#GCCUSA Tribute Day Pictures

We're getting close!! In September, I'll be cycling 1000 miles in September to help raise awareness and money to fight childhood cancer.

It is called the Great Cycle Challenge.

If you'd like to help out, head to my "Rider Page" at 

https://greatcyclechallenge.com/Riders/EricShepard

Buena Vista Photos

As I mentioned in E is for Eddyline Brewery, my wife (aka the SheppyBrew Beer Model) and I spent the weekend in Buena Vista, Colorado this past weekend.

Our wedding anniversary is coming up, and this was a weekend get-away as a sort of pre-celebration of our 27th.

Yes, for some reason, she's put up with me for almost 27 years.

In addition to visiting a brewery, we also spent time biking and hiking.

We also brought a kayak and her paddle 

The weather wasn't the best, but a weekend in the mountains is always great even when the weather isn't perfect.

Here are some pictures from the weekend ....

E is for Eddyline Brewery

As you know if you've been following the A to Z Denver Breweries series of posts, the SheppyBrew Beer Model and I decided to push on with the 4th round of the project.

A couple of weeks ago, I posted D is for Denver Beer Company - Downing, so obviously we needed an "E" brewery.

As I mentioned in that post, According to the Colorado Brewery Map & List, we had a bit of a challenge coming up with a brewery to use for "E".

One thing I didn't share in that post, though, was that the Beer Model (aka my wife) and I had a weekend get-away planned to Buena Vista, which is a couple hour drive from Denver.

This past weekend, we took that trip and located in Buena Vista ... is a brewery whose name starts with the letter "E" ...

E is for Eddyline Brewery

August Chatfield Kayak / SUP Photos

Saturday morning, I got up early and rode my bike up to Evergreen and back down to my house.

I call this my Evergreen Loop.

It was only a 43 mile, 3 mile ride, but it was almost 3,700 feet of climbing.

When I returned from the bike ride, my wife (aka The SheppyBrew Beer Model) informed me that we would be going to Chatfield Reservoir to Kayak and Paddle Board.

The kids were not going. So, just me and the Beer Model.

It was a hot August day, which meant that lots of people were out at Chatfield Reservoir, but we were early enough that our normal spot to park wasn't very full at all.

Double Batch of N.T.S.

So, last year, I came up with a recipe for N.T.S. Faux Pilsner, which was an experiment to see if I could ferment a lager-like beer at a hot fermentation temperature with LalBrew Voss - Kveik Ale Yeast.

In my various brewing forums, lots of people say they make "pseudo-lagers" with various Kveik yeasts at higher temperatures.

The N.T.S. Faux Pilsner was a nice beer, but it was not very lager-like in my opinion.

The Voss - Kveik Ale Yeast imparts a very ale-like character. It is great for Pale Ales and IPA's. I even tried it out in my McShepardSons "Irish" Ale.

I just wouldn't consider it for "lager" beers.

Regardless, I liked the N.T.S. Faux Pilsner, and wanted to brew it again. I brewed it last Sunday.

I've gotten to a point where I'm low-ish on beer, so I thought it would be a good opportunity to brew a double batch to help get my beer supply back to normal levels.

D is for Denver Beer Company - Downing

As you know if you've been following the A to Z Denver Breweries series of posts, the SheppyBrew Beer Model and I decided to push on with the 4th round of the project.

Towards the end of July, I posted C is for Comet Brews, and I'm sure you know if you are familiar with the concept and the English alphabet, next up we needed a "D" brewery.

According to the Colorado Brewery Map & List, we had a ton of "D" breweries that we could choose from.

You may also know that on Saturday I completed my First Century Ride of 2022.

If you were paying attention to that post, you probably already know which brewery we chose.

D is for Denver Beer Company - Downing

 

First Century Ride of 2022

This past Saturday, I did my first Century Bike Ride of 2002.

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.

If you've been following me, on this blog, you know I'm "training" for September. 

In September, I'm riding 1,000 miles to help raise awareness and money for the Children's Cancer Research Fund with the Great Cycle Challenge.

