Bottling Up Some Christmas Cheer…

Last night I had to get down to bottling the Cream Ale I brewed as a Christmas gift for someone. It had been fermenting for two weeks and had finally dropped all of the yeast and settled nicely.

I’m not sure how clearly you can see it in the video, but the beer was brilliantly clear and had a nice layer of sediment finely packed on the bottom of the carboy. I racked it to the bottling bucket, added some priming sugar to let the yeast finish up its fermentation in the bottle and nicely carbonate the beer, and then I got to bottling with help from my trusty capper elf A Bird.

This beer smelled so good while I was bottling it, that I’m going to brew a batch for myself now. Until then keep ‘em tippin’!!

Genesee Heritage Pack

So most of the time as I cruise the beer section at Wegmans I always look for craft beer. but every once in awhile I like to buy mass produced/large brewery beer. Today I ran across Genesee’s Heritage Collection bottled in the old fashioned stubby bottles. I just couldn’t pass them up.

As far as mass produced beer from large commercial breweries from the US I like Genesee the best and then probably Old Milwaukee. I detest Budweiser products, the rice adjuncts that they use equal headache in a bottle for me, then Coors tends to taste like piss water to me, so if I’m buying domestic that is not craft I’ll normally reach for Genesee.

Plus I always feel good buying Genesee because I am supporting the local economy, because it is brewed right in Rochester, which is a short hop from our house.

This Heritage Collection has the following great slogan:

“Old Fashioned Beer & Ale Goodness”

Now c’mon that is just awesome. So tonight I will polish off a couple of stubbies and enjoy some local beer.

Just look at that itty bitty bottle, it’s so cute. It’s just begging me to drink it. Well, I hate to see anyone beg, so here we go…

Keep ‘em tippin"’

Christmas Gift Beer…

I’m always proud when people ask me if I can brew some beer for them to give as a present. It has happened every year for about three years. I have brewed beer for a co-worker’s husband’s Christmas gift, and her brother’s birthday, and now I have been asked if I can brew up another Christmas gift beer for an Aunt.

Now I know I am short on time to brew a beer and have it bottle ready for Christmas, but I am up to the challenge. So I asked a few simple questions. First, light or dark? and second what style of beer? My answers were “light” and “we normally drink Coors Light”. I know, I know Coors, don’t judge there is routinely Old Milwaukee in my fridge for L Bird and I in a pinch.

So with those guidelines I set about looking for something that was light and fairly neutral and the final guideline was that the ingredients needed to be in supply at the local homebrew store. I finally settled on a nice “lawnmower beer” of Cream Ale. Now don’t panic, this is a homebrewed cream ale so it won’t taste anything like the delicious but always dangerous Genny Cream Ale.

Here is the simplified recipe, adapted from Northern Brewer’s Cream Ale Kit.:

3 lbs of Extra Pale Dry Malt Extract

3.3 lbs of Munton’s Extra Light Malt Syrup

3/4 lbs of Honey Malt (crushed)

1/4 lb of Belgian Biscuit Malt (crushed)

1 1/2 oz Colombus Hops (Pellets)

Safale US-05 Yeast

Steep the Honey and Biscuit malts at 170 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove the grains, bring to a boil. Once the wort is rolling at the dry malt extract, malt syrup and 1 oz of hops. Boil for 50 minutes, then add 1/2 oz of Colombus hops. Boil wort for 10 more minutes, remove from heat and chill wort. Transfer the wort to the fermenter vessel, pitch yeast and top up with water to 5 1/2 gallons. Ferment to dryness.

So that’s what am I am doing while I am typing this, but I thought I would share this.

Yeah, do you see that? I see a smiling face on a misshapen head. I’m not sure if I’m creeped out or if it is that old Benjamin Franklin saying “Beer is proof God wants us to be happy.” and it’s a happy face. Or who knows as long as we are talking religion if I look again it could be a dove with the olive branch below it. Ah hell, maybe its just a sign this is going to be one great beer.

Yeah, that’s what I’m going with. Well I’m off for my final hops addition, so until then keep ‘em tippin’!

Pretty Things Jack D’or Saison Review

Its been quite awhile since I have done a proper beer review. I have been cutting back my drinking for a bit and on the occasions when I’ve had a social drink or two it has always been from a big producer. So I decided it was time to do a review, which brings me to Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project.

As I was looking for a beer, I have to say I was drawn in by the artwork and name on the label. I thought that “Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project” sounded pretty cool and home grown. Once I grabbed the bottle and read a little bit I was won over. The owners introduce themselves, tell us they draw their own labels, and brew their own beer in their tiny and creative brewery. Awesome, I love supporting small start ups. So on with the review:

Appearance: It pours a pale straw color and is slightly hazy. The head quickly dissipated, but the beer was very effervescent.

Aroma: The initial aroma was citrusy with some spicier notes. There were also some wheat and yeast aromas that were reminiscent of a hefeweizen .

Taste: It has a clean and crisp taste that gives way to a very slight bitterness. It was light, easy drinking and refreshing.

