Gringo Cerveza Popcorn Ale

I brewed Wednesday. I had the week off work, so of course I had to get a brew day in.

Wednesday was the day.

The beer I brewed was based on a long-time SheppyBrew recipe. Gringo Cerveza.

Originally, I used this name for a Mr. Beer recipe. I even had a partial mash recipe.

And ... eventually it become an all-grain recipe.

Sometime along the way, it became a Popcorn Beer.

"Popcorn?" You ask. Yes Popcorn.

A popcorn jalapeño beer. The jalapeños have become optional.

I got the idea of using popcorn in a beer when I listened to an episode of The Session on the Brewing Network about Sun King Brewery of Indianapolis, Indiana. One of their beers was a popcorn beer.

I decided to try the popcorn mash. Seemed that concept would work well with a jalapeño beer.

Smoked BBQ Drumsticks

We had a busy day yesterday at SheppyBrew Brewery and Smokehouse.

We didn't brew any beer, but we started the day early by kegging Melting Stream Spring Saison.

We bottled a batch of green tea kombucha and stared a new batch.

And .. we prepared and made barbecue drumsticks.

I bought a package of drumsticks at Sam's Club in the morning.

I decided to make the whole package even though I knew it would be too much for our family of four. I like having leftovers for lunch. Yummy barbecue drumsticks for lunch will be great this week.

2018 Melting Stream Spring Saison

It isn't Spring yet, but here in Denver, it feels like it is close. I'm hoping we get a couple more big snow falls still this year, but right now the weather is starting to get very warm.

I decided it was a good time to brew my Spring Seasonal Saison this past Sunday.

The Spring version of my is Seasonal Saison very light in color. It uses WY3711 for that delicious and refreshing saison flavor. It is hoppy.

Yummy yummy beer. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Melting Stream Spring Saison

Imaginary Dragon Brown Ale

I'm brewing today.

I'm brewing today and I have not posted about my last brew day yet.

Lazy blogger.

I better do that now.

So ... I've been brewing quite awhile. I started with a Mr. Beer kit my sister bought me for the 2008 Christmas.

I used the hell out of that Mr. Beer Kit.

One of the recipes I came up with using the kit, was an American Brown Ale intended to mimic Big Sky Brewing Company's Moose Drool. I named it based on some dragon art work my child had done and another word for drool.

Not knowing that the name I came up with is slang for something horrible. You can look it up if you like (if you don't already know). You can't unknow once you know.

Pats Disliker NE Pale Ale

I'm glad that the Patriots didn't win the Superbowl LII.

Yes, I am a hater of the New England Patriots.

Not really like I hate the Red Wings or Packers. More like I dislike the Cowboys or the Raiders.

I'm a Patriots Disliker.

Lately if you're a craft beer geek like me, you've almost certainly noticed an alarming influx of "New England Style" IPA's.

I'm fine with a hazy IPA, but if there is yeast clouding up the beer, it is visually unappealing to me, and usually I don't find them all that great to drink.

I don't hate them like the Red Wings or Packers. I dislike them like the Patriots.

At the same time, there are some beers labeled "New England Style IPA" that I quite enjoy. As long as it is hazy rather than cloudy.

Reverse Seared Ribeyes

So ... you probably know I've been playing with my new grill / smoker recently.

See SheppyBrew: Grilling. Or SheppyBrew: BBQ. Or SheppyBrew: Smoked.

I've really been enjoying the food I've been making on the smoker.

Last weekend I decided to make some Ribeye Steaks. I love steak. Bone-in Ribeye Steaks are the ones that always turn out best for me. And that is what I got from the grocery store Sunday.

This time, I decided to try "Reverse Searing" the steaks. It is something I've read about, this this is really the first time I've done it.

In case you don't know, "Reverse Searing" is a technique used in grilling. Most of the references I've seen are around steak, but you can do it with other cuts of meat too.

SheppyBrew YouTube Channel

SheppyBrew now has a YouTube Channel ...

See SheppyBrew Smokehouse and Brewery

Currently there is just one video on the channel ... a short video of me making Kombucha. Eventually there will probably be more.

Check it out. Subscribe. Hopefully the content and quality of the videos will increase over time.

