The Bruery: Shegöat

8.7% ABV

It's kind of funny, sometimes you get so wrapped up in all the exotic beers that are out there theses days - exotic hops from a far off land, various types of barrel aging, different types of sours, etc. Then you come across a bottle that is described as "German-style ale"... Sounds sort of pedestrian when compared to many of the descriptions for beer nowadays. Then you try it and it reminds you that sometimes the simplest things in life are great.

Shegöat from The Bruery (Placentia, CA) is just that. Understated goodness in a bottle. It pours out nice and dark brown with plenty of carbonation. The malt aroma and the banana were immediately apparent. It tasted just like it smelled and had great mouthfeel. Overall a great beer.

I also think it is pretty cool too that it comes from one of Patrick's original home brew recipes!

Yeast Washing

I had read a bit about yeast washing online and it sounded like a bit of a hassle, required good sanitation practices (who does that?), and I wasn't sure how to determine cell counts once washed so I never followed through with it. Kind of spur of the moment I saved the yeast cake from my Saison de Noel #2 batch (still need to post). It sat in my refrigerator for a few weeks until the night I tried the first bottle and I realized that I really liked the saison yeast strain, so I re-read the instructions online and started my experiment with yeast washing.

I didn't have the patience to boil up a bunch of water and then let it cool, so I used some sanitizer to sanitize a large pyrex mixing bowl (the kind with a handle and spout). I poured in 3 bottles of bottled water and then the yeast cake that I had saved. Even though it was very thick, I could still see the layers of beer, yeast, and trub. I poured out most of the beer in the sink and then added the yeast layer and part of the trub to my pyrex bowl. Then I mixed it up with a sanitized spoon.

I covered with a piece of sanitized aluminum foil and tossed it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. After that time, I could pretty clearly see a layer of yeast and a layer of trub.

The one thing that I don't have at home are the mason jars, so I thought about similar containers that I have around the house and came up with the idea to use old 12 oz. beer bottle and then just cap them. I sanitized four 12 oz. bottles and used a sanitized funnel to pour the yeast layer into the bottles. I put a cap on each and then labeled them with a permanent marker for the yeast strain. In to the refrigerator they went for a long nap.

Time will tell if either i) leaving the yeast cake in my refrigerator in a cup covered with foil, or ii) using bottled water rather than boiling will result in the yeast being infected. Hopefully not, because I will be upset if I ruin a whole batch using bad yeast....

The finished product:

Now I just need to find out approximately how much yeast is in each bottle to try to get the pitch rate correct!

Update: I re-used my washed yeat in my Farmhouse Saison recipe (still need to post) and it seemed to work. Although I seemed to have a problem with incomplete fermentation. Not sure if that was a  result of the washed yeast or the honey in the recipe.

Cismontane Brewing Company: Black's Dawn

8.5% ABV  50 IBU's

I might be biased because Cismontane Brewing Co. (Rancho Santa Margarita, CA) is my local craft beer watering hole. Or maybe it's just that they make really good beer and always have a cool crowd on hand at the tasting room. Either way, I have been going to Cismontane pretty much since they opened and I have always enjoyed the beer and the people.

Black's Dawn is their Imperial Stout w/ coffee. It pours out black with a nice brown head. The aroma is of roasted malts and coffee. The taste is roasted malts, coffee, and a bit of chocolate. Mouth feel is smooth and there is just enough alcohol to give it a nice warm feeling as it goes down.

My "food pairing" was a leftover bowl of home made chili. When I wrote this, the weather is just right too - a cold Winter night in Orange County with the temp dipping all the way down into the high 50's...

I always enjoy my visits to Cismontane and look forward to making it over there more frequently in the future.

Noble Ale Works: 3rd Anniversary Party

Noble Ale Works has really gained some local notoriety over the last two years or so. I have had the chance to make it by there a few times before Ducks games and a handful of times on the weekend. Each time I have been there they have had a unique selection of brews. I am also strangely attracted to their location where you have the semi-enclosed rustic tasting room, but you are free to walk back and hang out in the brewery area.









You start to realize that is is going to be a great day for a craft beer party when it is 80 degrees and perfectly clear skies in early February. It doesn't get much better than spending a harsh winter in Southern California in your shorts and sandals drinking great beer! (As I am writing this it is a few weeks later and it is pouring rain outside. We really need it here...)







