Gnomeberry Hollow Cherry Porter

Style: Cherry Porter
Brewer: SheppyBrew
ABV: 6.2%
IBU: 28
SRM: 40 (shadow-black)

Appearance 👀

Pours inky black with a dense tan head that settles into a creamy cap. Held to light, faint ruby glints flicker at the edges, like fireflies escaping a hollow log. The body is opaque and shadowy, cloaking the cherry secrets within.

Aroma 👃

Roasted malt and cocoa rise first, followed by a burst of tart cherry—bright, fresh, and slightly wild. Beneath it all, hints of vanilla, toasted almond, and damp earth evoke the forest floor after rain. It smells like dessert and mystery.

Yoker Belgian Tripel (Batch 385)

As I mentioned in Learning to Homebrew: 2025 X-Mas Ale (Batch 384), I was hoping to get together with at least one of my homebrewing buddies coming up soon.

It turns out that this past weekend, we were able to do this.

The SheppyBrew Beer Model and I packed up our brewing equipment Saturday and headed over to Doc's Brewery for a brew day.

Getting started at Doc's Brewery starts even later than when I brew at home with the Beer Model, but Saturday I still got up fairly early to get things ready for the Travel Brewing.

I put a Chuck Roast on the weber kettle to smoke for a few hours so that I could leave it in the crock pot most of the day.

That way we'd have dinner ready when we got home.

Yoker Belgian Tripel

Style: Belgian Tripel
Brewer: SheppyBrew
ABV: 8.5%
IBU: 24
SRM: 5 (golden brilliance)

Appearance 👀

Pours radiant gold with a creamy white head that rises like a crown and lingers like a stat line. The body is crystal clear, shimmering with hints of straw and sunlight. Tiny bubbles race upward like fast breaks, promising energy and finesse.

Aroma 👃

Aromas of pear, white pepper, and clove swirl with subtle floral hops and a whisper of honeyed malt. The yeast esters are expressive—spicy, fruity, and regal. It smells like a monastery garden in spring… or a locker room after a win.

Bobcat

I was out running this morning. Yes, running. 

Well ... I'm not sure I was going fast enough to really call it "running", but it went down as "3.25mi Long Run with Runna" on Strava.

After Strava bought Runna, I've been trying some of the Runna plans to add a little balance to my workouts.

It is funny how I can do a Century Ride on a bike without really much of a huge effort whereas a 5km run is somewhat difficult for me.

Hopefully these Runna plans will change that.

Anyway, while out on this 3.25mi Long Run, I was at a park fairly close to my house (close enough that I can get there and back over 3.25miles) ... I looked off to the side of the path and saw a Bobcat.

Learning to Homebrew: 2025 X-Mas Ale (Batch 384)

Saturday was Learn to Homebrew Day. Originally I thought maybe I'd be brewing with one or more of my homebrewing buddies, but Doc was busy and Du has moved away ... so it was just me and the SheppyBrew Beer Model this year.

Doc and I might get together in a couple weeks, but we'll see.

You may remember from Roll-a-Style 20: 17D. English Barley Wine (X-Mas Ale 2025) that this year's X-Mas Ale is a little different than the usual Winter Warmer that I generally brew.

This year, I'm marking 17D. English Barley Wine off my Roll-a-Style list, and since a Barley Wine is a bigger beer than I usually brew, I decided to pitch right onto the yeast cake of Gnomeberry Hollow Cherry Porter (Batch 382).

This meant, I had to keg Gnomeberry Hollow before getting started on Saturday. 

October Update on 2025 Cycling Goals

I do quite a bit of cycling for a middle-aged couch potato.

With all the BBQ I make and eat, and all the beer I brew and drink, biking a ridiculous amount helps keep me somewhat in shape.

So ... I spend lots of time cycling around the foothills of Denver, which I always track on Strava.

Anyway ... as you may remember from 2025 Cycling Goals, I have 5 cycling goals this year:

#MetricCenturyEveryMonth / #8200MilesIn2025 / #16EverestsIn2025 / Triple Bypass Ride / #GCCUSA

Here is an update for these goals as of the end of August, 2025: 

Crock-pot Smoked Pork Butt

There are quite a few posts on this blog about my Pork Butt cooks.

Generally, this is an all-day commitment (or at least a significant portion of the day), and although most of the time allows multi-tasking, I have to mostly stay around to make sure things are going ok.

The past few pork-butts I've cooked, I've borrowed a "technique" that I've been using for Chuck Roast for quite awhile, and it helps free up time for other things.

Basically, I'll smoke the pork for 2 to 3 hours on my Weber Kettle and then move the butt inside and finish it off in the crock-pot.