to try these side-by-side.

Comment: on Monkish Wit

6/26/2010 3:32:09 PM

Monkish Wit Had one of the liter bottles while brewing Dragon Spit II. This beer has really turned out nice ... especially after how much the first taste got that funky Belgium taste in it. This is definitely a style that can use some conditioning time. Keep that in mind for WWWII.

Comment: Brewing Day on Dragon Spit II Brown Ale

6/26/2010 3:21:39 PM

Dragon Spit II Brown Ale First full wort boil. Was a little lazy and missed the 10 minute addition, and it became a 7 minute addition. Everything else was "by the book". Cool down took a bit more, but that is expected with more water volume. Not sure what I'll do if I ever start doing 5 gallon batches.

Comment: Brewing Day on Dragon Spit Brown Ale

6/24/2010 8:22:30 PM

Dragon Spit Brown Ale Brewed this up. Used 2 Mr. Beer packets instead of yeast nutrients. Pitched at about 60. OG was pretty high, but I am ok with that.

Comment: on Brother Bear Dopplebock

6/24/2010 7:28:30 PM

Brother Bear Dopplebock ... but it does (I think) taste like it should for a dopple bock.

Comment: on Brother Bear Dopplebock

6/24/2010 7:27:27 PM

Brother Bear Dopplebock Coming to the end of these. Don't think I'll make more of this one ... needs more hops.

Comment: Sam Adams Summer Ale Clone

6/23/2010 6:44:32 AM

You may want to give this SA clone a try, it's made with a recipe ordered directly from the MB website. http://screwybrewer.blogspot.com/2010/06/sam-adams-white-ale-clone-review.html

Comment: Bottled

6/22/2010 6:56:25 PM

18 12oz bottles and 3 liter bottles. ADF was better this time. Think it tastes about the same. Perhaps a bit drier, but that may be because it is uncarbonated at this point. We will see if the beer model claims to like this one as well.

Comment: on Blackhawk Black Ale

6/20/2010 4:45:32 PM

Blackhawk Black Ale Tried LB last night. I think I prefer the columbus flavor hops to the pearle, but still nice balanced black beer.

Comment: on Blackhawk Black Ale

6/12/2010 5:17:18 AM

Blackhawk Black Ale Put a six-pack in the beer fridge.

Comment:

6/8/2010 5:30:22 AM

Hot and heavy fermentation is already done. Put in warmer cooler. Hope fermentation did not stall.

Comment: on Blackhawk Black Ale

6/8/2010 5:28:53 AM

Blackhawk Black Ale Put in conditioning cooler.

Comment:

6/6/2010 11:47:32 AM

Kept a bunch of the cold-break gunk out of this on. OG right at 1.054 again. Pitched a little less than 60. Placed into a cold cooler to ferment. The yeast should be ready to go. Hopefully pitching low won't make it unwilling to start out on the fermenter.

Comment: on Girly Berry Blonde Ale

6/6/2010 9:44:51 AM

Girly Berry Blonde Ale Tried some today while brewing my BPA. Little more estery ("Mr Beer Taste") than my last batch of this. Next time I brew this, I'd like to make the OG closer to the 1.062 of last time. Maybe also some more Saaz hops to flavor. Will let this condition a significant time before putting the rest into the beer fridge.

Comment: Brewing Day

6/6/2010 6:47:13 AM

Brewing up batch #2. Same recipe, so not archiving this page. I am doing a long mash again. Trying a little "mini-starter" on the dry yeast... just 1 cup water and 1/4 cup DME, let the yeast sit on top of that for a few hours and will pitch straight into the cooled wort. Will also use fermcap on this boil.

Comment: on Girly Berry Blonde Ale

6/1/2010 5:35:27 PM

Girly Berry Blonde Ale Yesterday, put these all in the conditioning cooler. Today, I put 6 into the beer fridge.

Comment: Bottled on Blackhawk Black Ale

5/25/2010 9:43:00 PM

Blackhawk Black Ale Bottled up with 2.25oz sugar in about a cup and 1/2 water. Got 2 liter and 22 12oz bottles. Attenuated better than my last batch (got down to 1.017 starting at 1.066). If my beer memory is correct this one did taste more dry. Think now that my fermentation seems more efficient, I might want to add in some carapils or maybe more crystal. Of course, maybe I should wait until I taste the finished beer.

Comment: Bottled on Girly Berry Blonde Ale

5/16/2010 6:49:14 AM

Girly Berry Blonde Ale Finally got around to bottling this. Really good attenuation. Think maybe the Mr. Beer Dry yeast gets a bad rap. Sample tastes just as I think it should. Used 2.25oz sugar in just over a cup of boiled water for priming. Got 2 liter and 21 12oz bottles.