Walking up to the event I was not surprised to see a pretty long line stretching down the street. Not newsworthy other than that it moved really quickly. A few minutes later, tasting glass and tasting sheet in hand, I was fiesta ready!








The few advertisements I had seen for the event reported 30 or so beers, but they ended up with a few more including some special casks and beer cocktails. There was a large tent in the parking lot with a serving station on each side and then the indoor tasting room had quite a few selections. In the parking lot there were three food trucks serving up some good smelling food. Right off the bat I noticed that the waiting in line situation was going to be a problem. Not sure how many people they were expecting, but there had to be close to a thousand.

After a quick walk around the event, I made my way to the shortest line and got to work. Here is what I had a chance to try throughout the day (in no particular order):

Bean Bump (Imperial Naughty Sauce) - This was their 3rd Anniversary beer. It said it was 12.7% ABV, but it went down the hatch dangerously smoothly...

Citra Showers (Citra DIPA) - A solid IPA. I love Citra hops, but for some reason the batch this year seems to taste a little weird to me.

The Messenger (IPA collaboration w/ Three Weavers) - I really enjoyed this one. A nice balance of hops and citrus from additions of Buddha's Hand and Pomelo.

Nelson Showers (Nelson DIPA) - Another version of their single hop DIPA series. This one was solid.

Cocoa Bump (Bean Bump w/ cocoa nibs) - Their first special cask. Very similar to bean bump. Not overly cocoa.

Barrel 1 is Nuts (Barrel aged strong ale w/ toasted pecans) - The last special cask. I'm not sure the pecan flavor from actual additions of nuts worked for me.

The Brown Note (Belgian-style Brown Ale) - Nice name... It tasted awesome too.... One of my favorites of the day.

Cinnamon Roast Crunch (Naughty Sauce w/ cinnamon) - Tasted just like you would think from the name.

Earl's Grey Dinghy (English Bitter w/ Earl Grey Tea) - I had had this one (or something very similar) at their tasting room before and enjoyed it. The addition of tea really gives it a unique character.

Picnic Bubbly (American Saison) - I have been on a bit of a Saison kick lately. This one was great. Just the right amount of funk and pepper that I like. 8.5% ABV also. I think this was my favorite of the day.

Shandyland (Picnic Bubbly and grapefruit juice w/ sugar and bitters) - Good, but I still preferred the straight Picnic Bubbly.

Gosebusters (German Gose w/ Oolong Tea) - Nice light sourness with the tea and fruit flavors in the background.

Mr. Sparkle (Golden ale w/ Sorachi Ace hops) - Nice golden Belgian ale with some citrus.

Rosalita (Pistol Whip'd w/ hibiscus flowers) - Nice pink color. I couldn't taste the hibiscus too much.

Luckily the tasters were not big.... Overall an incredible day in the sun with great beer. Now I am looking forward to their 4th Anniversary!

Home Brew Batch #14: Home Grown Whole Hop IPA

Two years ago I purchased some hop rhizomes (Cascade?) for my brother to grow on his ranch up in Northern California. The first season they didn't really take off, but last Summer they did fairly well.

Finally my brother showed up at my house with the harvested hops, I was a bit apprehensive to go through the whole process of making a batch of beer without knowing the alpha acid level, but I decided to go for it anyway. I figured as IPA would be the best to showcase the hops.







I have been doing all grain recipes, but I wanted to make a full 5 gallon batch with a high enough gravity for a good IPA. Since my brew kettle is only 4 gallons or so, I didn't have enough room for a full mash, so partial extract it is....

Here is the recipe I used:

5 lbs. American 2-row
1 lb. Carapils
6 lbs. Light LME
6 oz. Honey
3.5 oz. (approximately) dried whole hops. Cascade? AA%???
1 vial White Labs Yeast WLP001
1 tsp. yeast nutrient
1/2 tsp. irish moss
2 gallons purified bottled water
3/4 cup priming sugar

I started with 3 gallons of strike water at 160 f and mashed the 2-row and Carapils for 80 minutes at 150 f. Then I heated 5.5 gallons sparge water to 170 f. After I removed the grain bag, I soaked it in the sparge water for 10 monutes and then removed the grain. I dumped the sparge water in to the boil kettle with the rest of the mash water and brought it to a boil. I added 1 oz. of the whole hops at 60 minutes, 1/4 oz. of whole hops at 45 minutes, and 1/4 oz. of whole hops at 30 minutes. At 30 minutes I added the honey and LME. I added 1/4 oz. of hops at 15 minutes and then the irish moss and yeast nutrient at 10 minutes.