Oompa Loompa Mango Pale Ale, Kombucha, and Turkey Bacon Burgers

After brewing the Where'd My ManGo Wheat, I had some of the Mango Flavoring left.

Also, my Muggled Pale Ale didn't last real long.

I decided that it would be fun to make and drink a Mango Pale Ale.

Oompa Loompa Mango Pale Ale

I brewed it last Sunday

No big deal.

Some Pale Malt. Some Vienna Malt. Some Munich and some Pale Chocolate for a bit more color.

Equinox (aka Ekuanot aka HBC 366) hops. Centennial hops.

Apple Wood Smoked Chicken

If you've following this blog lately, you've noticed more BBQ articles.

That is because I got a new grill / smoker for Christmas this year, and I've been learning how to use it.

This past Saturday, I smoked a whole chicken.

Of course, I've done whole chickens on my older gas grill a few times. This was my first time adding smoke flavor.

The past two smoking sessions (see First time Smoking Ribs and Hickory Smoked Pulled Pork) both used hickory wood for the smoke. This time I decided to try something different, and I went with Apple Wood chunks.

SheppyBrew 2017 Year-End Brewing Stats

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.

In the 4th Quarter, we brewed 4 beers.

Killer Cricket Porter brew day

• Killer Cricket Porter
• Where'd My ManGo Wheat
• 2017 X-Mas Ale
• Muggled Pale Ale

Hickory Smoked Pulled Pork

So, you may remember from First time Smoking Ribs that I recently got a new grill / smoker.

The ribs turned out really good. There are some improvements I think I can make, but I was pleased with the result. And my family liked them.

After the success of the ribs, I decided to try smoking a Pork Butt. You probably all know this, but a Pork Butt is actually the shoulder of a pig. I'm a little unclear as to why the shoulder is referred to a butt. I think it has something to do with Boston - area people not being all that bright.

But don't quote me on that.

So, I bought a 9 pound pork shoulder (8.92 pounds to be exact) from Sam's Club last week. I had Monday off work for MLK Day, and I used that day off to smoke some pork.

Fizzy and Pink Cherry Pomegranate Kombucha

So ... do you remember that I've gotten into brewing homemade Kombucha?

I like kombucha enough to drink. I like it a lot more than soda, and it is a good alternative to water or coffee for me to drink at work with my lunch. However, it is way too expensive for me to want to actually buy it.

It is easy and inexpensive to brew at home, so I just make it myself.

My process is simple:

1. Dissolve 1 cup of sugar in enough water to brew 8 to 10 tea bags worth of concentrated sweet tea.
2. Pour the tea into a gallon glass jar with a little ice to cool it down. Fill the jar the rest of the way with water.
3. Add a SCOBY and a little kombucha from the last batch to the jar.
4. Let the tea ferment for a couple of weeks. 
5. Pour the fermented kombuca along with some fruit juice or other flavoring into bottles.
6. Let those bottles carbonate for a few days.

First time Smoking Ribs

I got a picture of a grill / smoker for Christmas.

My wife did everything she could to get me an actual grill / smoker, but due to a delivery SNAFU, the picture was all I received.

While waiting for the delivery SNAFU to get fixed, I spent a significant amount of time reading books and websites about smoking various meats. I also watched lots of youtube videos on the same.

I think my favorite videos came from BBQ Pit Boys. Those guys amuse me, and I think they do a good job clearly explaining the process of smoking meats.

Anyway ... last week, I finally got the grill delivered. Separately, I got the smoker box delivered.

Saturday morning, I attached the smoker box to the grill.

Sunday, I smoked my first meat ... a rack of pork spare ribs.

2018 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 weekend, I brewed this year's Arctic Vortex Winter Saison.

When I went to buy ingredients last week, my Local Homebrew Shop didn't have my favorite Saison yeast (WY3711 French Saison). I ended up picking up WY3724 (Belgium Saison) instead.

I'm a real fan of WY3711, and I almost decided to wait to brew this beer until they could get more in, but I had already crushed my grains. It doesn't hurt to try new things. I guess we'll see how it turns out.

Cryo Muggled

Last week, I decided that I wanted to brew over the weekend.

I feel like it has been a long time since I've brewed anything real hoppy.

I didn't really feel like coming up with a completely new recipe, so I looked through my previous recipes for APA's.

The recipe that jumped out at me was Muggled Pale Ale, and I decided that is what I would brew.

