Pivo Nation: A Beer Blog

Indianapolis - Brew-Drink-Vote-

2010-01-14T07:42:00.002-06:00

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Microbreweries could sell beer for takeout on Sundays under a bill endorsed by a Senate committee Wednesday.

http://www.latimes.com/business/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-us-in-alcohol-bills,0,2147098.story

They can also sell during voting hours on election day!!

Home Brew List

2009-12-16T07:47:00.002-06:00

Just finished and IPA/Lager, Lager, Pale Ale Rye HB, 10 gallons of Pinot Grigio. I am into the final stages of the pinot, 8 more days of clarifying, 14 days of polish and clearing then it's time for the bottle. Ready to drink early march, prime time to drink will be in May.

Xmas Beer Trees Revisited

2009-12-16T07:41:00.004-06:00

http://pivonation.blogspot.com/2007/12/beer-christmas-trees_07.html

Plus a few more I looked up this morning.

Updates

2009-10-02T08:15:00.003-05:00

Hops: My hops only produced a few cones, with the 60 plus days of 100+ temps it seemed to fool my hops into flowering too early, by the end of August the vines were already turning brown. The Willamette got to about 7 feet and the Nugget to about 3 0r 4. I am hoping they have a good root structure and will produce very well next year.

Beer: I have converted a small dorm fridge into a lager box for our first attempt at making a lager. The fridge still hovers around the low 30's, so we have put it on a timer to try to regulate it better, it seems to be in the high 40's low 50's now. If the wort we put in a few days ago doesn't show any signs of life since it was too cold, we will repitch with some fresh Lager yeast.

Ale: We made ten gallons of a light beer and are pitching each one with a different yeast and different fermenting temps, ale and lager. both will be dry hopped with fresh Cascade hops.

Whiskey: I am hoping to finally start the corn whiskey project once the temps drop into the lower 80's, so that makes short term moonshine by winter, and putting it in oak for about a year. I am hoping to get into a cycle so I can age it for three years and always have some on hand.

Pictures and more updates soon.

Hop Update

2009-05-28T14:01:00.004-05:00

Willamette: 1st vine is 59 inches tall, second one is about 36 inches. A third vine was starting to come up, so I plucked it and replanted it to see what will happen with it, so far it has lived three days. The leaves are getting eaten by something.

Nugget: 30 inches tall, second vine about 20 inches. Nothing seems to be eating the leaves.

I am getting a few leaves that something is eating on, as well as some small lighter blotches. I don't see any bugs or larvae during anytime of the day except maybe late night? See the images below.

Hop Update:

2009-04-27T19:34:00.003-05:00

This is the Nugget hops, two vines poking through, the Willamette is over six inches and started it first curl around the rope. Lots of rain today and this week. Catching as much as I can in the rain barrels!!

Baby brew is coming along nice.

Homegrown Hops

2009-04-20T13:09:00.009-05:00

I have converted a small space under my purple martin house to try and grow some hop vines. The location is that small strip of ground between two driveways. For most of it's life it has grown grass and weeds, but was converted into a small 3x5 raised bed. The existing sprinkler head was converted into a drip system to cover three vines. I have created an 3 small anchors and buried them when I filled in the beds. The ropes are attached to my purple martin house and it can raise and lower with a hand crank to check the vines. Rhizomes went in the ground in early April, and both have finally pushed up a small vine. The Willamette is faster than the Nugget. Pictures and better details soon.

Willamette - Hybrid of the Fuggle grown in Oregon. Moderate bitterness and spicy aroma. Alpha rating 4-6, used for bittering or finishing ales.

Uncle Billy's 2 Year Anniversary

2009-04-16T20:22:00.002-05:00

Homebrew: Belgian Style White

2009-04-15T16:03:00.005-05:00

White, Whit, Wit, Wheat Belgian Style. Last night we bottled about 19 gallons of bier. Brian and Travis were on hand to go through it quick. With the addition of El Keggo, it makes it easy to cook up 10 gallons at a time. 6 1/2 cases of 12 oz bottles, and 27, 22 0z bottles. Plus a few corkers, for a one year aging.

Baby Brew

2009-03-31T20:25:00.000-05:00

So Instead of doing cigars to announce my upcoming son's birth, I have decided to brew 20 gallons of beer and hand them out instead. It is going to be a Belgian style white beer and I plan to use some Satsuma peels from Breaux Bridge in December.

Nice town, cooler name!

2009-01-07T10:55:00.003-06:00

Down in Devon, down in Devon,
There's a village by the sea,
It's a little piece of heaven
And the angels call it Beer!

http://www.beer-devon.co.uk/

The Still

2009-01-06T11:12:00.003-06:00

My wife's grandfather used to make his own whiskey in Louisiana and last year her family gave me his old still. Of course this still did not come with instructions and needed a little retrofitting to make it work, but finally we distilled some water for a test run and everything went well. I was given his old recipes to make whiskey and he must have made a good spirit as there was a letter from Early Times, which he had sent in a sample. I will try to post the letter later but they said he made a good whiskey.

In his notes are a few recipes from his local distilling buddies. One of those was from a Mr. Tin Patin, who luck has it was still around in Breaux Bridge and I was able to meet with him and pick his brain on distilling. Mr. Patin said we would meet him at the "Asshole Club" when we came to visit, the club consists of a building that backs to the bayou filled with boiling pots, beer fridge, a table full of liquor, wood burning stove and just about everything else needed to have a good time. Mr. Patin gave me some good pointers on running the still as well as some comical stories from his past distilling adventures. He was taught to distill from his Uncle and informed me that everyone made whiskey back then, Judges, Priest, all walks of life. He no longer distills as according to Mr. Patin, his still must have grown legs and walked off his property many years ago.

Homebrew

2008-12-30T11:33:00.002-06:00

I just made a Firemans 4 style brew and a Magic Hat #9 with a brewing buddy Travis. As well as picked up some Satsuma Oranges from Louisiana to use in a Wit Bier. I will post pictures when we pour.

Gulden Draak

2008-11-07T16:33:00.005-06:00

Gulden Draak, from Van Steenberge, Ertvelde, East Flanders. Reddish brown with a slight bitter finish. Strong at 10.5. Described as being a good winter warmer with a long finish. My corked bottle seemed a little lacking on the bubbles but was still enjoyable.

Another beer from the same place is the golden, hoppier Piraat Ale, also available in a corked bottle. I didn't have the camera set up when I tasted this one.

Annual Fishing Trip

2008-10-01T08:06:00.003-05:00

Every year my family has a father/son/uncle/cousin/any male in the family fishing trip. I leave today for that trip. We go to Seadrift, Tx and stay at my Uncle Tony's Bayhouse. It's like a mini family reunion, we fish, or catch depending on who you talk too, drink, play dominoes, drink and generally have a good time. This is one of my favorite photos and I always think of it, when my family gets together, below are the details provided by my cousin Frank.

