I have Gob Stopper Grape Ale fermenting, but I'm in danger of running low on my homebrew.
As I mentioned in 2025 Q2 SheppyBrew Stats, I've slowed down brewing quite a bit lately, so this certainly should not come as a surprise.
But, I figured I needed to get some beers in the pipeline.
You might have seen my recently posted Roll-a-Style 2: 3C. Czech Amber Lager, and if you did, you probably realized this was coming ...
Saturday, I ran off to my favorite LHBS to get ingredients and Sunday I brewed....
"Cuttlefish", you may ask? "Why did you name a beer 'Cuttlefish'. That's a weird name."
Yeah ... I guess so.
So, far all my Czech lagers have name inspired by the Pirates of the Caribbean movies (Ello Poppet Czech Pilsner, Scallywag Czech Dark Lager, Said Strumpet Czech Pale Lager)
"Cuttlefish" refers to a speech Jack makes close to the climax of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End.
"Jack uses the image of cuttlefish—“flippin’ glorious little sausages”—to illustrate how creatures (and by extension, people) will turn on each other when confined together. He’s warning that if the pirate lords stay holed up, even with provisions and weapons, they’ll end up destroying each other out of fear and mistrust. He contrasts this grim fate with the risky alternative: releasing the sea goddess Calypso and hoping for mercy, though he doubts she’ll be forgiving. Ultimately, he sides with Elizabeth Swann’s bold plan: they must fight."
Still, a weird name ... but as ChatGPT pointed out (actually Copilot) ...
"Ah, but that’s the brilliance of Cuttlefish Czech Amber Lager. Sure, the name might catch you off guard—until you realize it’s a sly nod to Jack Sparrow’s delightfully unhinged “cuttlefish” monologue in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End. All of SheppyBrew’s Czech beers pay tribute to the high-seas mischief of that legendary franchise, and this one is no exception. The name channels the movie’s eccentric charm while hinting at the amber lager’s depth: a beer with layered character, a little swagger, and just enough mystery to make you wonder what it’s really plotting beneath the surface. Weird? Maybe. But in the world of pirates and brewers, “weird” is just code for memorable."
AI gets me. And ... you can name your Czech Amber Lager whatever the hell you want. I'll name mine what I want.
Anyway ... I got started with my Brew Day fairly late. I should have prepped the water the night before, but I was just too lazy Saturday night to get that done.
So, up around 5am, I had to get my water collected and heated.
My water was heating by 5:20. I was mashed in by 5:45. At some point, I might have to get a 220 volt circuit put in to speed up my heating.
I decided not to rush, and extended my mash longer than the recipe calls for. I started draining the grain basket around 7:15.
My pre-boil gravity was right at 1.046 (exactly as planned). The volume was about perfect too after squeezing the heck out of the grain bag.
Then, I set the Foundry to heat up to just under boiling while my wife and I headed off to church.
When we got back, I remembered that I meant to get a yeast starter going, so I collected some of the wort, cooled and diluted with ice cubes. Then, put my harvested yeast from Big Brew Day ... Halfway to Helles (Batch 375) into the starter wort.
Ideally I would have done that earlier in the morning so the starter had time to get going, but I think it turned out ok.
At the same time, I set the Foundry to get the wort to boiling. My boil timer started at 9:50ish.
I got my hops and other boil items added at appropriate times, and the boil was done by 10:50ish.
I chilled with the ground water to 80 or 90 and then recirculated ice water with my pond pump to below 60 degrees.
I had the wort racked, the fermenter in the basement, the yeast pitched and the cooling system in place by 11:30am. Not my shortest brew day ever, not too bad.
The wort sat at 54 / 55 overnight. I noticed bubbling from the airlock my mid-morning Monday.
So ... I'll be fermenting cold (in the 50's) for the first 5 or 6 days. Next week, I'll let the fermenter temp rise naturally into the 60's to finish up.
I should be kegging this beer by the 19th or so. I will be drinking the beer shortly after that.
I'm sure I'll let you know how it turns out.
As always, stay tuned on the regular SheppyBrew Channels to see what is happening with beer, barbeque, biking and other things in my life: SheppyBrew's Facebook Page; Sheppy's Twitter Feed; SheppyBrew's Instagram Page; and SheppyBrew's Website.
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