I screwed up the Potato Beer

If you follow along on this blog and/or SheppyBrew Brewery, you know that I recently brewed Potato Barley Rye (PBR) ... Batch 395.

I thought it would be fun to brew a Potato Beer. 

The potatoes I used came in the form of Idahoan Real Premium Mashed Potatoes, which is basically flaked potato. Add water and you get mashed potatoes.

I checked to make sure that the box said "no added flavorings" and no extra fats. 

The thing I guess I didn't notice on the nutrition facts is that each serving has quite a bit of sodium in it. WAY more than brewing salts I'd ever add to a batch of beer.

So ... I recently kegged this beer, and the initial taste was sort of weird. I thought maybe the potatoes came through with a strange flavor.

But, I thought it might settle out. I chilled and carbonated. My taste off the tap, it hit me ... "this tastes a little salty".

This is when I decided to find the nutrition facts online, and sure enough ... lots of sodium.

Uggg!!!!

I am keeping the beer to see if it settles out at all, but once I get other beers brewed to take that spot, I'll probably end up dumping it. I don't think it is undrinkable. I just would prefer not having that salty flavor in a beer.

I don't have another beer brewed, though, so it will be at least a couple weeks before I get rid of it.

In the meantime, Sunday, I used the beer as a brine for a Chicken I grilled. 

Brine is actually a pretty good use for this. It would also probably work for things like BBQ Sauce. Next time I make rice, I might use it instead of water.

Whatever it takes to use this up.

My preferred method cooking whole chickens right now is to Spatchcock and then Quarter the bird.

It makes it easier to fit the bird on the grill. I can move pieces around if certain parts are cooking faster than others.

It makes for delicious chicken.

And ... that is what I did Sunday.

I'll admit, I tried the PBR, during the cook, and didn't think it tasted quite as weird as it did a little warmer. In fact, I had a few pints.

So, maybe between using it as a food ingredient, and the occasional drink, I'll kill this keg before I have to dump it.

On Potato Barley Rye (PBR) ... Batch 395, I had enough issues with the Potato Flakes that I thought I'd never brew this again, but now I think I have to try it without the extra sodium.

I'm not sure if I'll be able to find flaked potatoes without added salt, so I think I'll end up peeling and mashing actual potatoes.

Stay tuned on Sheppy's Blog: PBR and you'll find out if and when and how I end up brewing it again.

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.

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.

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.