If you can afford it and are against childhood cancer, you should donate some money to help with the cause. If you want to help my fundraising effort ... you can donate at

https://greatcyclechallenge.com/Riders/EricShepard

Drinking my Merican Lite Lager

I brewed Jethro Bud Nelson Merican Lite Lager (Batch 312) on June 12th. It was kegged on June 28th. 

We had a trip scheduled to Lake of the Ozarks with the Beer Model's sisters and brother and their families, and as the adults in that group are mostly BMC beer drinkers I thought they might like to try the Merican Lite Lager.

So, I tried to refrain from drinking until we went on the trip. But, the weekend before, I spent some time comparing the Jethro Bud Nelson to some other American Light Lagers.

Tivoli Brewing Company makes an American Light Lager called Outlaw that I've really started to enjoy over the past few months, and I thought it would be the most logical comparison.

On Track for #10Everestsin2022

It is only about a month before I start riding for the 2022 Great Cycle Challenge to help fight kid's cancer.

I'm pledging to ride 1000 miles in September and asking sponsors to donate money to the Children's Cancer Research Fund, which is a national nonprofit dedicated to ending childhood cancer.

I've been doing this since 2016, and in total I've raised over $15,000 thanks to generous friends and family.

I'm hoping to raise $2500 this year. Right now I'm at $931.50. Most of most my most generous past donors have not donated yet, so $2500 is certainly likely.

If you'd like to help out, head to my "Rider Page" at 

https://greatcyclechallenge.com/Riders/EricShepard

Last Minute Brew Day

My parents were visiting this past weekend, and because of that, I had no plans to brew.

When we were talking about things we might do on Sunday, my dad asked me what I would usually do on a Sunday if they were not here.

As most of my Brew Days are on Sunday, brewing beer came up as something I might do on a Sunday.

He thought it might interest them to watch me brew.

Since I didn't have any grains my initial reaction was that brewing wasn't really a realistic option.

But ... one of the wonderful things about living where I do is that I have access to multiple Homebrew Shops within reasonable driving distance.

I called Tom's Brew Shop to make sure they were open on Sundays. They are. I was actually surprised to learn that they open at 9AM on Sundays. I sort of assumed 10AM.

C is for Comet Brews

As you know if you've been following the A to Z Denver Breweries series of posts, the SheppyBrew Beer Model and I decided to push on with the 4th round of the project.

Not too long ago I started with A is for A Bit Twisted Brewpub.

Then, I continued on with B is for Bull and Bush Brewery.

As I mentioned last time, according to the Colorado Brewery Map & List, we had a ton of "C" breweries that we could choose from.

A couple of weekends ago, my wife (aka, the SheppyBrew Beer Model) wanted to get out on her bike. It was really hot and so neither of us really wanted to go real far.

It just so happens that we have a "C" brewery right in downtown Littleton, which is a nice little bike ride from our house.

C is for Comet Brews

Smoked Mac and Cheese with Ham

I've mentioned before on this blog many times that my family really loves Smoked Mac and Cheese.

I never follow the recipe exactly, but it is based on what I have in my original Smoked Mac and Cheese blog post.

I made some Smoked Mac and Cheese a couple weeks ago.

Usually, I add bacon, but this time, part of the reason I made it was to use up the ham that I had vacuum sealed and frozen from last Easter Ham I made.

Other than replacing the bacon with ham, I didn't really make any major modifications.

It turned out awesome. I really liked the ham in the dish, although it really is difficult to beat bacon.

Here are some pictures:

Summer Lovin' American Wheat (Batch 314)

I wasn't able to brew Sunday, but luckily Monday was a holiday.

I brewed Summer Lovin' American Wheat on the 4th.

This is the 6th time I've brewed this recipe. Already the 2nd time I've brewed it in the Anvil Foundry.

It was my 11th batch of the year. I'm already at 61 gallons for the year.

If I'm keeping track accurately, this is the 314th batch of beer I've brewed in my homebrewing "career".

I actually started later in the evening on the 3rd by getting the water ready and then starting the mash right before I went to bed.

Then, I was up early in the morning to drain the basket and get the boil started.

Chatfield SUP Photos

This past weekend was Independence Day weekend, which also happens to be the Beer Model's Birthday Weekend.

On Saturday, we decided to pack up the kayaks and paddle board and head over to Chatfield Reservoir for a day of water activities and lunch brats on the portable grill.

