Straight C IPA Tap Handle

Straight C IPA
14-B American IPA
Author: Mark Ranes

Size: 10.08 gal
Efficiency: 75.0%
Attenuation: 75.0%
Calories: 234.7 kcal per 12.0 fl oz

Original Gravity: 1.070 (1.056 – 1.075)
Terminal Gravity: 1.018 (1.010 – 1.018)
Color: 12.51 (6.0 – 15.0)
Alcohol: 6.94% (5.5% – 7.5%)
Bitterness: 57.5 (40.0 – 70.0)

Ingredients:
12.0 lb Maris Otter Pale Ale Malt
12.0 lb Northwest Pale Ale Malt
1.0 lb Crystal Malt 60°L
1.0 lb Cara-Pils Malt
1.0 lb American Munich
1.5 oz Columbus (15.0%) – added during boil, boiled 60.0 m
2.0 oz Centennial (10.0%) – added during boil, boiled 10.0 m
2.0 oz Cascade (5.5%) – added during boil, boiled 1.0 m
2.0 ea Servomyces – added during boil, boiled 10.0 m
2.0 ea Whirlfloc Tablets (Irish moss) – added during boil, boiled 10.0 m
4.0 oz Cascade (5.5%) – steeped after boil
2000 mL White Labs WLP090 San Diego Super Yeast
2.0 oz Cascade (5.5%) – added dry to secondary fermenter
1.0 oz Centennial (10.0%) – added dry to secondary fermenter
1.0 oz Columbus (15.0%) – added dry to secondary fermenter

No related posts.

Merry Christmas!

So another year has gone by.  Life is still good!  Today I’m surrounded by family and we’re relaxing and sharing what life has offered us.  Like the rest of the world, we’re feeling the pull of finances but still we make the best of what life offers and count the blessings of what we have.  Our health is good, we have wonderful friends who share our passions, and in general we celebrate how well off we really are.

I’ve been absent here lately.  Life has just been busy.  I’ve brewed a couple times, made some cider for the first time and have a brew planned for next week.  Last night, three kegs blew at our annual Christmas Eve feast, and I now have no pale beers that I like to drink on tap.  It’s time to brew!  More on this brew next week.

In honor of the season, share a quality ale with someone you love!  Merry Christmas from the Lazy Brewer:)

No related posts.

See you Saturday at Barley & Wine!

No related posts.

Cancer is the devil.

Steve – thanks!  You’ll be missed:(

No related posts.

Alesmith's San Diego Dark Session Ale

Anyone who knows me would laugh if I told them I was going to brew a session ale.  For me, life starts at 1.060 OG and goes up from there!

As a part of our schwag for NHC 2011, we were given a commemorative bomber of San Diego Dark Session Ale, brewed by Alesmith in San Diego (the picture of the bottle on Beer Advocate is mine:)  The ale was incredibly drinkable – sessionable even – but with enough lightly roasted hoppy flavor to meet my needs.  The recipe was published in the May/June 2011 issue of Zymurgy as a 5 gallon recipe.  I threw the ingredients into Beer Tools for a 10 gallon batch, adjusted the OG for my system’s efficiency, and I plan on brewing this on Labor Day.  A starter of the new White Labs WLP090 San Diego Super Yeast is bubbling away on the stir plate as I type this entry.  This is the second batch of ale that will be run through my new  fermenter.

The weather here has been so hot I just haven’t wanted to brew and Monday is the coolest projected day for this weekend.  Additionally, the 26 month old Sears refrigerator that I use for a fermentation vessel crapped out last week.  Thankfully, it is now up and running again after a $139 repair bill.  It’s time to brew!

Here’s the recipe I’ll be brewing on Monday:

Central Valley Dark Session Ale
11-A Mild
Author: Mark Ranes
Date: 9/5/11

Size: 10.08 gal
Efficiency: 75.0%
Attenuation: 75.0%
Calories: 194.62 kcal per 16.0 fl oz

Original Gravity: 1.044 (1.030 – 1.038)
Terminal Gravity: 1.011 (1.008 – 1.013)
Color: 17.4 (12.0 – 25.0)
Alcohol: 4.32% (2.8% – 4.5%)
Bitterness: 31.5 (10.0 – 25.0)

