Don't read this pre- #GABF post

One of the pleasant things about this time of year is all the photos of Oktoberfest women circulating the internet. Lots of these pictures really accentuate the chest-area of the photograph subjects. Based on the number of these pictures circulating, an overwhelmingly large percentage of German-beer-drinking-women are young, attractive, and have ample bosoms. Don't believe me? Check out the photos of the Oktoberfest facebook page. I did not look at every picture, but I sure didn't see any old, overweight, or small-chested women. I'm sure the Oktoberfest style of dress helps, but still.

Thursday Night #GABF Plan

If you follow this blog, you may remember that I am lucky enough to have tickets to 3 out of the 4 Great American Beer Festival sessions. Last year, I posted my Thursday night #GABF plan. I found that pretty much Thursday was the only night I actually was able to follow any sort of plan, and so I am doing it again this year.

This is obviously more for my benefit than for yours. I figure it is ok since I am probably the biggest fan that this blog has.

#GABF Week is here

Thursday is the first session of the 2012 Great American Beer Festival. 

Does anyone out there know why the GABF waits until Thursday to publish the actual beers at the festival?

I saw that the Colorado Beer Girl asked the same question on GABF: Why do you make us wait until the day OF for the beer list?!
One of the comments on the blog mention that there is a partial list at http://thefullpint.com/tag/gabf-2012-roundup/ This is nice, but I still don't know why the GABF makes us wait.

For some reason, the past few Mondays, someone has asked me how the Great American Beer Fest went. It is much later this year than it has been the past couple years, but still it seems odd that Denver area people are that confused as to when the GABF is.

Eric the Awful

You may remember that a couple weeks ago I asked my blog readers "What should I #HomeBrew Next?" Boo Berry Wheat won the vote, and Eric the Awful came in 2nd. I kegged and bottled the Boo Berry yesterday and today I brewed  Eric the Awful. Interestingly enough, I didn't actually close down the poll, and since that time, there have been quite a few votes for Ale to the Chief: Honey Porter.

 

Not really on topic, but my boys made cookies this weekend.

My kids and I have a game we play called "Eric the Awful" named after Ray Steven's song (see the video at the end of this post if you are unfamiliar with the song). The kids ride around on their bikes and I chase them. It is even more fun when friends of the boys join in. The game is hard work, but at least everyone gets pretty good exercise.

Novelty Beers ... Oct 2012 "Session"

Until last month, I had not heard of  "The Session" (aka Beer Blogging Friday). I only discovered it because I was mentioned on the blog "This is Why I'm Drunk" in the article When this baby hits 88 miles per hour … Aug. 2012 “Session” , which was part of the whole session thing. I'll let you read more about the concept here: http://brookstonbeerbulletin.com/the-sessions/

I looked at the October 2012 topic, Novelty Beers: A shout-out for October’s The Session, and decided I would participate. Why not?

With the onslaught of even weirder beers than before, I can’t help but wonder if novelty beers are going too far. Or maybe not far enough? LOL! As a merchant of beer, I can see the place for novelty beers, as I am choosing for some customers who say, “I want the strangest beer you have”. We’ve even seen some novelty beers in our top-sellers. But beer traditionalists sometimes frown on these new and bizarre concoctions.

 My initial response when reading the topic was, "Sheppy, we don't drink or brew novelty beers. What will we write about?"

But "Novelty" is a matter of perspective, isn't it?

#GABF and Bull Testicles

Yesterday, I talked about starting the formulation of my 2012 GABF game-plan. Well, after I posted the article, I saw something else I have to try at GABF.

Eric Gorski, who writes the Denver Post's "First Drafts" posted an article: "No joke: Wynkoop actually brews Rocky Mountain Oyster Stout". Yes, apparently Wynkoop is brewing up a Stout that uses bull testicles as an ingredient. They will be serving it at GABF.

Sure enough, Wynkoop's blog also talks about it.

Wynkoop did an April Fool's joke where they announced that they were planning on brewing this Stout. Now, apparently, the brew-pub decided that this was actually a good idea to brew for real.

Yuck.

#GABF Month

I cannot believe GABF month is already here.

I am excited.