Overall: This is a nice beer, it’s drinkability is great. This is supposed to be a Saison which is traditionally a farmhouse ale style that is pretty open to interpretation. Their interpretation is nice, but it is nothing that stands out amongst the crowd. That is not saying that it is not a good beer, because it really is fantastic, but it isn’t going to stand out in a tasting of 10 Saisons. But even with that caveat it is definitely worth picking up a bottle or two. Plus hey you are supporting a small Mom & Pop brewery which is awesome in itself.

Keep ‘em ‘tippin!!

Lake Placid Pub & Brewery

This weekend L Bird, Dinker, Cheesepaws Mom, and I went to Lake Placid for Oktoberfest, you can see the whole deal here. But one of the awesome things we got to do was have dinner at the Lake Placid Pub & Brewery.

We got there just in time for the dinner rush, so we had a fifteen minute wait for a table. Perfect, we had time to go to the bar and order a drink. The bar was packed, but lucky for us LPP&B has two bars, one upstairs and one downstairs. LPP&B is built in an old church so we walk out the entryway past some beautiful stained glass and downstairs to the second bar. Unfortunately for us, this bar was packed as well. We eventually made our way to the bar and got our beers.

I forgot what everyone else had, but I started with the Moose Island Ale. This is definitely a session beer. It was only 4.4% alc/vol and it was very light. It was crisp and clean, it didn’t have much aroma, but the taste was very refreshing. I could easily have drank a lot of this beer.

They called us to our table pretty quickly which was cool. We finished our beers and ordered another round while we waited for our food. This time I got the Barkeater Amber. This beer was fantastic, it was nicely balanced with good malty flavors and a slight amount of hops.

Our dinners came and they were also very delicious. I had “Josh’s Fire Fish”, which was basically a fish fry that was dipped in hot wing sauce. It was very good, I would highly recommend it.

Overall, it was a very good dinner and some very good beers with good friends. If you are ever in the Lake Placid area, The Lake Placid Pub & Brewery should definitely be on itinerary. So stop by, have a few cold ones, enjoy and as always keep ‘em tippin’!!

A Winter Warmer, well sort of….

It’s turning colder and has been chilly and raining all week, so that got me thinking about winter and brewing up some winter warmer beers. I was thinking of something nice, dark, malty and plenty of kick, but then I decided to take a different approach. Some of you may remember the infamous Hot Chili Pepper beer. Well what better way to keep warm in the winter than sweating to every wonderful sip of Hot Chili Pepper Ale and munching cheese with the Bears game on TV.

So I’m going to start brewing up a 6 gallon batch of fiery goodness,  but this time I think I am going to experiment a little and split the batch up into three 2 gallon fermenters. Then I can experiment with levels of heat. I’ll ferment one with mild jalapenos, a medium heat fermenter with mostly jalapenos and one or two habaneros, and the last fermenter will be an inferno with generous habaneros and a few jalapenos to round out the flavor.
I’ll try to post some good pictures or videos of the brewing process and hopefully some video of people trying them. Until then keep ‘em tippin’ !!!

Auction Beer Swag

So occasionally my buddy Capt. Insano and I hit the local auction. Now the whole auction is the greatest show in itself. It is set in an old barn, they have old church pews and old rows of movie theater seats bolted to the floor, the whole place is a greasy looking yellow from all of the smoke and grease and they have one of the most miserable auctioneers I’ve seen. But the whole scene is hysterical. She sits up on the raised platform and yells at her workers to bring things faster, then she comes up with odd words for certain items, like a few weeks ago everything was either a “compote” or a “commode”, last night everything was either a “spittoon” or a “chamber pot”. She yells at people to “put their damn cards up” and then usually the evening ends when she has had enough and closes the night. So the whole thing is always very entertaining.

We have gone a few times and normally come away with some useless junk, but it was fun. Well last night  was a great night for beer memorabilia. So I scored a pretty sweet find.

Yep, a vintage Genesee Beer tray. They also had a Genesee pool table light and a Schaefers hanging bar clock/lighted sign that was definitely vintage. I gave both of those things a shot but they quickly flew out of my price range. But overall I think it was a successful night at the auction.

Keep ‘em tippin’ !

Brewery Ommegang: Hennepin

Well, the summer is starting to wind down and we are now in September. But my thoughts are still on the hot, hazy dog days of summer and the perfect refreshment for those days, a Saison Ale.

With that in mind I ran down to Wegmans and went straight to the Belgian section, because there are a ton of truly fantastic saisons from Belgium. Well, I couldn’t make a decision between some of them so I fell back to an old comfortable standby Hennepin. Now technically it's not Belgian but it is brewed true to Belgian style. It’s actually brewed by Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown, NY and they have an affiliation with Duval, so technically it really is Belgian by like the “six degrees of Kevin Bacon” or something like that. But anyway, on with the review:

Appearance: It poured a very light straw color and was quite hazy. It poured a rocky white head, I mean just look at it. It’s glorious. It was also very effervescent with millions of tiny bubbles streaming up the glass as it sat there.

