🍺 Mud Blood Baltic Porter

Style: Baltic Porter Brewer: SheppyBrew ABV: 6.4% IBU: 27 SRM: 26

Appearance

A deep, opaque mahogany that borders on black, glowing with garnet highlights when caught by a strong light. The pour builds a dense, tan head with fine bubbles and excellent retention, leaving tight rings of lace as it slowly recedes. The beer looks rich and substantial without appearing syrupy — a classic dark lager sheen.

Aroma

Smooth layers of dark chocolate, toasted bread crust, and subtle roast rise first, followed by hints of dried cherry and plum. A clean lager fermentation keeps everything crisp and uncluttered. Beneath the malt depth is a faint whisper of earthy hops and a touch of caramelized sugar. Nothing sharp, nothing burnt — just deep, polished malt complexity.

Flavor

The first sip delivers a rounded blend of cocoa, dark fruit, and gentle roast. The malt sweetness is present but restrained, balanced by a soft bitterness that keeps the beer from drifting into heaviness. Notes of molasses, fig, and lightly charred toast weave together without any harsh edges. The lager fermentation keeps the finish clean, allowing the flavors to linger with a smooth, warming richness.

Mouthfeel

Medium‑full body with a silky smoothness characteristic of a well‑executed cold‑fermented dark beer. The carbonation is moderate, lifting the richness without disrupting it. There’s enough weight to feel substantial, but the clean fermentation and balanced bitterness prevent it from becoming cloying. The finish is warming, rounded, and quietly powerful.

Overall Impression

A refined, balanced Baltic Porter that showcases SheppyBrew’s love of clean fermentation and malt‑forward depth. Mud Blood is rich without being heavy, complex without being chaotic, and dark without drifting into acrid territory. It’s a beer built for slow evenings, cold nights, and moments when you want something both comforting and quietly formidable.

Legend of Mud Blood

Long before the gnomes carved their brewing halls into the mountain, travelers whispered of a lone witch who wandered the high passes — Marla Earthwhisper, a half‑blood sorceress whose magic was tied not to wands or incantations, but to the living stone beneath her feet. The gnomes called her a Mud Blood: one born of both magical and non‑magical lineage, able to draw power from the earth itself.

Marla discovered a hidden fissure deep under the mountain, where warm, mineral‑rich water pulsed like a heartbeat. She named it the Mud Blood of the Deep, believing it to be a conduit between the mundane world and the ancient magic of the earth. Its warmth never scorched, its darkness never bit, and its steady pulse resonated with her own mixed‑heritage magic.

When she encountered the early SheppyBrew gnome brewers — soot‑smudged, curious, and stubbornly practical — she taught them how to harness the Deep’s gentle heat for cold fermentation. Together they crafted a dark lager unlike anything the mountain had seen: smooth, powerful, and quietly enchanted.

The beer became a symbol of Marla’s legacy — a reminder that strength can come from mixed origins, that magic can be subtle, and that the deepest power often flows unseen beneath the surface.

To this day, the gnomes brew Mud Blood Baltic Porter in her honor. They say that on cold nights, when the kettles steam and the mountain wind howls, you can still feel Marla’s magic humming through the stone — a quiet pulse from the Mud Blood of the Deep.

Come taste the magic for yourself — Mud Blood Baltic Porter is pouring now at SheppyBrew Brewery. Let the warmth of the Deep and the legacy of Marla Earthwhisper guide your next pint.

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!

Y is for Ye Olde 121 Public House

Well ... the SheppyBrew Beer Model (aka my wife) and I are winding down on Round 6 of our A to Z series of posts.

A couple of weeks ago, we posted X is for MaX Taps Colorado, which means we're up to "Y", meaning we only have one more letter to finish up this round of brewery visits.

There are certainly a bunch more Denver-area breweries to visit on the Colorado Brewery Map & List, but there are quire a few letters in the alphabet that will be difficult to fill.

So, I'm not sure there will be a Round 7. We might have to figure some other way to pick new breweries to visit.

Anyway, we still have the letter "Y" of this round to get to....

Y is for Ye Olde 121 Public House

Mud Blood Baltic Porter (Batch 389)

I brewed my first Roll-a-Style beer of 2026 this week.

If I'm counting correctly, I've brewed 91 of the 108 styles in the BJCP Guidelines. My Roll-a-Style list is getting pretty thin.

It's already mid-March and this is only my 3rd batch of beer of 2026, so I'm not really brewing much so far this year.

It is already my third lager of the year and my third new recipe of the year.

If you read Roll-a-Style 4: 9C. Baltic Porter, you probably realized this was coming.

Mud Blood Baltic Porter

Hop-cember Pale Lager

Style: West Coast Pilsner ABV: 5.7% IBU: 35 SRM: 5.0

👀 Appearance

A brilliantly clear pale‑gold body with a touch of deeper winter sunlight from the SRM 5 hue. A dense, white, rocky head forms immediately and lingers with excellent retention, leaving tight lacing down the glass. Effervescence is lively but refined, giving the beer a crisp, sparkling presence.

👃 Aroma

Bright citrus and pine leap out first — grapefruit zest, lemon peel, and a clean resin snap. Beneath that sits a subtle floral note and a faint hint of fresh‑cut grass. The pilsner malt supports everything with a light crackery sweetness, never competing with the hops. Fermentation stays clean and neutral, letting the hops shine with West Coast clarity.

👅 Flavor

A crisp, snappy bitterness leads but never overwhelms. Citrus (grapefruit, orange pith), pine, and a touch of herbal spice define the hop profile. The malt character is lean and crackery, adding just enough backbone to keep the bitterness in balance. The finish is dry, brisk, and refreshing — a classic West Coast bite delivered through a pilsner’s clean, streamlined frame.

I Ran 13.1 Miles Today

I've been training for the Platte River Half Marathon in mid-April. It is one of my Fitness Goals to finish a Half Marathon in 2026.

Other than running while playing and practicing for various sports when I was younger, I've never really been a runner. In fact, my first run on Strava was in April of last year.

So, in about a year, I'm basically going from running zero to running a full Half Marathon.

According to ChatGPT, 0.6% of Americans run a half marathon in a given year. 1-3% of adults have ever run at least one half marathon in their lifetime. About 11% of runners have completed or are training for a half marathon.

I don't care enough to double check ChatGPT's stats on this; I'm just going to trust that they are close. 

So, by finishing a Half Marathon, I'll be an elite group.

February Update on 2026 Fitness Goals

I'm actually pretty active for an decrepit old couch potato. 

With all the BBQ I make and eat, and all the beer I brew and drink, cardio exercise helps keep me somewhat in shape.

In the past, this has been mostly cycling, but starting this year, I've started running as well.

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

Last month, I shared my 2026 Fitness Goals, and although no one else really cares, it is time for me to post an update.

Over the Top Chili with Corn Bread

You may remember that on Super Bowl Sunday I made Over the Top Chili and Poppers.

As I mentioned, I was the only one who actually had more than just a taste, and I enjoyed it enough that I really thought I should make it again so others in my family can give it a try.

I think this is now my favorite way to make chili.

I got out the Dutch Oven on Tuesday and made it again.

For a side, I also made corn bread.

This time, the meat I picked for the chili was a combination of ground chorizo and some ground beef I had left over from burgers I made over the weekend.