Roll-a-Style 14 ... 16A. Sweet Stout

Learn to Homebrew Day is coming up on the first Saturday of November. At this point, I'm planning on getting together with my brewing buddies Du and Doc, but I'm not sure if this will be a travel brew day or if I'll end up hosting.

Anyway ... I was recently thinking about what I'd brew, and came across a recipe in Beer Smith that I developed at some point.

Pack o' Hooligans Stout is actually a 16A Sweet Stout. At some point I must have gone to my Roll-a-Style list and "rolled" 14 on an online 20-sided die ... 

 

Y is for BerkeleY AlleY Beer CompanY

Have you been following along on out A to Z series of posts?

Are you excited to find out what Denver-area brewery is next.

If you have, you know that we posted W is for Wanderment Brewing a couple weeks ago.

You also know that next up is "Y", and you probably also know that according to the Colorado Brewery Map & List, we didn't really have any options of breweries that actually start with the letter "Y".

And ... you also know that we don't let that sort of thing stop us ...

Are you excited to find out what we picked? Are you? ARE YOU? The Beer Model picked:

Y is for BerkeleY AlleY Beer CompanY

2024 Will-o-Wisp Autumn Ale (Batch 363)

Well ... as you may have figured out from what I've been posting on this blog, at some point I made a decision to brew SheppyBrew Seasonals for every month this year.

Somewhat surprisingly I've stuck with this so far, and now that we're in October, the beer I identified a couple years ago was Will-o'-Wisp Pumpkin Ale.

However, although this is one of one of SheppyBrew's Most Brewed Beers, it was never one that I was really a fan of.

The SheppyBrew Beer Model always wanted it. 

But, since I don't drink much of it, it tends to stick around quite awhile and last year, the Beer Model told me I shouldn't brew the Pumpkin Ale.

Instead, I took the base beer of the Pumpkin Ale and brewed it without spices or pumpkin ... 

Will-o'-Wisp Autumn Ale (no pumpkin)

2024 #GABF Friday Photos

As I mentioned in X is for EquinoX Brewing, this past weekend was GABF.

Like last year, we attended GABF with some of the Beer Model's brothers.

Unlike last year (and most years) we only attended the Friday night session.

I honestly don't have much to share about the Fest itself. It was creatively organized in a way that I was unable to figure out to find breweries. Maybe if I had attended more than one session it would have made more sense to me.

Regardless, it was fun.

Here are some random pictures ...

X is for EquinoX Brewing

Yes, we're getting close to the end of the 5th round of the A to Z Breweries Series of Posts.

It blows my mind how quickly we've been marking off breweries this time around.

I posted A is for AC Golden Tank Room in August of last year, and was already at W is for Wanderment Brewing earlier this month.

As I mentioned in W is for Wanderment Brewing, my choices for "X" in the Colorado Brewery Map & List are very limited.

In fact, I really didn't see anything to hit in the Denver area.

As luck would have it, this past weekend was GABF weekend, and some the SheppyBrew Beer Model's brothers were visiting from out of town.

On Thursday before GABF, they wanted to visit Fort Collins, and during the time we were up there, we were able to hit ...

X is for EquinoX Brewing

1519 Barker Exportbier

Style: Dortmunder / Export
ABV: 5.6%
IBU: 17
SRM: 5.5

Description:

Embark on a journey back to the roots of German brewing with 1519 Barker Exportbier, a classic Dortmunder Export that pays homage to the rich brewing traditions of Dortmund. This golden lager pours with a brilliant clarity, crowned by a creamy white head that invites you to savor its balanced and refined character.

Falling Leaves Autumn Saison

As the crisp air of autumn descends upon the Colorado foothills, the Falling Leaves Autumn Saison emerges as a tribute to the season's vibrant tapestry. This enchanting brew, with its rich amber hue, captures the essence of fall in every sip. Brewed with a harmonious blend of Pilsner, Munich, and White Wheat malts, it offers a complex malt backbone that is both robust and inviting.

The addition of Midnight Wheat Malt imparts a subtle depth, while the Magnum and Saaz hops provide a delicate balance of bitterness and floral notes. Fermented with the renowned French Saison yeast, this beer boasts a dry, farmhouse character that is quintessentially saison.