Aroma: I got some very slight hoppy notes, that were balanced with some spicy notes. The spicy notes were peppery almost like black pepper, and then I also smelled a very slight hint of pine.

Taste: The first sip there was a slightly sweet but not overly sweet and cloying. It was light and refreshing. It was very crisp and clean across the palate. It was perfectly balanced so that there were really no stand out flavors that overpowered the beer.

Overall: This is a great beer. It is my old standby for hot summer days. Its always cold and refreshing and quenches your thirst perfectly. If you have it in your area it is definitely worth buying a bottle or two. Enjoy!

Keep ‘em tippin’!!

National IPA Day: Southern Tier Unearthly

Two days ago was National IPA day, so given the opportunity/excuse to drink a beer I’m going to. So while I was grocery shopping with A Bird which was it’s own form of treat slash torture I grabbed a bottle of IPA to celebrate National IPA Day.

***The picture is blurry just like I was after drinking this monster

The beer poured a dark amber and produced a generous “pillowy” head. It was very slightly cloudy. The aroma was not what I had expected. I was looking for an almost overpowering smell of hops, but  what I got was something more delicate. The hops were definitely there but nicely blended with flowery, herbal and almost “perfumey” (I’m not sure that’s a word but you get the point) notes. The whole aroma was very enticing.

Then I took my first sip and was pleasantly surprised again. I was expecting a heavy bitterness and bite up front that smacks you in the face practically yelling “I’M AN IPA, DAMN IT!”, but instead I got a really smooth almost creamy mouthfeel that let the ale notes come before the bite of hops and bitterness came in the finish. Then  like any good IPA, the more I drank of it the stronger the hops and bitterness became.

Overall this was a great IPA and I’m not an IPA guy. Plus it is an Imperial so it was 9.5% alcohol and it was very deceptive. When you were drinking it, the beer was so well balanced that you didn’t notice the alcohol  until it was too late. I would definitely recommend you pick up this beer and enjoy.

Keep ‘em tippin’!

Double Red Ale: Possible Giveaway??

I was looking around for something different to brew a few weeks ago and after looking through my beer magazines, an idea hit me. I decided I would brew a Double (Imperial) Red Ale. Well, there was one problem, I had a good Red Ale recipe, but nothing for a Double Red, so I improvised. I took my Red Ale recipe and doubled a few of the grains, but I probably should have not doubled the small amount of Simpson’s Dark Crystal Malt. Because of that little error my “RED” Ale is more of a nut brown than red. We’ll see what it looks like at bottling. (I've been sitting on this post, the beer definitely has red highlights.)

That brings me to my next point, I am going to be putting it in the bottles sometime this week. I bottle into 22 oz brown bottles, because if you are going to drink one homebrew, you probably are going to drink another so why not just cut to the chase and drink one 22 oz’er, right? So my 5 1/2 gallons will typically give me 27-29 bottles depending on how much beer I actually get after transferring it to the bottling vessel.

Now I know right now you are probably wondering what the title of this post is all about. It says “giveaway” and he is yammering on and on about his brewing goof ups. Well, lets get to it. I started a new workout program and it has taken a drastic cut to my drinking. Now I’m am going to keep a 6 pack of them for myself to be drank on special occasions, and I have obligations to some of my cohorts to give them a test bottle, but the rest I am going to give away. Now due to international alcohol shipping laws, I will not be able to give away any bottles to anyone outside the US. Sorry to all my international readers, don’t be mad at me, be mad at the various government bodies that enforce these rules.

So here is what I am thinking, I will have 5 bottles to give away. So the first 5 people to leave a comment will receive 1 – 22 oz bottles of Ol’ Naps Used to be Red Ale. The only thing I ask is that after you taste it, you come back to this post and leave me honest feedback. If you hate and fed it to the dog, great! Tell me that. If you loved it or have suggestions, tell me those too.

Now I’m hoping that most of these go locally because of shipping issues, but if you do live out of state, I’ll try to get crafty to get it to you. Just drop me your email and we can work out the details.

Good luck and happy tasting! Keep ‘em tippin’ !

Cool Local Beer Article...

So I was reading the news the other day and I came across a really cool article. It is all about the craft beer movement in the Finger Lakes area. The article covers a lot of different aspects from growing hops to the new breweries that are popping up. I figured I would share the link. Just click here for the craft beer article.


Also, I am trying to figure out a way to do a homebrew giveaway. I have a few bottles that I would like to give away, I just have to work out the kinks, so stay posted.

Keep ‘em tippin’ !

Middle Ages Brewing Co.

So I have had this post in my back pocket for a couple of weeks, but things didn’t work out the way I planned. Big surprise, right? But anyway, two weekends ago we went up to Syracuse to visit L Bird’s sister and her family. It’s always a good time to catch up and hang out while the kids play, plus I get to hang out with my brother in-law Chuck. So there is always a lot of good conversation about beer and plenty of good beer being drank as well. The past few times we have been up to visit, Chuck and I have talked about going to Middle Ages Brewing Co., but it has never worked out, normally because we go up to visit on Sundays and Middle Ages is closed on Sunday. But I got lucky this past visit, we ended up going on a Saturday. Awesome!

