2024 Seasonals

Early in 2022, I spent some time identifying "SheppyBrew Seasonals". I tied a specific SheppyBrew beer to every month in the year.

For whatever reason, after the year was done I shared 2022 Seasonals I had brewed during the year. I had brewed all but 3 of the "Seasonals".

I reported on the 2023 Seasonals as well, missing 4 months. Now that I've established the pattern, I feel like I have to share my brewed "Seasonals" for 2024.

I actually made it a brewing goal in 2024 to brew all my "SheppyBrew Seasonals". Around July or August, I got tired of the idea, but I had hit all the months so far, so I forced myself to finish them up.

2024 Mardi Bock

2024 Q1 SheppyBrew Stats

 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.

Arctic Vortex Winter Saison

A Blonde, two Redheads, and a Brunette

I currently have 4 gorgeous SheppyBrew Beers on tap.

A Blonde. A couple of Red[heads]. A Black beer (brunette)

 

Arctic Vortex Winter Saison

Embark on a winter expedition with the Arctic Vortex Winter Saison 2024, a black saison that weaves a tapestry of dark enchantment. Pouring an abyssal black, this brew captivates with a promise of fruity hops and a silky black malt experience.

Aromas of dark orchards unfold as the fruity hop profile takes center stage. Blackcurrant, plum, and a touch of dried cherry create an enticing bouquet that foreshadows the depth within.

Upon the first sip, the smooth black malt reveals itself without the weight of smokiness or espresso. Instead, it offers a canvas of dark chocolate and a nuanced roasted character, providing a foundation for the saison yeast to shine.

Snowy Chuck

We got a ridiculous amount of snow last Saturday, and we spent a rare weekend day completely at home.

I smoked a Chuck Roast, kegged my Said Strumpet Czech Pale Lager,  watched the Bradley Braves defeat the lowly Illinois State basketball team (if you can't go to school, go to state), and sampled this year's Arctic Vortex Winter Saison.

And shoveled tons and tons and tons of snow.

I probably did other things too, but those are the highlights.

I kegged the 2024 Arctic Vortex Winter Saison the weekend before, and although I had already sampled it a few times already, Saturday was the day that I poured a fully carbonated pint to drink "for reals".

2024 Arctic Vortex (Batch 349)

I brewed last weekend for the first time in 2024. Actually, when this posts it will probably be the weekend before last, but regardless ...

We really had frigid cold for awhile. We didn't get much above 0 degrees F for several days.

I tried a bike ride on Saturday. It was too cold for a bike ride.

On Sunday, I brewed. It was actually too cold to brew. Or at least it was too cold to chill the wort using water from my outside faucet.

Oh well ... it turned out ok anyway.

It being winter, it was time to brew my 2024 Winter Seasonal Saison ...

Arctic Vortex Winter Saison

2023 Seasonals

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.

Arctic Vortex 

 

SheppyBrew's Most Brewed Beers

Last week (from when I am typing this ... not when it was posted), there were technical issues with SheppyBrew.com where the web server could not connect to it's database.

I was a bit annoyed that my hosting company needed me to point out the problem, and that it took them several hours to fix it after I pointed it out.

But, in the grand scheme of things ... it's a first world problem.

For some reason ... once the issue was fixed, and I was looking through the database I decided to figure out what beers I've brewed the most.

I went down a rabbit-hole of sql queries and since I had gone through that effort ... I thought I might as well share what I found.

2023 Q1 SheppyBrew Stats

Here it is ... already April, which means that the first quarter of 2023 is done. It's time to report on the  SheppyBrew Brewing Stats for the quarter.

I keep claiming that I will brew less beer in 2023 than I did last year, but so far I have not slowed down. At all.

Last year, in Q1, I had brewed 5 batches, 30 gallons.

This year so far I've brewed 6 batches for 31 gallons. 

• Grumkins and Snarks Oatmeal Stout
• Arctic Vortex Winter Saison
• Doodle Bop Belgium Single
• Mardi Bock
• Dubbel Minor
• No Drums Jack Black Lager

Grumkins and Snarks Oatmeal Stout

2023 Arctic Vortex and Chucky

One thing you can pretty much count on at the SheppyBrew Brewery ... we'll brew 4 Saisons a year.

Winter / Spring / Summer / Autumn

I started brewing these Seasonal Saisons way back in early 2014 with Brewing Arctic Vortex Black Saison.

I skipped a Spring Saison that year, but followed up with Hail Storm Summer Saison and then Falling Leaves Harvest (Autumn) Saison.

Then, First Brew of 2015: Arctic Vortex followed by Melting Stream Spring Saison.

And ... other than missing that Spring Saison of 2014, every season I've brewed the Seasonal Saison appropriate for the time of year.

It being January and winter, it is, of course, time for our Winter Seasonal Saison ...

Arctic Vortex Winter Saison

2022 SheppyBrew Seasonals

Earlier in the year, I published a blog post in which I talked about beers that could be considered  SheppyBrew Seasonals, attaching them to each month of the year.

As I was working my way through brewing over the year, I kept this list in mind. I didn't hit every month, but I brewed most of the beers close to their month this year.

2022 Q1 SheppyBrew Stats

We have completed Q1 of 2022, which means we can report the SheppyBrew Brewing Stats for the quarter.

Compared to Q1 of 2020 (when we brewed 7 batches for 35 gallons) and Q1 of 2021 (when we brewed 8 batches for 42 gallons of beer), the first quarter of 2022 has been pretty low.