September #7100MilesIn2024 Progress

Well ... after my #1200MileSeptember ... I'm running so far ahead of the pace I need to accomplish my 2024 Strava goals ... #7100MilesIn2024 and #11EverestsIn2024, that I'm not even sure it makes sense to talk about them being goals.

I've ridden 6,311 miles so far this year, which means I only need 789 miles over the rest of the year to hit #7100MilesIn2024. That's only 263 miles per month. 

I've gained 325,183 feet in elevation so far, which means I only need 27,169 feet over the next 3 months. That's an average of only 9,056 feet per month.

I don't know the last time I've cycled that little in a month.

Now, I'm on pace to blow away my new Strava elevation goal, 348,384 (which is 12 x 29,032 feet).

If I continue on my mileage pace, I should be able to get way more than 7,200 miles.

2024 Q3 SheppyBrew Stats

It is already October, which blows my mind. Where did the summer go?

Of course, this means the 3rd Quarter of 2024 is done. We can report on the Q3 SheppyBrew Brewing Stats. 

When it comes right down to it, I'm sure no one besides myself really cares, but I like to look back on these posts to see how much I've brewed and what I was planning on brewing at certain points of the year.

As I've been saying, I expect that I'll brew less beer this year than I have for the past several years, and so far it does look like I'm tracking for a lower volume than 2023.

In fact, as of October 1 ... I was on track for just over 93 gallons for 2024, which would be the least amount I've brewed since 2018.

In this quarter, I brewed 4 batches of beer:

• Hail Storm Summer Saison ... 2024 Hail Storm Summer Saison (batch 359)
• N.T.S. Faux Pilsner ... N.T.S. Faux Pilsner (Batch 360)
• 1519 Barker Exportbier ... 1519 Barker Exportbier (Batch 361)
• Falling Leaves Autumn Saison ... 2024 Falling Leaves Autumn Saison (Batch 362)
  
  

W is for Wanderment Brewing

If you follow this blog at all, you probably know that we are getting close to finishing up round 5 of A to Z Breweries Series of Posts.

If you have not been following along, you probably don't care, but real quickly ...

The SheppyBrew Beer Model and I have been visiting (mostly) Denver Area breweries by going through the alphabet, and choosing a brewery that starts with the letter we're on.

We've been through the alphabet 4 times and are on round 5 right now.

Sometimes, we won't have a good option that actually starts with the letter we're on, so we have to take "artistic license".

For "V", we certainly had to take that "artistic license" with V is for Village, Greenwood, Downhill Brewing, but for "W" we actually had a couple of choices. This past weekend, we chose:

W is for Wanderment Brewing

End of my #GCCUSA2024 #1200MileSeptember

Today (as I type ... not when this is posted) is the last day of my 2024 Great Cycle Challenge.

I might do one more ride today, but as of the time I'm typing this, I've ridden just over 1,220 miles in September.

So, I've satisfied my pledge of 1,200 miles and then some, which is an average of over 40 miles per day.

I've logged 50 separate rides in Strava, averaging about 24 miles per ride.

Over that 1220 miles, I climbed over 50,750 feet, averaging almost 1,700 feet per day and 1,015feet per ride.

With this effort (along with the rest of the year), I'm blowing away my #7100MilesIn2024 and #11EverestsIn2024 goals. I've ridden just over 6,291 miles with just over 324,690 feet in elevation gain.

Honestly, I'm pretty proud of myself. Not bad for an old couch potato such as myself.

As always, if you would like to donate (or just check out how I did), check out my riders page:

https://greatcyclechallenge.com/riders/EricShepard

2024 Falling Leaves Autumn Saison (Batch 362)

Well ... as I mentioned in 1519 Barker Exportbier (Batch 361), I've been pretty busy with my #GCCUSA, and not brewing much.

As a result, my current beer inventory is lower than it has been in awhile. Sunday, my wife (aka the SheppyBrew Beer Model) killed the keg of 2024 Hail Storm Summer Saison (batch 359).

And, so, my beer inventory was two not-so-full kegs.

Before V is for Village, Greenwood, Downhill Brewing, we stopped by our favorite Homebrew Shop, and picked up some malts.

I wasn't actually sure I'd brew this past weekend, but I did end up decide to fire up the Anvil Foundry and get a batch of my Autumn Seasonal Saison brewed:
 

Falling Leaves Autumn Saison

#GCCUSA Jerseys During the #1200MileSeptember

I'm getting towards the end of my Great Cycle Challenge. As I type this, I still have just over 200 miles, which is a pretty big distance to bike, but I've ridden over 1000 miles.