Comment: on Monkish Wit

5/14/2010 4:35:04 PM

Monkish Wit "I like it. I love it. I want some more of it," said my wife when she tasted it. This it certainly getting better as it ages. I saw on the Mr. Beer website a recipe that is very similar calls for a 2 to 3 month condition. Monkish wit will not last that long.

Comment: on Blackhawk Black Ale

5/9/2010 8:23:40 PM

Blackhawk Black Ale Mixed it up. Mash for about an hour... then let sit before the boil. Ended up with an OG of 1.066. Pitched right at about 62.

Comment: on Blackhawk Black Ale

5/8/2010 1:36:49 PM

Blackhawk Black Ale I harvested the yeast straight from Phat & Tyred bottling session. Chilled it a few hours and then made a starter for my next batch of Blackhawk Black.

Comment: on Monkish Wit

5/5/2010 5:13:33 AM

Monkish Wit Ok ... this is really getting good. The difference between the beer I had last night compared to the first taste is night and day. My beer is moving in the right direction.

Comment: on Monkish Wit

5/2/2010 6:18:47 PM

Monkish Wit Did not notice the funk as much this time. Actually quite pleasant.

Comment: on Monkish Wit

4/27/2010 8:37:02 PM

Monkish Wit Tried a couple. Visually, it looks exactly half way between a nb mothership wit and a blue moon. The taste is also right between the two. Unfortunately the funky phenolic trappist yeast taste that I do not like is present here. Again, not as bad as MSW, but blue moon is better. Need to find out what yeast blue moon and/or shocktop use.

Comment:

4/27/2010 8:15:23 PM

The beer model tells me that this is her favorite. I cannot blame her, because it is very good. Might have to get this beer scheduled again.

Comment: on Monkish Wit

4/27/2010 11:22:41 AM

Monkish Wit Put some in the beer fridge and some in the conditioning cooler. This beer looks more clear than I usually a witbier to be. Hope to give it a taste by the end of this coming weekend. Will probably try to drink this up quick.

Comment:

4/27/2010 5:55:21 AM

Have tried this a few times and am really pleased with the way it turned out. It really does remind me of a slightly lighter, less bodied Phat & Tyred. Unfortunately, the Beer Model says she likes it too.

Comment: on Girly Berry Blonde Ale

4/22/2010 8:33:25 PM

Girly Berry Blonde Ale Brewed it up. Had some issues with following the recipe, so this is now modified to match what happened. The honey I had was a bit crystallized, so I think maybe I got more gravity points out of the same weight. Really overfilled to get close to the 1.055 OG.

Comment: on Tweedle Beetle Imperial Stout

4/22/2010 8:19:04 PM

Tweedle Beetle Imperial Stout Compared to an Old Rasputin. Mine seems to have a more substantial head, but the color of the head is identical. The body of the beers are also identical as are the roasted dark malty character. Mine has a bit more hoppiness, but I think as mine conditions it will fade to be extremely close.

Comment: on Tweedle Beetle Imperial Stout

4/15/2010 5:47:21 AM

Tweedle Beetle Imperial Stout Had one last night while watching the Avs win game 1 against the Sharks. Am giving one of these to a coworker today. Still intense hoppy and roasted flavors, although I think the blending of the tastes is starting to happen.

Comment: on Brother Bear Dopplebock

4/15/2010 5:45:02 AM

Brother Bear Dopplebock Not much head on the one I had last night either. Good malty background, though.

Comment: Bottled on Monkish Wit

4/13/2010 8:16:49 PM

Monkish Wit Bottled up with 2.5oz sugar in 2 cups water. FG 1.013. Sample tasted like a thin blue moon. Would have liked a bit more body, but really was quite good. Orange come through pretty well ... more in the aroma, but can taste it as well. Ended up with 20 12oz bottles and 2 liter bottles. The beer model will probably be pleased.

Comment: Tweedle Float on Tweedle Beetle Imperial Stout

4/8/2010 5:58:52 PM

Tweedle Beetle Imperial Stout Tried an ice cream float in my Tweedle Beetle Stout. Not really something I'll try again... but Leprechaun Stout might be worth trying.

Comment: on Leprechaun Stout

4/3/2010 5:42:45 AM

Leprechaun Stout Finished off the last of this last night. Will absolutely have to brew this again some day. Might be a good thing to have around for Christmas.

Comment: Bottled

4/3/2010 5:40:09 AM

Bottled it up in 19 12oz and 2 1 liter bottles. FG came to 1.016. Ok ADF, but I was sort of hoping that the S33 yeast would perform better. I really liked how the biscuit came through. It sort of makes me think this is the little brother to Phat & Tyred.