Ingredients:
12.0 lb Maris Otter
1.2 lb Crystal 45
0.6 lb Biscuit Malt
0.6 lb Crystal 120
0.6 lb Crystal 75
0.6 lb Melanoidin Malt
0.25 lb American Chocolate Malt
1.0 lb Cara-Pils® Malt
0.4 oz Simcoe® (13.0%) – added during boil, boiled 60.0 min
0.4 oz Warrior® (16.0%) – added during boil, boiled 60.0 min
0.5 oz Simcoe® (13.0%) – added during boil, boiled 15.0 min
2.0 ea Whirlfloc Tablets (Irish moss) – added during boil, boiled 10.0 min
2.0 ea Servomyces – added during boil, boiled 10.0 min
0.5 oz Amarillo® (8.5%) – added during boil, boiled 10.0 min
0.5 oz Cascade (5.5%) – added during boil, boiled 5.0 min
1.0 oz Cascade (5.5%) – added dry to primary fermenter
0.5 oz Amarillo® (8.5%) – added dry to primary fermenter
0.5 oz Simcoe® (13.0%) – added dry to primary fermenter
2000.0 mL Starter White Labs WLP090 San Diego Super Yeast

No related posts.

Lighted Logo in Bar

News Flash!  They are opening tonight, Monday, August 1, 2011, at 5:00pm!

I had the opportunity to visit the Dust Bowl Brewing Taphouse before their public opening on Friday and for a private opening on Saturday evening, compliments of brewmaster Don Oliver.  I took a bunch of photos to share what will soon be available to the greater Turlock area.  This place rocks!

The Dust Bowl Taproom will be opening sometime in the week of August 1-5.  Be there!

Dining Tables in the Taproom

Sidewalk Patio Seating

The Lighted Bar

Comfy Chairs to Enjoy an Ale

The Tap Menu

Hops and Grain!

Mr. & Mrs. Lazy Brewer

Brewmaster Don Oliver and Me

My Son of Wrath Double IPA (I named this ale:)

Taproom Food Menu (Click to enlarge)

Taproom Beer Menu (Click to enlarge)

View of the Taproom

Flight of Tasters

My French Dip Sandwich and Beer Battered Onion Rings

They Pour Honest Pints!

The Bar

No related posts.

Today, I received score sheets for my two entries into the National Homebrew Competition final round.  The bronze medal American barleywine scored a combined 38.3 points and advanced on to the mini-Best of Show round.  It came in 3rd out of 252 entries in the strong ale category.  Here are the score sheets (click on the images to view a larger size version you can actually read:)

Cover Sheet Mark's Bigfoot Barleywine

Score Sheet 1 Mark's Bigfoot Barleywine

Score Sheet 2 Mark's Bigfoot Barleywine

Score Sheet 3 Mark's Bigfoot Barleywine

The Beanilla Porter scored a combined 34 points and did not place in the finals. I was surprised at some of the comments saying that the fresh vanilla overpowered the underlying robust porter style.  Upon further research in the BJCP style guidelines for spiced beers, they do repeatedly talk about a balance of the spice and the underlying style.  Strangely, this received much higher scores in the first round (and a first place regionally), and the level if spice was complemented several times.  Go figure…

Cover Sheet Beanilla Porter

Score Sheet 1 Beanilla Porter

Score Sheet 2 Beanilla Porter

Score Sheet 3 Beanilla Porter

All in all, this has been a good experience.  I was always just a bit wary of the whole judging process, and some of that is still there.  I can’t help but feel that judging beer ultimately comes down to very subjective calls by judges.  Aside from strong ales that didn’t meet the primary BJCP style guidelines, how exactly was my bronze medal barleywine better than 249 other strong ales?

The barleywine keg blew last Monday, but I’ve bottled eight bottles for potentially entering the ale again next year and see how it does after another twelve months of aging.  But, I also need to brew the barleywine again ASAP:)

No related posts.

Lazy Brewer Photo Galleries

A photo gallery from the Lazy Brewer’s San Diego adventure has been posted.  Enjoy:)

No related posts.

Table 30, with my favorite people, at the Awards Ceremony

We returned from NHC to blistering heat (over 100 degrees) in the San Joaquin Valley.  On top of that, our air conditioner crapped out, and we spent a very hot, restless night before a repair dude made it to our house yesterday.  All is good again!

The trip home for NHC was long, but uneventful.  After a couple days to detoxify my liver, I’ve had time to reflect on some of the things I learned at NHC 2011.

