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

Not only does "Max Taps" not start with the letter X, it also is not a brewery.

From their website:

Our Mission:

Max Taps is a taproom showcasing the best beers Colorado has to offer! We focus on bringing the best Colorado brewed beers together in one place so you can sample many of this state's great breweries without driving across the state! We also feature a few Colorado wines and spirits so feel free to bring your non-beer drinking friends. We are a small local Colorado business that prides ourselves on supporting other Colorado local businesses! 

So, as a beer taproom that concentrates on local Colorado Beers, it fits with the theme of this Series of Posts.

Max Taps has two locations and last Saturday we packed a lunch and checked our their Highlands Ranch location ...

2680 East County Line Road, Suite A

Highlands Ranch, CO 80126

This location doesn't serve food, but has food trucks quite often and has nearby restaurants to bring food to enjoy with the beers. 

We picked two flights of 3 from their Beer List, and then each of us had a pint with our lunch.

It was a nice little spot, very much like the local breweries we visit. They just had more different brands of beer.

They also have a pretty good list of various events on their calendar.

It a great place to enjoy food and beer. I am sure we will visit again.

According to the Colorado Brewery Map & List has at least one "Y" brewery that we might pick.

Stay tuned on Sheppy's Blog: A to Z, and you can see where we end up.

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!

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

 

🍶 Whisper of the Tengu Rice Lager

Style: Rice Lager
Brewer: SheppyBrew
ABV: 5%
IBU: 22
SRM: 3.5

👀 Appearance

Pale straw with a faint golden shimmer, crystal clear and effervescent. A delicate white head forms on the pour, then settles into a thin halo, leaving faint lacing on the glass. The clarity invites contemplation—like moonlight through mist.

👃 Aroma

Soft and restrained. Notes of steamed jasmine rice and fresh-cut hay drift gently upward, joined by a whisper of floral hops. There’s a subtle minerality, like spring water over stone, and a clean fermentation profile that keeps the nose crisp and quiet.

Over the Top Chili and Poppers

So ... on Super Bowl Sunday, after my famous Super Sunday Fun Run B-Race I made some food for us to eat while watching the game.

Of course, you know I had to make it outside on one (or more) of my grills.

It's become a tradition that I make Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers, and of course my wife (aka the SheppyBrew Beer Model) demanded that I do it again.

So, that was a no-brainer. Happy Wife. Happy Life. (nothing rhymes with husband)

Lately, I've seen various posts on online BBQ forums of people doing "Over the Top" Chili.

And ... until this recent trend, I had never heard of such a thing.

But, it is pretty simple, and I thought I'd give that a try as well.

W is for Wild Sky Brewery

Sadly, a bunch of Denver area breweries have closed. Many are continuing to struggle and I'm sure others will continue to close.

Many of the A to Z breweries no longer exist.

Last Friday, my wife (aka the SheppyBrew Beer Model) suggested we visit a closed brewery. I figured she knew it was no longer open, but apparently she missed it closing.

Usually, it happens the other way ... she notices things like that when I miss them.

In this case, I had also recently seen a Facebook post from the same brewery at its other location announcing that their other location regrettably was closing too.

As luck would have it, we're on "W" for our A to Z series of posts, AND this closing brewery starts with the letter "W".

W is for Wild Sky Brewery

 

Super Sunday Fun Run B-Race

As you know if you read 2026 Fitness Goals, I'm training for a Half Marathon in April, the "Platte River Half Marathon". 

I'm following Runna's Half Marathon plan, and one of the options in the Runna app is including "B-Races" as part of the plan. 

In case you're unfamiliar, a "B‑Race" is a race you do during training to help you prepare for your main race, which is called your "A‑Race". 

Fairly obvious if you think about it in context, but it was not a term I knew about until I started with Runna.

Coincidently, there was a 5k Race planned that starts and ends at the same spot as my "Platte River Half Marathon" that took place last Sunday.

Super Sunday Fun Run

2026 Fitness Goals

So ... as you know if you follow this blog, I'm actually pretty physically active for an old decrepit couch potato. 

Quite often, usually about once a month, I've posted updates on my on Strava cycling goals. The last time I reported on this was December Update on 2025 Cycling Goals.

Towards the end of last year, I started running, so in 2026 I decided to add a couple of running goals as well. 

I thought I'd share my 2026 "Fitness" Goals today ...

 

V is for Living the Dream Brewing Company

Last Saturday, I was viciously attacked by an animal. 

Not a dog. Not some wild animal. Not a hungry or threatened reptile. Not a stinging or biting insect. Not an aggressive rodent.

I was attacked by a HOUSE CAT!

In a freaking brewery!

Depending on the individual city / local ordinances, many of the Denver-area breweries advertise that they are "dog friendly" ... ie ... as long as your dog is well-behaved, you can bring your dog.

I've never seen a brewery communicate in any way that pet cats are welcome.

 But ... when we packed up a lunch, went on a short hike, and visited ...

V is for LiVing the Dream Brewing Company