After 2 weeks of fermentation, I racked to a secondary fermentor and added the remaining hops for dry hopping. I bottled 2 weeks later.
















Update: As expected, the level of alpha acid was unknown, so the bitterness was way too low. Maybe next year as the root system develops the quality of the hops will improve. The one thing that was very interesting was that the aroma and taste of the beer was very much like the original hops my brother gave me, but seemed to have a strange detergent taste/smell. I didn't like it at all, but others seemed to like it a lot....

Home Brew Batch #13: All Grain Saison de Noel #1

The Summer always seems to get in the way of brewing with so many things to do away from home. By the time I started to think about my next batch it was already late August. I was trying to think ahead for something for the holidays and I came across a Saison de Noel recipe online. I adapted it as follows for a 2.5 gallon batch:

5 lbs. Belgian Pilsner Malt
0.25 lbs. Aromatic
0.125 lbs Carafa III
0.125 Cara Munich
0.50 lbs. Dextrose
0.50 lbs Belgian Candi Syrup 80 L
0.50 oz. Magnum Hops 15.2% AA
1/2 vial White Labs WLP 566 Saison II
1/2 tsp. Yeast Nutrient
1/4 tsp. Irish Moss
2.5 oz. Priming Sugar

I started with 3 gallon of strike water at 160 f. The mash started almost exactly at 150 f and held its heat
well. The sparge method I tried on this one was to heat 0.5 gallons of sparge water to 168 f and then I poured it over the grain bag as it was sitting on a colander suspended over my boil kettle.

After boiling for 15 minutes, I added the Magnum hops at 60 minutes. At 45 minutes I added the Dextrose and Belgian Candi Sugar (I didn't add them at 60 minutes because I was trying to avoid some carmelization, but this recipe is dark enough color and had lots of malty flavor, so it probably didn't matter too much). At 15 minutes I added the yeast nutrient and irish moss. Then cooled, pitched yeast, and let ferment for 2 weeks in the primary.



Update: I gave away a growler of this one and a couple of bottles, so there wasn't a whole lot left for me to enjoy after those. The beer was good, but not as memorable as the second batch. I wonder now if the yeast pitch rate was way too low. I tried to split a vial of yeast, so maybe it was unequal. For this high of gravity I definitely should have gone with a full vial per 2.5 gallon batch. The only other issue I can think of was that it fermented a bit too warm.

Home Brew Batch #12: All Grain Hefeweizen

So the weather warmed up quite a bit the last couple of weeks (May '13). I remembered a Hef that I brewed a few years ago that was a big time banana bomb because is fermented really warm. With summer right around the corner, warm ambient temperature for fermenting, and a desire to try an all grain recipe other than all barley, I though a Hef was in order!

The last two all grain batches I have brewed I was only doing 2.5 gallons due to the size of my 4 gallon brewpot that could only hold enough grain for a half batch. I had the idea to do the mash in my 6 gallon fermenter, so I thought I would try a full 5 gallon batch with a lighter recipe like this Hef.

I adapted a recipe from my home brew book Brewing Classic Styles. Here it is for a 5 gallon batch:

- 6 lbs German Pilsner Malt
- 6 lbs. Wheat Malt
- 0.8 oz. Hallertau
- 1 vial White Labs WLP 380 Hefeweizen IV

Brewing was pretty straight forward with the brew in a bag method:

- 4 gal. strike water @ 165 f
- Mash at 152 f for 60 min.
- Rinsed in 1 gallon hot tap water (I should have heated it)
- Boil 30 minutes
- 0.8 oz. Hallertau
- Boil for 60 more minutes
- 1/4 tsp. Irish Moss last few minutes

I used a sink full of water and my wort chiller to get it down to about 75 f before pitching the yeast (1.050 OG). As I said above the ambient temperature was pretty high in the house (high 70's), so the next morning the fermentor was going wild and the temperature was up near 80 f. I tried to put a wet t-shirt on the fermentor to cool it down a bit, but that didn't help too much. I fermented out pretty quick and then the temperature came down.




I left it in the primary for two weeks and then bottled it. After a couple of weeks to carbonate I tried one. The banana was off the chart, but there was a lot of fusel alcohol.

