BrewBrain Sports Investing

I’m off in the morning for a week of sun and fun in San Diego.
Next post will be next weekend sometime after I return.  I’ve got  a bunch of ingredients waiting for my return.  If all goes according to plan, Sunday, August 5th will be the day I brew my first all-grain beer.  I can […]

Tonight I bring you yet another IPA, this one from just down the road in Gilroy, CA - Oasthouse IPA from Farmhouse Brewing Company:

  Farmhouse Brewing was established two short years ago, in the summer of 2005.  They have six beers available, their labels all featuring a different barn style.
On to the beer.  How’s the Oasthouse […]

As promised, tonight I bring you my next IPA, Organic IPA from Butte Creek Brewing Company:

My little IPA run continues, and my second organic IPA in a row. This is one of four organic brews offered by Butte Creek. They also offer several Special and Seasonal beers, some of which look like they […]

Tonight’s tasting is the first from Bison Brewing of Berkeley, CA - The Organic IPA:

Fortunate for me, I’m on a bit of an IPA kick right now. I have a couple more to review in the next couple nights.
Bison Brewing concentrates on organic beers.  According to their web site, they are losing their current […]

I couldn’t take the suspense.  I had to crack open a pale ale and see how it was coming along.  It looks like a success!  I’m not looking for a new favorite brew or anything, as the ingredients seemed to me a bit on the light side.  I just want no off flavors.  The way […]

Tonight I bring you something a bit different - Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye:

According to the bottle, this is a Specialty Ale. Well, they’ll get plenty of complaints if they plan to stop production. That’s my prediction.  Thankfully, I don’t think that’s the plan.
The beer pours a brownish copper color with a thick, […]

Woohoo! Success at last! I now have a working mash tun. Well, so far it works. It passed a leak test, then it passed the “passing water” test. I filled it up with three gallons of hot tap water and it drained all but about a quart or so in […]

My cooler-conversion mash tun project is not going well.  I am not exactly an outstanding handyman, and I’m proving that with this “simple” project.  The main problem is that the hole left over when I removed the tap from the cooler is quite a bit larger than I expected and I’m having some difficulty getting […]

I got the pale ale bottled tonight. Whew! I forgot how much work that is. Now hiring…..
I leave for San Diego in a week, so no brewing until after my return. With any luck, the next batch will be all grain. I picked up all the necessary supplies, including a […]

Okay, I said I’d never drink another fruit beer, and I certainly wouldn’t review one. Well, screw it. Fruit beers are here to stay and I wanted to know if i’d just picked bad a whole bunch of times in a row. Can this selection from Shmaltz Brewing Co. change my mind […]

The Almaden KG Brewery is undergoing a little construction.  I returned home tonight with a new cooler to destroy and some hardware to turn it into a mash tun.  Yes, the all grain brewing disaster is ramping up.  I need to get a replacement part tomorrow and then test out the current design.  If this […]

Tonight I bring to you Smoked Porter from Stone Brewing Company:

This is my third beer from Stone Brewing, which I think is the most selections so far from any one brewer. Those people over at Stone seem to know what they’re doing. I absolutely loved the Arrogant Bastard, and enjoyed the IPA maybe […]

For my first Scotch Ale review, I present Coast Range Brewing Co. Scotch Ale:

Ah, the ol’ wee heavy. I have not tasted a whole lot of this variety of brew, so my memory of them is pretty dated. They are an interesting combination of flavors, generally with one major flavor - hops […]

I bring to you, Hoppy Face Amber Ale from Hoppy Brewing Company, Sacramento, CA:

I remembered trying this beer probably seven or so years ago in their shop in Sac Town. I’ve been wanting to try it again ever since, and I got my chance when I found this 22 oz. bomber at BevMo. […]

i just finished racking my first batch of homebrew into a secondary carboy.  I tasted the beer and so far things seem fine - it tastes like flat weak beer.  I didn’t notice any real sour or other off flavors, so I’m hoping for the best.
One thing I wish I had done different is the […]

I almost reached for a different beer in the fridge, but after the Arrogant Bastard last night, I just had to try another selection from Stone Brewing, the Stone IPA:

I believe this is the first IPA I’ve reviewed on my blog. How is that possible? I love IPA’s. I hope I […]

“You’re Not Worthy”
Those are the words at the bottom front of the bottle. This may be true. 7.2% ABV. This I know must be true.
For my next beer review, I bring you Arrogant Bastard Ale from Stone Brewing Co., San Diego, California:

Click on the link to the beer and you’ll get […]

I decided I need to add a bunch of beer reviews before my homebrew sticks five gallons of beer in the fridge. I stopped by the beer shop on my way home tonight and went a little crazy when I saw all those 22 oz. bottles. I did buy one six pack that […]

I finished brewing my first five gallons of beer in about ten years at about 2:30 in the morning. That’s the last time I start brewing at night. I woke up about 4 hours later and things were just showing signs of life. I got the wakeup call from the kids about […]

I received an email from Flying Dog Brewery regarding their current GABF Sweepstakes Promotion, but I can’t seem to get it to format correctly on a blog post for some reason. Here’s a link to their promotion page instead: Flying Dog GABF Promotion
It looks pretty cool. Here’s their description of the Grand […]