Brewery: SheppyBrew
Style: Potato Beer
ABV: 6.9%
IBU: 32
SRM: 4.4
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.
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.
Brewery: SheppyBrew Style: Cow Beer ABV: 4.7% IBU: 23 SRM: 6.4
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.
Plus, from time to time I'll look at older updates just to see where I was in the past.
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
Those of you who have visited SheppyBrew Brewery generally have the opportunity to try a flight of beers we have on tap at the time.
It gives you a quick way to decide which beer(s) you might be interested in.
Every so often, I'll pour myself a flight and spend some time considering the beers I have.
Even though in 4th of July Steak and Corn, I listed and described the beers I have on tap, the Gnomes and I poured a flight to share.
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| Chelsea Dagger Pre-Prohibition Lager |
This past week, we visited family in Wisconsin, home of New Glarus Spotted Cow. New Glarus does not distribute its beer outside of the Wisconsin boarders, and I decided to pick up some Spotted Cow and bring it back to my home brewery to compare to my Wild Cow (sort of) Kölsch, which I plan to brew soon.
I'm the meantime, my Bad Lands Kölsch is on tap, and Thursday I decided to compare it to the Spotted Cow.
Plus, from time to time I'll look at older updates just to see where I was in the past.
Brewery: SheppyBrew
Style: Czech Premium Pale Lager
ABV: 5.0%
IBU: 38
SRM: 3.7
A brilliantly clear pale‑gold lager with a soft straw hue and a tight, persistent white head. The foam forms a fine, creamy cap that lingers as a thin lace down the glass. Bright carbonation streams upward in steady, lively columns, giving the beer a crisp, polished look that immediately signals refreshment.
Clean, elegant malt leads the way — lightly bready, faintly sweet, and reminiscent of fresh‑cracked grain. A subtle floral‑herbal hop note rises behind it, offering a gentle Saaz‑like spice without dominating. Fermentation character is impeccably clean: no esters, no sulfur, just a classic lager profile with a soft, inviting malt presence.
And ... it has been quite awhile.
I tried Pork Butt Burnt Ends a couple years ago, and "Poor Man Burnt Ends" made from a Chuck Roast a little later.
It could be just me, but when I think "Burnt Ends", I think it should be made from a Brisket point or Pork Belly.
Part of the reason I've never done them is my Sam's Club didn't sell Pork Belly for quite awhile. But, recently I started seeing it there. Last time I was there, I picked a 5.88 lb. Pork Belly.
And ... about a week ago I used it to make Pork Belly Burnt Ends.
Plus, from time to time I'll look at older updates just to see where I was in the past.
Brewery: SheppyBrew
Style: Mango Wheat (Fruit Beer)
ABV: 4.7%
IBU: 27
SRM: 6.2
A gentle wave of fresh mango rises first — not candy‑sweet, but ripe and natural. Underneath it sits a clean wheat backbone: light grain, soft dough, a hint of citrus. The fruit and wheat blend seamlessly, giving it a tropical‑but‑balanced nose.
Soft wheat malt leads with a smooth, slightly creamy base. The mango comes through as a bright accent, adding a touch of sweetness and tropical lift without overwhelming the beer. Low bitterness keeps the profile refreshing. The finish is clean, crisp, and lightly fruity — the kind of sip that makes you immediately want another.
I kegged my Chelsea Dagger Pre-Prohibition Lager on Monday and added gelatin fining to the keg on Tuesday.
After dinner on Tuesday, I decided to drink a few on my patio. The gelatin had not really had much of a chance to work, so the beer was still pretty hazy. But, the beer was still delicious enough to enjoy.
For what it is worth, it is a much clearer beer now.
She actually brews with me 3 or 4 times a year. I jokingly say that I make her brew with me so that I'll stay out of jail when the authorities find out I brew more than 100 gallons of beer in a year.