Update: I just finished my last bottle in December '13. Seems like the both the banana aroma and fusel alcohol chilled out a bit. It was really good, especially because I drank it out of a glass Das Boot!

Mission Brewery: Amber Ale

5.0% ABV  43 IBU's

Mission Brewery had me hooked with their Shipwrecked DIPA. Now that I found out that they have 32 oz. oil cans of it at Costco for less than $7 I am going to be in trouble...

This is the last one of my random 12 oz. bottles that I picked up at Total Wine & More. I was already hooked on their DIPA, so I thought I would try their Amber Ale. This one pours out a bit darker and has extra malty goodness than your typical amber ale, maybe because of the German Altbier style that is referenced on the bottle.

Overall a solid beer if you are looking for an amber ale with more character than usual.

Coronodo Brewing Co.: Orange Avenue Wit

5.2% ABV  19 IBU's

The second time around for me with Coronado Brewing Co. was just right with their Orange Avenue Wit. It poured out a nice orange color. There was some good yeastyness right out of the bottle. You could definitely taste the orange peel. There seemed to be just a bit more bitterness than your average wheat beer, which I liked.

Overall a great tasting wheat beer. I look forward to making it down to their place one of these days and having a cold Orange Avenue Wit while enjoying the amazing SoCal weather.

Bootlegger's: Wildfire Wheat

5.2% ABV  17.7 IBU's

When I was on my value binge at Total Wine there was a 22 oz. bottle of Bootlegger's Wildfire Wheat for only $2.99. I couldn't resist...

When I got home and was ready to open the bottle I read the description and it said that it was a smoked beer to go along with the wildfire theme. I was a bit cautious at first because I have had a couple of smoked beers over the years and I haven't liked them.

I was pleasantly surprised though. There was just a little smokiness where you could detect it and enjoy it, but it wasn't overpowing at all. Kind of an interesing twist on a wheat beer.

Bootlegger's impresses me again!

Eel River Brewing: Acai Berry Wheat

4.0%  -  15 IBU's

I was at Total Wine & More and was perusing the craft beer bottles and noticed that most of the 12 oz. bottles were only $1.59 to $1.99. Most 22 oz bottles are $5+, so the the smaller bottles seemed like a good deal. I picked up a few random ones to try.

Eel River Brewing's Acai Berry Wheat caught my eye as is sounded refreshing. It was nice and light, didn't remind me too much of the body of a wheat beer. The acai berry flavor was nice, but I think that I would have liked just a bit more.

Overall very good and sessionable.

Home Brew Batch #11: All Grain Pale Ale #2

So I accomplished my goal of actually getting the first all-grain batch to convert properly. It was way too bitter and light on the maltiness, so I went ahead and picked up a pound of Munich malt to add to this second batch. When I looked in the hop cooler I also noticed that they had Citra hops in stock. These are my favorite type of hops and I thought they would add some nice flavor and dry hop aroma, so I grabbed a few ounces. Here is the revised recipe that I made (2.5 gallon batch):

- 3.5 pounds British 2-row malt
- 1.0 pound Munich malt
- 0.5 pound Biscuit Amber
- 0.75 oz. N. Brewer 10.6% AA (60 minutes)
- 0.25 oz. N. Brewer 10.6% AA (30 minutes)
- 0.5 oz. Cascade 6.2% AA (2 minutes)
- 0.5 oz. Citra 13.5% AA (flame out)
- 1.5 oz. Citra 13.5% AA (dry hop)
- 1/2 vial White Labs WLP001
- 1/4 oz. Irish Moss (15 minutes)

I used essentially the same brew process as the prior batch. I added a bit more strike water as the prior mash consistency was a little thick. I set the oven at 190 degrees right off the bat and that seemed to work to hold the 150 degree mash temperature. With the addition of the extra Munich malt the color and body were a bit better than the first batch. The Citra dry hopping gave it a great aroma.

Update: When the OC Fair home brew competition submission time rolled around this was the only one I had ready to put in 12 oz. bottles, so I went ahead and entered it. Did not score well at all though, apparently there was an issue with the carbonation. I think I had some inconsistency with priming sugar because some of the bottles foamed up a bit. I had experienced this with some of my bottles too. Need to stir in the priming sugar next time...

