Pork Belly Burnt Ends

So ... I've tried making "Burnt Ends" a couple times, but not really in what I would consider a "traditional" way.

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.

Earlier in the day, I sliced belly into approximately 2 inch squares. I did not trim fat at all. I applied rub, and left in the refrigerator until the afternoon. 

Around 1pm, I prepped the grill. I composed a mini-snake, and added a water pan to go under the meat. 

I lit about 1/4 of charcoal, added 5 or 6 chunks of hickory wood, and set the vents to about 1/2.

At 1:30 the cut-up pork belly was on the grill. I added a little more rub to bare-looking spots. I set a 2 hour timer.

I let the meat cook for a little more than the 2 hours at a temperature between 250 and 275.

Then, I moved the meat into a pan with half a stick of butter, some honey, a cup of BBQ Sauce, and some brown sugar.

I covered the pan and let the meat braise. The temperature remained right around 275 for the 

After an hour, I probed the meat. I decided to go another 10 or 15 minutes.

Around 5pm, I checked again. I thought the meat felt tender enough, but the internal temperature of the meat wasn't as high as I think is generally preferred.

But, it getting closer to dinner time, I decided to add more sauce and then just let it all cook to set.

These turned out really good, but I think they could have braised longer to get more melt-in-your-mouth tender.

I think I'm going to have to try these again.

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!

E is for dEnver bEEr Company - littlEton

As you know if you follow along on the A to Z Breweries series of articles, we've decided to continue on with Round 7. 

You also know that we will have to take quite a bit of "artistic license" as we go through the alphabet.

We were not able to find local breweries that begin with all the letters in Round 6, and of course this round has even less breweries to choose from.

I thought we'd have to relax our rules quite a bit, but honestly I'm not sure we even have rules.

So far, we've found breweries for A through D and as I mentioned in D is for Dry Dock Pub, "E" was the first (somewhat) challenging letter for us.

Last Saturday, my wife (aka the SheppyBrew Beer Model) told me she wanted to ride bikes to downtown Littleton to go to a shop or two, and thought we could do lunch at ...

E is for dEnver bEEr Company - littlEton

Bad Lands Kölsch (Batch 393)

If you read Ground Hog Premium Lager (Batch 392), you know I brewed last Saturday.

My wife was out of town on a "girls trip" for the weekend, so I had extra time on my hands.

With this extra time, I decided to brew Sunday also.

This should help get my beer inventory up. It actually also helps catch me up a little on tracking to a typical brewing year.

For this Sunday batch, after cleaning up the Ground Hog Premium Lager brew day, I prepared water etc... and a little later in the evening, I started an overnight mash.

For ...

Bad Lands Kölsch

Ground Hog Premium Lager (Batch 392)

I brewed this past weekend.

If you read and remember 2026 Q1 SheppyBrew Stats, you know that this year has been slow in regards to brewing.

Since Q1, before this past weekend I'd only brewed Chelsea Dagger Pre-Prohibition Lager (Batch 390) and Where'd My ManGo Wheat (Batch 391), so I really have not been catching up with my normal brewing cadence.

I was on track for the least amount of beer I've homebrewed since 2009. Back then I was doing 2.5 gallon batches.

But, I took advantage of the opportunity to brew Saturday ...

Ground Hog Premium Lager

Brisket!

I love brisket, but OMG beef is expensive now-a-days.

The cost and the time commitment make smoking a brisket less than ideal, and the last time I actually did one was Humdinger of a Brisket in November of 2023.

I've had a 10 pound full packer in the freezer for awhile, so it certainly isn't simply the cost.

I decided that I would smoke this brisket the Sunday before last and so a few days before I pulled it out of the freezer to thaw.

And on Sunday, I smoked it.

Saturday, I applied Montana Steak Seasoning to the meat to sit on there overnight. 

May 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.

My 2026 Fitness / Activity Goals are:

D is for Dry Dock Pub

We started Round 7 of our A to Z Breweries series of articles.

If you're not familiar ... back in February of 2015, I was embarrassed by how few Denver Breweries that I had visited.

I decided to make an effort to hit more of them, and worked my way from A to Z, hitting a brewery for every letter.

Now, more than 11 years later, I have made my way through the alphabet 6 TIMES, and the Beer Model and I have decided to start #7.