An interesting thing he pointed out about the cans in the photo, in 1958, they did not have pull tabs on cans but were opened with can openers, that is why some can are upside down. A dance flier for the Vesely Playboys at Frydek hangs on the wall amidst some beer advertising.

From left to right: Otto Matus, Sr. (friend of family, Ganado), Rudolph E. Dybala (great grandfather), Edmund A. Dybala (grandfather), Frank Jendry (friend of family, Ganado), Emil Trojcak (friend of family, Ganado), Albert "Sleepy" Zouzalik (Frank Brauner's uncle, San Antonio), John Vincent Oehl (Sophie Oehl Dybala's brother, Houston), August "Gus" Oehl (Sophie Oehl Dybala's brother, Ganado), Grandpa Dybala's brother Arnold Dybala is in the shadow of the post in the picture, Victor Korczynski (husband of Elsie Novosad Korczynski who is Edmund Dybala's first cousin, and also from Ganado), and Louis A. Oehl (Sophie Oehl Dybala's brother, San Antonio).

This picture was taken June 23, 1958 in the K. J. T. Hall barroom in Ganado, Texas, at the wedding reception of Frank Brauner and Barbara Dybala who were married at 8:30 a.m. in Assumption Catholic Church in Ganado, Texas by Rev. Anthony Matula.

Duchesse de Bourgogne

2008-09-25T11:40:00.004-05:00

This beer is named after the Duke of Burgundy's daughter, Mary born in Bruges back in 1457.

Belgian Red Ale, dark reddish color, apple or fruit cider nose, slight pucker, sour tartness to it. 6.2% ABV Brewed by the Verhaege family with a brewing history dating back to the 1500's.

Black Star Beer Co-op Pub Brewery

2008-05-22T12:21:00.002-05:00

Chantal and I just joined up as investor members, I remember looking into them back in 2005 but was to busy with my store to join at the time. I am hoping to become more involved with them in the future.

Black Star CO-OP Mission

To apply the models of co-operative ownership and worker self-management to create the best venue in Austin for the production and enjoyment of high quality beer.

Website

It's the first concept of it's kind and the plans are to open a pub with a brewery as well. There is a beer social once a month where you can meet other members, drink beer and listen to music.

Austin Homebrew 17 year Anniversary

2008-05-17T12:56:00.002-05:00

This Weekend, big sale on everything, live music, probably some beer. I am going to pick up a bunch of supplies I need, including a Wort Chiller.

Go check it out.

http://www.austinhomebrew.com/

Bottled Pinot Grigio and started a Cabernet

2008-05-13T11:21:00.002-05:00

The Pinot has cleared up very nice over the past weeks, it has developed a fruity, crisp taste that should develop nicely over the next few months. It should be at it's prime during the wedding. 23 bottles total, half is for the wedding.

The final few inches of the Pinot carboy was remixed for the final time with the Fig wine and should be ready to bottle in a few weeks.

In addition Chantal and I have started a fresh batch of Cabernet Savignon.

Shiner: Spezial Leicht

2008-05-09T13:06:00.004-05:00

At the local HEB and saw a few new Shiner labels, one of a re-do of the Heffeweizen with a bold new orange label, plus the new Light, or Leicht or whatever. To tell you the truth, I buy Shiner to drink a local beer with flavor, this tasted just like your regular light beer). It would probably be cheaper to go with any light beer out there. Not a fan.

When free beer is everyones favorite

2008-05-01T12:31:00.004-05:00

I went downtown last night to take in a few promotional happy hours from the latest environmental trade fair. We started of at Scholz Garten with some live music and beer. The next stop was Iron Cactus, where the party hostwould give you a coupons for free drinks. They have a pretty wide selection of beers and some good top shelf liquors, but the majority of people were still drinking bud light or another domestic beer. If you ask me, if the drinks are free, try something new or maybe with a little more flavor. Of course once I figured out I could get a mixed drink for free, I put down the beer and started my own rum tasting tour!

On the way home we stumbled into the Whip In for a St Bernardus ABT12 as the nightcap. While I was there I picked up aBush or Scaldis Prestige and a De Koninck Winter Dark Ale as well as another Taj Mahal for a friend.

Louisiana Trip: Festival International

2008-04-29T14:59:00.004-05:00

Thursday: So here we are again visiting family, taking a break and going to Festival International. After we settle into Breaux Bridge we head out to the basin, on the way we stop for beer and I pick up a sixer of Abita Red Ale. We get to the Atchafalaya Basin to visit some of my wife's family that are vacationing on the boat, we were picked up via a party barge and transported out into the basin, tucked away into a cypress and willow flooded area. Nice and peaceful setting, I was able to fish for bluegill right off the deck. The family enjoyed a wonderful crawfish etouffee made on the spot with fresh ingredients. I shared a couple of bottles of St Bernardus Wit and Prior 8 with the house boat members as well as brought a variety of local Texas beers. The Wit is becoming a favorite of mine and the more I try the other styles St Bernardus offers, they are growing on me pretty quick. We finish with a moonlight boat ride back to the cars and head home.

Friday: Off to the festival for live music, art and socializing. Luis Perez is a family artist that was showing his work. I picked up a wood carved voodoo doll to hang at the shop. The smaller doll on the right is from New Orleans, from my wife. Chantal's grandfather Al Grace built a still and would make is own whiskey, this was several years back. Since his passing the still has sat in his old shop unused. It was loaned to me today by the family, it needs a little work but I think I can get it to operate. pictures soon.

Sat: First stop Marcellos to take a quick look, a box and some cash later I emerge. It's always hit or miss but this time they had a large variety of corked Belgium beers that I have not tried, plus a few french beer and corked cider.

Beer List:
Meantime Coffe Porter, London UK
Gouden Carolus Triple, corked, Belgium
Gouden Caroulus Grand Cru, corked, Belgium
Corsendonk Brown and Pale Ale corked, Belgium
Silver Jubilee Farmhouse Ale, corked, US
Guldenberg Abbey Ale, corked, Belgium
Gavroche Red Ale, France
Cidre Bouchet Brut Du Normandie, Cider, Corked, France

A few of these will be cellared and a few will show up later here. After we deposit the beers at home we head out to the festival. One of the festival events was a beer class: Good for what ALES you: The History of brewing techniques of beer from around the world. Due to a scheduling mishap the classes didn't form but a few die hard beer lovers showed up and were treated with a very small, social beer tasting environment. The local distributing representative was on hand with a variety of beer available from a Bud distributor. Of these I tasted the Wild Blue, Blueberry Lager a blueberry infused lager. Deep purple color, little carbonation and a super sweet blueberry taste. Not what I expected in a beer, I think this beer would be better suited for cooking. Next up the Shock Top Belgian Style White ale with a slice of orange, hazy wheat color, sweet notes, coriander. Not a bad value based selection for the style. The rest of the selections were pretty domestic but the conversation and free beer is always enjoyable. The rain finally set in and we decided to leave early and get some fresh boiled crawfish.