Home Brew Batch #10: All Grain Pale Ale #1

Ever since I started homebrewing, I have had an interest in trying an all grain batch. I was hesitant to do this though because of the additional equipment needed, but thanks to posts online like this one on Home Brew Talk and this one on Menu in Progress, I gained the courage to try my first all grain via the stove top / brew in a bag method.

My main goal with this batch was really to see if I could successfully convert the grains to fermentable sugars using my existing equipment. The only thing I had to buy for the stove top all grain method was a large grain sack that would completely fill my pot. I found nylon strainer bags at my local hardware store that were designed for filtering paint into a five gallon bucket, so I thought those would work fine in my 4 gallon brew kettle.

I was concerned that my brew kettle wasn't going to be big enough to fit all the grain I purchased, so I decided to cut the batch back to 2.5 gallons and it actually turned out to be a great idea. Not only did the necessary grains fit into my available brew kettle easily, but the smaller batch enabled me to do a full boil with the hops and just made life easier when transferring, cooling, etc. And I get to experiment twice as much without having to wait to finish off 5 gallons of beer before starting my next batch.



The recipe I used was very simple (2.5 gallon batch):

- 3.5 pounds British 2-row malt
- 0.5 pound Biscuit Amber
- 0.75 oz. N. Brewer 10.6% AA (60 minutes)
- 0.25 oz. N. Brewer 10.6% AA (30 minutes)
- 0.5 oz. Cascade 6.2% AA (2 minutes)
- 1/2 vial White Labs WLP001
- 1/4 oz. Irish Moss (15 minutes)

With the help of some online calculators, I was able to figure out that 1 gallon of strike water at 183 degrees would result in a mash temperature of approximately 152 degrees. I was looking to do a 60 minute mash, but was having quite a bit of trouble holding my temperature. I didn't think that it would be a good idea to blast the bottom of my brew kettle with fire because I was worried about melting the nylon bag, so instead I tried to put the kettle in the oven. Setting the oven at 160 degrees didn't even hold the temperature though, so I ended up having to set it almost all the way to 200 degrees to hold the temperature. This didn't seem to be as big of a problem with the posts that I had reviewed online. Then I rinsed my grain bag in a separate pot with 2 gallons of 180 degree water and then drained.

I was successful in getting the grains to convert into sugar (OG was low though), so that goal was accomplished and I gained some all grain confidence for my next batch. I think I was a bit aggressive on the bittering hops (I was just eyeing it because I don't have a scale yet) because it came out really bitter. For the next batch I think I will cut back on the bittering hops and throw them in as dry hops.





This was also my first attempt to cold crash to see if I could get some additional clarity in the finished product. I discovered that I need a two way air lock because my existing air lock kept trying to suck in the sanitizer as it cooled...














Update: I'm actually finishing up this post almost 9 months after actually brewing the batch... After now having completed a few all grain batches I noticed that the grain bill looked really light. I went back and took a look at the original recipe that I was using and it looks like I must have cut that grain in half when purchasing at the homebrew store knowing that I was going to be doing a 2.5 gallon batch, but I still purchased enough hops and yeast for a 5 gallon batch. Oops... So much for having my brewing recipe book right out on the counter. This goes a long way to explain why the OG was low and why it was so bitter!

North San Diego Trip: Pizza Port Carlsbad, Belching Beaver, Aztec Brewing

Just a quick trip down to San Diego County with some friends on a Saturday afternoon a couple of weeks ago.

We started off at Pizza Port - Carlsbad because we know that they always have a great selection of beer, awesome pizza, and a relaxed atmosphere (although it was really crowded). The Grapefruit Puncher was probably my favorite. Instead of the grapefruit coming from the hops, it tasted like they used real grapefruit juice. My other favorite was the Schanerberry (Belgian blond with passion fruit & blackberries). For pizza we knocked out a large Lahaina (Canadian bacon, pineapple, green bell peppers & onions).


While eating, we took a look at the Pacific Beer Map and noticed that there were about 5 breweries within a mile or so of each other in an industrial area just a few miles inland in Vista, CA. So we headed out for a little adventure...

First stop was Belching Beaver. I suppose we couldn't resist the name! They have a nice little set up going on there with the brewery in view in the back and a tasting counter and tables in the front. Outside they had a food vendor cooking up so good smelling snacks.

We went ahead and tried samplers of all 11 beers they had on tap that night. We liked the Saison de Beaver, Me So Honey (honey wheat), and the Peanut Butter Milk Stout was also interesting. After enjoying the tasters, picking up a few souvenirs, and posing for some pictures with the comical beaver art... we were off.