We have 3 portal water crafts to share amongst 4 family members, so there is always someone sitting on the beach when we go.

I had the grill to manage and some beer to drink while I was sitting on the beach. This time, I also remembered to bring a bluetooth speaker to listen to music.

Eric's Pale Ale vs Dale's Pale Ale

On June 5th, I brewed the last of my Homebrew 6 Pack Project, Eric's Pale Ale. 

Check out Eric's Pale Ale (batch 311), if you're interested in reading about that brew day. 

Eric's Pale Ale was inspired by the Oskar Blues classic beer ... Dale's Pale Ale. Last Sunday, while smoking some ribs, I decided to compare Eric's Pale Ale with Dale's Pale Ale. 

Since I happened to have on in the fridge, I also pulled out a can of Double Dale's to drink as well.

2022 Hail Storm Summer Saison (batch 313)

The first day of summer was last Tuesday, which means it is an acceptable time to brew my Summer Saison.

This summer is the 9th time I've brewed this recipe. According to my records, it is the 313th batch of beer I've brewed since I started way back in 2009.

It is my 38th batch of beer that I've brewed on the Anvil Foundry.

I picked up ingredients from Tom's Brew Shop on Wednesday.

I started an "overnight mash" on Saturday.

I brewed early Sunday morning.

Hail Storm Summer Saison

B is for Bull and Bush Brewery

It was only a couple short weeks ago that I posted A is for A Bit Twisted Brewpub.

As you know if you've been following the A to Z Denver Breweries series of posts, the SheppyBrew Beer Model and I decided to push on with the 4th round of the project.

It is somewhat mind blowing that we've visited over 78 breweries in the Denver area and still believe we can get through another round of 26 A to Z Breweries.

The Denver area has a ton of local breweries.

Obviously, since we just completed "A", we needed a "B" Brewery.

I mentioned last post that we had lots of choices of breweries that started with the letter B.

So what did we choose? The Beer Model had a brewery picked out.... Big B Little B. What begins with B?

B is for Bull and Bush Brewery

2022 Fathers' Day Camping at Turquois Lake Part 2

As I mentioned in 2022 Fathers' Day Camping at Turquois Lake Part 1, my family took me camping at Turquois Lake, which is just West of Leadville, Colorado for Fathers Day weekend.

I promised more pictures. Here there are.

Part 1 was pretty much all kayaking and SUP pictures. 

This post will have more camping and hiking pictures.

2022 Fathers' Day Camping at Turquois Lake Part 1

The past few Fathers' Days, I've posted photos of camping trips my wife and kids have taken me on.

I love camping, and my family knows this so Fathers' Days are pretty consistently times that I actually get to go camping.

Last year, in fact, the only camping trip I went on was Fathers' Day weekend. (see Fathers' Day 2021 in RMNP (Part 1) and Fathers' Day 2021 in RMNP (Part 2).

This past weekend was Fathers' Day 2022, and my family took me camping at Turquois Lake, which is just West of Leadville, Colorado.

It just happens to be the same place we went for Father's Day Weekend 2020Father's Day Weekend 2020.

It is a nice camping area and has the lake where we can Kayak and SUP, which is a lot of fun.

KFC Thighs

KFC. Kettle Fried Chicken. 

Chicken thighs are probably the meal I make most on my weber kettles.

For awhile, I was really experimenting a bunch with KFC. Lately, I have made more non-kettle-fried.

Last Sunday, I found a box of "Easy Bake Chicken Seasoned Coating Mix" in the pantry. I don't remember buying it, but I must have at some point. Since I had it, I thought I'd try it out.

So I did.

The box had two bags in it. I applied one bag to my chicken. As it turns out, this covered exactly half of the chicken thighs I had.

So, I made some of my own coating to cover the rest of them. Some flour. Some seasoning.

A is for A Bit Twisted Brewpub

It was just last week that I posted A to Z Denver Breweries Round 3.

As I mentioned, it looks like there are still enough breweries in the Colorado Brewery Map & List that I believe we can do a round 4.

This past weekend, we decided to go ahead and start round 4 with an "A" brewery.

There were a couple of good candidates on the List.