After some lunch and hanging out, Chuck and I ditched the wives and kids for an hour to head over to the brewery. I’ve had Middle Ages beer before, but any chance I can get to go to the tasting room, I am jumping on. Chuck winds his way through the city and we pull up in front of this old brick, industrial looking building with a small sign on the garage doors that said Middle Ages Brewing Co. Now I have been to plenty of breweries where the initial looks of the building were completely different from the quality of the beer. I have been to places where I drove by them a hundred times saying “There is no way that is a brewery it’s too small and looks like an old garage!” (Ithaca Beer) and had fantastic beer. Then I have been to places where the tasting room is as swanky as could be and the beer was definitely subpar (I’ll leave them nameless, as no one should drink “their” beer). So walking up to Middle Ages I was still completely unbiased.

We walked in and the tasting room was packed. I had a camera in my pocket to take a few pictures, but I completely forgot about it once the beer started pouring. Sorry! We made our way to the bar and found that they had 7 beers on tap for tasting and 3 other beers in the back that were for growler pours only. So 10 beers is a pretty healthy stable of beers, and Chuck and I made our way through 9 out of 10. We tasted the 7 they were pouring and a couple of them twice, then we each got a growler from out back. I liked one of their beers. They were all superb, but I especially liked the Old Marcus, it was slightly sweet with maybe some honey notes but it still had a nice maltiness to carry it through and make it a well rounded very easy drinking beer.

Middle Ages bar staff is also very good. They were very knowledgeable of the beers and very helpful, but also laid back. They were friendly and not pretentious beer snobs. They had a good time mixing with the crowd and still talking up good beer. I was very impressed with them to say the least.

I ended up getting a growler of the Black Heart Stout from their back room. I was going to do a beer review on it, but once I poured a pint I lost track of everything else and just enjoyed the simple pleasure of drinking and really enjoying a beer. I wasn’t worried about tasting notes or pictures; I just let myself be wrapped in the sensations of drinking it just for that enjoyment. I will say that it is an excellent stout and you should buy it if you ever happen upon it.

All in all it was a great trip to a great brewery and the beers are all fantastic. If you are in Syracuse, please find time to stop into Middle Ages and try their selections. You will not be disappointed. Until then, keep em’ tippin’!

Random Beer Things…

I can’t remember if I mentioned it or not but I recently ordered ingredients to make an Irish Red Ale plus a little. I basically ordered everything I needed to make a nice Irish Red, but I up’d my grain bill trying to make it just a little bit bigger. Not an Imperial Red but maybe just a double red or a Irish Red 2.0. We’ll see how it turns out, I am hoping to be brewing it by tomorrow night as long as fedex shows up on time tomorrow.

But while I sit here and salivate over my next brew I wanted to just share a few thoughts about craft beer. The first thing I realized is, it’s everywhere man. A few years back it was hard to find any beer that wasn’t a budweiser or miller-coors  product. Now as I walk down the grocery store, the beer isn’t only contained to the cooler any more. There are actually aisles,  yep that’s right aisles as in plural, as in more than one. So now you have choices galore. It’s an awesome time in craft beer. Even main stream grocery stores such as Wegmans or Tops are catching onto to the movement. I mean Wegmans has a “Craft Your Own Pack” section where you can mix and match a six pack of beer and the last time I was at Tops they had a little pamphlet on craft beer that gave definition of styles and the appropriate glassware to drink it out of. A really big and really cool step for grocery stores.

The second thing I noticed is that everyone I know is talking about craft beer. At work when I talk to my colleagues it seems like one of the first questions I hear is “Have you been to that new brewery to try their beer?”. Just yesterday I was having a conversation with a fellow winemaker about beer judging. He has been judging wine competitions for years and was asked to sit in for a beer judge cancellation. He is certainly no stranger to beer but he was shocked and amazed at the grading criteria in a beer competition. We were discussing how strict the style guidelines were and how many brewers are stretching the guidelines almost into new styles. I was explaining to him how there is a whole Beer Judging Certification Program that you have to complete to correctly judge beer.

So as I sit here drinking a frosty cold beer in the shade, I am just amazed at how far beer has come and I am very interested in where it is going. Who knows? Maybe in a few years I’ll know first hand. Here’s to wishful thinking!

Keep ‘em tippin’!!!

Dreaming again...

Image from: http://www.holderbros.com/blog/tagged-with/timber-framed-barn

So lately I have been really daydreaming about a lot of different things, but the two biggest of them being opening up a small “boutique” nanobrewery. (sorry, I work in the wine industry and around me, all of the tiny wineries/farm wineries are called boutique wineries) and secondly becoming less dependent on the world and becoming more self sufficient. If I had the money to go “off the grid” I SO would, but that is not an option at this point. However, as my daydreams continue to meander through my head I thought that this would be a really cool idea and possibly feasible on the nanobrewery level.


