Washington Trip ... Seattle Photos

 As I posted in Washington Trip ... Rain Forest Photos and Washington Trip ... Beach Photos, my wife (aka the SheppyBrew Beer Model) and I recently took a trip to Washington state.

The first few days, we spent in and around Olympic National Park, which is geographically / environmentally very diverse.  Olympic National Park has rain forests. It has mountains. It has ocean - front beaches.

In Washington Trip ... Rain Forest Photos we shared photos from the first couple of days.

In Washington Trip ... Beach Photos we shared photos by the beach on day 2 and then a few more a little later in the week.

Washington Trip ... Mountain Photos we shared some Mountain Photos 

And .. now ... here are photos in and around Seattle:

 

Washington Trip ... Mountain Photos

As I posted in Washington Trip ... Rain Forest Photos and Washington Trip ... Beach Photos, my wife (aka the SheppyBrew Beer Model) and I recently took a trip to Washington state.

The first few days, we spent in and around Olympic National Park, which is geographically / environmentally very diverse.  Olympic National Park has rain forests. It has mountains. It has ocean - front beaches.

In Washington Trip ... Rain Forest Photos we shared photos from the first couple of days.

In Washington Trip ... Beach Photos we shared photos by the beach on day 2 and then a few more a little later in the week.

Here are some photos from the mountains in Olympic National Park:

 

Washington Trip ... Beach Photos

As I posted in Washington Trip ... Rain Forest Photos, my wife (aka the SheppyBrew Beer Model) and I recently took a trip to Washington state.

The first few days, we spent in and around Olympic National Park, which is geographically / environmentally very diverse.  Olympic National Park has rain forests. It has mountains. It has ocean - front beaches.

In Washington Trip ... Rain Forest Photos we shared photos from the first couple of days.

Here are some photos from the beach in Olympic National Park:

 

Washington Trip ... Rain Forest Photos

My wife (aka the SheppyBrew Beer Model) and I took a trip to Washington state last week.

We did a bunch of stuff and had a ton of fun. 

The first few days, we spent in and around Olympic National Park, which is geographically / environmentally very diverse.  Olympic National Park has rain forests. It has mountains. It has ocean - front beaches.

And in just a few days we did it all.

Our home-base was a motel in Port Angeles, WA.

Voodu Magic Tropical Stout 🪄🌴

Style: Tropical Stout (Kveik-fermented)
Brewer: SheppyBrew
ABV: 6.6%
IBU: 43
SRM: 38 (mystical black)

Appearance 👀

Pours obsidian-black with a velvety tan head that lingers like jungle mist at midnight. The body is opaque, yet alive with glimmers of burnt amber when held to light. Legs cling to the glass like shadow spirits.

Aroma 👃

Layers of dark chocolate, roasted malt, and licorice swirl with unexpected bursts of ripe tropical fruit—papaya, mango, maybe a banana whisper. The warm fermentation brings esters that add intrigue and illusion to every sniff.

July Update on 2025 Cycling Goals

I do quite a bit of cycling for a middle-aged couch potato.

With all the BBQ I make and eat, and all the beer I brew and drink, biking a ridiculous amount helps keep me somewhat in shape.

So ... I spend lots of time cycling around the foothills of Denver, which I always track on Strava.

Anyway ... as you may remember from 2025 Cycling Goals, I have 5 cycling goals this year:

#MetricCenturyEveryMonth / #8200MilesIn2025 / #16EverestsIn2025 / Triple Bypass Ride / #GCCUSA

Cuttlefish Czech Amber Lager 🦑🍺

Style: Czech Amber Lager (Polotmavý Pivo)
Brewer: SheppyBrew
ABV: 5.2%
IBU: 34
SRM: 15 (deep amber)

Appearance 👀

Pours a shimmering amber with flashes of copper and coral in the light. Dense, off-white foam crowns the glass like sea foam on a tide-washed reef. Moderate clarity and sparkle give it a polished, nautical charm.

Aroma 👃

Crackling toast and caramelized malt surface first, chased by faint herbal hops and a splash of ocean breeze (or maybe just noble spice). There's a subtle, almost briny undertone—as if the grains were whispered over by cuttlefish sages.

Voodu Magic Tropical Stout (Batch 379)

I brewed this past Sunday.

