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

Roll-a-Style 14 ... 16A. Sweet Stout

Learn to Homebrew Day is coming up on the first Saturday of November. At this point, I'm planning on getting together with my brewing buddies Du and Doc, but I'm not sure if this will be a travel brew day or if I'll end up hosting.

Anyway ... I was recently thinking about what I'd brew, and came across a recipe in Beer Smith that I developed at some point.

Pack o' Hooligans Stout is actually a 16A Sweet Stout. At some point I must have gone to my Roll-a-Style list and "rolled" 14 on an online 20-sided die ... 

 

Y is for BerkeleY AlleY Beer CompanY

Have you been following along on out A to Z series of posts?

Are you excited to find out what Denver-area brewery is next.

If you have, you know that we posted W is for Wanderment Brewing a couple weeks ago.

You also know that next up is "Y", and you probably also know that according to the Colorado Brewery Map & List, we didn't really have any options of breweries that actually start with the letter "Y".

And ... you also know that we don't let that sort of thing stop us ...

Are you excited to find out what we picked? Are you? ARE YOU? The Beer Model picked:

Y is for BerkeleY AlleY Beer CompanY

2024 Will-o-Wisp Autumn Ale (Batch 363)

Well ... as you may have figured out from what I've been posting on this blog, at some point I made a decision to brew SheppyBrew Seasonals for every month this year.

Somewhat surprisingly I've stuck with this so far, and now that we're in October, the beer I identified a couple years ago was Will-o'-Wisp Pumpkin Ale.

However, although this is one of one of SheppyBrew's Most Brewed Beers, it was never one that I was really a fan of.

The SheppyBrew Beer Model always wanted it. 

But, since I don't drink much of it, it tends to stick around quite awhile and last year, the Beer Model told me I shouldn't brew the Pumpkin Ale.

Instead, I took the base beer of the Pumpkin Ale and brewed it without spices or pumpkin ... 

Will-o'-Wisp Autumn Ale (no pumpkin)

2024 #GABF Friday Photos

As I mentioned in X is for EquinoX Brewing, this past weekend was GABF.

Like last year, we attended GABF with some of the Beer Model's brothers.

Unlike last year (and most years) we only attended the Friday night session.

I honestly don't have much to share about the Fest itself. It was creatively organized in a way that I was unable to figure out to find breweries. Maybe if I had attended more than one session it would have made more sense to me.

Regardless, it was fun.

Here are some random pictures ...

X is for EquinoX Brewing

Yes, we're getting close to the end of the 5th round of the A to Z Breweries Series of Posts.

It blows my mind how quickly we've been marking off breweries this time around.

I posted A is for AC Golden Tank Room in August of last year, and was already at W is for Wanderment Brewing earlier this month.

As I mentioned in W is for Wanderment Brewing, my choices for "X" in the Colorado Brewery Map & List are very limited.

In fact, I really didn't see anything to hit in the Denver area.

As luck would have it, this past weekend was GABF weekend, and some the SheppyBrew Beer Model's brothers were visiting from out of town.

On Thursday before GABF, they wanted to visit Fort Collins, and during the time we were up there, we were able to hit ...

X is for EquinoX Brewing

1519 Barker Exportbier

Style: Dortmunder / Export
ABV: 5.6%
IBU: 17
SRM: 5.5

Description:

Embark on a journey back to the roots of German brewing with 1519 Barker Exportbier, a classic Dortmunder Export that pays homage to the rich brewing traditions of Dortmund. This golden lager pours with a brilliant clarity, crowned by a creamy white head that invites you to savor its balanced and refined character.

Falling Leaves Autumn Saison

As the crisp air of autumn descends upon the Colorado foothills, the Falling Leaves Autumn Saison emerges as a tribute to the season's vibrant tapestry. This enchanting brew, with its rich amber hue, captures the essence of fall in every sip. Brewed with a harmonious blend of Pilsner, Munich, and White Wheat malts, it offers a complex malt backbone that is both robust and inviting.

The addition of Midnight Wheat Malt imparts a subtle depth, while the Magnum and Saaz hops provide a delicate balance of bitterness and floral notes. Fermented with the renowned French Saison yeast, this beer boasts a dry, farmhouse character that is quintessentially saison.

September #7100MilesIn2024 Progress

Well ... after my #1200MileSeptember ... I'm running so far ahead of the pace I need to accomplish my 2024 Strava goals ... #7100MilesIn2024 and #11EverestsIn2024, that I'm not even sure it makes sense to talk about them being goals.

I've ridden 6,311 miles so far this year, which means I only need 789 miles over the rest of the year to hit #7100MilesIn2024. That's only 263 miles per month. 

I've gained 325,183 feet in elevation so far, which means I only need 27,169 feet over the next 3 months. That's an average of only 9,056 feet per month.

I don't know the last time I've cycled that little in a month.

Now, I'm on pace to blow away my new Strava elevation goal, 348,384 (which is 12 x 29,032 feet).

If I continue on my mileage pace, I should be able to get way more than 7,200 miles.

2024 Q3 SheppyBrew Stats

It is already October, which blows my mind. Where did the summer go?

Of course, this means the 3rd Quarter of 2024 is done. We can report on the Q3 SheppyBrew Brewing Stats. 

When it comes right down to it, I'm sure no one besides myself really cares, but I like to look back on these posts to see how much I've brewed and what I was planning on brewing at certain points of the year.

As I've been saying, I expect that I'll brew less beer this year than I have for the past several years, and so far it does look like I'm tracking for a lower volume than 2023.

In fact, as of October 1 ... I was on track for just over 93 gallons for 2024, which would be the least amount I've brewed since 2018.

In this quarter, I brewed 4 batches of beer:

• Hail Storm Summer Saison ... 2024 Hail Storm Summer Saison (batch 359)
• N.T.S. Faux Pilsner ... N.T.S. Faux Pilsner (Batch 360)
• 1519 Barker Exportbier ... 1519 Barker Exportbier (Batch 361)
• Falling Leaves Autumn Saison ... 2024 Falling Leaves Autumn Saison (Batch 362)
  
  

W is for Wanderment Brewing

If you follow this blog at all, you probably know that we are getting close to finishing up round 5 of A to Z Breweries Series of Posts.

If you have not been following along, you probably don't care, but real quickly ...

The SheppyBrew Beer Model and I have been visiting (mostly) Denver Area breweries by going through the alphabet, and choosing a brewery that starts with the letter we're on.

We've been through the alphabet 4 times and are on round 5 right now.

Sometimes, we won't have a good option that actually starts with the letter we're on, so we have to take "artistic license".

For "V", we certainly had to take that "artistic license" with V is for Village, Greenwood, Downhill Brewing, but for "W" we actually had a couple of choices. This past weekend, we chose:

W is for Wanderment Brewing