I learned that I can attended a three day beer conference and not over-imbibe, even though beer is available from 9:00 am to 2:00 am.  Never once did I have next-day blues from alcohol.  Every day, I had next-day blues from lack of sleep. The NHC conference is definitely a marathon event:)

My Bronze Medal for the American Barleywine

I learned what pride is.  Pride is being on a stage, receiving a medal for your brewing accomplishments, in front of the people who love you the most.  Nine of the ten people at my Grand Banquet and Awards Ceremony table were actively rooting for my ales, maybe even more than I was.  The look in their faces when my name was called meant more than the actual bronze medal.  They were proud and happy for me like they themselves had actually won!  I love you guys:)

I learned the power of social media.  The kudos I received via Twitter and Facebook were amazing.  Some of my Twitter buddies could be heard cheering from other places in the banquet room.  That was cool!

We are already planning on attending next year’s NHC in Seattle.  Family in Oregon that we can visit, the huge beer culture in Oregon, and the fact that I haven’t been to Seattle since I was a child, are all huge draws.  I’m planning on setting up a brewing schedule, that favors competition entries for next year’s NHC, in the next couple weeks. Additionally, I’m going to bottle some of the winning barleywine and see how it matures over the year.  It would be interesting to submit it again next year and see how it scores.

If you are a homebrewer, and you’ve never been to a National Homebrewers Conference, start saving your pennies now!  Next year’s conference in Seattle should be killer!

No related posts.

Me and Gary Glass

Holy crap!  I won a bronze medal at the 2011 National Homebrewers Conference for my American barleywine!  I was so excited!  It was wonderful to have so many of my good friends around when it happened:)  And most importantly, it put The Central Valley Brewers Guild on the map.   I think I’m proudest of that:)

Many thanks to those of you who have reached out to me with congratulations!

Mr. and Mrs. Lazy Brewer

No related posts.

My NHC Support Group, Steve, Me and Stephen!

Day three, the last day of NHC, has been amazing.  I attended four sessions led by brewing legends and another about homebrew club management and organization.  Today I attended the following breakout sessions:

Homebrew Club Organization Panel moderated by Drew Beechum

High Gravity Brewing with Patrick Rue of The Bruery

Recipe Building and Competition Tips with Gordon Strong

Collaboration Beers with Greg Koch of Stone Brewing

Workshop on American Hops with Matt Brynildson of Firestone Walker Brewing

The homebrew club panel was informative.  We’re looking for this kind of info as our club, The Central Valley Brewers Guild, grows.  Steve and I attended and we pulled a few good nuggets out of the session.  There was talk of having a pre-NHC workshop for homebrew club leaders at next years NHC in Seattle.  I’m definitely up for that:)

Greg Koch of Stone Brewing with his eyes covered!

Simply put, Greg Koch, of Stone Brewing, is an manic, crazy genius!  He body surfed our session and I’m proud to say that at one point I supported his left buttock as he passed over head.  It was a lively session with much info and frivolity.  My first NHC quote of the day came from the session.  During the Q&A session, someone asked if there was a chance of Double Bastard becoming a year-round Stone offering, rather than becoming available at the beginning of the holiday season in early November.  Greg quickly replied that it is offered at the “Beginning of Double Bastard season.” A great off the cuff line:)

The best session of the day was led by Matt Brynildson.  He is so much the “every man” brewer and relates incredibly well to the homebrewing community.  His session on American hops was full of useful information and statistics on American hops and their use in brewing craft and homebrewed beers.  He also offered up the best ale selection of any session I attended at NHC this year, and German style hefeweizen, Hemp Ale, Union Jack and Double Jack.  Thankfully I had saved my daily alcohol allotment for this session:)

Matt Brynildson of Firestone Walker Brewing

The second quote of the day came from this session during the pouring of Matt’s ales.  One of the NHC pouring volunteers, with (good) attitude, said to us, “I’ve got a lot of beer back there. You guys have got to hurry the hell up!” in our sampling drinking:)

We’re off to the Grand Banquet and Awards Ceremony in a bit.  Hopefully my barleywine and vanilla porter will bring home the gold!  Cross your fingers for me!

Me, Matt, and Stephen - taken by Dr. Tommy's son!

Cheers to Matt! Thanks for the awesome ales!

The volunteers make this conference as good as it is! Thanks!

No related posts.