Just about a week ago, I posted C is for Cerberus Brewing Company. This means we are ready for a "D" Brewery.

D is for Dry Dock Pub

Chicken Wings on the Weber

If you follow this blog, you probably know from Paint Mines: Mini - Bad Lands, C is for Cerberus Brewing Company ... and other breweries, and Garden of the Gods Photos that we spent Memorial Day Weekend away.

After returning from the trip, I grilled some wings.

It's been awhile since I posted anything about cooking Chicken Wings, so I thought I'd do this quick post.

Grilling Chicken Wings is fairly straight-forward on the Weber Kettle.

Apply SheppyBrew Rub. Fill up the Vortex with hot coals targeting 400F or so cooking temperature. Cook for about an hour.

Sometimes I'll substitute lemon pepper or Crack for the rub. Sometimes I'll cook a little longer at a slightly lower temperature. But for the most part the process is pretty much the same every time I grill wings.

Garden of the Gods Photos

If you read Paint Mines: Mini - Bad Lands and/or C is for Cerberus Brewing Company ... and other breweries, you know that the Beer Model and I spent Memorial Day Weekend down in Colorado Springs.

It went really fast.

On Monday, after packing up from the hotel, the Beer Model wanted to visit Garden of the Gods.

We discovered that parking is difficult to come by on Memorial Day mid-morning in the main area of the park.

We ended up closer to the south end of the park and jumped on the hiking trails.

Here are the photos that we took while walking around ...

C is for Cerberus Brewing Company ... and other breweries

So ... remember I mentioned in Paint Mines: Mini - Bad Lands, the SheppyBrew Beer Model (aka my wife) and I spent Memorial Day Weekend away.

After our Paint Mines visit, but before check-in time for our hotel room, we had a few of hours to kill.

First off, we had to find lunch, and as luck would have it, there was a nice little brewery with a food truck between the Paint Mines and Colorado Springs, where we were staying.

We stopped at one of Black Forest Brewing Company and had a couple flights along with some Mexican food from a food truck.

Both the food and the beer was really good. If you find yourself in the Colorado Springs area, this is a good place to visit.

Paint Mines: Mini - Bad Lands

So, this past Memorial Day Weekend, my wife (aka the SheppyBrew Beer Model) and I had a weekend away.

On the way down to where we were staying for the weekend, she wanted to check out the Paint Mines Interpretive Park, which I had actually never heard of.

"The Paint Mines Interpretive Park is one of El Paso County’s most unique open spaces. The Paint Mines are named for their colorful clays that were collected by American Indians to make paint. Brightly colored bands, caused by oxidized iron compounds, are found in varying amounts throughout the many different layers of clay."

This park's rock formation remind me quite a lot of the South Dakota Bad Lands, which we visited with the kids back in 2013 and then again in 2015.

Where’d My ManGo Wheat

Brewery: SheppyBrew 
Style: Mango Wheat (Fruit Beer)
ABV: 4.7%
IBU: 27
SRM: 6.2

Appearance

A hazy, sun‑gold wheat beer with a soft, glowing body. The head is pale and fluffy, leaving light lacing as it settles. It looks like summer in a glass — bright, inviting, and just a touch opaque from the wheat and fruit.

Aroma

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.

Flavor

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.

The Cloud Beasts and Chelsea Dagger

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.

Where’d My ManGo Wheat Checklist

If you read Big Brew Day ... Where'd My ManGo Wheat (Batch 391), you know that the SheppyBrew Beer Model (aka my wife) brewed with me last Saturday. 

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.

Big Brew Day ... Where'd My ManGo Wheat (Batch 391)

It was the American Homebrew Association's annual Big Brew Day this past Saturday.

If you follow along on this blog, you may remember that Big Brew Day is quite often a day that the Beer Model and I brew with one or more our homebrewing friends "Du" and "Doc".

But, this year the date sort of snuck up on us all and we didn't make plans for a get-together.

However ... the Beer Model and I had ordered and even picked up ingredients for a recipe that she was wanting us to brew ...

And ... so we decided to do it on Big Brew Day ... 

Where'd My ManGo Wheat

April Update on 2026 Fitness Goals

As you know if you follow this blog, I generally give a monthly update on fitness / Strava goals. I guess we can say that it is another level of accountability to share these publicly.

