SheppyBrew – Potato Barley Rye (PBR)

Brewery: SheppyBrew
Style: Potato Beer ABV: 6.9%  IBU: 32  SRM: 4.4

Appearance

Pale gold with a faint amber glint from the rye. A tight, creamy head lingers like mashed potatoes whipped to perfection. Brilliant clarity despite the starchy origins — proof that tubers can sparkle.

Aroma

Earthy and rustic up front, with soft grain sweetness and a whisper of rye spice. A subtle floral hop note floats above a baked‑potato warmth. It smells like a harvest table in late autumn.

Flavor

Smooth malt character with gentle rye bite and a touch of potato‑derived silkiness. Balanced bitterness keeps the sweetness in check. The finish is crisp, slightly nutty, and oddly addictive — like fries you can drink.

Mouthfeel

Medium‑light body, creamy texture, and a dry snap at the end. The potato adds roundness without heaviness, giving it a plush feel that still finishes clean.

Overall Impression

A mischievous hybrid of comfort food and craft beer — hearty yet refreshing. It’s the kind of brew that makes gnomes raise their mugs and laugh at the absurdity of brewing with spuds.

Legend of PBR

Long before the potato monster appeared on tap handles, the SheppyBrew gnomes were deep in one of their classic brewing debates — arguing over mash temperatures, rye percentages, and whether adjuncts were “innovation” or “chaos.” The brewmaster had stepped out for a moment, leaving them unsupervised, which is always when trouble begins.

In the dim light of the cellar, the gnomes discovered a forgotten crate of potatoes. Not ordinary potatoes — these were knobby, twisted things rumored to have sprouted from soil enriched by ancient brewing spills. Some said they were magical. Others said they were cursed. All agreed they were perfect for experimentation.

So the gnomes chopped, mashed, and tossed the spuds into the kettle with barley and rye, chanting old brewing rhymes passed down from the legendary Spudfather, a mythical tuber spirit said to bless only the boldest brewers. As the mash thickened, the air grew warm and electric. The steam swirled, condensed, and suddenly took shape.

From the haze emerged a hulking Potato Monster, eyes glowing like embers, skin mottled like a burlap sack, and a grin wide enough to unsettle even the bravest gnome. But instead of rampaging, the creature reached for a mug, dipped it into the bubbling wort, and let out a satisfied rumble. The gnomes cheered — clearly, this was a sign.

Together, gnomes and monster finished the brew, crafting a golden ale with rye spice, potato silkiness, and a mischievous spirit. When the brewmaster returned, he found the gnomes celebrating, mugs raised high, chanting “P‑B‑R!” in triumph. The monster simply winked and vanished back into the steam.

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!

Wild vs Spotted Cow

If you read Wild Cow (sort of) Kölsch (Batch 394), you know that I designed Wild Cow (sort of) Kölsch as a tribute to New Glarus Spotted Cow back in 2020.

As I don't live in Wisconsin, though, my memory of Spotted Cow was sort of fuzzy. My brain had Spotted Cow as a darker beer than it actually was, and the original version didn't look anything like Spotted Cow.

I have family in Wisconsin and since 2020, I've had the opportunity to drink and study Spotted Cow a bit more, and I modified the Wild Cow (sort of) Kölsch (Batch 394) recipe to at least look a little closer.

This past weekend, I had an opportunity to try the beers side-by-side.

Potato Barley Rye (PBR) ... Batch 395

I brewed a batch of beer last week, only my 9th of the year, but the 2nd brew this month.

I'm still way behind my usual brewing volume, and tracking to be one of the least-amounts brewed in any year since I started.

At this point, I'm thinking it is unlikely I'll catch up to my "normal" amount this year ... but I guess we'll have to see.

Currently, I have 4 beers "on-tap", which is my maximum, but 3 out of my 4 kegs are very close to being empty.

So ... I may need to brew a few more batches soon.

Anyway ... the beer I brewed last week is an interesting experiment (interesting to me) ....

Potato Barley Rye (PBR)

SheppyBrew Wild Cow (sort of) Kölsch

Brewery: SheppyBrew Style: Cow Beer ABV: 4.7% IBU: 23 SRM: 6.4

Appearance

Pale golden with a faint amber hue from the touch of specialty malt. A dense, creamy white head crowns the glass and lingers like a milk mustache on a happy cow. Brilliant clarity shows off the beer’s clean fermentation and careful conditioning.

Aroma

Soft grain sweetness and a whisper of corn mingle with light floral hops. There’s a subtle fruity note — pear and apple from the Kölsch yeast — balanced by a rustic, countryside freshness that evokes barns, fields, and gnomes laughing over pints.

July Update on 2026 Fitness Goals

As you know if you follow this blog, I generally give a monthly update on my fitness / Strava goals. I'm sure no one besides myself really cares, but I figure sharing these publicly give me a little extra motivation because of the extra accountability.

Plus, from time to time I'll look at older updates just to see where I was in the past.

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

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

So far, I'm tracking pretty well to my 2026 Fitness goals, although a couple of aches and pains (not quite injuries) do seem to be slowing me down a bit (at least on running).

More SUP Photos

So ... something happened during the Chatfield SUP Photos that made me think it probably isn't a great idea to bring my phone out on the lake to take photos.

I won't go into details, but you can probably imagine reasons a phone on a Stand-up-Paddle-Board is not a good idea.

You might even think it odd that it took me as long as it did for me to realize something so obvious.

After some research ... I decided to purchase an Akaso Brave 7 LE Action Camera, which has a waterproof case.

In addition to being less expensive and more water proof than my phone, it is also something that allows the wife to be able to take photos as well.

You may have noticed (or maybe not) that most of our SUP trips have very few photos of me and tons of her.

H is for Homegrown Tap and Dough

As I mentioned in G is for Green Mountain Beer Company, Round 7 of the A to Z Breweries series has been going fairly smooth.

A, B, C, D, F and G all had local breweries that started with the respective letters. E was a little stretch, but not bad at all.

But ... now we are up to "H", and the Colorado Brewery Map & List didn't really have any options that we had not already used.

Last Friday was a date night for me and the wife (aka the SheppyBrew Beer Model), and there is a Littleton restaurant / "tap house" we had not been to in awhile that just happens to start with the letter "H".

So ... I decided to use it as our H A to Z "brewery".

H is for Homegrown Tap and Dough