This would be my third time brewing this beer.

Muggled Pale Ale isn't a real complicated recipe.

The grain bill is simply 90% Standard 2-Row malt and 10% Dark Munich.

Then, it has a couple of hops. The first batch used Cascade and Chinook. The second batch moved to 100% Mosaic hops, and was my first time using that hop.

This time, I decided to try out LupuLN2 Cryo-hops.

Brewing the 2017 X-Mas Ale

It is late in the year, but I brewed my 2017 X-Mas Ale last Sunday.

Ideally, if have my X-Mas Ale ready to drink by Thanksgiving. Last year, I brewed at the beginning on October.

At least, I'm a little ahead of what I did in 2015.

This year's version of X-Mas Ale is designed to be a bit lower in ABV. It also has a bit less in Crystal malts.

Color should be pretty close to previous years. It will be a couple srm lighter than last year. It will be a couple srm darker than two years ago.

This year, I plan to add a couple of ounces of blueberry flavoring at kegging time, mostly to use up the flavoring I used last time I made a blueberry beer. I don't expect the blueberry will come through real strong in this base beer.

Some useful Recipes for Barbecue

Basic Chicken Rub Makes 2 cups

• ⅔ cup chili powder 
• ½ cup sugar 
• 4 tablespoons kosher salt 
• 4 tablespoons onion powder 
• 4 tablespoons garlic powder 
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper 

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients thoroughly. You can store this rub in an airtight container indefinitely.

Beef Rub Makes about ¾ cup

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt 
• 2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper 
• 1 teaspoon sugar 
• ½ teaspoon chipotle pepper powder 
• ½ teaspoon chili powder 
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder 
• 1 teaspoon granulated dried onion

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients thoroughly. You can store this rub in an airtight container indefinitely.

Basic Barbecue Rub Makes 3 cups

• 1 cup (packed) light brown sugar 
• 2 tablespoons chili powder 
• 2 tablespoons dry mustard 
• 2 tablespoons onion powder 
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder 
• 2 tablespoons cayenne pepper 
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt 
• 2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients thoroughly. You can store this rub in an airtight container indefinitely.

Kombucha

If you follow the SheppyBrew Brewery on Facebook or Instagram, you very well might have seen that I've been making Kombucha.

I'm not sure what exactly got me interested enough in Kombucha to try to brew it. I think maybe it was James at Basic Brewing Radio.

Obviously, I brew beer.

I've been making sauerkraut and other fermented vegetables for some time.

I make homemade yogurt about once a week.

So ... I am pretty well established as familiar with fermentation. For some reason, I was thinking Kombucha was mysterious and exotic.

I'd never had Kombucha. Until the  Basic Brewing Radio episodes, I never really thought a whole lot about it.

Where'd My ManGo Wheat

So ... last Saturday was the AHA's Learn to Homebrew Day, and I used that as an excuse to get the SheppyBrew Beer Model to join me for a brew day.

I try to get The Beer Model to brew at least once a year for legal reasons.

... sort of ...

You see, Colorado (like most states) allows the adult head-of-household to brew 100 gallons of beer per year.

I basically brew 100 gallons of beer per year.

However, sometimes I go a little over.

The law also allows a second adult in the household to brew 100 gallons of beer per year.

As young as she looks, the SheppyBrew Beer Model legally qualifies as an adult in our household.

So, by having her brew ... I figure the SheppyBrew Home Brewery is allowed 200 gallons of beer per year.

Killer Cricket Porter

My wife (aka the SheppyBrew Beer Model) is terrified of crickets.

It is weird ... I know. It is an irrational fear.

For some reason, these little black creatures find their way into our home this time of year, and the boys and I have to remove them for her.

My wife (aka the SheppyBrew Beer Model) is also irrationally afraid of black beers.

When these beers find their way into our house, I take care of removing them too.

Actually, she has gotten better at trying a black beer before becoming afraid of it now.

It is fine.

2017 Q3 SheppyBrew Stats

It is already November.

Again, I am embarrassed about how late this the quarterly results of the SheppyBrew Brewery as being posted.

I keep saying I'll do better. I think I'm getting worse.

Anyway ... 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 going to Sheppy's Blog: Brew Stats. 