Plus, from time to time I'll look at older updates just to see where I was way-back-when.

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

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

So far, I'm tracking pretty well to my 2026 Fitness goals.

My 2026 Fitness / Activity Goals are:

Chelsea Dagger Pre-Prohibition Lager (Batch 390)

I'm not brewing very much this year. As I've discussed, I'm on track to brew the least amount of homebrew for the year ever.

By a bunch.

But, I did brew a batch of beer this past Sunday.

Hopefully, I'll get another batch of beer in on Big Brew Day, which is coming up this Saturday.

So ... maybe I'll catch up some.

Even if I do, I don't anticipate catching up enough to get over that 100 gallon homebrewing limit.

Regardless, I got up early Sunday morning to start up the Anvil Foundry and brewed ....

Chelsea Dagger Pre-Prohibition Lager

B is for Bent Barley Brewing Company

As you know if you read A to Z Denver Breweries Round 6, we finished up our alphabet exploration of Denver-area breweries for the 6th time.

You also know we were not sure how to progress with this series of posts. Or ... should we even continue on at all.

The Colorado Brewery Map & List still has quite a few breweries left for us to visit, but there are enough challenging letters that we probably won't be able to fill them all in.

As it turns out, the first few letters fall in place pretty well, so we decided to go ahead and proceed with the beginning of the alphabet.

We don't know how to handle letters we cannot find a brewery for, but that is a problem to address another day.

In the meantime ... 

B is for Bent Barley Brewing Company

A is for Alley Brews Brewery & Coffee Shop

As you know if you read A to Z Denver Breweries Round 6, we finished up our alphabet exploration of Denver-area breweries for the 6th time.

You also know we were not sure how to progress with this series of posts. Or ... should we even continue on at all.

The Colorado Brewery Map & List still has quite a few breweries left for us to visit, but there are enough challenging letters that we probably won't be able to fill them all in.

As it turns out, the first few letters fall in place pretty well, so we decided to go ahead and proceed with the beginning of the alphabet.

We don't know how to handle letters we cannot find a brewery for, but that is a problem to address another day.

In the meantime ... 

A is for Alley Brews Brewery & Coffee Shop

Tengu vs. Samurai®

One of the beers I have on tap right now is "Whisper of the Tengu" Rice Lager.

"A rice lager brewed with reverence and restraint. Whisper of the Tengu is not a beer that shouts—it listens. It’s subtle, sharp, and quietly powerful, honoring the spirit of the mountain trickster with every clean, deliberate note. Ideal for quiet reflection, shared toasts, or moonlit mischief."

This is the first rice lager I've ever brewed (at least as far as I remember), and I think it turned out fantastic.

Rice lagers seem to have jumped in popularity somewhat recently, and I see them much more at commercial breweries than I did 5 and certainly more than 10 years ago.

I thought it would be fun to pick up a Rice Lager from a local brewery and compare it with Tengu.

So, I bought some of Great Divide's Samurai and this past Sunday I compared them side-by-side.

A to Z Denver Breweries Round 6

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.

🍺 Chelsea Dagger Pre‑Prohibition Lager

Brewery: SheppyBrew 
Style: Pre‑Prohibition Lager
ABV: 5.4%
IBU: 30
SRM: 3.6

Appearance

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.

Aroma

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.

Z is for MestiZo Brew Cantina

Ok ... here we are at the end of Round 6 of the A to Z series of posts.

Yes, we've gone through the alphabet 6 times, visiting a brewery for each letter.

At the beginning, we were able to find Denver-area breweries (one was actually a meadery) that literally began with all 26 letters of the alphabet.

As we progressed, we had to take more and more "Artistic License", and without actually counting, For round 6, I'd say we were at about half breweries that began with the letter and half that we had to stretch a little.

Round 6 began late November of 2024 with A is for Arms, Call To Brewing Company (sadly closed now).

And ... now ... we are at the letter "Z"....

Z is for MestiZo Brew Cantina

Platte River Half-Marathon

I ran my first official Half Marathon yesterday.

As you know if you read 2026 Fitness Goals, I've been training for a Half Marathon, the "Platte River Half Marathon", and Sunday was the day.

I finished the whole thing. I actually was able to run it faster than I thought I would be able to do it. So, I'm happy with my results.