When it came right down to it, though, there was one that made more sense than the others ...

Big A. Little A. What begins with A?

A is for A Bit Twisted Brewpub

Jethro Bud Nelson Merican Lite Lager (Batch 312)

I've been married to the SheppyBrew Beer Model for a long time ... almost 27 years ... but I've known her even longer.

We met in college at Bradley University in Central Illinois when she was 20 years old.

Her parents were a tad over-protective of their daughter, and they didn't really like me much. Luckily, they lived about 3 hours from the University.

One weekend, they were down visiting, and the future Beer Model thought it best that we avoid each other.

So, even then, I knew that I must obey this woman. 

I disguised myself in sunglasses, a big floppy hat, and a flannel shirt. I instructed my friends not to call me Shep or Sheppy or Shepardieux while her parents were there.

Instead, they called me Jethro. Jethro Bud Nelson was my alias.

Colorado Vienna Lager vs Upslope Mexican Dark Lager

Remember in Colorado Vienna Lager vs Modelo Negra, I compared my Colorado Vienna Lager to both Modelo Negra and to  Prost Munich Dunkel.

While the styles have similar characteristics, these are not really Vienna Lagers.

I mentioned that I had cans of Upslope's Mexican Dark Lager in my fridge that I also should have compared (see U is for Upslope Brewing Company).

I typed "Maybe I'll do that side-by-side sometime soon."

Last Sunday, I did my side-by-side.

Upslope's Mexican Dark Lager still isn't a Vienna Lager. Honestly, it is closer to Modelo Negra than either of the other beers. But still, it was fun to compare.

Eric's Pale Ale (batch 311)

It is difficult for me to believe that I posted Updating the Homebrew Colorado 6 pack over a year ago.

Since that time, I brewed Sin Lima Mexican Lager (batch 293) to represent Ska's Mexican Logger and Caliente Fuerte Mexican Stout (Batch 300) to represent Copper Kettle Mexican Chocolate Stout in the 6 pack.

I actually decided that T.Ra.Sh. Light Mexican Lager (batch 292) was a better match for Ska's Mexican Logger. (see T.Ra.Sh. Light Mexican Lager vs Ska Mexican Logger)

Anyway ... that left one last beer for my Colorado Homebrew 6 Pack.

A beer inspired by a Colorado classic, Dale's Pale Ale ... 

Eric's Pale Ale

A to Z Denver Breweries Round 3

Ok ... well ... as of Z is for BruZ Beers, the SheppyBrew Beer Model and I are done with Round 3 of our A to Z Denver Breweries series of posts.

In November of 2020, I posted A is for Altitude Brewing & Supply.

And just a few days ago, I posted Z is for BruZ Beers. 

If my math is correct, that's 26 breweries in about 18 months.

That's faster than either Round 1 or 2. Mostly because the Beer Model has been more involved than in earlier rounds, and has been keeping us "on track".

Colorado Vienna Lager vs Modelo Negra

So ... I've been drinking Colorado Vienna Lager.

I think I've already had more of Colorado Vienna Lager (Batch 310) than I ever had of Colorado Vienna Lager (Batch 306) before the Disappearing Beer tragedy occurred.

At some point, I thought it would be fun to compare my Colorado Vienna Lager with commercial Vienna Lagers.

Unfortunately, it isn't real easy to find Vienna Lagers to buy. I remember hearing that Modelo Negra was considered a Vienna Lager, but when I looked it up on Untappd, it is listed as a Munich Dunkel.

I looked around at my favorite beer store, and I didn't see anything labeled Vienna Lager.

So I picked up Modelo Negra. Just for fun, I also picked up a six pack of Prost Munich Dunkel cans.

Z is for BruZ Beers

Big Z. Little Z. What begins with Z?

A Zizzer-Zazzer-Zuzz as you can plainly see. Well ... not in this case.

Hard to believe that after today's blog post, we're done with round 3 of the A to Z Denver Breweries series of posts.

Round 3 began with A is for Altitude Brewing & Supply in late 2020.

Considering the CoVid craziness, this round has gone surprisingly quickly. The SheppyBrew Beer Model is keeping us on track.

