🍺 Chelsea Dagger Pre‑Prohibition Lager

Brewery: SheppyBrew 
Style: Pre‑Prohibition Lager
ABV: 5.4%
IBU: 30
SRM: 3.6

Appearance

Brilliant pale gold with a bright, sunlit clarity that shows off its lean grain bill. A tight white head forms quickly and lingers in a thin lace, just enough to remind you this is a lager with backbone. The color sits right in that classic pre‑Prohibition range — light, but not fragile.

Aroma

A clean, crackery malt note leads, softened by a faint sweetness from the flaked corn. Cluster hops add their unmistakable American heritage: a mix of herbal spice, light floral tones, and a subtle rustic edge. The overall impression is crisp and inviting, with just enough hop character to signal that this isn’t a modern macro‑lager.

Flavor

Bright grain character up front — lightly sweet, lightly toasty — followed by a surprisingly assertive hop presence for the style. The Cluster hops bring a firm bitterness and a distinctly old‑school American flavor: earthy, spicy, and just a touch fruity. The balance leans crisp and snappy, finishing dry with a pleasant lingering bitterness that encourages another sip.

Mouthfeel

Light‑bodied but not thin, with a smooth, easy‑drinking texture. Carbonation is lively enough to keep the beer refreshing without becoming sharp. The finish is clean, brisk, and slightly bitter, exactly what you want from a historically inspired American lager.

Overall Impression

A modern homebrewer’s take on a classic American beer — simple ingredients, honest flavor, and a hop profile that nods to the past while still delivering your preferred punch. It’s crisp, flavorful, and unmistakably American, with Cluster hops giving it a signature character that sets it apart from contemporary light lagers. A beer built for celebration, tradition, and a little bit of swagger.

🏒🍺Legend of Chelsea Dagger

As preserved in the Gnome Archives beneath the SheppyBrew Brewery

Long before the first puck dropped and long before the rafters shook with victory chants, the SheppyBrew Gnomes discovered a peculiar magic in a swaggering little tune — a rollicking riff that made boots tap, mugs clink, and spirits rise. The humans called it “Chelsea Dagger.” The gnomes called it “The Summoning Song.”

According to the Gnome Archives (a notoriously reliable source), whenever that riff echoed through the mountains, strange things happened. Barley sprouted faster. Hops grew bolder. And the gnomes themselves felt an irresistible urge to dance, brew, and occasionally attempt slapshots with dangerously small sticks.

It was during the Chicago Blackhawks’ golden era that the gnomes made their greatest discovery. They noticed that every time the song blasted through the United Center, the air shimmered with the same energy they felt in the brewhouse. Goals came easier. Skates cut sharper. Opponents wobbled. And so the gnomes whispered to the brewer:

“We must brew a beer worthy of this magic.”

Thus was born Chelsea Dagger Pre‑Prohibition Lager — crisp as fresh ice, bright as arena lights, and hopped with the bold American spirit of Cluster. The gnomes infused it with just enough swagger to match the song itself.

And the results? Well, it is fully documented (in the SheppyBrew sense of “documented,” which is to say: absolutely, unquestionably true) that this beer helped the Blackhawks win three Stanley Cups in six years. Some say it was coaching. Some say it was talent. But the gnomes know better. They were there. They brewed. They danced. They drank. And the Cups followed.

To this day, they insist that when you raise a pint of Chelsea Dagger, you can feel the echo of those championship nights — the thrum of the crowd, the sting of cold air, and the unstoppable momentum of a team destined to win. And if you listen closely, you might even hear a tiny gnome voice shouting:

“Play the riff again — they need another goal!”

As always keep watching the regular SheppyBrew Channels to see what is happening with my BBQ, Beer, Biking: SheppyBrew's Facebook Page; Sheppy's Twitter Feed; SheppyBrew's Instagram Page; and SheppyBrew's Website.Of course, don't forget to visit this blog often as well!

Z is for MestiZo Brew Cantina

Ok ... here we are at the end of Round 6 of the A to Z series of posts.

Yes, we've gone through the alphabet 6 times, visiting a brewery for each letter.

At the beginning, we were able to find Denver-area breweries (one was actually a meadery) that literally began with all 26 letters of the alphabet.

As we progressed, we had to take more and more "Artistic License", and without actually counting, For round 6, I'd say we were at about half breweries that began with the letter and half that we had to stretch a little.

Round 6 began late November of 2024 with A is for Arms, Call To Brewing Company (sadly closed now).

And ... now ... we are at the letter "Z"....

Z is for MestiZo Brew Cantina

Platte River Half-Marathon

I ran my first official Half Marathon yesterday.

As you know if you read 2026 Fitness Goals, I've been training for a Half Marathon, the "Platte River Half Marathon", and Sunday was the day.

I finished the whole thing. I actually was able to run it faster than I thought I would be able to do it. So, I'm happy with my results.

While working through the training plan, Runna gave me a project goal pace of 9:50 to 10:25 per mile, meaning it expected me to finish in 2:09 to 2:16.

Quite frankly, I thought that pace was ridiculously optimistic based on my longer training runs. I'd never really maintained that pace for more than a few miles at a time. 

2026 Easter Ham

Well ... I let my kids talk me into making ham again for Easter dinner.

While ham is not my favorite holiday food, I aim to please, so I went ahead and decided to do my "typical" Double Smoked Ham.

My wife got the standard spiral cut ham, around 10lbs.

On Easter morning I made a glaze / sauce with a coke base, a little honey, and various spices. 

I also made a special "rub" for the ham.

After church, I placed the ham in a cooking pan and applied the rub and let it sit while I prepared my Weber Kettle.

2026 Q1 SheppyBrew Stats

It is already April. The first quarter of 2026 is done. Time to report on the Q1 SheppyBrew Brewing stats.

Both last year and 2024 yielded 95 gallons of beer, which is lower than any year since 2016. 

If the first 3 months are an indication, 2026 will be an even less volume. Significantly less. As I type this, I'm tracking to less than 60 gallons for the year, which would be the least amount of beer brewed EVER!

I'm not sure if the brewing will pick up this year or not. I guess we'll see.

So far in 2026, I've brewed 3 batches of beer.

• Hop-cember Pale Lager
• "Whisper of the Tengu" Rice Lager
• Mud Blood Baltic Porter

This 3 batches of beer totaled 15 gallons. I'm not sure when I've brewed only 3 batches of beer in 3 months. It may have occurred, but I don't think it has ever happened.

Hop-cember Pale Lager

March Update on 2026 Fitness Goals

As you know if you follow this blog, I generally give a monthly update on fitness / Strava goals. I guess we can say that it is another level of accountability to share these publicly.

Plus, I from time to time I'll look at older updates just to see where I was way-back-when.

In previous years, my goals have been mostly around cycling, but starting this year, I've started running as well.

If you're interested, I always track these workouts on Strava. 

As I mentioned in Random Things, a vacation slowed me down in March, but even so, I'm tracking pretty well to my 2026 Fitness goals.

SheppyBrew Brewery Replaced by AI Brew Master!

LITTLETON, CO – April 1, 2026:

Well, folks… it finally happened.

After years of brewing by hand, experimenting with styles, and occasionally arguing with the Beer Model about whether fruit belongs in beer (it doesn’t), SheppyBrew Brewery has officially entered the age of artificial intelligence.

I am both proud and mildly horrified to announce the newest member — and now sole decision‑maker — of the SheppyBrew team:

BrewBot‑9000™

“Optimizing Beer Since 3:14 AM This Morning”