Yesterday I posted the five things I hate about craft beer, and number five on that list was homebrewing.  While I love the IDEA of homebrewing, I tend to slack off when it comes to actually doing the work, which leads to guilt, which leads to stress, which leads to me saying I hate homebrewing […]

I just received an email from Northern Brewer saying they are having a 40% off sale on their Deluxe Home Brewer Starter Kit from now until August 22nd.  The kit is the same one I bought to get started and I’m very happy with it – it has everything you need and nothing you don’t.  […]

The Bureau of Labor Statistics just released their 2010 Time Use Survey and it looks as if the nation’s employment landscape is changing the way we live.  Time.com’s Brad Tuttle is all over it. First the obvious news – Americans are spending more time than ever watching TV (2.1 hours per day, up 5.4 minutes […]

And by “lost” I mean Lost, the 4 hour TV extravaganza that’s going to keep me up late Sunday night and make me feel a bit muddy come Monday morning.  It’s definitely in my plans, but I’m not going to a party or anything.  I’ll just chill out with the wifey at home and enjoy […]

It’s been a little while since we’ve asked about you beer, whiskey and food-inspired plans for the weekend and that’s just not right! Time to get back to form. For me, I’m looking forward to tasting the latest creation from my friends over at Manor House Brewing (hit them up on Facebook here), one of […]

Eight weeks ago I brewed my first beer from extract, an oak and bourbon aged porter.  It was an ambitious choice for a first brew, but the brewing was actually the easy part – it’s the waiting that has been difficult.  It had to ferment for six weeks, first alone and then with oak chips […]

So I got my first taste of bottling my own beer this weekend, and I have to say, it’s equal parts tedium and anxiety.  First there’s all the work it takes to get the bottles ready – taking off the labels (nightmare!), cleaning the bottles, sanitizing the bottles, arranging the bottles, etc.  The only fun […]

If you guessed bathing with beer, you’d be wrong.  If you guessed taking my first shot at bottling my own beer, then *ding*ding*ding* WE HAVE A WINNER!!  What you see above are bottles soaking in the tub so I can easily remove the labels when I return home tonight. In the meantime, my four year […]

Saturday night’s home brew tasting turned out to be a lot of fun.  There were like 50 people there, tons of kids running around, and each beer I tried was well-conceived and expertly crafted.  It also taught me that there’s always someone who can outdo you, no matter what you’re into. Those of you who […]

Okay, so I moved my first-ever beer from primary to secondary fermentation over the weekend.  It’s a bourbon barrel porter that has been fermenting for two weeks.  It will now spend another two weeks in secondary and then 10 days soaking with bourbon and oak chips. I used the beer thief to grab a sample […]

So my bourbon barrel porter is doing well.  The bubbling has slowed after a few days of rowdy gurgles and the amazing yeast cake on the top of the carboy is slipping into the murky depths.  Soon it’ll be time to siphon the beer to secondary and then add the whiskey and the oak cubes. […]

24 hours in and the yeast is loving its new home. The airlock is bubbling, the cake is rising and the bathroom is filled with perhaps the best aroma I have ever smelled.  I’m not going to make this a daily thing, but I just wanted to share my excitement that my first beer seems […]

So Sunday has come and gone and as you can see above, everything ended just fine.  It looks like our Bourbon Barrel Porter is alive and well.  I won’t bore you with all the details, instead I’ll just share a few observations.

Well, it looks like Saturday is the day and I’ll be honest – I’m getting kind of nervous as my first brew day ever approaches.  My goal is to have every detail figured out before I dive in so I make no major mistakes.  I’ve been reading a lot, but I’d also like to lean […]

It has begun. the first item to arrive is the Bayou Burner. It came at the right time, too, as the power has been out for the better part of the day. Maybe I’ll fry a turkey…