The CVBG Crew the NHC Club Night

Day 2 of NHC 2011 brought several new, amazing beers to my lips.  In my first session, I had the opportunity to taste Firestone Walker’s Saucerful of Secrets, a dark Belgian ale that has been mellowing in bourbon barrels for three years.  It was incredibly smooth and even with its high ABV, very very drinkable, even at 9:20 in the morning:)  I also enjoyed a Firestone Walker double IPA, some Pliny the Elder and another Russian River IPA, Hop 2 It, which uses a new still unnamed experimental hop.  Today I attended the following sessions:

Cooking with Beer with Sean Paxton, The Homebrew Chef

Historical Extreme Beers with Mitch Steele of Stone Brewing

Pragmatic Brewing with Denny Conn

The White Labs Hangover Kit!

The highlight of the day was Vinnie Cilurzo’s keynote address.  It was captivating hearing about the early days of his brewing career – the struggles and successes, and then the development of the Russian River Brewing we all know today.  On top of it all, Vinnie is a down to earth, humble man.

Tonight’s social event was the annual Club Night, where homebrew clubs from across the nation offer their best homebrews out to NHC attendees.  The best ale I had tonight was Nathan Smith’s double IPA, from the DOZE booth – a big, spicy IPA, but dry and lacking the overpowering sweetness that too many IIPAs have.

We enjoyed Club Night for about an hour and a half and then retired to our room for some much needed sleep:)

Yum! Firestone Walker's Saucerful Of Secrets - at 9:20 am

Oh, yea! This is going to be good!

Vinnie Cilurzo giving the 2011 NHC Keynote

Vinnie Cilurzo, Mark and Steve

I'll Have What He's Having!

Steve and Maggie Supporting Dust Bowl Brewing

No related posts.

Yeast for a Year!

So today was a Charlie Sheen day at NHC.  Winning!

At tonight’s Pro Brewers night, the lovely Mrs. Lazy Brewer won a year’s worth of yeast from White Labs!  There were twelve certificates, each good for two vials of White Labs yeast!  Two raffle tickets were called, with no one responding and the third call was her ticket!  Life is good:)

Today I attended the following breakout sessions:

Brewing on a Budget with Chris Graham of MoreBeer

Hop Boil Chemistry with Colin Kaminski of Downtown Joe’s in Napa

Choosing the Right Yeast with Chris White of White Labs

Brenda and her (my:) Yeast!

All the sessions were good, but I really enjoyed the brew nerdiness of the hop chemistry and yeast sessions.  Very good info:)

On a sad note, the Town and Country Resort Hotel shooed the gourmet food trucks off their property.  Seems like a money grab move to capture the conference attendees food dollars.  Very very uncool…

The Hospitality Suite Brew Board, beers 17-30

30 handles at the Hospitality Suite

The Three Beerscateers! Onf for all and all for beer!

The conference opening toast!

My Twitter beer buddy @BrettGlenna

What the hell? A line for the mens room?

Incredible Hospitality Room Portable Cold Box with 30 handles!

The Floor of Pro Brewers Night

Me, Vinnie Cilurzo, a big-assed bottle of Temptation and Steve

Mark, Maggie, Steve and Brenda

Mr. & Mrs. Lazy Brewer

No related posts.

2011 NHC Conference Flyer

Yesterday was a travel day to the 2011 National Homebrewers Conference in San Diego.  The drive was long, but uneventful, other than me just about dozing off while driving in Fresno.  I haven’t had an issue staying awake while driving for probably 25 years, but this morning I was just wiped out.  Brenda took over the driving from Fresno to Bakersfield, and while I didn’t actually sleep, I drifted on the edge of consciousness for about an hour and a half.  We got to the Town and Country Resort Hotel, the conference host, just before 3 o’clock, checked in, went and picked up our NHC registration materials, beer schwag and three lovely bottles of ale:)  Shortly after that we were enjoying our first complimentary ales from the conference hospitality room.  We visited with Steve and Maggie for a bit and then decided to head out to check out Green Flash Brewing’s new tasting room.  This will also be their future brew house in the coming months.