While working through the training plan, Runna gave me a project goal pace of 9:50 to 10:25 per mile, meaning it expected me to finish in 2:09 to 2:16.

Quite frankly, I thought that pace was ridiculously optimistic based on my longer training runs. I'd never really maintained that pace for more than a few miles at a time. 

2026 Easter Ham

Well ... I let my kids talk me into making ham again for Easter dinner.

While ham is not my favorite holiday food, I aim to please, so I went ahead and decided to do my "typical" Double Smoked Ham.

My wife got the standard spiral cut ham, around 10lbs.

On Easter morning I made a glaze / sauce with a coke base, a little honey, and various spices. 

I also made a special "rub" for the ham.

After church, I placed the ham in a cooking pan and applied the rub and let it sit while I prepared my Weber Kettle.

2026 Q1 SheppyBrew Stats

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.

• Hop-cember Pale Lager
• "Whisper of the Tengu" Rice Lager
• Mud Blood Baltic Porter

This 3 batches of beer totaled 15 gallons. I'm not sure when I've brewed only 3 batches of beer in 3 months. It may have occurred, but I don't think it has ever happened.

Hop-cember Pale Lager

March Update on 2026 Fitness Goals

As you know if you follow this blog, I generally give a monthly update on fitness / Strava goals. I guess we can say that it is another level of accountability to share these publicly.

Plus, I from time to time I'll look at older updates just to see where I was way-back-when.

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

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

As I mentioned in Random Things, a vacation slowed me down in March, but even so, I'm tracking pretty well to my 2026 Fitness goals.

SheppyBrew Brewery Replaced by AI Brew Master!

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:

BrewBot‑9000™

“Optimizing Beer Since 3:14 AM This Morning”

Random Things

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.

 

🍺 Mud Blood Baltic Porter

Style: Baltic Porter Brewer: SheppyBrew ABV: 6.4% IBU: 27 SRM: 26

Appearance

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.

Aroma

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.

Y is for Ye Olde 121 Public House

Well ... the SheppyBrew Beer Model (aka my wife) and I are winding down on Round 6 of our A to Z series of posts.

A couple of weeks ago, we posted X is for MaX Taps Colorado, which means we're up to "Y", meaning we only have one more letter to finish up this round of brewery visits.

There are certainly a bunch more Denver-area breweries to visit on the Colorado Brewery Map & List, but there are quire a few letters in the alphabet that will be difficult to fill.

So, I'm not sure there will be a Round 7. We might have to figure some other way to pick new breweries to visit.

Anyway, we still have the letter "Y" of this round to get to....

Y is for Ye Olde 121 Public House

Mud Blood Baltic Porter (Batch 389)

I brewed my first Roll-a-Style beer of 2026 this week.

If I'm counting correctly, I've brewed 91 of the 108 styles in the BJCP Guidelines. My Roll-a-Style list is getting pretty thin.

It's already mid-March and this is only my 3rd batch of beer of 2026, so I'm not really brewing much so far this year.

It is already my third lager of the year and my third new recipe of the year.

If you read Roll-a-Style 4: 9C. Baltic Porter, you probably realized this was coming.

Mud Blood Baltic Porter

Hop-cember Pale Lager

Style: West Coast Pilsner ABV: 5.7% IBU: 35 SRM: 5.0

👀 Appearance

A brilliantly clear pale‑gold body with a touch of deeper winter sunlight from the SRM 5 hue. A dense, white, rocky head forms immediately and lingers with excellent retention, leaving tight lacing down the glass. Effervescence is lively but refined, giving the beer a crisp, sparkling presence.

👃 Aroma

Bright citrus and pine leap out first — grapefruit zest, lemon peel, and a clean resin snap. Beneath that sits a subtle floral note and a faint hint of fresh‑cut grass. The pilsner malt supports everything with a light crackery sweetness, never competing with the hops. Fermentation stays clean and neutral, letting the hops shine with West Coast clarity.

👅 Flavor

A crisp, snappy bitterness leads but never overwhelms. Citrus (grapefruit, orange pith), pine, and a touch of herbal spice define the hop profile. The malt character is lean and crackery, adding just enough backbone to keep the bitterness in balance. The finish is dry, brisk, and refreshing — a classic West Coast bite delivered through a pilsner’s clean, streamlined frame.