The next closest place we saw on our map was Indian Joe Brewing. We were excited to try the place because you could see the flashing LED open sign from way down the street. Sadly though we were met head on at the front door at 8:57 pm where we were told that they were closed. The half way open front door was pulled out of our hands and then the lady walked over and turned off the open sign. It actually worked out well though because.....


Right down the street was Aztec Brewing. We didn't realize it, but it was their 2nd Anniversary party and the place was busy. They had live music and food for the party. I saw a flyer that said they were selling tickets for the event, but I guess they just let us in because it was getting later in the evening.

We went for a taster of all 12 of their beers on tap (there was a lager that wasn't on the tasting menu). They were all nice beers and did a great job of showcasing different malt profiles. I'm not a big coffee fan at all, but surprisingly on of my favorites was the Coffee Blond. We also liked the Sacrifice Red IPA and the Poco Gigante IPA.

Too much fun for one night. Hopefully we will get a chance to make it back down to San Diego County soon. It seems like new breweries pop up faster that I can visit them. I will accept the challenge though!

Bootlegger's: Pumpkin Ale

6.1% ABV    17.8 IBU's

Tis' the season..... to drink pumpkin beer!

Let me start off first by saying that I love pumpkin pie. I have had a number of pumpkin beers over the years and I never seem to be satisfied with the pumpkin taste. Until now....

Bootlegger's Pumpkin Ale is by far the best pumpkin beer that I have had. It started off well, pouring a color that was just right. The pumpkin and spices were apparent in the aroma. The best part though was the taste. The pumpkin tasted very fresh and the spices were just right. Not super strong like eating a piece of pumpkin pie, but just the right amount where you could really enjoy drinking the beer.

Now my challenge is to find another bottle......

Hangar 24: Double IPA

9.0% ABV  -  118 IBU's

As I said before, I'm a huge fan of Hangar 24 out in Redlands, CA. They didn't waste any time or energy coming up with a fancy name for their Double IPA. It's obvious they spent their time making a great craft beer!

Although it is reported at 118 IBU's, this bad boy goes down nice and smooth because it isn't super bitter like a lot of the other DIPA's on the market (even though I like those too). This one just has a nice smooth taste that is not overly malty, but has a nice hop aroma. The scary thing about this one is that it is so drinkable that you swig it down and don't really realize just how strong it is. Then it sneaks up on you.....

Craft Beer: Be Careful What You Ask For!

Years ago when I was really starting to get into craft beer I was working with a guy that was big time into wine. He had a nice cellar at his house and would regularly purchase bottles that cost well into the $100 range. As I became aware of what went into making great craft beer, I questioned why something that in many respects was more complex than wine (especially barrel aged beers) was so much less expensive and less valued for its qualities. Flash forward to the last few years and now it is easy to find bottles of craft beer at some pretty mind numbing prices. I thought back and kicked myself for complaining that craft beer was to cheap.

This weekend I made it down to Stone to meet up with some friends to grab lunch and kick off a real quick brew tour. It was a Sunday and I checked the calendar before going and nothing was going on, so I was very surprised that there wasn't even a single spot in the parking lot. After parking across the street and trekking over to the front entrance, I was a bit surprised to see the crowd of people that were getting dropped off at the front - It was a bunch of kids and old people (old is a relative term, but for me it means the grey haired crowd). I was taken back a bit at the thought of all these intruders invading one of my favorite man cave destinations. I'll have to admit that the thought of yelling across the table to the server to order an Arrogant Bastard while there was a table of 2 years olds right behind me was a little awkward.

Although the title of this post is "Be Careful What You Ask For!" you might think that I just ended up being unhappy with expensive beer and a bunch of intruders at Stone. I actually had quite a moment of clarity though (after a few pints of high gravity beer...) leading me to a few thoughts:

1) Although I am a total tightwad, if it weren't for the market accepting high craft beer prices, it probably wouldn't be economical for places like The Bruery to make some of their exotic creations if they were only able to ask $7 for a 750 ml bottle. So even though I hate giving away my hard earned money, if that's what it takes to get a brewery within 30 minutes of my house with a lineup of killer barrel aged sours, then so be it....