More photos and tasting notes soon.

Corsendonk Belgian Pale Ale

2008-04-01T12:19:00.004-05:00

Corsendonk, Brewed at Du Bocq in Pernode Belgium. The Corsendonk Priory dates from 1659, it was shut down in 1789 by Austrian Emperor Joseph II, again in 1789 during the French Revolution the properties were seized and auctioned off. From the 19th century forward Monks no longer make the beer but it's logos and taste reflect an abbey style.

Fermented twice, once with top fermentation and the second time in the bottle. It is matured for three weeks before being sent out. A six month aging period is recommended for a better result.

Orkney SkullSplitter Ale

2008-03-22T14:57:00.004-05:00

Orkney Brewery
Quoyloo Sandwick
UK Scotland

Orkney is a small group of islands off Scotland. Home of Thorfin Hausakluif (Skullsplitter), the 7th Viking Earl of Orkney 1,000 AD.

Dark reddish copper color, thick tan head. Heavy malt taste with a slight bitter finish. Picked this up on my last trip to Louisiana.

This guy celebrated St. Patrick's day a little to much.

2008-03-17T11:25:00.004-05:00

Seems fitting for a day were everyone is Irish and gives us an excuse to drink. I wonder if they had green beer back around 3000 BC?

"Canterbury Archaeological Trust said the curled-up skeleton was an example of a "Beaker" burial because of the pottery vessel placed at its feet.

Education officer Marion Green said the "beautifully decorated" pot could have been "a type of beer mug"."

Read the full article here

Fwd: Email Sucks, sometimes......

2008-03-13T15:13:00.004-05:00

Typically when I get a fwd email from someone, it is a tragic story with a life lesson at the end, or a feel good story about overcoming great adversity, lately it has been political with different reasons why a candidate is evil.

In most cases the story is usually false and it still gets passed around. This email started off the same way, friend of a friend sent me this story and they were actually there so it must be true, let me fwd it to you. I started reading with the usual skepticism trying to guess the outcome of the story, this one seemed like it was going to be a tragic story with a lesson at the end. So I read on the learn today's life lesson. Let me tell you, after reading it I was convinced that it needed to be shared, so not only did I fwd it to every person in my address book, I posted it here. Please read on.

-----Original Message-----
From: []
Sent: Wednesday, March 12, 2008 2:34 PM
Subject: Fw: Accident Photos

I actually had to think about whether to send this or not.....it's pretty
graphic

I almost cried when I saw this picture. It is absolutely gut wrenching.
It shows the importance of being properly strapped in.
A friend of a friend sent him this photo of a horrible highway accident
in Germany. The picture may be kind of hard to take for some of you. If
you look closely you can see what appear to be some survivors of the
accident still in the wreckage. Although the picture is quite graphic, it
makes you realize how quickly our loved ones can be taken from us.

My friend stayed on the scene to help and even though he performed mouth
to mouth on quite a few of them, none apparently survived.

Ha, I had to laugh and share!

Bootlegger Brown Ale

2008-02-01T11:23:00.000-06:00

Independence Brewing Company
Austin, Tx.

Just down the road.

Nutty roasted malt nose, roasted malt flavors throughout. Dark maple syrup in color, thin tan head.

South Congress and the State Capital featured on the label. They have some other beers to choose from with some other local icons on the label.

Beer Bottle Symphony Orchestra

2008-01-16T14:52:00.000-06:00

Australia's Victoria Bitter has launched a great video for it's products.

Did they really need to waste that beer at the end?

Pinot Rerack and Figrigio Wine

2008-01-15T19:00:00.000-06:00

The specific gravity finally dropped below .01 and I made the first re-rack of the pinot. There was a 2 inch layer of sediment on the bottom and probably a half gallon of left over wine from moving from an 8 gallon to a 6 gallon carboy.

If you notice another bottle in the original picture, that is a fig wine I try to make every year from Uncle Phillip's fig tree. This year I got behind on the batch and was getting ready to dump it in the compost pile. Instead I re-racked the Fig wine into the Pinot's original carboy. I am going to keep it on the same racking schedule as the Pinot. So if all goes well we will have a Figrigio to try, or at least a Figrigio to dump in the compost pile.

So we have a batch of Pinot looking good, and a second batch of Figrigio to speculate about.

BenderBrau: Life size beer brewing bender robot.

2008-01-07T15:19:00.000-06:00

People say I have too much time on my hands, check out this very cool homebrewing project.

The Bender Brewing Project

I did not build this, but I wish I did.

Gingerman in Austin

2008-01-07T13:12:00.000-06:00

I am taking one of my just recently turned legal drinking age employees to the Gingerman this wednesday. Need to make sure he understands what good beer tastes like.

Feel free to come join us from some darts and pints, especially if you are buying a round or three!

Wedneasday, Jan 9th, sometime after 7.

Louisiana Trip

2008-01-04T17:11:00.000-06:00

Back in Louisiana with Chantal for her friend's baby shower, and I am back to Marcello's to see what's in stock. Marcellos is the only place in Lafayette that has a good selection of spirits, wine and beer. they have just recently added homebrew supplies to the inventory. The list for this trip is as follows:

Delerium Noel - Belgium
Delerium Nocturnum - Belgium
Abita Bock
Sam Adams White Ale
Skull Splitter Orkney Ale - Scotland
Harviestoun Special Reserve - Scotland (Aged in single malt casks)
Uerige Dopplestick - German
Eisenbahn Dourada Golden Ale - Brazil
Eisenbahn Vigorosa Unfiltered Wheat Doublebock - Brazil
Eisenbahn SAPA South American Pale Ale - Brazil
Konig Ludwig Weissbier Hefe Weizen - Germany

I was excited to find the other flavors of the Delerium line.

Park's Pinot Grigio

2008-01-02T17:04:00.000-06:00

A friend of mine just recently announced his engagement and wedding plans in November. As a gift I am making him a batch of wine for his wedding. His fiance asked for a Pinot and that is what I will try to deliver.

Jan 2, 2008. Combined grape juices, bentonite and water in an 8 gallon carboy. SG 1.085. Yeast started to ferment within 24 hours. Check in 5 - 7 days and rerack to 6 gallon carboy.

