You Might Be a Beer Nerd If...

Craft beer is infiltrating nearly every facet of life these days.  From bars, to weddings, to sporting events, you just can’t get away from it, even if you wanted to.  So, how can you tell if you’ve been caught in the wonderful riptide of craft beer and sucked out into beer nerd-dom?  Here are a few telltale signs.

You might be a beer nerd if...

Homebrew Recipe: Bold Beach House Brown Ale

Bold Beach House Brown

This was the third beer I made in my career, and of the first three it was by far the best. I brewed this recipe from the Northern Brewer Caribou Slobber kit I received the Christmas that homebrewing officially became cemented as a solid hobby. I was very pumped about this kit because it provided a lot more specialty grains – which at the time were fascinating to me. This is one of the more heavily advertised kits on Northern Brewer, and if you are a beginning brewer this will provide excellent results.

Happenings at Hacksaw Brewery

Everyone once in a while a lot of homebrewing related activities seem to happen all at the same time. This past Thursday was one of those days so I wanted to show you just how much you can get done in one evening if you're prepared!

The brewery workday started out with pulling every single bottle out of my wonderful Beer Cave. The label stripping and cleaning of these bottles was done over the last couple brew sessions. I was thankful to have all that done and just be able to pull the bottles out.  Also went ahead and got all my bottling equipment and the beers out. All of this would be needed for the tasks at hand.

Lagunitas Maximus Tasting

Lagunitas Maximus Double IPA

8.2% ABV, 72 IBU

Enjoyed 09.27.14

Background: Drinking on an NC State Football gameday always seems to bring out the best in me, or at least the best beers in my fridge… I have had Maximus sitting in the fridge for over a month and Down the Hall had been raving over it for much longer than that so finally I decided to crack her open after an NC State touchdown. Good thing I popped it when I did because it may have been the last touchdown my team will ever score. On to Maximus!

Brewery Visit: The Unknown Brewing Company

Whenever I travel, be it for business or pleasure, I always experience an inextricable desire to find and visit new breweries wherever I might be.  This is part of what makes me a beer nerd I suppose, but I also find that visiting a city’s breweries is a quick and easy way to experience the culture of the city as a whole.  Granted, different breweries might embody different parts of the city’s identity, but it is still always a fun and revealing endeavor to experience a slice or two of that pie. 

Homebrew Recipe: Pappy's Ol' Cough Medicine

Pappy's Ol' Cough Medicine Bourbon Imperial Stout (all grain)

Ah, the fall.  The time for pumpkin bread, pumpkin beer, and pumpkin spice lattes. Wait, those things already happened two months ago? Oh. Well, in that case, it's the perfect time to start planning your winter beer!  Truthfully though, if you're looking for a nice, warming, high gravity beer to enjoy all through the winter months, October is your time to get brewing. That was my motivation a year ago when I set out to brew a bourbon aged imperial stout.  In fact, one of the great things about big beers like this is that they will keep for quite some time. I even have a few more in the basement that I'm looking forward to enjoying by a campfire as the evenings get cooler (since it's actually fall now).

Sierra Nevada - Beer Camp 2014

As a Master’s graduation gift my mother in law bought me the Sierra Nevada Beer Camp pack. She didn’t know exactly what it was but she knew I would like it. It was an amazing gift that kept my tastebuds guessing all through the month of September as I worked my way through the wide range of styles. I’m just going to share a few notes on this journey. I’d love to know what you thought of the Beer Camp this year and if your experience was anything like mine!