So ... According to the Colorado Brewery Map & List, the only "Z" brewery that we have not already covered is in Fort Collins, which is a bit farther than we would want to travel to go to a "Denver area" brewery.

So ... we had to take a little artistic license...

Z is for BruZ Beers

My 4th of #10Everestsin2022

As of today, I've climbed 118,625 feet on my bikes this year. Over 4 times the elevation of Mount Everest.

The peak of Mount Everest is 29,032 feet above sea level. 4 x 29,032 = 116,128. So, 118,625 feet is 4.02 Everests.

My goal in 2022 is to climb 10 Everests, 290,320 feet. Today, I'm ahead of  "schedule" ... just barely.

Y is for Wild Blue Yonder Brewing Company

We're almost done with round 3 of the A to Z Denver Breweries series of posts.

Since mid - April, we've done V is for Vision Quest Brewing Company, W is for Wah Gwaan Brewing Company, and X is for Bruz Off FaX.

After "X" comes "Y", so obviously we needed to come up with a "Y" brewery.

In round 1, we went to Y is for Yak and Yeti Restaurant and Brewpub.

In round 2, we used Y is for Over Yonder Brewing Company.

As I mentioned in X is for Bruz Off FaX. we wouldn't be traveling to the Yampa Valley to check off the "Y" brewery. So, we'll have to take a little artistic license again.

The SheppyBrew Beer Model scanned the Colorado Brewery List, and came up with a few possibilities. When it came right down to it, there was only 1 real choice ...

Y is for Wild Blue Yonder Brewing Company

Chuck Roast in the Snow

Chuck Roast is something I end up smoking quite a bit.

Ever since Chuck Roast on Weber Kettle and Crock-pot ... way back in late 2019, my process in cooking Chuck Roast is to smoke it for 3 or 4 hours, and then put it in the crock pot for the rest of the day.

This allows me to get done with the smoking early in the day. When the chuck is in the crock pot, I don't have to pay attention to it.

So ... I can spend the part of the day when the rest of my family is up doing something else.

It works out great. At some point I may try the same process with a pork butt.

Anyway ... as I mentioned in a couple of posts recently, the Denver area got a bunch of snow Friday night into Saturday. I cleared out the snow to get a chuck roast on the kettle.

Catching up on #5000MilesIn2022

So ... 

Today is the 22nd of May. 

If you've been following my updates on my #5000MilesIn2022 goal, you know that my Strava mileage goal is 5,000 miles.

You also know that so far this year, I've been behind plan. As of the beginning of this month I was 30 miles behind plan.

To reach 5,000 miles, I need to average 12.7 miles per day. If I'm counting right, today is the 142nd day of the year.

To be "on plan" for my goal, I should be at 1945 miles today.

Manitou Incline

On May 19, 2022, Alexa told me that the temperature out side my home was 89 degrees.

Today is the 20th and I'm watching it snow. The high temperature was 39.

50 degree drop overnight. Awesome. 

We are going to get a significant amount of snow. One of the things I love about living in Colorado is these late spring snow storms ... but still ... this is crazy.

Anyway ... today I climbed the Manitou Incline.

The Manitou Incline is a popular but strenuous hike up 2744 steps over around .87 miles and climbing over 2000 vertical feet. The average grade is over 45% and the maximum is 68%.

It is a difficult hike.

Mothers' Day Kettles

This past Sunday was Mothers' Day.

My wife's parents were visiting so we had two mothers in the house.

My older son also came home from college.

The two mothers decided they wanted grilled ribeye steaks for their dinner, which at our house means I had to cook.

As I generally reverse-sear my steaks, the 6 ribeyes fit just perfectly around my vortex on the 26 inch kettle.

In order to get sides done, I needed to pull out both of my Weber Kettles, and do the sides on my 22 inch.

The main side I made was the dish I made for Easter, Pecan Smoked Potatoes Au Gratin. I also grilled some corn.

SheppyBrew Beer Names

So ... one of my favorite homebrew podcasts is the The Brülosophy Podcast.

One of their recent episodes ... Episode 232 | exBEERience: Naming Beers ... got me thinking about how I go about naming beers.

Apparently, not all homebrewers name all their beers, but I certainly do. Some of these names only make sense to me, but they all have at least some thought put them.