Jan 8, strong bubble for last seven days, clouded up after the first two. Rerack Jan 9th.

Happy New Beer and Year

2008-01-01T08:18:00.000-06:00

Farewell 2007, Clean slate in 2008.

This time of year we should reflect on the past year and make plans for the new one. I decided to reflect on the beers I put away for long term storage and wait with anticipation to open them in the future.

Chimay Grand Reserve (2007) I like to put away at least two bottles, then open one on new years the following)
Fuller Limited Edition
Shiner 98 Bavarian Amber
Bourbon Casks Winter Ale
Velvet
Westmalle Tripel
Sisyphus 2007 Barley Wine
Ayinger Celebrator Doppel Bock
Corsendonk
Ommegang Rare VOS

And of course to all of the beers I drank this past year, farewell, I will miss you.

Top 25 Beers on the Planet

2007-12-29T08:03:00.000-06:00

I finally got a chance to open my Beer Advocate magazine from December and read it. It covers the top 25 beers in different categories as chosen by BA.

The top 25 beers on the planet was the first list. (The ones that made us drool, quiver, trade and go broke in 2007). Nice to see Live Oak HefeWeizen make the list at #14.

In the top 25 American Beers List, Live Oak HefeWeizen took the ten spot, and Saint Arnold's took #25 with it's Divine Reserve #5.

Happy New Year

A Year of Beer

2007-12-27T08:11:00.000-06:00

I spent this Christmas in Dallas with my family, one of my gifts to my Dad was a selection of 80 different styles of beer, including over 100 different bottles of beer. These are beers I have tasted, collected, etc over the past year. Below is the list he will get to sample from all year.

US: Boston

Sam Adams Honey Porter

Sam Adams Brown Ale

Sam Adams Scotch Ale

Sam Adams Boston Lager

Sam Adams Black Lager

Sam Adams Boston Lager

Sam Adams Imperial Pilsner **

US: Colorado

Left Handed Brewing Company

LH Blackjack Porter

LH Sawtooth Pale Ale

LH American Pale Ale

LH Milk Stout

Breckenridge Brewing

Extra ESB Small Batch #471**

Double Hopped IPA Small Batch #471**

Christmas Ale *

Oatmeal Stout

Flying Dog Brewery

Oktoberfest*

Double Pale Ale

TommyKnocker Cocoa Porter*

US: Louisiana

Abita Pecan Ale

Abita Restoration Ale

Jockamo IPA

Abita Christmas Ale *

Heiner Brau Marzen (Microbrew)

Dixie Lager

Dixie Blackened Voodoo Lager

US:Minnesota

Surly Beer

US: Oregon

Widmer Snow Plow *

Widmer Oktoberfest *

US: Washington

Pyramid Snow Cap*

US: Texas

St. Arnolds Brewing, Houston

Christmas Ale*

Oktoberfest*

Shiner Brewing, Shiner

Bavarian Amber 98*

Dunkelweizen

San Antonio, Pete’s Wicked Ale

Rally Cap Ale

Austin, Independence Brewing

Sisyphus 2007 Barleywine**

US: Delaware

Dog Fish Raison D etre

US: New York

JW Dundee Pale Ale

JW Dundee Amber Lager

JW Dundee Pale Bock

US:Unknown

Duff Beer***

Czech Republic

Velvet***

B.B. Burgerbrau

Zatec

Pilsner Urquell

Slovak Republic

Zlaty Blazant

Vietnam

Hue Beer

Germany

Ayinger Brau Weisse

Ayinger Ur-Weisse

Ayinger Oktoberfest Marzen*

Ayinger Celebrator

Flensburger Gold Lager

Hacker Pschorr Oktoberfest*

Belgium

Blanche De Bruxelles

Chimay Red (Trappists)

Chimay White Cinq Cents (Trappists)

Chimay Blue Grand Reserve (Trappists)

Orval (Trappists)**

Corsendonk (Trappists)**

Pavel Kwak

Tripel Karmeliet

Hoegaarden Wit

Stella Artois

India

Taj Mahal

United Kingdom

Fuller ESB

Fuller Limited Ale 2007 ***

Banana Nut Bread Ale

Monty Python Holy Grail Pale Ale*

Holland

Windmill

Russia

Baltika 7

Ireland

Smithwicks

* Seasonal

**Uncommon

***Rare or Limited Edition

A Blend of Belgian Ales

2007-12-23T09:33:00.000-06:00

In addition to tasting a few ales, we will be creating our first attempt at a salad dressing made from a Framboise Beer. Start with a saute of onion and garlic, deglaze with the Framboise beer, salt,sugar, rice and white vinegar. Mixed green salad, purple onion, feta cheese and walnuts. Good salad, needs more beer in dressing for a stronger raspberry flavor.

Tasting notes: Of course raspberry from nose to close. Cloudy cranberry hue, great after dinner drink.

Duchese De Bourgogne, A Belgian Red Ale.
6%ABV. Deep reddish or Merlot colors. Apple or fruit cider on the nose. Tart apple flavors are the first notes with a pucker or tart finish.

This ale was named after Mary of Burgundy, born 1457 in Brussels, daughter of the Duke of Burgundy, Charles the Bold. France and Belgium were one country at that time. Barbara, Marie and Chantal enjoyed this ale.

St. Bernardus Pior 8
Dubbel Ale
Caramel orange in color, sweet malt taste and smooth finish.
Bottle label: "Bringing Heavenly Nectar to Earth"

Koningshoeven Quadrupel Ale (No Photos)
Ale from the Holland Abbey founded 1884. Yeast strain used is unique to this Abbey.

Mom's bottle tree

2007-12-22T22:34:00.000-06:00

My mother has created many bottle trees, but this has to be the coolest so far. It was created using two existing Bois D Arc trees, rebar, lights and various bottles. Thanks to Max and Molly for posing. If you want to see some of Barbara's mosaic work, check out www.mollage.com

Pabst blue ribbon?

2007-12-21T09:15:00.001-06:00

Funny email my wife sent me. It took me six years to get through gyna college, we usually drank bud light.

Beers from Louisiana

2007-12-19T20:27:00.000-06:00

More notes and photos coming soon.
Heiner Brau Marzen

Abita Restoration Ale

Abita Jockamo IPA

Dixie Blackened Voodoo Lager

Beer Christmas Trees

2007-12-07T16:41:00.000-06:00

My neighbor sent me this photo in an email of a cool bottle tree. It reminded me of the beer can pyramids my brother and I used to build at the Czech Club when we were kids. I figured there had to be more pictures to find, so here they are so far. I did not build any of these or take these pictures, just stole them from the internet.

Enjoy!!