2) Every time a new brewery opens up I ask myself "How long can this last?" I realize that the universe of beer geeks is relatively finite, so there must be a limit to the number of craft breweries that the market can support. Even though at first it felt strange to have a bunch of kids and old people at Stone, I think they might have found the answer... For every new person that gets exposed to the craft beer world, that opens up one more wallet to the industry (I am making the assumption that everyone that is exposed to craft beer falls in love with it because that is the only logical conclusion!). For each new wallet that gets opened up, that just means that the next generation of craft breweries/brewpubs is that much more sustainable. And for each new brewery/brewpub that is sustainable, that is another one that I get to enjoy!

So I welcome high priced beer drinkers, little kids running amok in tasting rooms, and cool old people that like to drink great beer. For each of you I have some thanks for making my hobby/sport/obsession that much more enjoyable. And in the end, the only thing constant is change, so we might as well embrace it!


P.S. Maybe my logic is a little self serving, because eventually I am going to be the guy with my kids running around the breweries and then some years after that I am going to be the cool old grey haired guy hanging out in tasting rooms telling youngsters what craft beer was like in the early 2000's...

Home Brew - Batches #1 - #9

It's kind of funny. One of my original ideas for starting this blog was to document my home brewing exploits. Here I am a few months in and I don't have even one post about my brewing. So here we go....

A little over two years ago my wife made the mistake of getting me a really nice starter home brew kit for Christmas.

I hoped to have the motivation here to go back and give a little detail on the batches that I have brewed up in the past, but I can't seem to quite get there.

So I though I would just make a list of the batches that I completed prior to starting this blog. These were mostly packaged extract kits from my local home brew shop O'Shea Brewing (Laguna Niguel, CA):

Batch #1 - Nut Brown - my first home brewed beer, so of course it was great!

Batch #2 - All Citra IPA - this one was insane! When you popped the bottle open it smelled like slicing open a grapefruit. Still might be my favorite home brew batch of all time.

Batch #3 - Hefeweizen - changed the yeast to White Labs Hefeweizen IV (WLP 380) and fermented a bit warm. The banana aroma was off the chart. This one fermented so fast that it actually blew the top off of my fermenter bucket. I thought it would be contaminated, but it turned out just fine.

Batch #4 - Red - wasn't my favorite at first, but over time it got better.

Batch #5 - Belgian Pale - turned out nice. Finally got tired of bottling with the 12 oz. bottles that came with my brewing kit, so I switched to 22's.

Batch #6 - Imperial Nut Brown - couldn't get this one to carbonate. I even tried popping a cap and adding a little extra yeast to one bottle. That didn't work. Turned out that the bottles were just too cold. They were sitting on a tile floor in my pantry right next to an exterior wall. Moved the bottles to an interior pantry and they were ready to go in a week!

Batch #7 - Belgian Wit - Hoegaarden clone for my wife. Turned out really clean, but not too much orange peel or coriander came through. I actually submitted this one for the OC Fair home brew competition, but I didn't plan ahead and the bottles didn't have enough time to carbonate. Better luck next year...

Batch #8 - Belgian Saison - Liked this one a lot. Fermented a bit warm and it seemed to have some good spiciness to it.

Batch #9 - Oatmeal Stout - my grain sack for steeping was too small so I didn't get a good soaking of the grains because the oatmeal swelled up. It ended up tasting OK, but was a bit light on the flavor and maltiness.















I learned a ton making these beers, and luckily didn't have any major screw ups, so I decided to take my confidence and start with all grain batches...

Craft Beer in Japan (Tokyo)

My wife and I were fortunate enough to make it over to Japan for a week. Unfortunately though, I only had one day to hit craft beer places in Tokyo...

It really seems like from reading online and talking to people who have been there before that the craft beer scene is really starting to take off big time. And its not just bringing in a bunch of killer craft beers from San Diego County (although they do have a lot!), but there are some great Japanese craft breweries that are producing beers that could go head to head with anything from Southern California.

I have to start with a side note. I am a huge IPA fan, but I usually try a variety of beers. After 6 days in Japan surviving on yellow fizzy beer, combined with a lot of the Japanese craft beer selections being IPA's, most of the brews I tasted were IPA's. So here we go.

My first stop was Craft Beer Market (Toranomon, Tokyo). This was first on my list because it was one of the only ones that I could find that was open around lunch on a weekday. A side benefit was that this place is known as having the most economical prices in Tokyo (under $10 for a pint!). Their craft beer menu was all Japanese.