I Ran 13.1 Miles Today

I've been training for the Platte River Half Marathon in mid-April. It is one of my Fitness Goals to finish a Half Marathon in 2026.

Other than running while playing and practicing for various sports when I was younger, I've never really been a runner. In fact, my first run on Strava was in April of last year.

So, in about a year, I'm basically going from running zero to running a full Half Marathon.

According to ChatGPT, 0.6% of Americans run a half marathon in a given year. 1-3% of adults have ever run at least one half marathon in their lifetime. About 11% of runners have completed or are training for a half marathon.

I don't care enough to double check ChatGPT's stats on this; I'm just going to trust that they are close. 

So, by finishing a Half Marathon, I'll be an elite group.

February Update on 2026 Fitness Goals

I'm actually pretty active for an decrepit old couch potato. 

With all the BBQ I make and eat, and all the beer I brew and drink, cardio exercise helps keep me somewhat in shape.

In the past, this has been mostly cycling, but starting this year, I've started running as well.

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

Last month, I shared my 2026 Fitness Goals, and although no one else really cares, it is time for me to post an update.

Over the Top Chili with Corn Bread

You may remember that on Super Bowl Sunday I made Over the Top Chili and Poppers.

As I mentioned, I was the only one who actually had more than just a taste, and I enjoyed it enough that I really thought I should make it again so others in my family can give it a try.

I think this is now my favorite way to make chili.

I got out the Dutch Oven on Tuesday and made it again.

For a side, I also made corn bread.

This time, the meat I picked for the chili was a combination of ground chorizo and some ground beef I had left over from burgers I made over the weekend.

X is for MaX Taps Colorado

If you follow this blog at all you know that the SheppyBrew Beer Model (aka my wife) and I have been working through Round 6 of our A to Z Series of Posts.

We are, in fact, very close to the end of the alphabet.

In November of 2024, we started Round 6 with A is for Arms, Call To Brewing Company.

And just a couple of weeks ago we posted W is for Wild Sky Brewery.

X, Y, and Z are the only letters left. And here we are checking "X" off the list.

As we mentioned last time, according to the Colorado Brewery Map & List there are not really any obvious "X" breweries for us to use, so we had to be creative.

X is for MaX Taps Colorado

 

Roll-a-Style 4: 9C. Baltic Porter

It has been awhile since I've mentioned Roll-a-Style on this blog. 

So, it is probably worth a quick reminder ... I created a list of BJCP beer styles that I've never brewed. When I want to decide which beer style to brew next, I roll a virtual 20-sided online die, and brew the style that corresponds with the number that comes up.

Pretty simple, right?

The last style I "rolled" was Roll-a-Style 16: 26C. Belgian Tripel back in October, and I didn't brew it until November with Yoker Belgian Tripel (Batch 385).

Recently, I brewed Whisper of the Tengu Rice Lager (Batch 388), which is a lager. I thought I'd harvest the Tengu yeast and brew a lager on my Roll-a-Style list.

So ... I pretended to roll a 4:

La Chouffe vs Yoker Belgian Tripel

So ... for Christmas, my wife (aka the SheppyBrew Beer Model) got me a "Chouffe Discovery Pack".

Chouffe, of course is a world-famous Belgian brewery. If I were to visit Belgium someday, it would certainly be on my list to visit.

As luck would have it, I have a SheppyBrew "Belgian Triple" on tap, "Yoker". While brewing Whisper of the Tengu Rice Lager (Batch 388), I decided to try La Chouffe Belgian Blond Beer and Yoker Belgian Tripel together.

Yoker is significantly lighter in color and much more clear. It is also drier and (in my opinion) more "drinkable".

Whisper of the Tengu Rice Lager (Batch 388)

For whatever reason, "Japanese" Rice Lagers seem to have become fairly popular lately in craft beer circles. At least I see a bunch more of them recently than in the past.

It is sort of funny that when I first started getting into craft beer, one of the criticisms of "Big Beer" was that "they" used cheap ingredients like rice and corn. "Real" craft beer used all quality ingredients, which generally meant all-malt beers.

While the sentiment is still sort of there, it was relaxed quite a bit, which I think is a good thing.

Anyway, I've been seeing more Rice Lagers at breweries and have wanted to brew one for quite some time.

And ... I've had a recipe out on the SheppyBrew website for months.

"Whisper of the Tengu" Japanese Rice Lager