Celebrate the Repeal of Prohibition

2007-12-05T14:22:00.000-06:00

The 18th Amendment was ratified January 16th 1919.
Prohibition took effect 1 year later in 1920.
Bootleggers and the Speak Easy become the norm.
The 21st Amendment was ratified in 1932.
Prohibition was lifted in 1932.
Lots of people got drunk.

Celebrate the repeal today, I will.

Happy repeal day!!

Louisiana: Hunt for beer and supplies

2007-11-25T14:39:00.000-06:00

Today we had lunch in Lafayette at Don's Original Seafood and Steakhouse. For an appetizer we enjoyed fried alligator tails and crawfish bisque. The tails were done just right but the bisque seemed a bit thin. For the main entree, I ordered the crab platter; fried soft shell crab, crab au-gratin, stuffed crab, crab gumbo and some other crab dish, plus a baked potato, with no crab. If your going to call it a crab platter, why stop at the potato? Go ahead an stuff some crab in there too! Not a bad dish, stuffing was a bit dry but the meal was enjoyable overall. For an beverage accompaniment I had the Louisiana Abita Amber with just enough flavor to come through the rich food but not to overpowering.

Next we stopped at Macello's Wine Market to view the beer selections. They have a nice selection of Belgium beers as well as other imports and the largest selection of local beers.

Abita Pecan Ale
Abita Restoration Ale
Abita Jocamo
Surprisingly no Abita Christmas beer?
Dixie Lager
Dixie Blackened Voodoo Lager
Heiner Brau, local microbrewery. Marzen style.
Full Sail LTD #02
Corsendonk(Cant find in Austin)

Our next stop was Joey's Meats a good place to pick up specialty foods and frozen Cajun favorites. In addition to restocking our freezer we picked up a fresh frozen rabbit and turtle meat! I enjoyed a wonderful rabbit dish in Belgium with a beer gravy and I would like to replicate it. Below is the rough plan for the dish, partially in French with translation help from Marie.

Lapin avec biere aux pommes de terre et petits onions et sage.
Rabbit cooked in beer with sage, onions and potatoes.

1 clean rabbit, quartered, seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic, coat in bag of flour.
1 - 2 large onions sliced into rings
New potatoes, sliced
Carrots
Garlic minced
Green Onions, chopped and tipped, save tips for garnish
olive oil
sage, rosemary, thyme, other spices TBA
Abita Pecan Ale, or other amber ale. (I think Corsendonk was used in Belgium)
Flour for gravy.
Chicken stock or water.

Sear the rabbit on all sides then remove, Saute sliced onions and garlic in large roasting pan, add new potatoes, add spices and turn up heat. When hot add rabbit, then deglazewith beer. Lower to simmer, let cook for 30 -45 minutes,water may need to be added during cooking. Skim fat, remove rabbit then use flour for gravy. Use reduction as gravy.

(Check cooking times, etc, still under development) (Uncle Doc's recipe has cooking time of 2 hours, talk about good has 45 minutes)

Tempura Fried Turtle Meat with pepper piquant or sweet and sour sauce.
(See Uncle Doc's recipe for turtle soup)

No recipe yet.

Louisiana: Thanksgiving Day, Gourmands vs Burgundians

2007-11-22T14:25:00.000-06:00

Today is Thanksgiving I am in Louisiana with my wife and her family to enjoy the holidays. I have brought along a selection of seasonal and Belgium beers to sample and make notes. The tasting selection is:

Tripel Karmeliet
Delerium Tremens
St Arnolds Christmas Ale
Widmer Snow Plow Milk Stout
Breckenridge Christmas Ale.

Triple Karmeliet 8.1% ABV Belgian Ale
Thick long lasting head with a tight bubble pack, lots of lace on glass. Fruit aromas with a slight fruit aftertaste. Golden honey in color, malt on back of the throat.

Delerium Tremens 8.5%ABV Belgian Ale
Light honey color, less malt taste. Three fingered thick head, tight bubble pack.

St. Arnold's Christmas Ale.
Thin Head, orange copper in color. Bananas on nose? Smooth with nice
mouth feel.

Widmer Snow Plow Milk Stout
Heavy roasted malt on nose, with roasted malt taste, dark chocolate in color. Very thin head, heavy roasted coffee flavor throughout.

Spoetzl Brewery: (97) Bohemian Black Lager

2007-11-11T17:45:00.000-06:00

Spoetzl Brewery
603 Brewery
Shiner, TX 77984

Shiner Bohemian Black Lager

Shiner decided to re-release it 97 beer as one of its regular lines of beers. Pours jet black, thin head that dissipates fairly quick. Dark roasted malt taste, nice and smooth mouth feel with a clean finish. Label and taste is different from when it was released as the 97 year anniversary beer.

Available in Austin: Yes

Sam Adams Utopias are back

2007-11-05T17:47:00.000-06:00

The limited edition 2007 batch of Samuel Adams Utopias will be presented in a numbered, bronze-colored, ceramic decanter shaped like a brew kettle and will have a limited release of just 12,000 bottles. For the first time this year, people who purchase a bottle will also be eligible in most states to receive a Samuel Adams Utopias custom- designed Riedel snifter.

Full article here

Drink a beer after you exercise, it's good for you!

2007-11-02T16:41:00.001-05:00

"In fact, the researchers at the Granada University in Spain came to the conclusion after examining 25 students who were told to do strenuous exercise in temperatures of around 40C until they were close to getting exhausted.

Half of the students were given a pint of beer to drink, while the others received the same volume of water after the workout. Subsequently, the team measured their hydration levels, motor skills and concentration ability.

Prof Garzon said the re-hydration effect in the students who were given beer was "slightly better" than among those given only water. Based on the studies, the researchers have recommended moderate consumption of beer -- 500 ml a day for men or 250 ml for women -- as part of an athlete's diet.

It may be mentioned that past studies have revealed that sensible drinking of one or two units of beer a day could help reduce the risk of heart disease, dementia, diabetes and Parkinson's disease."

Read the full article here.

Fertile concept in beer advertising.

2007-11-01T16:06:00.000-05:00

Brazilian brewers Nova Shin has created a unique way to advertise it's new non-alchoholic brew. They are taking the combination of attrative women, beer drinking and fertility to a new level! The models have been photoshopped to look pregnant, but the shock value is well established.

This isn't very suprising considering it came from Brazil, the country that brought us Carnival, maybe even the thong bathing suit. I wonder if they set up tastings in maternity or baby stores?

Beers for Halloween: Scarecrow, Hobgblin, Dead Guy Ales

2007-10-31T13:19:00.000-05:00

To celebrate Halloween I decided to try a few "in the spirit of" named beers.