We've only brewed 5 batches. We've only brewed 30 gallons.

Arctic Vortex Winter Saison

This puts me on pace for my 3rd highest year for volume of beer brewed, but certainly 1 quarter doesn't mean very much for projecting a total for the year.

The beers I brewed this quarter were:

• Arctic Vortex Winter Saison
• Colorado Strong IPA
• Colorado Vienna Lager
• Boo Berry American Wheat
• McShepardsons Irish Ale (double batch)

SheppyBrew Seasonals

While out for a walk earlier in the week, I was thinking about homebrewing (surprise surprise).

One of the things that popped into my mind was beers that I always brew about the same time of year.

I was wondering if I had seasonal beers for every month of the year.

An obvious example is my Seasonal Saison series of beers. January is almost always when I brew Arctic Vortex Winter Saison. I usually brew Melting Stream Spring Saison in March or April, Hail Storm Summer Saison in June or July, and Falling Leaves Autumn Saison in September or October.

May is easy. The tag line for Helles in a Hand Bock-sket is "Will Drink in May". 

Will-o'-Wisp Pumpkin Ale makes the most sense for October.

Decemberfest Lager has "December" right in the name. 

Arctic Vortex and Pork Butt

Here at the SheppyBrew Home Brewery, we love the Three B's.

Beer. Barbeque. Bicycling.

Like many Sundays, I did all three yesterday.

I actually started my brew day on Saturday. First, I made a yeast starter from the Wyeast 3711 French Saison yeast that I harvested last time I made a Seasonal Saison. 

I also mashed in before I went to bed to do an overnight mash.

This is one of the reasons I love my Anvil Foundry. It allows me to maintain some heat on the mash overnight. This is great to save time ... especially for styles of beer that should end up dry.

Like ...

Arctic Vortex Winter Sasion

2021 Q1 SheppyBrew Stats

Q1 of 2021 is already over, which means its time to report our brewing stats for the year so far.

Continuing on the trend from last year, I brewed a ridiculous amount of beer over the first 3 months of the year.

The first quarter of 2020, I brewed 7 whole batches with 35 gallons. In 2021, I brewed even more in Q1 ... 

I brewed 8 batches and 42 gallons of beer.

Arctic Vortex Winter Saison

Arctic Vortex (Batch 277)

Happy Brew Year!

As I indicated in SheppyBrew 2020 Year-End Brewing Stats, 2020 was a busy brewing year. I also started 2021 with a brew day.

For Christmas, I received a new addition to my Anvil Foundry, the optional Recirculation Pump Kit.

When I first got the Foundry, I figured I'd try it without the pump kit and see how things went.

I still consider it optional, but the recirculation does provide some advantages that I thought were worth giving it a try, so I put it on my "gift list", and one of my family members bought it for me.

So, of course I had to try out the new toy. I thought a New Year's Day brew would be a perfect time to try it out.

The beer I brewed was the Winter Saison that I brew every year,

 Arctic Vortex Winter Saison

2020 Q1 SheppyBrew Stats

I know it is difficult to believe ... but the first quarter of 2020 is done.

Wow.

As you may know, the Brewery likes to post quarterly updates on how much we have brewed. You can see all these updates (including the one you are reading right now) by following this link: Sheppy's Blog: Brew Stats.

Arctic Vortex Winter Saison

The SheppyBrew Brewery had a huge Q1, brewing 7 batches and a whopping 35 gallons. I'm almost positive that this is the most volume of beer I've ever brewed in in a quarter. I'm on pace to brew 140 gallons of beer in 2020!

T is for ... Time Out

Well ... certainly not the worst of the casualties of the Covid-19 pandemic, but my A to Z Denver Brewery Project is on hold.

"Time Out", you might say.

Even if I didn't want to practice social distancing, all tap rooms in the Denver area are closed down, so I don't really have much choice.

Most (if not all) of the Denver breweries are trying to survive by remain open for beer-to-go, but for now, I won't be visiting any breweries.

This means that you won't see any new posts to Sheppy's Blog: A to Z.

In the grand scheme of things, this is the very least of anyone's concerns. No big deal.

It does add to my general sadness about this whole pandemic, though.

2020 Arctic Vortex Winter Saison

It is winter. Time to brew a Winter Saison.

Arctic Vortex Winter Saison

Yes, here at SheppyBrew Brewery, we brew at least 4 saisons every year.

Winter Spring Summer Autumn.

I call them my Seasonal Saison series of beers.

The Arctic Vortex Winter Saison happens to be a black saison, because winter is generally dark ... and it would be boring to make all my saisons look the same.

This past weekend, I brewed this year's Arctic Vortex Winter Saison.

Got the ingredients on Friday. Made a yeast starter on Saturday. Brewed on Sunday.

3 Saisons

If you follow this blog, you've probably picked up that generally, I brew 4 saisons a year Winter / Spring / Summer / and Autumn. I call these my Seasonal Saisons.

It is rare that I have more than one saison on tap at the same time. I usually finish drinking the previous season's saison before brewing the next one.

However, this year I decided to add a 5th Season. 

At the beginning of April, my 2019 Melting Stream Spring Saison was ready to drink. 

I still had a little of my Arctic Vortex Winter Saison left, and I had plenty of the 5th Season Blood Orange Saison too. 

3 Saisons at once!