I think that it would be awesome to start up a small brewery that is almost entirely self sufficient. I think that if I had five to ten acres of land I could do it. I would plop down a rustic timber framed barn with the tasting room up front and the brewery operations in the back. Then there would be an acre or two dedicated to growing a couple different varieties of hops, and the rest of the acres would be for barley and some wheat for the malt bill for the brewery. Then I would contract with the local farmers to harvest and possibly process the barley for me. Then I could control the growing conditions for everything that enters my beer. I would be able to control my process from raw materials to finished beer. I’m not sure if the beer laws are the same as the wine laws, but if they are then I would be able to call my beer an “Estate” beer, meaning that all of the ingredients that go into the beer came from my property. Plus on a personal note, how satisfying would it be to know that your beers were all produced using materials that you had grown? That would be awesome.

But anyway, that’s what I have been thinking about lately in the world of beer. I’m also out trying to find a real good Double Red Ale recipe. My fermenters have been dry for too long and I’m itching to get something going.



Keep ‘em tippin’!!!

Goose Island: Sofie: Belgian Style Ale Review

It’s been awhile since I had a decent beer to review, or went to the store for a beer for that matter. So I made a trip to Wegmans this past week and saw the Goose Island section of the beer display and the 750 ml bottle of Sofie just jumped out at me.

The bottle has a very nice, clean label that gives it a very sophisticated look. The label more closely resembled a wine label than other beer labels. So I picked up the bottle and saw that it was a Belgian Style Ale and I was sold.

So here we go:

Appearance: The beer poured nicely after some time was given to let the head settle. I’m not a professional beer  pourer but I can pour a decent beer, so pouring this beer was a definite challenge. Right out of the gate it was really foaming even with a gentle pour. The head was pillowy and very cleanly white.  The color of the beer was a light straw color that was filled with streams of tiny effervescent bubbles.

Aroma: The aroma was light. I only was able to smell the citrusy notes of the hops and what can only be described as wet hops.It was the smell of the hops after they have been removed from a carboy or barrel.

Taste: The taste is very true to style, but lighter on the palate than a traditional Belgian. It was slightly fruity, I got notes of orange and L Bird said it was peach, but hey everyone’s palate is different. It was just very clean and crisp, there were no real strong or standout flavors.

Overall: This was a great beer. It was easy to drink and you could easily enjoy more than one. I am a fan of Goose Island and this is just another great beer in their lineup.

So the next time you are looking for a nice summer beer, grab a bottle of Goose Island’s Sofie, you won’t regret it.

Keep ‘em tippin’!

Growler Box

I’ve had the idea to build a simple box to transport growlers of beer in for some time, but I have put it off and put it off. But last week was my birthday and my friend Dinker’s birthday, and I thought that a growler box would be a good gift for each of us. I was supposed to have them ready by this past Saturday, but well it just didn’t work out. So if you read this first Dinker, you have a Growler box waiting for you. Happy Birthday Dinker!!

I had the idea that I would like them to look like the old school wooden tool boxes. I didn’t want anything fancy, just something that looked rustic (old school, well  worn/used, beat up etc.) So I bought knotty pine and cut it roughly. Then I used square cut masonry nails to give it that “ol’timey” look. Then I used a simple 1 3/8” pine dowel for the handle. I drilled though it on each end and put a 3/8” lynch/cotter pin through each hole. So now to load the growlers, you pull one pin out and pull the entire handle out. Load the growlers, replace the handle and pin and there you go. You’re beer rides nice and secure.

I made it to hold two growlers, so if you only need one growler you have room for some tap room swag, but seriously who can buy only one growler at a time.

But anyway, I took a short video so you can see it. I apologize now for the video quality, I was pretty distracted because A Bird and Linus were screwing around behind me and bumping into my legs. Enjoy!!

North Coast Brewing: Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout

In business they always say “Know your customers”. Well, in the blogging world it can be tough to know your customers/readers because they can be miles upon miles away from you. Sure you can read through the comments and get a good feel, but this blog is still relatively small and I don’t get a ton of comments. So the best I get is tracking my hits and stats. These stats tell me where the person is viewing from, what posts they viewed, and what traffic source (i.e. google, blogspot, etc.) they found me by. That’s useful information.

Based on that information, something struck me as kind of cool. It would appear that I have an anonymous follower from somewhere in Russia. I’m not sure this is a single follower or a bunch of people, a man, a woman, I have no idea. I am leaning towards it being one person. This is my opinion because my stats tell me that I get traffic from yandex.ru. and the search words they are using are napsgetsbeer.blogspot. So I did a quick google search and found out that yandex is a Russian search engine. So someone over there is specifically searching for my blog. How awesome is that? I know, totally awesome.

Anyway, now that I have bored you with a long back story I decided it would be cool if I did a “shout out” beer review to this person. I wanted to go to Beers of the World to get an beer that was actually brewed in Russia, but well, that just didn’t pan out. So I did the next best thing I went to Wegmans and found North Coast Brewing and picked up their Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout. This one is for you, comrade!