Green Flash Brewing Tasting Room

While the Green Flash tasting room doesn’t actually serve food, on the evenings they are open, one of San Diego’s gourmet food trucks parks outside the tasting room and serves up incredible fare.  Tonights food truck was Devilicious.  We enjoyed lobster and cheese sandwiches, fabulous burgers, BBBLTs ( the extra Bs were for all the extra bacon they throw on the sandwiches), truffled parmesan fries and some Fried Yumminess (tonight’s rotating Fried Yumminess was deep fried cheeseburger and pickle balls:)  The ales at Green Flash were incredible.  I had a Hop Head Red, a Green Flash Imperial IPA, a West Coast IPA and a taste of something they call Palate Wrecker – another IIPA.  All in all, it was a great way to ease into a three day beer conference.

The opening toast for the 2011 National Homebrewers Conference takes place at 1:00 pm today.  After that, there are three breakout sessions, and at 8 o’clock, the Pro Brewers Night starts, where over 45 craft breweries will be providing unlimited pours of their best.  Additionaly, the conference organizers worked with many of the San Diego gourmet food trucks to provide a mobile “food court” each evening of the conference.  Yum!

Green Flash Tasting Room

Having two of my beers in the final round of the National Homebrew Competition will make Saturday night’s Grand Banquet (a beer dinner – go figure:) and National Homebrew Competition Award Ceremony a special event.  Cross your fingers for my Beanilla Porter and annual barleywine!

Fun times ahead!

Fried Yumminess!

Green Flash Imperial IPAs

Green Flash Ales

No related posts.

Sabco Fermenter

So I’m wanting one of these.  Bad!

A couple of my brew buddies, Wade and Steve, have fabricated similar fermenters using conversion kits to achieve the same general result.  My only concern with their setups is that they really can’t get into the top of the unit to check for cleanliness and scrub away fermentation funk.  The Sabco unit has a 4 inch port on top, secured with a tri-clamp that should make entry and cleaning a breeze.  All of the couplings utilize tri-clamps, so cleaning and sanitation should be easy.  I especially like the idea of being able to harvest yeast.  I also really like the idea of getting ten gallons of exactly the same ale since one of my five gallon carboys always seems to have a better/different fermentation.

They are not cheap, but run about the same as a quality, non-temperature controlled conical fermenter.  I’ve always worried about moving a full 14 gallon conical fermenter since they tend to be so top heavy, and my fermentation fridge is 50+ feet away from where I brew.  This unit looks more stable, and easier to handle and then muscle into my fermentation fridge.  Sabco has a nice video showing how the fermenter works.  I’m thinking of buying one, and then if they live up to my expectations, picking up another one and then ditching all of my carboys.  I’ve a a serious close call with a carboy that has me a bit scared – and I’m handing them with renewed respect.

I want to give Sabco a call before purchasing with a few questions.  I’d also need to rework a couple of my recently fabricated hoses, with stainless quick disconnects, to attach to the new fermenter, but that shouldn’t be too big of a deal.

So yea, lust!  Stainless steel lust:)

No related posts.

Cookie Dough Brown Ale Tap Handle

I now have ten gallons of Cookie Dough Brown Ale sitting in a couple carboys.  I’d love to take credit for the inspiration for this wonderful ale, but that goes to my brew buddy, Stephen.  The idea came to him one day when he was sitting around (probably with an ale in his hand:) thinking about how to take his Brew Barn Brown Ale to the next level, and the idea of adding dark brown sugar and raisins to the batch came to him, to give it a deeper, cookie-like quality.  He brews the ale as an imperial, but I scale it back a bit in the OG to make it a bit more of a session ale.  This is the third time I’ve brewed this ale and it just seems to get better with every batch.  The one I have on tap right now is easily in the top five best ales I’ve ever brewed.

This beer was also my inaugural run using my new Therminator plate chiller, and I was on edge throughout most of the brew session, knowing that a big change was coming to my process at the end of the day.  On top of the chilling process change, I haven’t brewed for at least three months, so overall, the brew day was just a bit out of the ordinary.  I chased my mash temps, and I forgot to add the Whirlfloc tablets at the end of the boil. In the end, I made beer:)

Here’s the recipe for Cookie Dough Brown Ale:

Cookie Dough Brown Ale
10-C American Brown Ale
Author: Mark Ranes
Date: 04/25/11

Size: 10.08 gal
Efficiency: 69.06%
Attenuation: 79.0%
Calories: 212.53 kcal per 12.0 fl oz

Original Gravity: 1.064 (1.045 – 1.060)
Terminal Gravity: 1.013 (1.010 – 1.016)
Color: 24.6 (18.0 – 35.0)
Alcohol: 6.66% (4.3% – 6.2%)
Bitterness: 37.9 (20.0 – 40.0)