So ... what are some of the themes in my beer names?

Sports teams

Lots of my beers are named for my favorite sports teams ... lead, of course, by the Chicago Blackhawks.

Blackhawk Black Ale is pretty obvious. Tommy Hawk APA is named after the Blackhawks' mascot. Chelsea Dagger Pre-Prohibition Lager celebrates the Blackhawks with the song that plays after each of their goals. 

I've also celebrated the Cubs' world series with Cubs Win! Munich Dunkel. And the Colorado Rockies making it to the world series with Rocktoberfest Lager.

I even named a beer based on my hatred of a football team: Pats Disliker New England Pale Ale.

Mid-week Pork Butt

It is rare that I get to cook during the work-week. Even more rare to do a long BBQ / Smoke.

Due to the covid shutdowns, I now work at home, so there is really no reason not to do long cooks like Pork Butt and Brisket. We just mostly think of those as weekend meals.

Anyway ...

This past week, my nephew, AKD Bluefield (my sister's son), was on a post-college road-trip with 3 of his friends and stayed with us a couple of nights.

My wife worked on Tuesday, and we thought we should feed AKD and his friends. I decided to smoke a pork butt for dinner so she wouldn't have get home and try to get something cooked for a larger-than-normal group.

Colorado Vienna Lager (Batch 310)

Remember that in my post "Disappearing Beer" I shared that I didn't get to drink most of my first batch of Colorado Vienna Lager?

Heck ... I didn't even get to check it in on Untappd! (Yes, I check in most of my homebrewed beers on Untappd).

I've been wanting to brew Colorado Vienna Lager again so I could enjoy more of the beer.

Friday, I got the Root Shoot malts at my favorite homebrew shop, so that I could brew it on the weekend.

On Saturday, I prepared my water and set the timer to heat up while I was sleeping. I got up early Sunday to brew ...

 Colorado Vienna Lager

X is for Bruz Off FaX

Last week I posted W is for Wah Gwaan Brewing Company.

If you've been following along on the A to Z Denver Breweries series of posts, and are familiar with the English alphabet, you know that it is time for us to post about an "X" brewery.

Well ... according to the Colorado Brewery List ... there are no breweries in Colorado which start with the letter X.

In round 1, we took artistic license with X is for WestFaX Brewing Company.

In round 2, we shamelessly cheated with X is for Mad Jack's [JaX] Mountain Brewery.

This past Saturday, the SheppyBrew Beer Model and I had to take artistic license again with ...

X is for Bruz Off FaX

Biking update ...

Today is May 1st.

Last year by May 1st, I'd ridden 1,689 miles and climbed 104,466 feet on my bikes.

This year, I'm still behind last year, but I think I'm catching up. So far this year, I've ridden 1,627 miles and climbed 88,448.

Last time I reported my cycling numbers, I was 108 behind "plan" to reach #5000MilesIn2022. Now I'm only 30 miles behind plan.

I was 8,327 feet behind plan to get to #10EverestsIn2022. Now, I'm 7,795 feet behind.

Pulled Pork Shepard's Pie

Remember a few weeks ago I made Brisket Shepard's Pie? It turned out awesome.

At the time I mentioned that I would probably like to try a pulled pork Shepard's pie at some point too.

Well ... I had some frozen left over pork butt in my freezer that I decided to put into Shepard's Pie this past weekend.

W is for Wah Gwaan Brewing Company

Can you believe we're already at "W" in round 3 of our A to Z Denver Breweries series of posts?

Back in February of 2015, I was embarrassed by the huge number of Denver Breweries that I had never visited.

It struck me that if I went down the list, the starting letters of the brewery names represented almost every letter of the alphabet. That was when I started my A to Z Denver Breweries Project on this blog.

I finished Round 1 in February of 2019.

At that point, I started back at A, and got through round 2 by November of 2020.

And ... now here we are at "W" of round 3.

As I mentioned in V is for Vision Quest Brewing Company, we actually had quite a few "W" breweries to choose from.

Saturday, we picked one ...

W is for Wah Gwaan Brewing Company

Easter Ham

As I mentioned in Easter Saturday Ribeye Roast, I made the mistake of asking my kid what he wanted for Easter dinner.