Appearance: It pours very black with a generous light brown pillowy head. It is almost completely opaque, you can’t really see a light shone through it. As I drank it, it did produce some nice lacing down the sides of the glass.

Aroma: It has little to no hops present in the aroma. However, dark coffee notes come through instantly. I also smelled some roasted malt with some slight burnt notes. There was also some sort of funky, earthy note in the finish of the aroma. It wasn’t unpleasant, it was just different.

Taste: There are some strong coffee, espresso flavors. The mouthfeel is slightly creamy, but it is not too much. There are also some roasted malty notes. It is dry in the middle,its not too sweet. It is surprisingly smooth for being such an high alcohol beer.

Overall: I thought this was a good representative of a Russian Imperial Stout. This beer could also be pretty dangerous because it is so smooth, you don’t realize how much alcohol it has in it. If you like stouts or just dark beer this beer is well worth picking up.

Enjoy! Keep ‘em tippin’!

The Maibock…finally

Well, my wait is finally over for the maibock. This was really the first time I tried to actually lager a beer, and I did it old school to boot. I waited until the dead of winter, brewed the beer, then lagered it in a cave a.k.a the crawl space/basement for two months. So yesterday the beer hit the two month lager mark and was ready to be bottled.

I trudged down the ladder into the crawlspace and hoisted up my golden brown treasure. I got it ready to bottle and gave it a little taste before putting it into the bottle and it was DELICIOUS. Well, worth the wait.

Then I was in a super beer dork mode so I video some of the steps of my bottling. Then being even a bigger dork, if that’s possible I put it together into a compilation video presented for your viewing pleasure below.

Well, there it is in all it’s glory and hopefully in about a week or two I’ll have a review of it up for you. Then if it’s good I’ll have to make a special delivery to Diamond Dave and Jim The Plumber for fixing a leaky pressure reducer in the crawl space that threatened to flood out Ol’ Naps’ Glorious Maibock.

Keep ‘em tippin!

Rheinblick German Restaurant

Now I know that this is not strictly beer related, but there have been many a beer drank in this establishment and this restaurant deserves to have many a post about it. This has been long overdue but I wanted to sing the praises of mine and L Bird’s favorite restaurant, Rheinblick German Restaurant in Canandaigua, NY. We try to eat there a lot, but with our busy schedules it normally ends up just being on special occasions which is not as much as we would like. So we end up hitting it up for birthdays, anniversaries, and other special occasions.


Rheinblick German Restaurant sits right on Main St. in Canandaigua and is owned by Gudrun and Gary Klemens who are both originally from Germany. The restaurant is smaller and holds roughly 20 – 25 tables, but it gives it both a “homey” and exclusive feel to the restaurant because it books fast with reservations. In the summer, the enclosed alleyway where the main entrance is doubles as a biergarten (outdoor tables for food and beer, mostly beer though lol). The food is traditional German and Austrian dishes. The food is simply fantastic, plus they have an entire section of the menu dedicated to schnitzel. I am slowly making my way through the schnitzel menu. You can find the menu, here.

In addition to the gloriously wonderful food they have a fantastic beer & wine selection. You can view the beer selection here. Also, as you can see below I am really partial to the Sprecher draft.

All in all this is one of the best restaurants I’ve been to and my favorite. So if you find yourself in Canandaigua, NY please take time to find Rheinblick German Restaurant . It will be well worth it. For more information , other than my small review you can find a link to their page here.

Keep ‘em tippin’!

Patience & Pride

Well, this is just an update on my Maibock. A couple of days ago I had to go down in the cellar to check on the sump pump, so while I was down there I took a peak at my Maibock. It appears the lagering phase is going well, it is definitely settling out nicely and every couple of minutes or so a nice big bubble comes through the airlock.

It has been down in the cellar for just over a month and has another month to go. I’ll bring it out and bottle it around April 9th. Now I have some patience but I don’t have a ton of it, so this has been a long month and I know it’s only going to get longer.

As I was down in the cellar admiring the beer and wishing it was ready, I started to think about the patience that goes into craftsmanship. I like to think that making beer is like making a beautiful piece of furniture, you start out looking for the finest materials that will make the perfect piece. Then there is a lot of hard work in turning each piece, assembling the pieces, sanding, and finally staining the piece. This process can take days, weeks, or even years for some furniture makers to perfect the piece they are working on.

Making beer is the same process, you start out looking for the finest malt and hops, then you spend a lot of time boiling the wort and preparing your yeast culture, and finally assembling the fermenter. Then there is a period of time where you can sit back and wait, then finally you can bottle or keg the beer. Through this whole process the beer is being hand crafted, just like with woodworking. The beer takes on a life of it’s own just like a fine oak table or chair. Also, if you rush or take shortcuts, it will show in the final product whether it’s a scratched/marred piece of wood or a skunky off aroma/tasting beer. Both are processes are a labor of love that take time and patience to produce the highest quality finished piece.