I tried the Ryujinshuzo Ozenoyukidoke IPA, Shigakogen AfPA (they told me the style was an African Pale Ale!), Baird Brewing Suruga Bay Imperial IPA, Baird Brewing West Coast Wheat Wine 2012, and the bartender's choice for my last beer before they kicked me out to close after lunch the Iwatekura Oyster Stout served by beer engine (they assured me that real oysters were not used in the brewing or fermenting process, just oyster shells...).




While tasting the brews I tried their set menu lunch with a small soup and a plate with a bunch of curry beef and rice. It really hit the spot when washing down those IPA's!

My next stop that evening was Good Beer Faucets (Shibuya, Tokyo). These guys are known for their good selection of beers from around the world with quite a few being from Japan.

Dede the owner was there when I came in. I tried Nide Beer Monster C IPA (Japan), North Island IPA (Japan), Nogne #500 Imperial IPA (Norway), and another taste of Baird Brewing Suruga Bay Imperial IPA. While there I met a really nice Japanese guy that was crazy about craft beer. He let me know that one of his favorite beers was on tap at a craft beer place not too far away. It was actually on my list to visit, so we walked over together.

After a short walk we made it to Craftheads (also in Shibuya not too far of a walk from Good Beer Faucets). It was down in a basement and was pretty busy. We immediately went for the 3 Floyds' Zombie Dust (Indiana).










After enjoying a few $13 pints of Zombie Dust we called it a night. Sorry about the blurry picture. It was pretty dark in there.












Overall, you could really tell that the craft beer scene is taking hold in Japan. I look forward not only to getting back over there again, but to finding some of the great Japanese beers here on tap somewhere.

One really cool thing about Japan... they sell beer in public vending machines and it is legal to drink in public!

The Bruery: 2013 Reserve Society Initiation Celebration

OK, March was a bit crazy with work, a trip overseas (more on this later!), and then getting sick - so I'm a bit behind here.

On March 2nd, The Bruery held their 2013 Reserve Society Initiation Celebration at The Phoenix Club in Anaheim, CA. This is my first year as a Reserve Society member so I was excited to get a chance to make it to the event.

First thing when my buddy and I got there we saw a ton of cars. We found a parking spot and then got in a huge line to get in. Luckily it went fast.

Once inside the fence they had a huge tent with a bunch of tasting stations.













Out on the grounds was a refrigerated truck with taps and various stations around the yard with more tasting. The weather was perfect.










Now down to the real business. Here is a copy of the tasting list. I tried the following:

• Two Turtle Doves - Thought I needed to get caught up a bit with the folks that have been Bruery fans for years. This is their second year holiday beer brewed with cocoa, pecans, carmalized sugar, and carmel matls (12% ABV).
• Barrel Aged Four Calling Birds - Fouth year holiday beer. Strong Dark Ale with gingerbread spices (11% ABV)
• Old Richland 2012 - a hoppy barley wine. Sounds like a Double IPA to me, but The Bruery doesn't make IPA's.... Either way, it was really good (10% ABV).
• White Oak - 50% White Oak Sap / 50% Mischief (11.5% ABV). Probably my favorite of the day.

Talk to Patrick Rue for a few minutes. Back to business:

• Marron Acidifie - dark sour aged in oak barrels (8.5% ABV)
• Mocha Black Tuesday - Their 19% ABV imperial stout aged in bourbon barrels with a special addition of coffee. I am not a big coffee drinker, but this was great.

Break for lunch. It was catered by Haven Gastropub (the folks that are taking over The Provisions store in Orange, CA). Pulled pork, mac & cheese, beans, and cole slaw. You pretty much can't go wrong with that. The food was great..... Back to business:

• Imperial Loakal Red - a 12% ABV imperial version of their standard Loakal Red
• Saison de Lente - 6.5% ABV
• Grey Monday - Black Tuesday aged on hazelnuts (19.5% ABV)

And a couple that were on the tasting sheet, but I didn't make it over before they ran out:

• Hottenroth with Fruity Pebbles (Yes, the cereal)
• Sour Blonde with Pop Rocks (the candy!)
• The Wanderer - Dark sour aged with blackberries and cherries. The line for this one was crazy and I think it was the first to run out.

If you are wondering why there aren't that many pictures, I forgot to take my camera.... Amateur... So I was stuck snapping a few pics with my phone.

Overall a great day. Can't wait to go next year...

Cheers!!!