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Tonight’s beer review is Duke’s Big Ass Beer.  Generally, even if I really don’t like a beer, I can see that the brewer at least put some effort into the product and tried to create something that people would like. I’m not so sure this time.

The best feature of this beer is the bottle. […]

I decided late last night to open a bottle of the ESB to make sure carbonation was happening.  It has only been four days since bottling, but there is obvious activity taking place.  I got a very small pft when I popped the cap.  I drank most of the beer inside, too.  It is still […]

I racked the porter over my rum-soaked vanilla beans tonight. When I opened up the fermenter, I noticed a faint vinegar scent. I was afraid of that after the adventure with my turkey baster over the weekend. It may be infected. The sample measured out at the same gravity as three days ago and it […]

I put the ESB in bottles last night.  UG!  I won’t be able to figure out a kegging setup acceptable to Mrs. Brain any too soon.  What a pain in the arse bottles are!  Cleaning is the worst, but the actual bottling is no quickie.  If the end product is good, it’s all worth it.  […]

For tonight’s beer review, I bring you Nugget, a Brewmaster Reserve Red Ale from Full Sail:

They call this a “Red Ale”. I’m not sure if there is a distinction between a “red” and an “amber”, but I’m guessing not. If there is, there can’t be much of one. Everywhere I’ve looked […]

For tonight’s beer review, I bring you Old Thumper Extra Special Ale from Shipyard Brewing Co., Portland, ME via Ringwood Brewery of Hampshire, England.:

Okay, while the bottle says “Extra Special Ale”, I believe it should be in the “Extra Special Bitter” class. It is a native British beer, but the recipe is being […]

Tonight’s beer review is Point Reyes Porter from Marin Brewing Co., Larkspur, California:

Marin Brewing Co. is another California brewer to add to the Brew Brain list. The Point Reyes Porter label lists no fewer than 19 awards the beer has won since the early 1990’s. Pretty impressive, no?  Poured from a 22 oz. […]

I brewed up a batch of what is to become a vanilla porter today.  I hope it turns into a first class brew, because those vanilla beans are expensive little buggers!  I couldn’t believe when I saw the price on them.  The beans pretty much doubled the cost of a typical recipe.  Ouch!  This won’t […]

Tonight’s beer review is #3 from Bear Republic - Red Rocket Ale:

I really don’t know how to classify this one. The bottle claims it is a “bastardized Scottish style red ale packed with distinctive flavors and an aggressive hop character rivaled by none. This unfiltered, bottle-conditioned, amber colored ale, breaks all style molds.” […]

For tonight’s beer review, I bring you Racer 5 IPA from Bear Republic:

This is review #2 from Bear Republic, and I have another lined up for next time. The Hop Rod Rye was absolutely fantastic. I’m looking forward to more hoppy goodness with this one. How did I like the Racer 5?
The […]

I racked the ESB out of primary into a carboy tonight.  I took the OG reading at 130 degrees, so I don’t have a very reliable reading there.  It was too hot for my conversion charts.  My reading tonight was 1.012.  My guestimate is about 4.5% ABV.  None of that matters a bit if it […]

Tonight’s beer review is another from Ballast Point Brewing Company - Yellowtail Pale Ale:

This Pale Ale is styled after the Kolsch beers of Cologne, Germany. Following up on the home run with the Calico Amber Ale from last night, I’m anxious to see how the Yellowtail fares. Let’s see…
The nose on the […]

For tonight’s beer review, it’s my pleasure to bring to you Calico Amber ale from Ballast Point Brewing Company, San Diego, CA:

This is the first of two beers from Ballast Point I picked up on my most recent binge down at the beer store. This is a new brewery for me, so I’m […]

Well, I really made a rookie mistake with last night’s Pale Ale brew.  This was the first time using hop pellets in about ten years or so.  I forgot what a mess they make!  Instead of using a hops bag or something to keep the little hops sand grains  together, I just dumped them into […]

I mashed up a new pale ale recipe I found and brewed it tonight.  In place of the failed CPVC manifold with drilled holes from the previous version of my mash tun, I opted for the steel braids.  I’ve got a double braid going.  It worked well.  I’ll take photos tomorrow.
The one problem I have […]

I feel like a stout tonight. And I’d really like to have a flip-top bottle. Oh, hey! Lookie here!:

Tonight’s beer review is Drake’s Imperial Stout. Drake’s Brewing Company is located in San Leandro, CA. I think this is the first Imperial Stout I’ve reviewed. It won’t be the last. […]

Oh no!  If you’ll recall, my mash tun manifold failed in the field the first attempt with an all grain brew.  I decided to go the stainless steel braid route for next time.  I got the braids hooked up and did my leak test.  FAIL!  Not a huge leak, but a steady small one that’ll […]

I ran across a “new-to-me” blog today that I’ll have to keep an eye on.  The blog seems to focus primarily on reviewing (hopefully) good beers, much like my own.  However, he decided to review a couple of the “Big Uglies”.  Here goes:
Big Ugly Review #1
Big Ugly Review #2
I wish I had writing talent.  A […]

The first beer review from my latest crop from BevMo is the Lagunitas IPA:

It has been a while since my first Lagunitas beer, the Censored Ale. I enjoyed that one so much I can hardly believe I waited this long to try another of their beers. Well, wait no more. Here we […]

Yep, I paid a visit to BevMo again and came home with a bunch of bombers.  There will be some interesting tastings coming up over the next couple weeks.  I’m really looking forward to these.  Some of my favorite breweries so far will be represented, along with some new ones.  I should have a fresh […]