It was another beer to check off a new style in my BCJP Goal.

If I'm counting correctly, I've now brewed 87 of the 108 2021 BCJP styles.

As I mentioned in Cuttlefish Czech Amber Lager (Batch 378), I recently killed a couple of kegs, bringing me down to two kegs on tap, one of which (Halfway to Helles Leichtbier) is very close to being empty.

Since then, I packaged Gob Stopper Grape Ale and Cuttlefish Czech Amber Lager, so my beer inventory is looking pretty good.

But, I wanted to get this beer brewed ....

Voodu Magic Tropical Stout

 

Gob Stopper Grape Ale 🍇🧙‍♂️

Style: American Grape Ale
Brewer: SheppyBrew
ABV: 7.0%
IBU: 16
SRM: 7 (radiant violet)

Appearance 👀

Pours a soft purple with glowing edges—somewhere between wizard robe and melted grape popsicle. Medium white head fades quickly but leaves a ring like candy dust. Light haze gives it a whimsical, fairytale feel.

Aroma 👃

Concord grape front and center—like you just cracked open a juice box at recess. Beneath that: gentle floral honey, a whiff of grapevine must, and faint cereal notes from the malt. Nostalgic without being fake or flashy.

Flavor 👅

Tart grape onset morphs into gentle sweetness mid-palate, lifted by honey malt and clean fermentation. A crisp finish keeps it from going syrupy, and low bitterness balances the fruit. Tastes like if childhood had a craft beer sponsor.

Roll-a-Style 10: 29C. Specialty Fruit Beer

If you follow this blog at all, you probably have read that I want to concentrate more on my BJCP Goal this year.

As of the time of this post, if I'm counting correctly, I've brewed 86 of the 108 styles in the 2021 BJCP Style Guidelines. Since the beginning of the year, I've already brewed 8 new BJCP styles (9 if you include Tasman Pilsner).

And ... I have ingredients and will probably brew my Roll-a-Style 15: 16C. Tropical Stout soon.

I have my Roll-a-Style list, which helps me keep track of styles that I still need to brew.

The idea is that I use a 20-sided online die to decide which style to brew next. 

In late-ish July, I was killing time one day and thought I'd spend time coming up with a new recipe. 

To figure out what beer I'd brew, I rolled my 20-sided online die, and rolled a 10 ... 

 

Hickory Smoked Mac and Cheese

So ... I don't make it a whole lot, but my kids REALLY like my smoked mac and cheese.

Well ... not just my kids. Just about anyone who has ever tried it has raved about it. I love it too. Unfortunately, it isn't the healthiest of meals, and that comes from someone who makes a ton of BBQ.

Anyway ... a couple weeks ago, my older son had his girlfriend over and my son requested that I make my smoked mac and cheese.

 

More SUP Photos

Well ... if you read this blog, you probably know that last weekend was my 2025 Triple Bypass Ride.

After the ride we spent the night in Avon. Then on Sunday, we drove back to the Denver area.

On the way home is Dillon Reservoir, and we thought it would be fun to do some paddling on the lake.

It is an absolutely gorgeous lake in amongst the mountains, and it was a beautiful sunny day.

It was a great day to be on the lake.

My photos never quite do justice to these spectacular views ... but still ... 

... here are some pictures ...  

2025 Triple Bypass Ride

So, if you've been reading this blog this year, you probably understood this was coming ... Saturday I rode the 2025 Triple Bypass.

If you're unfamiliar ... no I didn't have heart surgery. The Triple Bypass is a 118 mile bike ride in Colorado with 10,800 feet elevation. 

It takes 4,000 + bike riders up over 3 mountain passes.

I did this ride last year, and I thought it would be fun (type 2 fun) to do it again and see if I could finish faster.

Of course, last year, the whole thing went about perfect and lots of things can go wrong over 8 to 10 hours on the bike, so finishing faster wasn't part of my success criteria. 

 

Roll-a-Style 15: 16C. Tropical Stout

If you follow this blog at all, you probably have read that I want to concentrate more on my BJCP Goal this year.

As of the time of this post, if I'm counting correctly, I've brewed 86 of the 108 styles in the 2021 BJCP Style Guidelines. Since the beginning of the year, I've already brewed 8 new BJCP styles (9 if you include Tasman Pilsner).

