X-Mas Ribeye Roast

Well ... you may remember that I generally really like to grill / smoke / reverse sear Ribeye Roast on holidays when they go on sale at our local grocery stores.

This past Christmas, my wife had picked up a 9 pound roast and I cooked it up for our family along with some visiting guests.

I gave myself about 4 hours before our dinner to get the roast to a rare to medium rare doneness.

There were a couple of people who prefer the meat more "well done", and I figured that I could give them the ends, but it was probably a little less done than they claimed they liked.

But, they also say they loved the meat.

B is for Barrels & Bottles Brewery

If you follow this blog, you probably know that my wife (aka the SheppyBrew Beer Model) is forcing me to continue along with round 6 of the A to Z series of posts.

We recently finished up A to Z Denver Breweries Round 5, and while we certainly have a bunch of breweries left on the Colorado Brewery Map & List, I wasn't sure if we'd continue along with the A to Z series of posts.

But, apparently, my wife (aka the SheppyBrew Beer Model) was (and is) sure, and we're continuing.

Happy wife. Happy life. Nothing rhymes with husband, so really, who cares about the husband?

So, after A is for Arms, Call To Brewing Company, we needed a "B" brewery, and the SheppyBrew Beer Model let me know that we would be visiting ....

B is for Barrels & Bottles Brewery

Tasman Devil Pilsner

In the 2021 BJCP Style guidelines, there is a section called Style Guidelines Appendices and References.

And ... in there, Appendix B: Local Styles.

One of the "Local Styles" is X5. New Zealand Pilsner. 

"A pale, dry, golden-colored, cleanly-fermented beer showcasing the characteristic tropical, citrusy, fruity, grassy New Zealand-type hops. Medium body, soft mouthfeel, and smooth palate and finish, with a neutral to bready malt base provide the support for this very drinkable, refreshing, hop-forward beer."

It is a style that I generally enjoy quite a bit, and I usually will order it when I see it at various breweries.

Hooligans vs Left Hand Milk Stout

As I mentioned on Tafel Mystère Belgian Single (Batch 367), I had some Pack o' Hooligans Stout on my last brew day, but wanted to give it it's own blog post.

As you probably know if you've been following along, Pack o' Hooligans is my Roll-a-Style beer for the BJCP Style 16A. Sweet Stout.

Now, when I think of "Sweet Stout", my mind goes to Left Hand Milk Stout as the defining commercial example.

I'm fairly lucky to be able to get Left Hand Milk Stout anytime I want and decided to compare Pack o' Hooligans Stout vs Left Hand Milk Stout.

I tried the two beers together last Saturday. 

 

Tafel Mystère Belgian Single (Batch 367)

Well ... I was sort of planning on brewing on Sunday the 8th. I even had a yeast starter ready to go.

When it came right down to it, I just didn't feel like brewing.

So, I saved the the starter for this past weekend.

My original plan was to brew Sunday morning after an overnight mash, but on Saturday after a morning bike ride and then a pickleball "match" with my wife ... it didn't seem like I had much else going on until that evening when we had tickets for the big DU vs CC "Gold Pan" Hockey match.

I decided to start up the Foundry. This was my 83th batch of beer I've brewed on it. 

Tafel Mystère Belgian Single

Decemberfest Lager

Decemberfest Lager from SheppyBrew is an exceptional brew that embodies the spirit of celebration with its crisp, clean, and refreshing profile. At 5.9% ABV, this lager strikes the perfect balance between drinkability and flavor, making it an ideal choice for any festive occasion.

Pouring a beautiful amber hue with a creamy, off-white head, this lager greets you with inviting aromas of freshly baked bread and a hint of noble hops. The flavor profile is dominated by a well-rounded malt character, featuring subtle notes of biscuit and toasted bread, without overwhelming caramel or toffee sweetness.

Christmas vs X-Mas Ales

Sunday, I posted SheppyBrew vs Breckenridge Autumn Ales where I compared Breckenridge Autumn Ale with my Will-o'-Wisp Autumn Ale (no pumpkin).

Of course, I also have my X-Mas Ale 2024 on tap, and it just so happens that I also have some bottles of Breckenridge Christmas Ale.