But anyway I have rambled on enough about the ethereal side of making beer without actually making the point I was trying to make, but what the hell right? At least I got some thoughts out.

Keep ‘em tippin’!!!

Orval Trappist Ale Review

As promised here is the review of the Orval Trappist Ale.

First of all, I’ll apologize for the major foul of not pouring this Belgian into the traditional goblet. Unfortunately that is one piece of glassware I do not own and I am working on rectifying that. But anyway onward and upward.

Appearance: The beer was a cloudy amber, almost rust color. It poured a generous, rocky head.

Aroma: The initial aroma was very yeasty, with some spicy notes and a hint of sourness that is typical in a lambic.

Taste: The taste was very good. It was very crisp and dry on the palate. It had a creamy mouthfeel with some sweeter malt notes and some additional sweet notes from the candied sugar the monks use to brew the beer.

Overall: This beer is a very good example of a Belgian Ale. It has a lot of complexity that makes it very interesting drink. It seems like at every sip you can find some new nuances that are fantastic. If you are looking for a nice Belgian to try, this is definitely worth picking up. It is true to style and it is also still brewed by monks. So go out and grab a bottle.

Keep ‘em tippin’

Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout

So last week L Bird was running out to Wegmans to do some shopping. On her way out she made the mistake of asking me “Do you want anything?” to which I replied “Yeah, of course I do! Grab me a beer to review”. After some discussion back and forth she agreed and was on her way.

Now in the back of my head this whole thing of her picking out a beer was a crapshoot. She doesn’t spend the time looking at the selections, or who made what, etc, she just kind of grabs something blindly and brings it back. Well, I’m happy to say that her selection was a great one.

So let’s go on with the review:

Appearance: It is very black and you can’t see through it even when you hold it up to the light. It pours nicely producing a light tan rocky head.

Aroma: I initially get a lot of coffee notes, but its not the typical coffee aroma. Its more like a burnt, or dark roast coffee almost to an expresso type of aroma. But that finally gives way to some slight flowery notes from the hops.

Taste: I was pleasantly surprised with the initial taste.It was sweet tasting with some bready like qualities. I was expecting to taste some bitterness and chocolate right up front, but was happy with the sweeter notes. The sweetness then gives way to more coffee flavors and then ends with a bitterness reminiscent of dark chocolate. The mouthfeel of the whole beer was awesome, the oatmeal provides the stout with a creamy, silky mouthfeel.

Overall: This is a great example of an Oatmeal Stout from a great brewery. I would recommend this beer to anyone who appreciates dark beer. It is definitely worth the money and worth picking up a bottle or two. So run out and grab a couple and enjoy.

Keep ‘em Tippin’

I'm running behind....

Just a heads up, I have two beer reviews that I have been sitting on. Like always life has been crazy and I haven't had time to post the reviews. It always seems like I can find the time to drink the beer lol, but never any time to write it up. I plan on putting up at least one if not both of the reviews tonight, so check back. I'll give you a sneak peak, the two beers are:

1. Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout
2. Orval Trappist Ale


Keep 'em tippin'!

A Great Idea…

Around me there are not a lot of stores that sell a lot of craft beer, and the ones that do have a selection of craft beer tend to sell them in 6 packs. So to try anything you have to at least buy a 6 pack, if you don’t like it then you’re stuck. You either have to choke it down because you paid for it or stash it in the bottom of the fridge until you have someone over that you can pass it off on. My motto is “There is no such thing as bad beer, only better beer!” so I end up drinking them slowly over time. I myself prefer to make mix ‘n match 6-pack/12 packs, but to do that I have to drive at least 40 miles to Beers of The World. That trip is  way too much of a hassle to make routinely unless it is for a special occasion. So I try to find 6 packs that I have a good feeling that I’ll like and I leave anything that I would like to try but seems too unusual at the store.

In the past year, Wegmans has made a big push into the craft market and now has a rather impressive craft beer section. So yesterday as I was strolling through the craft section I was completely stoked to stumble across this:

Its an awesome idea and I’m glad they are doing it. You can “Craft Your Own Pack” for $9.99. Now from their selection of single bottle this may be a little steep, but I figure I’m also paying an extra buck or two for the convenience of selecting my own beers. So now the next time I go out for a beer review selection, I’ll be able to take a few more chances on beers I normally wouldn’t buy.

Awesome job Wegman’s!! Way to keep the craft movement going!

Ol’ Naps Maibock

I know I haven’t posted in a while, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been brewing. Yep, Ol’ Naps has been brewing up something special. I have been quietly brewing up a nice Maibock. Traditionally Bocks are spring beers that are brewed in the dead of winter and lagered for a few months to to be cracked open for a spring festival. It is a German style and the name Bock actually means goat, so that’s why when March rolls around you’ll see a ton of Bocks being offered and 99% have a goat on the label.

I love these beers. I love that they are brewed to be a celebration of the coming of spring. I have had traditional Bocks, Dopplebocks (double bocks)  and triple bocks, but I have never had a Maibock. It is the same as a traditional bock, but much lighter in color but with the same big, full flavors.