His answer was "Ham".

I guess the good news is that I've cooked enough "Double Smoked" Hams over the years that I've pretty much have it down.

Basically I follow the "recipe" that I used for the 2019 Easter Ham and the Christmas of 2018 Double Smoked Ham.

The only real difference this time was that I did the actual cooking on the Weber Kettle.

Just as I did last time, I created a glaze. The ingredients were a little different, but it was the same idea.

Easter Saturday Ribeye Roast

Last Easter, I bought a 12 pound Ribeye Roast, and cooked half of it for Easter dinner.

The other half, I vacuum sealed and froze to use at a later time.

I cooked New Year's Ribeye Roast, this year, but since it was on sale, I bought a fresh one for that meal. The one from last Easter remained in the freezer.

I got the roast out to thaw for this year's Easter dinner, but made the mistake of asking my son what he wanted as the main dish for Easter dinner.

He said "Ham".

So, as I had thawed Ribeye Roast, I decided I would make it for dinner Saturday.

Easter Saturday.

Spare Ribs

Just yesterday, I posted that the previous Sunday I had brewed my 2022 Melting Stream Spring Saison (Batch 309).

Later that day, I smoked a rack of Spare Ribs on my Weber Kettle.

At some point between the time I wrote that post and now, I was looking at Sheppy's Blog: Melting Stream, and noticed the title of blog post last time I brewed Melting Stream ...

Melting Stream and Spare Ribs.

I thought it was a cool coincidence that I smoked ribs last time I brewed this recipe.

I guess it isn't that amazing. I brew the Spring Saison every year, and I almost always smoke something on Brew Days.

I just thought it cool and I thought I'd share. So, that is what I'm doing now. Here are some pictures of my ribs:

2022 Melting Stream Spring Saison (Batch 309)

Spring has sprung here in the Front Range of Colorado.

Here ... that means a few nice sunny days in the 50's, 60's, or 70's followed by a couple cold snowy (or rainy) days followed by more sunny warm weather.

Because of this spring cycle ... melting snow from the mountains makes its way into streams. Rivers flow down into the high plains by Denver and to the East.

I love the image of the melting snow filling up the streams during this time of year.

This is what inspired the name for the SheppyBrew Spring Seasonal Saison ...

Melting Stream Spring Saison

Last weekend, I brewed it again. I've been brewing these Seasonal Saisons since 2014, and this is the 8th time I brewed Melting Stream.

V is for Vision Quest Brewing Company

Believe it or not ... we're getting really close to the end of the third round of our A to Z Denver Breweries series of posts.

About a month ago, we ventured out of the Denver area into Boulder for U is for Upslope Brewing Company.

This, of course, means that we needed a "V" brewery.

For round 1 ... we used V is for Vine Street Pub and Brewery.

In round 2 ... we just happed to have a trip planned to Vail at the right time and were able to use V is for Vail Brewing Company.

Believe it or not, if we're willing to travel a bit, there a few more "V" breweries we can use for this round, and any future rounds we might do.

This past Saturday, we decided to take a trip to the closest of these options in Boulder.

V is for Vision Quest Brewing Company

McShepardSons Comparison

Remember a couple weeks ago I brewed a double batch of McShepardSons Irish Ale (Batch 308)?

Well ... I did.

In one fermentor, I pitched Voss Kveik Ale Yeast. In the other I used SafAle English Ale.

The Voss ferment finished up in a few days. The English ferment finished about a week later.

Friday after work, I decided to compare the two beers.

They are both beautiful red ales, but the colors are slightly different. The kveik ale is just a touch darker. I think this is mostly due to the Voss beer having more time to clarify. 

Groomsday Pic Pint

My friend "Joe" contacted me again a couple weeks ago, letting me know that he wanted to send me another gift to help promote a new site ... "Groomsday".

He thought I might like one of the company's laser-engraved Personalized Groomsmen Beer Glasses.

I agreed, and sent him a picture of myself so that he could send me a Laser Engraved Pic Pint.

All glasses are engraved by our amazing artist, who extracts your guys out of the pictures you send him and engraves them on the glass. This beer glass holds 15 oz, the perfect amount to enjoy.