Last week, I shared on the SheppyBrew Facebook Page the article The Greenhorn’s Survival Guide to GABF. If you are going to GABF, there is some great advice in there. Read it. I think especially the ones that help you from getting to out-of-control drunk are important.

• Do eat before arriving
• Do pace yourself
• Do drink a lot of water

Over indulging is a bad thing. Don't do it.

So, now that the festival is less than 2 weeks away, I need to start making my game plan.

September Blogging

September broke this blog's page view record, previously set in August which was previously set in July which was previously set in June which was previously set in May. In fact it has been since May of 2011 that I've been on a record breaking streak.

Do you want to know what posts have been most viewed over the last 30 days? Sure you do. Here we go ....

Bicycle Built for 7

This past Saturday, the Colorado Shepards drove up to Fort Collins Colorado.

We decided to check out "Swetsville Zoo". Bill Swets is a retired farmer who has a talent for welding and metal fabrication. Over the years, he was created hundreds of sculptures out of scrap metal. It is really amazing.

The most amazing thing to me is that admission is free. There is a little donation box, in which we made a deposit, but this is completely voluntary.

Brewing Boo Berry Wheat

Recently, I asked my blog readers "What should I #HomeBrew Next?". I did an online poll allowing anyone to vote as many times as they wanted.

Here are the results:

• 2 votes for Black IPA (someone entered it in the Other choice of the poll)
• 5 votes for Ale to the Chief: Honey Porter 
• 12 votes for Eric The Awful 
• 15 votes for Boo Berry Wheat

The Beer Model was pretty happy about the winner. To be honest, I was sort of rooting for Eric The Awful , but I can always brew that next. Actually, I am just glad I got so many votes on the poll.

Shrek and beer

I was looking through this blog's stats the other day. In the "Search Keywords" section for the day. One of the search entries was "шрек и пиво".

According to Google Translate, "шрек и пиво" is Russian for "Shrek and beer". Personally, when I google "Shrek and beer" or "шрек и пиво", I don't come across my blog. Apparently some Russian did, though. Of course, I don't know what search engine was used.

It is interesting to me, though, that someone out there came across my blog while looking for Shrek and beer. I wonder if he or she found what they wanted on my blog or if they just looked real quick, decided they were really looking for something else and then went on the the next search result. I'll never know.

What should I #HomeBrew Next?

I can't decide what to brew next. From time to time, when I have come across such dilemmas, I've called for votes on facebook and twitter to help me decide. Usually I get pretty good feedback, and am able to decide from the votes what to brew. This time I thought I would post an "official" on-line poll like I did in Help Me pick my #IPADay Beer.

So, here we go ... vote as early and often as you would like. If you don't like what I put in the poll, tell me what style you think I should brew in the "Other" choice.

All-Grain Version of the White House Honey Porter

In White House #HomeBrew Recipes, I told you that the White House had emailed me two beer recipes. Of course, they were extract recipes, and if I am going to brew one or both, I need all-grain versions.

I have not seen any all-grain versions of the recipes posted on the inter-webs, yet. So, I decided to go ahead and convert them. Of the two, I am more likely to brew the Honey Porter, so I started with that one. Chances are, I'll convert the other one soon.

You can look at the details of the recipe at Ale to the Chief: Honey Porter.

My #SourBeerDay

I would say that there are 3 kinds of people when it comes to sour beers. You love them or you hate them or you have not tried them.

Most people are in that "have not tried them" category. My wife is in the "hate them" category.

I am in the "love them" category.

As I mentioned last week, Saturday was #SourBeerDay. I really thought I was going to use the "holiday" as an excuse to stop by Crooked Stave's taproom and try a couple of Chad's beers. I never got around to it. Actually, I didn't even drink a sour beer and #SourBeerDay.

But what did I do?

What is #CraftBeer?

We have certainly established that I am a Beer Geek ... Beer Snob ... Craft Beer Fan ... Beer Whatever-you-want-to-call-me.

I like beer. Specifically, I enjoy Craft Beer.

I use the term "Craft Beer" all the time. For the most part, I have a clear picture what I mean when I use the term, but in some cases there is a little bit of technical gray area that bothers me a bit.

