The diligent members of Congress carried out their constitutional duty by recognizing American Craft Beer Week. So we shall celebrate! Thank you Congress for passing HR 1297!

For your complete American Craft Beer Week schedule please visit www.americancraftbeerweek.org

Here is some media attention that this very important story has been getting:

Filled with mingled cream and amber I will drain that glass again. Such hilarious visions clamber Through the chambers of my brain — Quaintest thoughts — queerest fancies Come to life and fade away; Who cares how time advances? I am drinking ale today.” – Edgar Allen Poe

I will move my case of beer to the refrigerator this week. Fortunately, Bob has plenty of space and he only charges me a couple beers for the rental. The Dubliner will be ready for a taste test this weekend. Although it won’t reach it’s full potential for another two weeks.

In the meantime, I’ve decided to hunt down and try a Braggot, AKA Honey beer:

My thanks to Robert for bringing this interesting beer to my attention.

My Oatmeal Stout is ready for the bottle, so here we go. I, of course, meticulously cleaned and sanatized the bottles, added the sugar and proceeded to bottle the beer. The first draw went straight into the bottle, the second draw went into a glass, so that I might have a little taste of what’s to come.

Even my wife approved of the robust flavor. And, truly, it wasn’t heavy in any sense, but flavorful, with a nice touch of hops at the end.

I should mention that I made a trip to Great Fermentations – a local brewing supplies store – to get some new bottles. I’m lucky I made it out of there without maxing my credit card. Anyway, as I’m pouring beer out of my little 2-gallon Mr. Beer fermenter, I’m dreaming of the 5-gallon carboys. It seems like two gallons disappears quite rapidly. Surely a 5 gallon batch would be more suitable, right? Well, anyway, I didn’t want to spend $120.00 dollars on a new kit yet.

Here is my case of beer, ready to set under the stairs for another 2 – 3 weeks:

Then, refrigeration and finally consumption!

We are springing forward tomorrow, so I should brew some beer tonight! I’m going to have fun with this one. It’s called the Dubliner. We have all the ingredients ready to go:

Of course, first I sanatized everything! Then, it was time to prepare the hop sacks. 2 cups of oatmeal in one sack, and the hops pellets went in the other one:

I boiled the oatmeal for 5 minutes, and then added some brown sugar. I know the yeast will like this:

Now, I just add the cans of St. Patrick’s Irish Stout and Creamy Brown UME (Unhopped Malt Extract). Thrown in the hops and stir:

All that’s left to do is wait. I’ll let this batch sit in the fermenter a good three or four weeks, then it will be time to bottle.

This will help you prepare for St. Patty’s Day – A Guinness Stout Handmade Beer Soap. I’ve had very good experiences ordering things from the merchants at etsy.com. You’ll find a dizzying array of unique items.

I will start brewing my Irish Stout this week, just have to purchase the Oatmeal! It won’t be ready by March 17th. That’s fine. I’m not going to rush it.

Up next: Long Hammer IPA by Red Hook. A capable IPA, but a little mellower than the others I’ve tried. It does go down fast and smooth, but maybe that is because of how thirsty I was!

At the end of a long weekend, after a good day of Christmas preparations, playing with the boys, and watching some football, I saved the tasting for a quiet moment. With my complete attention, I sat down to drink this beer. It felt good to sit back, relax and enjoy.

As for my IPA, the carbonation phase is done, I’ll let it condition another week while I finish off my 6 pack of Long Hammer, then I’ll pop my first Home Brew IPA!

I was in the beer aisle, undecided about my next selection for IPA tasting. I was leaning towards Upland’s Dragonfly IPA, but then my eyes rested upon the ‘Two Hearted Ale’ from Bell’s Brewery. Although I’ve had this before, it struck me as the perfect choice for this cold December night.

After a short run and some cleaning up in the garage, I popped open my first bottle. This is a truly good beer. It had a citrusy taste, which combined quite nicely with the hops. I have to agree with the label here: It had a very crisp finish. This will definitely become a regular choice.

I just realized that Bell’s Brewery is the same brewery that creates Oberon Ale, a very tasty beer that I experienced at The Ambassador in Haughton, MI. during a fishing trip with Bob and the Gang. The Ambassador is an experience you won’t soon forget!

Everybody would enjoy a little gift this Christmas season. Wine would be perfect! Check out this Petite Syrah available from SpellBound Winery:
(PS, I never said it was all about the beer!)

Well, finally got around to bottling the IPA. I don’t think the extra time will diminsh the taste at all. Here is the first draw:

As usually, the first taste is not that thrilling. This still had a strong tast of yeast. I remember this from my first batch, so I”m not overly concerned. The hops definitely stand out and the beer has a tingly after taste.

Here are the bottles, all sterilized and ready for the beer:

Now, the waiting. Two weeks for fermentation, two weeks conditioning, then … Bottoms UP!!! Which means this beer will be ready for consumption around Christmas. I couldn’t have planned that much better if I tried!