Breckenridge Christmas Ale actually inspired my traditional base beer recipe of my X-Mas Ales.

"The chill of winter calls for a beer with extra flavor and strength! An abundance of carefully roasted malts create notes of caramel and chocolate, while Chinook and Mt. Hood hops contribute a spicy quality for balance and a clean finish."

SheppyBrew vs Breckenridge Autumn Ales

One of the SheppyBrew Beers I have on tap right now is Will-o'-Wisp Autumn Ale (no pumpkin).

It is a malty, dark amber, medium to low alcohol berer with caramel flavor and notes of dark chocolate. It is basically the base-beer of my world-famous Will-o'-Wisp Pumpkin Ale ... minus the pumpkin and the spices.

One of the commercial beers I have in one of the beer fridges is Breckenridge Autumn Ale. 

"Our fall seasonal hit combines the malty goodness of a German lager with the clean crispness of an American ale. Brewed with Munich malts and a delicate blend of Bavarian hops, it's full-bodied with a nutty-sweet middle, a warming alcohol level and notes of toasted grain. A pre-winter winner."  

2024 Thanksgiving Turkey

Since 2018, which was the year I started becoming obsessed with BBQ, I've been in charge of smoking the Thanksgiving turkey outside.

It's fun for me, and it frees up the oven for the various sides my wife generally makes.

And, I think smoked turkey tastes better than it would if we cooked it in the oven.

Over the years, I've tried different ways to cook the turkey, and this year I actually tried something new.

Last year, I spatchcocked, and halved the bird, which is how I generally cook my whole chickens now.

This year, I came across a youtube video where the author "quartered" the bird. I decided to do the same thing on my cook this year.

 

November #7100MilesIn2024 Progress

I'm probably the only one who cares, but I've hit my Strava goals for the year.

As of the 1st of the month (which is when I'm typing this), I'm over 7,400 miles with over 377,600 feet climbed for the year. I've blown away my #11EverestsIn2024 goal and my #7100MilesIn2024 goal.

There is still 1 full month to go.

Of course, I also extended my #MetricCenturyEveryMonth streak with my Black Friday Century.

Since July of 2021, I've ridden at least one 100 km (62.2 miles) ride. This makes the streak 40 straight months.

A is for Arms, Call To Brewing Company

Well, if you follow this blog at all, you probably realize that we recently finished up A to Z Denver Breweries Round 5.

While we certainly have a bunch of breweries left on the Colorado Brewery Map & List, I wasn't sure if we'd continue along with the A to Z series of posts.

There are a bunch of letters (including the letter "A") that we have to fudge a little to cover Denver-area breweries.

We had a good run working our way through the alphabet 5 times, but I wasn't sure it made sense to continue down the alphabet.

But, apparently, my wife (aka the SheppyBrew Beer Model) was (and is) sure, and we're continuing. I don't even have a choice....

A is for Arms, Call To Brewing Company

Decemberfest Lager (Batch 366)

As I've mentioned a few times, I'm concentrating on brewing all the SheppyBrew "Seasonals" this year.

On the 2024 Learn to Homebrew Day, I brewed my "November Seasonal", X-Mas Ale 2024.

And this meant I had hit every month of the year so far, leaving just my "December Seasonal". 

While I brewed a couple of batches on 2024 Learn to Homebrew Day, the people I had over did a pretty good job of reducing my inventory of beer.

With 1519 Barker Exportbier running low, I decided to brew another beer a little earlier than I originally planned.

This past weekend, I brewed the "December Seasonal" ....

Decemberfest Lager

Pack o' Hooligans Stout

BJCP 16A Sweet Stout
ABV: 4.5% 
IBU: 30
SRM: 39 

Appearance:

Pours a deep, opaque black with a thick, creamy tan head that lingers gracefully. The luscious body exudes the look of a classic stout, promising a rich experience.

In Search of Michelob

There's a little story behind the name 1519 Barker, which I shared both on the recipe page "1519 Barker Exportbier", and on the brew day blog post 1519 Barker Exportbier (Batch 361)

My intention of brewing 1519 Barker was to capture the essence of how I remember my favorite beer in college. 