Hail Storm Summer Saison

2017 #GABF Photos

Well, as you probably know, the SheppyBrew Beer Model and I go to the Great American Beer Festival almost every year.

Since I'm so far behind getting blog posts up, I won't say much about this year's except it was fun as always.

Here are some pictures:

2017 Falling Leaves Autumn Saison

Around mid-September, I brewed my Falling Leaves Autumn Saison.

Yes, I am still way behind on posting brew days on this blog.

Falling Leaves is, of course, the Autumn version of my Seasonal Saisons series of beers. It is darker in color than the Spring and SummerSaisons, but not as dark as the black Winter Saison.

Summer Lovin' American Wheat

I have not been real good at keeping the blog up  to date recently.

In fact, I've been really bad at it.

I am just now getting around to posting about my September 10 brew day.

Summer Lovin' American Wheat

You may be thinking "September 10 is awfully late to be brewing a 'summer beer'".

You're probably right, but I don't really confine my brewing to seasons that much. I'm ok drinking pretty much any kind of beer any time of year.

Plus, Summer Lovin' American Wheat is more for the World-Famous SheppyBrew Beer Model anyway, and she can drink Summer Lovin' anytime.

Colorado Pelican Australian Sparkling Ale

I decided to brew before going away for the Labor Day Weekend. On a rare Friday Brew Day, I brewed ...

Colorado Pelican Australian Sparkling Ale

To be honest, I have no idea what an "Australian Sparkling Ale" tastes like. Based on the style guidelines, the beer should be dry. Because it finishes pretty low, it has a bitter finish.

Other than that, I don't really have much.

I am ok calling this an Australian Ale because the yeast I used was "Australian Ale Yeast (White Labs #WLP009)".

Rocktoberfest 2017

So, the Colorado Rockies had a great start to their season.

They've cooled down quite a bit since about late June and there is no way they will catch the Dodgers for the NL West.

However, they are still in the NL Wildcard race.

If the MLB season were to end today, the Rockies would be in the Wild Card game.

I'm not really a baseball fan, but I do like to go to baseball games from time to time for the experience. And I think Denver is an awesome baseball town when the Rockies are playing well.

Unfortunately, the Rockies are usually out of the playoff hunt by July, so their fans really have to enjoy it when there is a chance to do so.

As luck would have it, I have a beer that should help the Rockies get into the post-season. I actually kegged it this past Sunday.

Rocktoberfest Lager

T.Ra.Sh. Light Lime Mexican Lager

Ska brewing company makes an excellent summer beer called "Mexican Logger".

I really like this beer. It is light and refreshing with lots of Saaz hop flavor.

I recently listened to a pod cast from The Brewing Network on which the Can you Brew It guys cloned the recipe based on an interview with the guys from Ska.

The guys from Ska referenced several times that they liked to drink this beer with a lime in it.

You may remember the whole story behind T.Ra.Sh. Mexican Lager. If not, feel up to read up on it. I'll wait.

So, this interview with Ska made me think I wanted a similar beer to the Ska Mexican Logger.

2017 Q2 SheppyBrew Stats

Again, I am embarrassed about how late this the quarterly results of the SheppyBrew Brewery as being posted.

I apologize.

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:http://blog.ericshepard.com/search/label/Brew%20Stats .

Melting Stream Spring Saison

2017 Hail Storm Summer Saison

It is summer again.

You know what that means? Summer Saison time. Sheppy Brew's Hail Storm Summer Saison.

Yummy.

If you follow my brewing patterns, you probably have realized that I brew quite a few Saisons. Four Saisons a year. One for every season (saison is French for season). I call them my Seasonal Saison Series.

I just recently finished drinking my Melting Stream Spring Saison and last Sunday it was time to brew the Summer Saison.

Yum!

#GCCUSA 1 Week Update

If you follow me on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter, you know how I've been doing on the Great American Cycle Challenge so far.

If you don't follow me on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter, you likely don't care.

But I'll tell you anyway.

Things for going great so far.

I could tell you how great, but chances are the totals will be higher when you read this than now when I am writing it.

But, luckily for you, it is possible to see the most recent totals:

Eric Shepard's Great Cycle Challenge Page

W is for Wits End Brewing Company

The end is in sight.

After V is for Vine Street Pub and Brewery, I only have 4 more letters in the alphabet.