This Maibock has been fermenting for two weeks and was ready for transferring to a glass carboy to be cellared for two months to be ready for the end of March. I took a short video of what the beer looks like and how I transfer below. I apologize ahead of time for the poor video quality.

So take a look and let me know if you have any comments or questions. I am always more than happy to talk beer with anyone.

Prost & Keep  ‘em tippin’

Lagunitas: Little Sumpin’ Wild Ale Review

I was walking through Wegmans a couple of days ago and of course I was cruising the craft beer section. I have been wanting to find something to review that was a little different. Lucky for me I stumbled upon Lagunitas’ Little Sumpin’ Wild Ale. I instantly loved the label artwork, anytime I run across a good vintage pin up I’m sold. So I quickly scooped up a bottle and rushed home to try it.

So here we go:

Very nice label, at least I think so.

It poured a beautiful golden color with red highlights. The head was a thick bed of tiny bubbles that stayed throughout the beer. As I let it sit, it still had some effervescence bubbling from the bottom.

From the name and the description on the bottle, I was expecting something really different. There was a whole little story on the bottle about them using the “Westmalle Yeast Strain”, so I was expecting to smell some interesting esters from the yeast. Instead,I smelled a whole lot of hops. Ok I thought,it is just really hopped up. So then I took a taste, and I tasted a typical IPA. I was very disappointed, I thought I had found something new, something exciting and all I got was a disguised IPA.

Don’t get me wrong, it was a very good IPA. It had a ton of of hop aroma and enough bitterness to carry it. So if IPAs are your thing,it is definitely worth picking up and drinking. I just feel like I was duped. Well, they obviously pay their marketing department well, because they sucked me right in with a beautiful label and a great story. If they had labeled it as an IPA,I would have passed right over it. I don’t mind IPAs but they are definitely not my beer.

So there you have it,it is a good beer, but definitely unexpected. So until my next trip to Wegmans, keep ‘em tippin’!

Man, sometimes you just need a beer…

I know I haven’t posted in awhile and believe me it hasn’t been due to the lack of drinking beer, its just been a crazy couple of weeks since New Year’s. I won’t bore you with all the details of the leaks and repairs that have been done. It just has been super hectic and one thing after another.

So right now I am finally catching up on some downtime. A Bird is in bed and hopefully falling asleep soon, L Bird is on the treadmill in the bedroom and I am sitting here with a great, icy cold homebrewed porter contemplating life. I know I normally post about new beers and their reviews or the good times the Goof Troop has, but tonight I wanted to take a time out and talk about one of beer’s other great features: Stress Reliever.

It seems like I can have an awful day, week or month for that matter, but the minute I get some down time and a cold beer in my hand everything seems better. There is just something about sitting quietly with a beer and letting your worries roll away as you enjoy the malt and hops of that beer in your hand. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that you should try to drink your problems away and drown your sorrows. That type of drinking just leads to more problems. What I mean is that beer has always been associated with my quiet time, I enjoy pouring a nice beer and sitting down on the deck in the summer or by the fire in the winter and just letting my thoughts wander. Its just sitting back, tasting and appreciating what you have in your hands and being grateful for the simple things in life. A warm dry place to sit, a cold beer and nothing but your thoughts. Hell, maybe its not the beer that helps with the stress, maybe it’s just the quiet time to sit and contemplate life. What the hell am I saying, that quiet time is good, but the beer makes it great lol.

Well, it’s definitely been a rough patch for a bit, so I’m going to put down the laptop, return to my porter and just enjoy my silent moments for awhile.

Wabi Sabi – Look it up

New Year’s Eve/Eating Around The World

So here is the follow up to my previous post about the games we play on New Year’s Eve. I will just hit the highlights or else this post will be a mile long. However, I will post an album at the end of this post for those of you who would like to see all the pictures.

Let’s get to it,

L Bird opening the Roasted Eel for Dinker.  Look at the apprehension on his face.

A close up of the eel.

The Cpt. pulling his eel (I’m pretty sure he pulled his eel a lot that night, lol)

The Cpt. trying not to puke.

L Bird’s turn at the eel. MMMMMMM, she looks happy.

The Spotted Dick: the name is the worst thing about this one, its bread pudding with raisins.

The Marmite being prepared for Satan. It looks mouth wateringly thick.

She loves it, just look at that face.

I can’t remember what Allison ate, but just look at the fear in Dinker and Satan’s eyes that she is going to puke. She does look a little less than impressed.

Dinker taking the Vegemite like a champ.

The Pulpo (a.k.a. octopus in olive oil)

Up close and personal

Me trying to force it to my mouth.

I think its still moving, lol

Its actually not that bad, it was one of the better things to eat that night. It’s just really really chewy.

There are so many other pictures that I would be here all day, so I’ll break it off here and you can take a look at the album below. If you have questions or comments, feel free to post them and I’ll try my best to describe what was happening or what it tasted like, etc.

		New Year's Eve 2011 VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL