A moderate-strength, malty beer with light caramel, toast, toffee, and fruit flavors. A slight roast dryness offsets the residual sweetness in the finish, with the bitterness perceived only to keep the beer from being cloying.
Pouring a radiant golden hue, this American Wheat beer captivates with a lively effervescence that dances in the glass. The aroma is an enticing symphony of wheat malt and hints of sweet tangerine zest, promising a harmonious blend of flavors to come.
I'm probably the only one who cares ... but I've been tracking my 2024 Strava goals every month on this blog. This year, I'm targeting 7,100 miles and 319,500 feet climbed (11 Everests).
Knowing that I'll ride more in warmer spring and summer months, I planned for less riding in the snowy winter / early spring months.
I was behind my plan at the end of January. I caught up by the end of February.
I moved ahead of my plan in March. I rode a little over 600 miles and climbed over 29,000 feet.
It feels like I say this a lot ...
The year is flying by. Not just this year. Every year flies by. Crazy how fast it all goes.
Anyway ... here we are in April, which means that the first quarter of 2023 is done. It's time to report on the SheppyBrew Brewing Stats for the quarter.
Remember that last year, I kept saying I would slow down brewing and end up brewing less volume than I had in 2022.
I did end up slightly down by the end of the year, but it certainly never looked like I had slowed down at all.
At the end of the first quarter last year, I had brewed 6 batches of beer and had 31 gallons.
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| Arctic Vortex Winter Saison |
SheppyBrew Home Brewery has an exciting announcement for our fellow hop heads and ale aficionados!
I hope this post finds you in high spirits, or should I say, non-alcoholic high spirits? Brace yourselves because I've got a game-changing announcement that will rock the foundations of SheppyBrew Brewery and BBQ (and maybe the entire brewing world).
Get ready for the next big thing – exclusively non-alcoholic beers!
I know what you're thinking: "Did I stumble into the Twilight Zone of Brewing?" Wrong! This is as real as a hop cone in your brew kettle.
As you raise the stein to your lips, envision the solemn Lenten season, where German monks toil with monastic devotion to birth this robust Bock Lager. Mardi Bock emerges as the triumphant celebration, a resurrection of flavors after the somber fast, akin to the joyous bells ringing in Easter morn.
Embark on a whimsical journey with our McShepardSons Irish Ale, where the enchanting collaboration between mischievous leprechauns and ingenious gnomes unfolds in every frothy drop. Nestled in the heart of the emerald hills, our brewery becomes a magical realm where folklore and flavor converge.
Legend has it that the renowned McShepardSons Irish Ale is the result of a spirited partnership between the lively leprechauns and the industrious gnomes. Under the shimmering moonlight, these mystical beings gathered at the SheppyBrew cauldron, bringing with them a trove of secret ingredients harvested from the enchanted forests and hidden meadows.
Since then, I added some items to my SheppyBrew Zazzle Store with the logo on them.
I've bought a couple of glasses, a bottle opener, and some stickers with the new Logo on them.
My Zazzle Store has never sold much other than items I've bought myself, but who knows ... maybe someday someone will want SheppyBrew Swag.
In the meantime, I like the items that I've purchased. I think the logo looks real cool on swag. I've been decorating lots of things with the stickers.
If you'd like to check out what is available ... go to
The new items are:
As you know if you read #7100MilesIn2024, this year I set my Strava mileage goal at 7,100 miles and the elevation goal at 319,500 feet (11 Everests).
I promised that I'd report on my progress.
I was behind my plan after January by 50 miles (see #7100MilesIn2024 Progress), but knew that I'd catch up.
After coming short in January, my plan was to hit 450 miles in February to bring me to 800 for the year. Actually, my February total was over 550 miles, so I made up that deficit and more.
I've also made up a deficit on my elevation goal (#11EverestsIn2024). After January, I had climbed 16,299 feet. In February, I climbed 29,429 feet, putting me at a total of 45,725 feet gained for the year. My target was to be at 36,000 feet by the end of February.
So, now I'm significantly over my target. Of course, it is still early in the year. Who knows how my body and bikes will hold up over the rest of 2024. But, so far, so good.
As you raise the chalice of Said Strumpet to your lips, envision a seductive dance of Saaz hops, each aromatic note a whispered secret from the fields of Žatec. The golden elixir cascades with a grace that could rival the most alluring of courtesans, a visual symphony that foreshadows the sensory indulgence awaiting within.
As you know if you read #7100MilesIn2024, This year, I set my Strava mileage goal at 7,100 miles and the elevation goal at 319,500 feet.
I promised that I'd report on my progress.
I got a French Press Coffee maker for Christmas.
I drink a lot of coffee. Before the French Press, I only made my coffee with a Keurig machine. Usually with the Biodegradable K-Cups I mentioned quite a few years ago.
I wanted a French Press for a few reasons:
Here it is 2024 already. Crazy!
As I mentioned in SheppyBrew 2023 Year End Brewing Stats (and probably other posts in late 2023), I want to continue the Roll-a-Style concept in 2024.
In case you don't know what I'm talking about, the concept is fairly simple ...
I made a list of BJCP Styles that I've never brewed, and assigned them to the numbers 1 - 20. When I want to brew, but am not sure what style to go after, I "roll" an online 20-sided die. Whatever number I roll is the style of beer I brew next.
Most recently, I rolled a 1:
Right now, according to the list on Random SheppyBrew Recipes, 1 corresponds to 3A. Czech Pale Lager.
Back in October, I reported that I had cycled over Over 6000 miles in 2023.
As I mentioned in that post, my 2023 Strava cycling goal was 6250 miles and 326,749 feet elevation gained.
As of October, the mileage goal was easily attainable. The elevation goal was certainly in reach, but much more of a challenge.
It turned out that I got both goals without too much effort over November and December.
If you've been following along on this blog for awhile, you may remember that I have been sharing my Strava YearInSport stats over the past couple of years.
I pay more attention to my cycling goals and totals on Strava, but the YearInSport stats cover all activities.
Sort of interesting to me. Not sure if any blog readers care, but I'll share regardless. To be honest, this just helps me compare year-to-year how I do.
So ... a couple of years ago, I spent some time identifying "SheppyBrew Seasonals".
I didn't really pay much attention to "Seasonals" in 2023, but a couple weeks ago, looking through my blog, I came across 2022 SheppyBrew Seasonals. That made me want to check out which of these seasonals I did brew in the past year.
I figured that I had not done nearly as many as I had in 2022, but as it turned out ... I was actually pretty close.
The fact that I always brew the Seasonal Saisons every year gives me a little of a head-start.
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| Arctic Vortex |
So ... as I'm typing this, we still have a couple of weeks left in 2023, but I won't be brewing again this year, so I can actually report on my 2023 Brewing Stats.
Last year, I mentioned that I was on a downward trend on my brewing totals since the ridiculous amount I brewed in 2020.
All year, I've been saying that this year will continue that downward trend, despite evidence to the contrary every quarter so far this year.
But, with a slightly lower brew total in the 4th quarter, I did end up lower than 2020, 2021, and 2022.
In the 4th quarter, I brewed 5 batches of beer for 25 gallons:
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| 4 beers including Falling Leaves and Humdinger |