So far, I've found Denver-area breweries that have started with all the letters from A to V. Will I be able to finish off the alphabet? Considering you've probably read the title of this post, you know I've found my W brewery.

Just in case you're new to this blog, and the concept of what I'm talking about ... check out Sheppy's Blog: A to Z ... I think you'll be able to figure out the concept. Pretty simple, I'm attempting to visit local breweries, and I'm following the alphabet to decide the order that I am visiting them.

And after V comes ... W.

W is for Wits End Brewing Company

Bob Dog ESB

I did something different last brew day.

I brewed a kit.

Sort of.

My newest local homebrew shop, Broadway Brew Supply, does this cool promotion every month.

They put together a clone kit with a local brewery and pick a charity. Part of the proceeds of the kit sales go to the charity.

For May, they picked The Brew on Broadway (BOB) and got a clone recipe of Placer ESB.

The charity they donated to was Maxfund, Denver's no-kill animal shelter.

I wanted to brew something, but I didn't really know what I wanted to brew. I saw the kits on facebook and thought ... "sure I'll give that a try".

#GCCUSA 22 Miles a Day

As you may have seen on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter, I have signed up for the Great American Cycle Challenge again this year.

If you want to remind yourself how last year worked .. see Sheppy's Blog: #GCCUSA

This year, I am pledging to ride an average of 22 Miles a Day over the month of June.

I've already raised $1,265, which is amazing. I have generous friends and family.

If you too, would like to donate, feel free to do so on my donation page:

Eric Shepard's Great Cycle Challenge Page

2017 Q1 SheppyBrew Stats

Well, This is embarrassing.

It is almost June and I still have not posted the 1st quarter results of the SheppyBrew Brewery.

Well ... I guess it is time to fix that.

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:http://blog.ericshepard.com/search/label/Brew%20Stats .

Arctic Vortex Winter Saison

The SheppyBrew Brewery brewed 5 batches of beer in the first quarter:

Boo Berry Wheat

I have a blueberry beer in my Kegerator.

Boo Berry American Wheat

Brew day was actually on April 30. I put it in a secondary fermentor on blueberry puree on May 13. I kegged it just a few days ago on the 21st.

Blueberry Beer is something the Beer Model really enjoys. I think out of all the fruit beers, blueberry is probably her favorite. Come to think of it, it is probably my favorite fruit beer as well.

Surprisingly this batch of beer is only my third since I came up with the recipe way back in 2012.

The way I make fruit beers is that I will make my standard base "wheat" beer recipe. Once it is done fermenting, I rack the beer on blueberry puree and some blueberry flavor extract.

I let this sit on secondary for a few days to a week. Then I keg. I will taste the beer and add more flavoring to taste.

2017 Melting Stream Spring Saison

I brewed this past weekend.

Due to family time commitments, I did something a little weird. I split the "brew day" over Saturday and Sunday.

Weird, right?

Well, we'll see how it turns out. I'm pretty sure it will be fine.

You may remember that I did something similar last time I made She Who Must Be Obeyed Wheat (see #SWMBO Wheat Brew Day). SWMBO turned out great, so I'm not concerned.

The beer I brewed is my 2017 Melting Stream Spring Saison.

For this batch, I decided to change up the recipe quite a bit. First, I made the OG (and therefore ABV) significantly less than previous years were. I also decided to try a new hop "Lemon Drop".

V is for Vine Street Pub and Brewery

Ok

After a great end-of-the-year run in the A to Z Denver Breweries series, 2017 has been somewhat slow.

I did hit U is for Ursula Brewery in late January, and nothing since then. I was hoping to finish this whole thing up by now. Obviously that has not happened.

Wondering what the hell I'm talking about ... check out Sheppy's Blog: A to Z ... I think you'll be able to figure out the concept.

And ... so what comes after U?

V.

V comes after U.

Are you ready ....

V is for Vine Street Pub and Brewery

Spring Forward Hoppy Wheat

I have another Local Home Brew Shop (LHBS) by me. Broadway Brew Supply.

Sort of.

It is in the same spot as an old LHBS. The old one closed and someone new purchased the space and opened a new shop.

Last week, I decided to stop by and check out the new spot.

It is different. It has a smaller sales space, but it seems like they have everything I need.