Ingredients:
12.0 lb Golden Promise Malt
8.0 lb Pale Ale Malt
2.0 lb Brown
1.0 lb Cara-Pils® Malt
1.0 lb Chocolate Malt
1.0 lb Crystal 120
1.5 oz Northern Brewer (8.0%) – added during boil, boiled 60.0 min
1.5 oz Centennial (10.0%) – added during boil, boiled 20.0 min
2.0 tsp Wyeast Nutrient  – added during boil, boiled 15.0 min
2.0 ea Whirlfloc Tablets (Irish moss) – added during boil, boiled 15.0 min
1.0 lb Dark Brown Sugar – added during boil, boiled 10.0 min
12.0 oz Raisins – added during boil, boiled 10.0 min
2.0 oz Centennial (10.0%) – added during boil, boiled 0.0 min
2.0 oz Northern Brewer (8.0%) – added during boil, boiled 0.0 min
2000 mL White Labs WLP001 California Ale
2.0 oz Cascade (5.5%) – added dry to secondary fermenter
2.0 oz Northern Brewer (8.0%) – added dry to secondary fermenter

Therminator Set Up

Overall, the chilling process with the Therminator went well.  Man, that plate chiller can drop the wort temperature fast!  I was a bit out of sorts with my anal retentive need to super clean the plate chiller though.  I had lots of problems with the March pump cavitating, while trying to repeatedly forward and reverse flush the Therminator.  And the hop bit just seemed to never stop coming out of the chiller.  Steve uses a sump pump for cleaning the chiller, and I got one for these from Mrs. Lazy Brewer for Christmas, but it was the one part of the system I didn’t take the time to flesh out all of the fittings for, so it wasn’t ready.  It will be the next time I brew:)

No related posts.

New hoses, quick disconnects, HopRocket and Therminator

It’s been a while since I posted. Maybe because I haven’t brewed since the holidays.  Maybe because I’ve been busy with life.  Maybe because a major upgrade to my brewing system has me avoiding all things brewing – other than consuming homebrew.

Last Christmas, Mrs. Lazybrewer put a Blichman Therminator and Thrumometer under the tree for me and this year followed it up with a Blichmann HopRocket, and an additional March pump.  Over the last year I’ve picked up new stainless steel quick disconnects and high temp tubing, getting ready for the transition from my immersion chiller to a new plate chiller cooling system.  Yes, that’s right.  It’s taken me fifteen months to move from an old school wort chilling system to a new shiny high tech chilling system.  Because I’m a creature of habit – set in my ways – a stick in the mud!

It’s finally happening!  Today I spent a couple hours building new hoses and attaching male QDs to “devices” and kettles.  I’m 95% ready (I just need to get a couple 3/4″ F/F couplers for the water side of the Therminator) and plan of doing a water-only dry run on Saturday, followed by a Cookie Dough Brown Ale brew on Sunday or Monday.  I know that it’s going to be a worrisome brew day for me with the change.  I have well over a hundred brew sessions under my belt with my system, and current immersion chiller, and the plate chiller looks to be far more complex to manage and keep clean and sanitized.  Part of my hesitation over the last year has be concerning keeping the Therminator clean and not being the single point of infection failure for my brews.  I’ve read way too much on cleaning and sanitizing plate chillers on the web, and several of my closest brew buddies have been using plate and counterflow chillers for years without a single infection.  But still, I’m nervous, because I’m a creature of habit – set in my ways – a stick in the mud! I’m sure 5-10 brews from now, the Therminator will be my new habit, but getting there will wear on me a bit:)

I am looking forward to using the HopRocket, infusing my IPAs with oodles of hop goodness, but that’s a couple brews down the road.  I want to get the new chilling regime down first before introducing a new variable.

Where's Waldo?

On a side note, we just got back from a Northern California brewery road trip.  We enjoyed stops at Russian River Brewing, Bear Republic Brewing, Anderson Valley Brewing, North Coast Brewing and on the way home, a drop-in at Lagunitas Brewing yielded a single release tapping of Waldo – which they bill as their hoppiest beer ever.  We spent two nights at The MacCallum House in Mendocino, and enjoyed great beer, wonderful food and spirited companionship – with some of the best people in the world!

Life is good!

No related posts.

Merry Christmas!