I have my Roll-a-Style list, which helps me keep track of styles that I still need to brew.

The idea is that I use a 20-sided online die to decide which style to brew next. 

In early July, I was running sort of low on inventory, and needed to brew to get the pipeline going. 

I rolled my 20-sided online die, and rolled a 15 ... 

Cuttlefish Czech Amber Lager (Batch 378)

This past weekend, I killed two kegs, leaving me with only two beers on tap. I suspect Halfway to Helles Leichtbier is also running low.

I have Gob Stopper Grape Ale fermenting, but I'm in danger of running low on my homebrew.

As I mentioned in 2025 Q2 SheppyBrew Stats, I've slowed down brewing quite a bit lately, so this certainly should not come as a surprise.

But, I figured I needed to get some beers in the pipeline.

You might have seen my recently posted Roll-a-Style 2: 3C. Czech Amber Lager, and if you did, you probably realized this was coming ...

Saturday, I ran off to my favorite LHBS to get ingredients and Sunday I brewed....

Cuttlefish Czech Amber Lager

 

4th of July Paddle on Chatfield

You may remember that my wife (aka the SheppyBrew Beer Model) and I went Paddle Boarding with Juneteenth Paddle on Chatfield.

I mentioned in that post that we'd have to look into a new better pump than the one my wife has been using.

Well ... since then she had a birthday and I got her a bigger, more expensive, hopefully better pump, and we figured we would have to try it out to make sure it actually was better.

The first opportunity we had was July 4th.

So we packed up our paddling stuff, some beer, a lunch and headed down to Chatfield Reservoir. It being a holiday weekend, we went earlier than usual, which really paid off.

 

Roll-a-Style 2: 3C. Czech Amber Lager

If you follow this blog at all, you probably have read that I want to concentrate more on my BJCP Goal this year.

As of the time of this post, if I'm counting correctly, I've brewed 85 of the 108 styles in the 2021 BJCP Style Guidelines. Since the beginning of the year, I've already brewed 7 new BJCP styles (8 if you include Tasman Pilsner).

I have my Roll-a-Style list, which helps me keep track of styles that I still need to brew.

The idea is that I use a 20-sided online die to decide which style to brew next. 

In early July, I was running sort of low on inventory, and needed to brew to get the pipeline going. 

I rolled my 20-sided online die, and rolled a 2 ... 

 

2025 Q2 SheppyBrew Stats

It's July, which means that we've made it through the second quarter of 2025. It is time to "report" on the 2025 Q2 SheppyBrew Stats.

Q1 was pretty busy, and I was on track for 120 gallons of beer in 2025.

Q2, on the other hand wasn't nearly as busy. I only brewed 4 batches of beer totaling 20 gallons, putting my projected 2025 volume right at 100 gallons.

The Q2 batches were:

• Melting Stream Spring Saison
• Halfway to Helles Leichtbier
• Summer Lovin' American Wheat
• Gob Stopper Grape Ale

At the time that I'm typing this, I have Melting Stream, Halfway to Helles, and Summer Lovin' on tap. Gob Stopper is fermenting.

Melting Stream Spring Saison

  

June Update on 2025 Cycling Goals

I do quite a bit of cycling for a middle-aged couch potato.

With all the BBQ I make and eat, and all the beer I brew and drink, biking a ridiculous amount helps keep me somewhat in shape.

So ... I spend lots of time cycling around the foothills of Denver, which I always track on Strava.

Anyway ... as you may remember from 2025 Cycling Goals, I have 5 cycling goals this year:

#MetricCenturyEveryMonth / #8200MilesIn2025 / #16EverestsIn2025 / Triple Bypass Ride / #GCCUSA

 

Gob Stopper Grape Ale (Batch 377)

If you follow along on this blog, or SheppyBrew.com, you likely know that I have been trying to work through BJCP Styles that I've never brewed.

For the most part, I am able to enjoy just about every style of beer, however there a a few I don't necessarily care for.

So ... working through this BJCP Style Goal has the potential of creating beers I may not like as much.

So, far, since I've started the Roll-a-Style list, I have not really rolled any styles that I downright don't like.

However, this one has that potential. We'll have to see.

If you read Roll-a-Style 12: 29D. Grape Ale, you probably were able to determine this was coming:

Gob Stopper Grape Ale