You can donate or follow along at my fundraising page at:

https://greatcyclechallenge.com/riders/EricShepard

Back in August, I posted photos of myself wearing GCC Jerseys 2016 -2024 minus 2016, which actually fits my wife much better. 

Over the last 8 days, I've been wearing these jerseys and taking selfies of myself again. I thought I'd post them here.

V is for Village, Greenwood, Downhill Brewing

It is hard to believe we're so close to the end of the 5th round of our A to Z Denver Breweries series of posts.

I posted A is for AC Golden Tank Room only a little over a year ago to begin round 5.

And ...

I posted U is for GUanella Pass Brewery just at the end of last month.

Of course, according to the Colorado Brewery Map & List, I didn't really have any local breweries that actually start with the letter "V", but if you've been following along, you know we don't let that interrupt the concept.

Big V. Little v. What begins with V?

V is for Village, Greenwood, Downhill Brewing

1519 Barker Exportbier (Batch 361)

I've been pretty busy with my #GCCUSA and have not brewed in awhile. My last brew day (before this one) was on August 4th.

This year, I'm actually tracking to finish the year with less than 90 gallons brewed, which would be the least amount since 2014.

Luckily, I have not been drinking a whole lot of homebrew compared to previous years either, and I am fine on my beer inventory.

But, I did kill a keg of Summer Lovin' fairly recently and thought I'd like to brew a beer to give me a little buffer.

So ... I got a yeast starter going a couple days ago, and I decided to brew a rare workday-brew-day yesterday.

1519 Barker Exportbier

#GCCUSA2024 Half-way Done

September is half over, and everything is going well with my Great Cycle Challenge.

You can donate or follow along at my fundraising page at:

https://greatcyclechallenge.com/riders/EricShepard

I've surpassed my Fundraising Goal, and I'm on track for finishing up the 1,200 miles I've pledged to ride over the month.

Bacon Wrapped Tenderloin

Sometime over the weekend, I picked up some pork tenderloins from my local Sam's Club.

According to a search I just did on this blog, I've never blogged about making pork tenderloin, but I think maybe at least one of my Sheppy's Blog: Pork Loin posts may have actually been tenderloin.

It honestly doesn't matter. The only difference between how I would cook the two is that the pork loin would probably cook just a bit longer.

Anyway ... Tuesday, I wrapped these tenderloins in bacon, applied some rub and cooked them up on the Weber Kettle.

Guuud stuff.

August #7100MilesIn2024 Progress

 I'm running way ahead of the pace I need to accomplish my 2024 Strava goals ... #7100MilesIn2024 and #11EverestsIn2024.

In fact, I'm on pace to blow away my new Strava elevation goal, 348,384 (which is 12 x 29,032 feet).

If I continue on my mileage pace, I should be able to get more than 7,200 miles.

 

My first #GCCUSA2024 Century Ride

On Tuesday, I accomplished my first Century Ride since the Triple Bypass Ride back in July.

Yep, 100 miles.

That's right ... On my bicycle.

Yep, in one day.

No, my butt is fine.

Nope, I'm not crazy.

Yes, I know you don't like to drive that far.

I have committed to riding 1200 miles over the course of September. 

I always try to get a good start over the first few days and the long Labor Day Weekend so that I'm not worrying about miles towards the end of the month when who knows what the weather will be like or what else might be going on.

By the time you read this, I will probably have gone on several GCC rides. If you'd like to follow along or make a donation ... follow the link:

https://greatcyclechallenge.com/Riders/EricShepard

Labor Day Weekend SUP

My wife (aka the SheppyBrew Beer Model) and I spent the weekend up in the Breckenridge / Frisco / Dillon area over the Labor Day weekend.

One of the things we like to do when we're up there is spend some time on Dillon Reservoir on personal watercraft.

Generally, we bring one or two kayaks (depends on whether the kids are with us or not) and my wife's paddle board.

But, this year, our bigger vehicle was in the shop when we headed up there, and we decided to take a vehicle that does not have a roof rack.

This vehicle is not ideal for bringing a kayak, and we decided that we would pick up another inflatable SUP for this weekend.