Scarecrow Ale.
Wychwood Brewery, Witney, Oxfordshire, England.
USDA Organic

Caramel color with a slight haze.
Malty nose.
Slight malt taste, some hoppy bitterness.
Medium body, small bitter/dry finish.

Not my favorite ale but enjoyable overall.
Available in Austin: Yes

Hobgoblin Ale . 5.5 ABV Ale

Wychwood Brewery, Witney, Oxfordshire, England.

Ruby brown color, off white bubbly head.
Coffee and toffee nose.
Roasted malt with a slight nutty taste, thin mouth feel.
Available in Austin: Yes

Rogue Brewery
2320 OSU Drive
Newport, Oregon.

This Ale was created in the 90's to commemorate the Mayan Day of the Dead for Casa U Betcha Mexican Restaurant in Portland. The dead guy design turned out to be so popular, that is was re-incorporated into a bottled Maibock a few years later. The label even glows in the dark!!

I picked this up in a 64 oz growler to take to a Halloween gathering, when I opened the bottle is had decent carbonation but poured with little or no head. The bottle size might have had something to do with it. Overall it was a very enjoyable beer, I will pick up a smaller size next time for better notes and a re taste!
Available in Austin: Yes

I couldn't get my hands on the following beers but they seemed fitting for the event.

The Moorehouse's Brewery in Burnley, Lanconshire, England offer s few spooky styles with a Black Cat Ale, PendleWitches Brew and a Blond Witch. The Pendle Witches were put on trail in the 1600, during the rule of King James the 1st. King James produced a book 'Daemonology' to help local magistrates identify witches, that he believed were part of a plot to remove him from power. On august 20th 1612, seven Pendle Witches were hanged at Lancaster Prison.
Available in Austin: Unknown

Middle Ages Brewing Company
120 Wilkinson St.
Syracuse, New York 13204.

Offers various styles with some great mid evil names. Wizard winter Ale is 6.8 ABV Ale with a chestnut color. Another noted title is the Druid Fluid, a barley wine made with 6 different malts. 9.5 ABV
The company started producing in September, a 12th Anniversary Porter available in growler fills or tasting at the brewery.

Available in Austin: Unknown

Czech Republic Revisited: Velvet

2007-10-30T20:36:00.000-05:00

Velvet Beer
Královský Pivovar Krušovice a.s. (The Royal Brewery of Krušovice ) Krušovice, Czech Republic. 5.1% ABV

Pours a nice amber with a Guinness type cascade effect. Thick long lasting head. Very smooth almost creamy mouthfeel with some sweet undertones. One of my favorite beers! This batch was hand delivered by my folks after a recent visit to the Czech Republic. The first time I discovered the beer was at a pub in Mikoluv, Czech Republic in 2003.

Available in Austin: Not commercially exported out of Czech Republic.
Beer Consumed During Writing: Velvet of course, had to sacrifice one for the photo.

Face in a Pint Fridays.

2007-10-29T18:10:00.000-05:00

Face in a Pint Fridays

Sounds like a good day anytime of the week. A writer from Ireland has been drawing a face in his pint of beer every Friday for a year. Then systematically destroying his artwork by drinking it, yes we all must suffer for our art. Enjoy the full series here!

Pauwel Kwak, Belgian Ale

2007-10-27T14:21:00.000-05:00

Pauwel Kwak

Brewery Bosteels
Kerkstraat 96
9255 Buggenhout
Belgium
T:32-52-33.23.23

Chantal and I celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary tonight, we decided to toast the occasion with a bottle of Kwak while we rode in style to dinner in a stretch Lincoln. Very enjoyable beer, maybe it was the occasion that added to the enjoyment, but this one is on my list.

First brewed in 1791, a Belgian Ale (Dubbel)with an 8% ABV and typically served in a "yard glass" or in my case a Trappist glass. Very full body with a nice amber or cherry wood color, slightly sweet malt flavor, no bitter aftertaste like other Belgian ales. Malty and hoppy aroma with a white head. Ideal serving temp: 5 - 6c (41-43f).

The most noted aspect of this beer is the glass it is traditionally served in, prominently displayed on the label. This glass has a rounded bottom and requires the support of a wooden holder. The design of this glass stems from the days of the stagecoach. When a coach stopped at an inn, the horseman were required to stay with the horses. I have read two theories on this next part: one is beer "mugs" could not be held by thick gloved horseman, the enterprising brewer Pauwel Kwak created this special glass for them to hold with thick gloves. The second theory is the special shaped glass was created for it's ease to fit in a horse stirrup. Regardless it provided a much needed beer for thirsty travelers.

Available in Austin: Yes

The Bosteels Brewery also offers a Tripel Karmeliet and Deus.

Fried Elephant and Rice Beer, MMM

2007-10-26T20:41:00.000-05:00

New Delhi, India: Attracted by the aroma of fresh brewing rice beer in a village, a large herd of wild elephants went on a drinking binge. In the process a large elephant knocks over an electrical pole, causing six elephants to die from electrocution.

The isn't the first time wild elephants have gone on drinking binges and destroyed homes in India. Human encroachment on elephant habitat is blamed in the article, maybe they make a killer home brew in India? Seems like they already have.

Read the full article here.

Beer Consumed during article: None, but a Delirium Tremens comes to mind.

Beer: Still the favorite of Canada, Eh!

2007-10-26T19:53:00.000-05:00

Canadians bought 2.2 billion liters of suds last year worth $8.4 billion.

On a per-capita basis, Canadians aged 15 and over spent the equivalent of $651.50 on alcoholic beverages in 2005-06, up $28 from the previous year.

Imported beer grew in popularity last year, taking 11.1 per cent of the market compared with 9.9 per cent in 2004-05.

The McKenzie Brother Approve!

Full article here.

Beer Consumed During Writing: Hoegaarden Witbier

Sam Adams Brewer VS Sam Adams Mayor

2007-10-25T10:54:00.000-05:00

The Portland Mayoral race has a candidate named Sam Adams, this has brought objections from the Beer brewer, Sam Adams.

AP Article

"They say they've been using this trademark since 1984," Adams said. "I've been using it since 1963."

Boston Beer's representatives didn't know there was a real Sam Adams running for mayor when the letter was sent, and has previously run "Sam Adams for President" marketing campaigns.

According to the candidate's website, he announce his bid for mayor at the Roots Organic Brewing Company in Portland, Oregon. Mr. Adams even mentioned them in his speech,

"especially the small, neighborhood businesses like 100% organic, locally owned and operated, and now expanding Roots Brewery. These are the businesses form the backbone of our economy".