What exactly is "Craft Beer".

2012 Q3 SheppyBrew Stats

Can you believe we are into September already? I don't know about you, but for me, the summer has just flown by.

Since another quarter has ended here at the SheppyBrew Brewery, it is time again for me to share some more of my brewing stats (see SheppyBrew 2009 Stats, 1st Quarter Stats, 2nd Quarter Stats, 3rd Quarter Stats, SheppyBrew 2010 Stats, 1st Quarter Brewing Stats, 2nd Quarter Brew Stats, SheppyBrew Stats Q3 2011, 2011 SheppyBrew Stats, 2012 Q1 SheppyBrew Stats, 2012 Q2 SheppyBrew Stats).

Q3 started out a bit slow. In fact, after my last beer in Q2 (Summer Lovin' American Wheat), I did not brew again until the first weekend in August with Ello Poppet Czech Pilsner. As I mentioned in Ello Poppet and Root Beer, I really had to squeeze that brew day in.

So, all my 3rd Quarter brewing was done in August. I got 3 batches done (Ello Poppet, Rocktoberfest Lager, and Laser Salt Sandy Blonde Ale). This brings my 2012 total to 15 so far. Last year, I did 23 batches. There is no way I am going to do 8 batches this quarter to match last year.

#SourBeerDay is September 8th

I love sour beers. One of my #GABF goals every year is to try every sour I come across. As I've mentioned before, I plan on making a sour beer sometime in the "near" future.

I have just learned that September 8th is #SourBeerDay.

It is, obviously, like #IPADay and #StoutDay, only instead of celebrating IPAs and Stouts, this twitter holiday celebrates sour beers of all sorts.

The first sour beer I ever had was a happy accident. My first GABF, I came to the New Belgium booth very early in the night. In fact, I had only had one sample up until that point. I walked up, pointed to a random keg labeled "Eric's Ale", and asked for "some of that". Had I asked what "Eric's Ale" was, I don't know if I would have tried it, since I had never experienced a sour ale before.

But, I loved it. I absolutely loved it. I am bummed out that I have never found it since then. Since then, I have made it my mission at every GABF I have been to (this year will be my third) to try as many sours as possible.

2012 Duck Race Pictures

The Colorado Shepards attended the Breckenridge Duck Races again this year.

We are now officially on a winning streak. Connor's duck came in 28th in the Kids' Duck Dash and came away with a gift certificate to one of Breckenridge's fine establishments (in your face, Tweedle Beetles).

Here are some pictures:

White House #HomeBrew Recipes

I got an email from the White House yesterday. Yes, I am that big of a deal.

The reason I got this email, actually, is that I signed on online petition asking that the White House release its home-brew recipes to the public. You can see it at whitehouse.gov: "Release the recipe for the Honey Ale home brewed at the White House".

The petition was started on August 18th and as I type this, it has 12,240 signatures. Originally, the petition said it would need more than that (24,000?) signatures to "pass", but I guess the white house didn't see any reason not to share the recipes. They are not huge government secrets, and there was certainly interest out there.

I don't know if I will make either of the 2 recipes. Generally speaking, I don't use recipes from other people. Part of the fun of home-brewing is creating my own recipes. I may or may not make an exception here. The White House did make a special effort to email me.

If I do make them, at the very least, I will convert them to all-grain. Of course, I'll have to substitute some Colorado honey for the White House Honey.

Anyway, I think it is cool that the White House is home-brewing, and I think they made the right decision to share the recipes.

August 2012 Blogging

Around 10AM on the 30th, August broke this blog's page view record, previously set in July which was previously set in June which was previously set in May. In fact it has been since May of 2011 that I've been on a record breaking streak.

I suppose if you read this blog regularly enough to remember month to month, you're probably sick of hearing about it. At this point, I feel I have to report on this every month at least until the streak stops. I am sure it will eventually, but this month, you'll have to either ignore this post or suffer through it.

Bonus ... for the first time this year, I beat Mrs. Bluefield in our unofficial number-of-posts contest (not that it is a competition)..

Do you want to know what posts have been most viewed over the last 30 days? If so ....