Peppermint Porter (Batch 245)

I was looking through the most recent Zymurgy Magazine a few weeks ago and came across a beer recipe for Peppermint Porter.

This particular recipe caught my eye because the peppermint flavoring was from something I've never thought of.

Peppermint Tea.

I've always used peppermint extract, which, to me, sometimes add sort of an artificial peppermint flavor to beer.

I thought I should give this a try. My wife always tells me that her favorite X-Mas Ales are the ones that have peppermint flavoring in them.

I thought that giving Peppermint Tea a try would be useful research for future considerations.

Obviously, I can't just follow a recipe from a book or magazine, so I designed my own little porter recipe ...

Peppermint Porter

Spatchcocked Cherry Wood Smoked Thanksgiving Turkey

Well ... you may remember that last year I smoked my first Thanksgiving Turkey.

In Cherry Wood Smoked Thanksgiving Turkey, I mentioned that I would probably spatchcock the bird next time I smoked a Turkey.

Well ... this Thanksgiving, was my second opportunity and I did indeed spatchcock the bird.

In case you don't know what spatchcocking is ...

Real quick ... when you spatchcock a bird, you basically cut out its backbone, which allows you to lay the bird flat while it is cooking.

Some people call it "butterflying" the bird.

People do this because it is supposed to more evenly cook the bird. It is also supposed to speed up the cooking process.

To be honest, I've tried it with chickens, and have not found that the spatchcocked chickens turn out better than my "regular" method of cooking a bird.

After this Thanksgiving Turkey ... I am still of the opinion that I prefer birds that were not spatchcocked.

L is for Lariat Lodge Brewing – Littleton

L L L

It was only a couple weeks ago that I posted K is for Kitchen, Lowdown Brewery +

And, as you probably know, L comes right after K.

Don't believe me .... look it up.

As I mentioned in K is for Kitchen, Lowdown Brewery +, I had an L brewery in mind. Three are actually plenty of "L" breweries in the Denver area. Even when I eliminate the ones I've been to, I still have a few I can use in the future.

The brewery I had in mind is very close to my house and this location only opened up this past summer.

I was actually quite excited to try it out. And ... the Friday after Thanksgiving, the Beer Model and I did go check it out.

Big L, little l. What begins with L?

L is for Lariat Lodge Brewing – Littleton

L. L. L.

What the Helles Brew Day (244)

This past weekend, I brewed my 19th batch of beer for the year.

244th batch of beer all-time.

It was my 13th new recipe this year. My 6th lager.

Last week, I gave you a little heads-up that it was coming in What the Helles.

The beer name is What the Helles Dortmunder, and you can take a look at the recipe by following the link.

It is actually very similar to the Schreck Gartenzwerg Pilsner that I made a couple months ago, but should be richer, more bready, with a more substantial mouthfeel and a maltier, less bitter flavor.

Anyway ... I got started brewing very early in the morning.

When I went out, I startled a skunk that was wandering along my fence. Luckily, it was far enough away that I wasn't in danger of getting sprayed, but it did get my heart pumping a bit early in the morning.

I hit 100 Gallons in 2019

If I recorded accurately and did my math correctly, as of Learn to Homebrew Day, the Gnomes, the SheppyBrew Beer Model, and I have brewed 100 gallons of beer this year.

100

Gallons 

of Beer

What the Helles?

The German Beer Styles that have "Helles" (light in German) in their names have so many beer-name puns available to them.

My Second Brisket

So ... a couple months ago I smoked My First Brisket.

This past Sunday, I smoked my second one.

My First Brisket was a 10 pound (9.5 pounds) Choice Grade brisket that I purchased from my local Sam's Club.

It took about 11 hours from the time I put it on the kettle until I pulled it.

This second one was about 13 pounds (12.98) of Prime, also purchased at Sam's. I had intended on smoking this a few weeks ago, but ended up having to freeze it. I only started thawing it out in a water bath on Saturday.

Someone on a facebook group told me I "need" to let it thaw more gradually and to let it "rest" longer after the thaw but before putting it on the smoker.

Obviously I didn't "need" to, but I hope for my third brisket, I'll be able to smoke it without having to freeze and then thaw it.