 

A to Z Denver Breweries Round 5

The SheppyBrew Beer Model and I are done with Round 5 of our A to Z Denver Breweries series of posts.

We started last August with A is for AC Golden Tank Room and just recently finished with Z is for Zymos Brewing.

Amazingly enough, we were able to cover most of the letters of the alphabet without taking too much "artistic license".

We made it to "H" before we didn't have a brewery that started with the letter and decided to do H is for Left Hand RiNo Drinks & Eats.

And, if I'm counting correctly, we only had to choose a total of 9 breweries that didn't start with the letter we were on. Not bad considering we've been through the alphabet 4 times before this round.

2024 Learn to Homebrew Day

If you read Roll-a-Style 14 ... 16A. Sweet Stout, you know that Learn to Homebrew Day was the first Saturday in November.

I had plans to get together for a brew day with my buddies Du and Doc.

My turn to host has been overdue, and the Beer Model and I decided that we would go ahead and have Learn to Homebrew Day at our "brewery".

We also invited some non-brewers over to "Learn" on Learn to Homebrew Day. These people were also available to help us eat BBQ and drink beer.

I was a little more ambitious than I probably should have been, planning to brew two batches of beer, smoke a pork butt, and make some chicken wings.

Will-o-Wisp Autumn Ale

Style: Autumn Ale
ABV: 5.3%
IBU: 26
SRM: 18 (Deep Amber)

Will-o-Wisp Autumn Ale is a bewitching brew that captures the essence of fall without relying on the overdone pumpkin spice craze. This ale is crafted with a blend of rich, caramel malts that provide a deep amber hue and a robust, toasty flavor. Hints of dark fruit and a subtle earthiness round out the profile, making it a perfect companion for crisp autumn evenings. The finish is dry and slightly bitter, balanced by a smooth, lingering maltiness that leaves you craving another sip.

Roll-a-Style 18: 17A. British Strong Ale

Every year since I started homebrewing (way back in 2009), I've brewed an X-Mas Ale to have around the holidays.

The base beer was always a very similar "Winter Warmer", and I'd add various ingredients to make it more of a "Holiday" Beer.

Over the years, I added wood spirals, vanilla, cherry pomegranate, chocolate, peppermint, peanut butter, hazelnut, cherry, and many other flavorings.

Some years, I brewed the base beer without the "festive" flavorings.

When I started thinking about the 2024 X-Mas Ale, I had been doing the Roll-a-Style series of brews for over a year.

17A. British Strong Ale had been sitting on the list for quite some time, and at some point I wondered if I should just mark off that as a style that I had already brewed as one of my base-beer-only X-Mas Ales.

But ... I decided that this style wasn't exactly what I was brewing on the base beers.

I decided, though, that I would switch up the base a bit to make it match the "British Strong" a little closer, and make this new recipe the 2024 X-Mas ale.

I pretended to roll an "18" ...

 

October #7100MilesIn2024 Progress

After my #1200MileSeptember, it isn't a surprise that I've been cycling less in October. Even so, I logged over 625 Strava cycling miles for the month.

As of the 1st of the month (which is when I'm typing this), I'm over 6,900 miles with over 353,000 feet climbed for the year. I've blown away my #11EverestsIn2024 goal and only need less than 200 miles to hit #7100MilesIn2024.

With 2 full months to go, it is almost a certainty that I'll be able to log 200 miles.

Of course, I also extended my #MetricCenturyEveryMonth streak with my October Metric Century.

Since July of 2021, I've ridden at least one 100 km (62.2 miles) ride. This makes the streak 39 straight months.

 

Z is for Zymos Brewing

Here we are, right at the end of Round 5 of the A to Z brewery series of posts.

It is difficult to believe we've already hit 25 breweries (26 after today's post) since finishing up A to Z Denver Breweries Round 4.

We started with A is for AC Golden Tank Room back in August of 2023, and we're already up to "Z".

As I mentioned in Y is for BerkeleY AlleY Beer Company, we had really one obvious choice on the Colorado Brewery Map & List.

It is actually one of the newer breweries in the area, having opened February of this year.

And ... as luck would have it ... this brewery is very close to our home in Littleton, Colorado.

Z is for Zymos Brewing