You see, according to federal law:
The production of beer per household, without payment of tax, for personal or family use may not exceed:
100 gallons per calendar year if there is only one adult residing in the household or
200 gallons per calendar year if there are two or more adults residing in the household
By the letter of the law, she doesn't actually have to brew to allow our household 200 gallons of beer, but it is fun for me to pretend that I need her to stay out of jail.
Plus, from time to time I'll look at older updates just to see where I was way-back-when.
The SheppyBrew Beer Model and I are done with Round 6 of our A to Z Denver Breweries series of posts.
Hurray for us!
In late 2024, we started off this round with A is for Arms, Call To Brewing Company (sadly now closed)
We recently just finished with Z is for MestiZo Brew Cantina.
In this round, we had to take way more "Artistic License" to slot breweries into letters than I like, and (obviously) a Round 7 would be even worse.
For most of the round, I thought the A to Z Series would now be complete. The Beer Model and I would need a new way to pick new breweries.
However, the Colorado Brewery Map & List does still have lots of Denver-area breweries, and we probably could come up with some brewery for most letters. We'd have to come up with what to do if we cannot find anything that works for a particular letter. Let me know if you have ideas.
Brewery: SheppyBrew
Style: Pre‑Prohibition Lager
ABV: 5.4%
IBU: 30
SRM: 3.6
Brilliant pale gold with a bright, sunlit clarity that shows off its lean grain bill. A tight white head forms quickly and lingers in a thin lace, just enough to remind you this is a lager with backbone. The color sits right in that classic pre‑Prohibition range — light, but not fragile.
A clean, crackery malt note leads, softened by a faint sweetness from the flaked corn. Cluster hops add their unmistakable American heritage: a mix of herbal spice, light floral tones, and a subtle rustic edge. The overall impression is crisp and inviting, with just enough hop character to signal that this isn’t a modern macro‑lager.
It is already April. The first quarter of 2026 is done. Time to report on the Q1 SheppyBrew Brewing stats.
Both last year and 2024 yielded 95 gallons of beer, which is lower than any year since 2016.
If the first 3 months are an indication, 2026 will be an even less volume. Significantly less. As I type this, I'm tracking to less than 60 gallons for the year, which would be the least amount of beer brewed EVER!
I'm not sure if the brewing will pick up this year or not. I guess we'll see.
So far in 2026, I've brewed 3 batches of beer.
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| Hop-cember Pale Lager |
Plus, I from time to time I'll look at older updates just to see where I was way-back-when.
LITTLETON, CO – April 1, 2026:
Well, folks… it finally happened.
After years of brewing by hand, experimenting with styles, and occasionally arguing with the Beer Model about whether fruit belongs in beer (it doesn’t), SheppyBrew Brewery has officially entered the age of artificial intelligence.
I am both proud and mildly horrified to announce the newest member — and now sole decision‑maker — of the SheppyBrew team:
The SheppyBrew Beer Model and I went on a cruise. My first. Her second.
I don't really consider myself a "Cruise Guy", but the drink package and the people we were with made it lots of fun.
I ate too much. Drank too much. Didn't get enough sleep. My Garmin watch health stats said "what the hell are you doing?"
It was a ton of fun, and I'm only now feeling recovered from the trip.
Style: Baltic Porter Brewer: SheppyBrew ABV: 6.4% IBU: 27 SRM: 26
A deep, opaque mahogany that borders on black, glowing with garnet highlights when caught by a strong light. The pour builds a dense, tan head with fine bubbles and excellent retention, leaving tight rings of lace as it slowly recedes. The beer looks rich and substantial without appearing syrupy — a classic dark lager sheen.
Smooth layers of dark chocolate, toasted bread crust, and subtle roast rise first, followed by hints of dried cherry and plum. A clean lager fermentation keeps everything crisp and uncluttered. Beneath the malt depth is a faint whisper of earthy hops and a touch of caramelized sugar. Nothing sharp, nothing burnt — just deep, polished malt complexity.