Since these two Sam Adams have such a strong connection, not only by namesake but an obvious support for beer, they should team up. Suppose the Portland Sam Adams becomes Mayor, maybe the next step is a bid for President. I know it's a long shot, but talk about a great way to revive an old marketing campaign for the brewer and have another namesake in office!

Now I need to find a way to get my hands on some of that Roots Beer and see what this candidate's pallet is like.

Bud VS Budvar, might finally be over.

2007-10-24T20:29:00.000-05:00

The Czech government has started the process to sell the last European state owned brewery in the next few years. If rivals Anheiser Bush were to purchase the brewery, it would end a century long dispute over the Budweiser name.

The process will take a few years and other private investment firms have shown interest in the acquisition. Budvar considers itself the maker of the original Budweiser, it exports its lager to the U.S. under the name Czechvar, because Anheiser-Busch has firm control of the U.S. trademark on the name. There are currently 17 lawsuits in various countries between the two firms.

Full article here

Free Beer For Life!!!!!

2007-10-17T21:11:00.000-05:00

Croucher Brewing Company is offering a great reward for the return of a stolen laptop.

The laptop, containing years of financial and creative work, was taken during a break-in at Croucher Brewing on Monday.

Co-owner Paul Croucher says the brewery will give a lifetime supply of beer to anyone with information leading to both the safe return of the laptop and the arrest of the theives; who stole it.

It works out to one dozen Croucher Brewing boutique beers per month.

Great American Beer Fest Results 07

2007-10-16T13:13:00.000-05:00

Denver, Colorado

2,793 beers at the festival

GABF

2007 Brewery and Brewer of the Year Awards:
Large Brewing Company and Large Brewing Company Brewer of the Year
Pabst Brewing Company, Woodridge, IL
Bob Newman

Mid-Size Brewing Company and Mid-Size Brewing Company Brewer of the Year
Sponsored by Crosby & Baker Ltd.
Firestone Walker Brewing Company, Paso Robles, CA
Matthew Brynildson

Small Brewing Company and Small Brewing Company Brewer of the Year
Sponsored by Microstar Keg Management
Port Brewing & The Lost Abbey, San Marcos, CA
Tomme Arthur

Large Brewpub and Large Brewpub Brewer of the Year
Sponsored by Brewers Supply Group
RedRock Brewing Company, Salt Lake City, UT
Kevin Templin

Small Brewpub and Small Brewpub Brewer of the Year
Sponsored by Briess Malt & Ingredients Co.
Montana Brewing Company, Billings, MT
Travis Zeilstra

2007 Great American Beer Festival Pro-Am Beer Competition - 48 Entries
Sponsored by Briess Malt & Ingredients Co. and Hopunion CBS LLC

Gold: English Style India Pale Ale, Allentown/Bethlehem Brew Works, Allentown, PA
Beau Badem & AHA Member Chris Bowen

Silver: Kentucky Weissbier, Alltech’s Lexington Brewing Co., Lexington, KY
Brewery Team & AHA Member Bill Caldwell

Bronze: Sculpin IPA, Ballast Point Brewing Co., San Diego, CA
Ballast Point Brewers & AHA Member Doug Duffield

Saint Arnold Brewing Company: Oktoberfest

2007-10-13T16:28:00.000-05:00

Saint Arnold Brewing Company
2522 Fairway Park Drive
Houston, TX 77092
713.686.9494

Style: Marzen/October Fest
6.0% ABV

Rich caramel color, fluffy head. Tastes of sweet malt with hints of caramel with hops in the end. Nice mouth feel.

Available in Austin: Yes

Left Handed Brewing Pale Ale

2007-10-10T18:36:00.000-05:00

Left Hand Brewing Company
1265 Boston Ave
Longmont, CO 80501
303 772 0258

Jackman's American Pale Ale

Color: Golden
Medium Body
ABV 5.2%
Malt: Premium Pale 2-row and Crystal
Centennial Cascade Hops

Easy rider style label. Nice malty flavor, with balanced hop finish.

Available in Austin: Yes

Sam Adams Hallertau Imperial Pilsner

2007-10-08T21:26:00.000-05:00

Samuel Adams

Hallertau Imperial Pilsner

8.8% Alc.

“An Intense Hop Experience”

Noble Hallertau Mittlefrueh Hops

Glass: Pilsner

Light honey color

Mild hop aroma in the nose with a strong but balanced hop flavor, light body. Smooth finish with a nice hoppy aftertaste.

Available in Austin: Yes

Independence Brewing Company

2007-09-14T12:21:00.000-05:00

Independence Brewing Company
512 707-0099
3913 Todd Lane #607, Austin, TX 78744

Some friends came to visit us for the Austin City Limits Music Festival from San Francisco. During there visit, they wanted a slice of Texas cuisine, what better way than a large BBQ feast and cold beers from a local brewery. We chose the Salt Lick BBQ in Driftwood, aside from great food, you can bring your own cooler of beer!

Independence Pale Ale

PALE ALE STATS:
Style: American Pale Ale
Alcohol by volume: 5.5%
Beginning gravity: 13.5º Plato
Ending gravity: 3.0° Plato
Bitterness units: 39
Yeast: Ale yeast
Bittering hops: Horizon
Finishing hops: Cascade, Saaz
Malts: Two-Row Pale, 20° Caramel

Nice aroma and clean, hoppy finish. The woman firing the cannon is Angelina Eberly, who saved Austin with single cannon shot.

Freestyle Wheat Beer

Style: American Wheat Beer
Alcohol by volume: 4.7%
Beginning gravity: 11.0° Plato
Ending gravity: 2.0° Plato
Bitterness units: 15
Yeast: Ale yeast
Bittering hops: Cascade
Malts: Two-Row Pale, and
American White Wheat.

Great refreshing beer after a long day at ACL, it was even better enjoying it while we were at ACL! Light, clean and crisp, no bitterness. The diving boards at Barton Springs represented on the label, my dog like to swim there!

Bootlegger Brown Ale

Style: Brown Ale
Alcohol by volume: 6.0%
Beginning gravity: 14.5° Plato
Ending gravity: 3.0° Plato
Bitterness units: 14
Yeast: Top-fermenting ale yeast
Bittering hops: Cascade
Malts: Two-Row Pale, Chocolate

Great Beer to finish the meal with, nice and smooth finish. Nice shot of the Capital in Austin, he is probably cruising down S Congress trying to avoid hitting any first Thursday folks.

Independence Brewing also makes an Austin Amber Ale, Jasper Old Ale and a limited Oklahoma Suks Brand. I am going to try and get my hands on a few of those.