This has been an interesting year.  In general, it’s been a good year.  I have a wonderful family, amazing friends and all of the things most folks associate with “the good life”.  Here’s to an even better 2011!

Life is good!

Merry Christmas to all of the Lazy Brewer’s readers.  Open a special ale and share it with someone you love:)

No related posts.

AHA Learn To Homebrew Day

Saturday, November 6th, is the  AHA Learn to Homebrew Day (formerly called Teach a Friend to Brew Day). The American Homebrewers Association (AHA) Learn to Homebrew Day is an international event to introduce people to the hobby of homebrewing.  For the sixth time, I’ll be inviting friends – and their friends – over to learn how to brew beer.  We’ll be starting promptly at 10:00 a.m., milling over 25 pounds of malted barley, to make a 10 gallon batch of TAFTBD IPA.  Brad, a veteran brewer, will be brewing a 10 gallon batch of German Hefeweizen.  He’s living proof that anyone can do this with a minimal investment.

We’ll have coffee and morning munchies early in the day, as well as sausages and lunch munchies in the afternoon.  Additionally, attendees will have full run of the 8 ales and lagers I have on tap throughout the day:)  We should be done around 4:00 p.m.  My best guess is that there will be about twenty attendees.

Last year’s event at Sociables was a huge success!

No related posts.

Ricotta, Truffle and shaved Parmesan cheese

We are four days into our Italian adventure and enjoying every minute of it!  The rest of my group is out enjoying a 20 km wine tasting bike tour and I’m relaxing at the villa.  It rained sheets last night, and threatened to cancel their trip, but they headed out several hours ago to take on the winding, narrow (wet) roads of Tuscany.  It’s taken a few days to adjust to the time change and my body still craves sleep on non-Tuscany time, but it’s getting better.

Sunday, we walked 3.5 km to Radda in Chianti and took in the town.  We enjoyed a light lunch at an amazing restaurant, where I had fantastic ravioli stuffed with ricotta cheese, and topped with truffles and shaved Parmesan cheese.  I also enjoyed some melon gelato that was as amazing as everyone told us it would be.  We walked through the cobbled streets of Radda, getting a general feel for Italian life.  It moves slowly, enjoys wine and food, and generally takes in the best of what life has to offer.  The people are friendly and open to tourists.  We are welcome here.

Platter of Mixed Tuscan Grilled Meats!

We returned to the villa to enjoy an amazing evening, highlighted by a five course dinner, honoring the 50th birthday of Steve.  Everything was wonderfully prepared, and the mixed Tuscan grill was out of this world.  I’ve never seen such a large platter of meat before.  We enjoyed savory grilled Italian sausage, pork chops, chicken breasts and the most wonderful beef ribs I’ve ever had.  Amazingly, we consumed almost the entire platter!

Yesterday, we traveled to the walled town of towers, San Gimignano.  While very touristy, it still conveyed the many hundreds of years of Italian history.  As Americans, we know a history of only several hundred of years.  In Italy, and the rest of Europe, that time frame is but a blink compared to their legacy – and it shows just about everywhere you go.  While there were many shops and restaurants, there was also an incredible sense of history in San Gimignano.  Rock and stone dominate the architecture, and there is an deep sense of permanency.  These buildings have been here for more than a thousand years, and they’ll be here for at least that many more.  I enjoyed a nice Italian beer, sitting in a cafe, watching others take in the history.  Definitely a moment to remember.

A back alley in Siena

After a couple hours we headed out to Siena.  We had no problem parking near the walls of the old city, and then wandered through market areas, alley ways and cobbled streets to reach the The Piazza Del Campo.  I went into this blindly, having no idea what Siena offered, and was surprised at the beauty and history of the old town plaza.  We enjoyed hand thrown authentic pizza and salads, shopped a bit, and then headed over to Cathedral of Siena, the Duomo di Siena.  Again, I was unprepared for what I was to see.  We purchased tickets to enter the cathedral and spent several hours enjoying the amazing art, architecture and sights of the city of Siena from the Panorama – a huge arch accessible by climbing several hundred stone steps, up a narrow spiral stairway.  The view of the city was breathtaking from the top of the arch.  We headed out of Siena after dark, drove home and enjoyed a wonderful meal of pasta, salad and bread.  It was a long, but inspiring day.

Throughout the day, I found myself touching the things I saw, feeling the texture of history.

Here’s a gallery of photos from the first few days.

No related posts.