Comment: on Brother Bear Dopplebock

4/2/2010 5:07:58 PM

Brother Bear Dopplebock Tried a bottle. Very clean, malt forward, full bodied beer with a touch of sweetness. Not much of a head which is surprising with such a subtantial bodied beer. Would like to let this condition awhile.

Comment: on Tweedle Beetle Imperial Stout

4/1/2010 8:05:28 PM

Tweedle Beetle Imperial Stout Tried another. Might be starting to mellow. Really hope to be able to save some of these for a year or more, but it will be difficult.

Comment: on Brother Bear Dopplebock

3/31/2010 5:25:54 AM

Brother Bear Dopplebock Put a couple in the beer fridge. Need a QA taste.

Comment: on Brother Bear Dopplebock

3/28/2010 2:31:29 PM

Brother Bear Dopplebock Placed into conditioning cooler. May 1st sound like a good first taste? We'll see.

Comment: on Monkish Wit

3/28/2010 7:20:43 AM

Monkish Wit Fermentation seems to be going well. Removed from cooler to the spare room with a 2 liter ice bottle in it. Rutt was at 65 when I moved him.

Comment:

3/28/2010 7:17:28 AM

Tried a little sample today. Tastes like beer. Not really that remarkable, but beer none-the-less. Still a bit cloudy. Will keep this beer on schedule.

Comment: Mixed up the batch on Monkish Wit

3/27/2010 6:55:23 AM

Monkish Wit Mixed it up. The orange smell was strong on the wort. No real issues except, my probe thermometer has apparently finally died. The wort was at 80 in Rutt, so I cooled in the fridge before pitching. Pretty much my whole starter went in because the yeast did not really flocculate well. Did not measure the OG again after pitching yeast because I did not want to waste beer.

Comment: Harvested Yeast on Monkish Wit

3/25/2010 9:07:19 PM

Monkish Wit Split up starter of the Wyeast 3944 into 4. Made a new starter with on of the 4. Hope to brew this tomorrow or Saturday.

Comment: Starter

3/25/2010 8:56:31 PM

Divided up the 3944 starter into 4 pint jars. Then, put one of those jars into a new starter. Hope to get this brewed up in the next couple of days.

Comment:

3/23/2010 5:36:30 AM

Fermentation is already on the decline. Keg thermometer has been up to the 72/74 range.

Comment: Brewing Day

3/21/2010 7:03:31 AM

Was up pretty early, and decided to get a jump on the mash before church, so the mash lasted a few hours. I doubt I'll notice the difference, but it will be interesting to see how this turns out. Am also hydrating the yeast for a longer period of time than my usual practice.

Comment: on Brother Bear Dopplebock

3/20/2010 5:04:02 AM

Brother Bear Dopplebock Labeled the bottles today. Only had 16 12oz bottles. Not sure how Tyler and I miscounted. There was a QLC in the carbonation coolers. I wonder if that one was mis-labeled. Oh well, one less beer than I had is not the end of the world.

Comment: on Tweedle Beetle Imperial Stout

3/19/2010 6:13:45 PM

Tweedle Beetle Imperial Stout Tried another. Still love the intense dark roasty coffee and chocolate malt flavors and flavorful hops.

Comment: Perfect amont of Peppermint on Leprechaun Stout

3/18/2010 6:06:23 AM

Leprechaun Stout Boy, I planned this perfectly for St. Patrick's Day. The mint was exactly what I would consider perfect for a beer that contains peppermint. And the Mr. Beer stout was a perfect compliment to the minty flavor. Great beer.

Comment: on Fools' Gold Ale

3/14/2010 1:25:52 PM

Fools' Gold Ale Most of these in the beer fridge.

Comment: on Tweedle Beetle Imperial Stout

3/14/2010 1:25:29 PM

Tweedle Beetle Imperial Stout Some more went into the beer fridge.

Comment: Bottled on Brother Bear Dopplebock

3/14/2010 1:04:42 PM

Brother Bear Dopplebock Bottled the beer today with 2.5oz sugar in 1 cup water. Got 3 liter and 17 12 oz bottles. FG was 1.022, which I guess is ok for my first lager. Sample was really good. Can't wait to taste finished beer.

Comment: Happy St. Pat's Weekend on Leprechaun Stout

3/13/2010 5:54:58 PM

Leprechaun Stout As I type this into my phone, I am drinking one of these. It is a beautiful black colored beer with a thick rich tan head. It has a decent mouth feel ... not too heavy and not too light. It really tastes like a peppermint patty or thin mint. Today I am in the mood for this beer. It really seems balanced perfectly right now. It probably wont last the month.

Comment: More Standard Beers

3/13/2010 8:27:52 AM

Need to start brewing some of my standard beers again. Eric's Red, Dragon Spit, Girly Berry are all running low. Even Wetta Blonde is not going to last real long.