As I wandered around, I decided to go ahead and get some supplies for a brew day. I sort of came up with the recipe "on the fly". For the most part, the grain bill was basically the same as Summer Lovin' American Wheat.

I didn't pick any hops until I was looking at the hop selection. Denali Hops caught my eye. I've never used Denali hops. I thought I might as well try them out, and I grabbed some of those. I also grabbed one of my favorite hops, Columbus.

After I got home, I plugged in the "new" recipe and called it ...

Spring Forward Hoppy Wheat

2nd Batch of Helles in a Hand Bock-sket

I've won blue-ribbons on two beers in my brewing "career".

One of these competition wins was in the "2013 Arapahoe County Fair Battle of the Homebrews" for Helles in a Hand Bock-sket.

It was my 5A. Maibock/Helles Bock beer for my goal to expand my brewed recipes to at least one beer in all 23 BJCP beer categories.

I remember thinking when I was drinking this beer originally (in May) how great I thought this beer was.

I told myself ...

"I bet this would do great in a competition."

A couple months later, I entered the beer. I won first place in my category and 2nd place "Best in Show".

Not bad.

Fermented Salsa

Lately, I've had a few blog posts about Fermented Food.

If you spent any time at all on this blog, you realize that I brew lots of beer. I've also tried my hand in Mead and Cider making.

I obviously am into fermenting beverages ... but I am also fascinated by the process of fermenting food.

Fascinated.

It sort of blows my mind that by introducing bacteria, a food transforms from something very perishable into something that can last longer term.

Also, the whole health aspect of probiotics is very interesting. I read all the time how healthy with little buggers are. I hope this is a real thing, because the amount of probiotics I eat is quite a lot.

I've been making Yogurt for about two years now. I make and eat a lot of that.

For almost two years, I've been fermenting my own homemade Sauerkraut and Jalapeno Kraut.

More recently, I shared that I made some Fermented Zucchini.

My kids have also expressed interest in making cheese, which I think would be fun to get into.

Ello Poppet!

I like hoppy beers.

My wife (aka The SheppyBrew Beer Model) tells me she doesn't like hoppy beers, but quite often when I brew a hoppy beer, she tells me that she really likes it.

What she really means is that she doesn't like real bitter beers. While bitterness comes from hops, many flavors and aromas also come from hops.

My wife isn't alone in this confusion between the words "hoppy" and "bitter" when it comes to beers. I think part of the problem is that here in America, the IPA has become so popular, and for quite awhile, brewers just concentrated on making these more and more bitter. I think at this point, the American hop profile: pine, citrus, tropical has a subconscious association with bitterness which may or may not be there.

Often, when other hops are used .. English or German hops for instance, people don't even associate the more floral smooth spicy flavors as hoppy.

Anyway ...

One of the hoppy beers I make that my wife really loves is ...

Ello Poppet Czech Pilsner

I bought a yogurt maker

I bought a Dash Greek Yogurt Maker.

About a year ago.

I got an Amazon gift certificate that Christmas and I decided to spend some it on a yogurt Maker.

Perhaps you remember that I had been making yogurt in a crockpot. You can read about my yogurt-making adventures at Sheppy's Blog: Yogurt.

I still do make homemade yogurt about once a week. But for the last year, I've been using a device intended for making yogurt.

When it comes right down to it, the yogurt "Maker" is really just an incubator with a couple of containers. It keeps milk warm while bacteria converts it to yogurt.

#SWMBO Wheat Brew Day

I brewed Sunday.

She Who Must Be Obeyed Wheat. ... aka SWMBO.

SWMBO came about in summer of 2013 because I needed to brew something for my wife's (aka The Beer Model ... aka SWMBO) side of the kegerator.

I felt like I wanted to brew a new recipe ... not one of the recipes I've brewed over and over and over for her. You can read more about the details on the Sheppy Brew SWMBO page, but I grabbed recipe elements from  Laser Salt, Buckwheat's BPA,  Ello Poppet. and Summer Lovin' Wheat.

As it turned out, it was a fantastic beer. It is one of those beers that both The Beer Model and I can enjoy.

So ... I brewed it Sunday. Sunday was sort of a busy day on our family calendar, and I screwed with my process just a little bit to fit things in.

I got the mash started before the sun came up. Nothing unusual about that.