Breckenridge Brewery: Small Batch 471 ESB

2007-09-07T17:35:00.000-05:00

Breckenridge Brewery
600 South Main Street
Breckenridge, CO 80424
Phone: 970-453-1550

Extra Special Bitter: Limited Edition
9.2% ABV
Reddish Copper in color, thick head with a hoppy nutty nose. Hops are the first in line for flavors, then the bitterness kicks in. Bitter aftertaste with a slight tinge of the alcohol.

Available in Austin: Yes

New Sam Adams Pint Glass

2007-09-01T21:32:00.000-05:00

According to Jim Koch, they have developed the ideal glass to enjoy your Sam Adams beer from. I have placed my order and look forward to testing them out. Below are all of the details.
The glasses come four to a box, and they are made in Slovenia. A few minor differences were observed with each glass, leading me to believe they might be hand blown. The beers are definitely easier to drink from these glasses, still too early to tell if they improve the taste, more testing is necessary, much much more.

Duff Beer

2007-08-09T15:28:00.000-05:00

Duff Beer, the well known favorite of Homer Simpson and largest advertiser and sponsor of Springfield events. Fictional cartoon beer, or the real deal?

The word "duff" is English slang for broken.

In the late 1990's the Lion Nathan Brewery in Australia produced a Duff Beer that was unrelated to the show. A legal action was brought upon them by 20th Century Fox forcing them to stop production of the beer, pull the remaining items and destroy it. It is considered a collectors item and you can still find a few on ebay.

Another Duff beer is brewed by Daleside Brewery, an independent brewery founded in 1988 in Harrogate, North Yorkshire , England. Daleside produces a variety of beers including "Duff" a 5% ABV Dark Ale. Duff is Gaelic for black or dark.

A "Duff" is a heavy pudding, usually made with suet and dried fruit and steamed or boiled in a cloth.

A gentlemen named Rodrigo Contreras has the "patent" on Duff in Mexico and is producing a Duff Beer with an identical label as the cartoon brew. The article in Spanish, and a translation.

"The Duff beer consumed the character Homer Simpsons at the Bar of Moe in the American cartoon series The Simpsons, comes with success from two weeks ago in the city of Guadalajara.

"I am a fan of the series, I know the beer and I thought that the most expensive is already done, which is advertising. The project began almost a year ago with the registration of the mark and that delayed nearly a year until the patent release, "said the businessman Rodrigo Contreras Diaz. The young 28-year-old, who only studied two semesters of the Bachelor of Marketing, claims to be the only one who had the registration Duff in Mexico and is now awaiting the approval of the patent in the United States.

To clarify the doubts on the authenticity of Duff beer, Contreras says that "the design of the bottle is exactly the same as that of the cartoon." His company began two weeks ago with the production of 200 cases with 24 bottles of beer each, at a cost to the consumer packaging by about one dollar. "The first box of beer was produced on 5 June, and two weeks ago I made an initial order of 200 boxes," he said. "In four days here I have requested 5,000 and 500 boxes are already committed to customers who know they have to wait because the factory that produces them is small," he said."

The Alamo Draft House here in Austin had a few bottles of Duff Beer available during "The Simpsons" movie premier. I was met with uncertain looks when I asked the bartender about it's origins, just that it was a limited thing and shrugged. The beers were only a dollar and I couldn't resist a chance to enjoy one of Homer's favorite beers for a Homer style price.

Brewery: Duff Brewery Springfield(Austin)?
Style: Ale?
Color: Amber/Brown

Somehow a full bottle escaped from the theater, it will be used for further inspection and tasting. Judging by the home brew style cap, slightly askew label and a small amount of sediment in the bottle, I am guessing this is a home brew made special for the movie release. If anybody has any information feel free to email me about it!

Beer Saves Tour Bus Fire

2007-07-25T13:55:00.000-05:00

Full Article

"We threw the cooler contents, cans and all onto the fire and it blew up even larger fusing the beers onto our snapped axle from the heat."

Good ole PBR, is there nothing beer can't do?

Left Handed Brewing: Milk Stout

2007-07-22T17:13:00.000-05:00

Left Hand Brewing Company
1265 Boston Ave
Longmont, CO 80501
303 772 0258

A full bodied 5.2% ABV, produced from 6 different malts. Coffee and vanilla on the nose. Pours a deep dark brown with a tan colored head. A pleasant roasted malt flavor with slight sweet taste and hints of chocolate.

One of my personal favorites!
Available in Austin: Yes

Black Sheep Brewery: Monty Pythons Holy Grail Ale

2007-07-13T16:20:00.000-05:00

The Black Sheep Brewery
Wellgarth
Masham
Ripon
North Yorkshire
4.7%ABV

Commissioned to commemorate the 30^th Anniversary of the Pythons. The label claims to be tempered over burning witches, those were some flavorful witches! Amber in color with a nutty nose. Surprisingly light in body with a well balanced hop finish.

Available in Austin: Yes

Beer Can Boat Sails down the Bribane River

2007-06-25T13:30:00.000-05:00

Maybe this is how they escaped from that flooded Australian town?

Full Article

The entire effort was for SIDS, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome raisinf 60,000 in the process. The boat was made from 8,000 GoldX cans, wood and silicone.

The sailors must have been inspired by the Darwin Beer Regatta.
An annual event where boats are made primarily from cans and raced. The website has some great building tips, as well as rules for the competition.

Maybe we need to have a beer can regatta in Austin at Town Lake? Probably give the Red Bull Flugtag a run for it's money.

Hue Brewery Ltd: Hue Beer

2007-06-12T17:57:00.000-05:00

Hue Brewery Ltd
Nguyen Sinh Cung Street
Hue, Vietnam

Pale Lager

Light golden color with a thick light head. In general this taste like most commercial American beers but with a slightly stronger hop taste. Bottled on the Perfume River and first imported into the US in 1984 after the embargo was lifted from Vietnam.

Available in Austin: Yes

Flooded Australian Town Saved (With Beer)

2007-06-08T12:46:00.000-05:00

The Town of Hinton was surrounded with water for five days after flooding rains. Originally food and the basics were being ferried over, but an upcoming rugby match brought the need to load 12 kegs and 36 cartons of beer on the next ferry.

"They'll be able to watch the game and have a cold one tonight," said Philip Campbell, a SES spokesman.

Original Article

Anyone know what kind of beer they received?

Zatec Brewery: Zatec Premium Lager

2007-06-05T18:13:00.000-05:00

Zatec Brewery
Czech Republic

Premium Lager

Golden honey in color. Smooth refreshing beer, with a clean finish. This is the exported version.

Available in Austin: Yes

San Marcos, Tap Room: Tres Pistoles

2007-05-14T14:09:00.000-05:00

The Tap Room
129 E Hopkins St # 120
San Marcos, TX 78666
(512) 392-9824

During my last visit I enjoyed a Tres Pistoles, brewed by Unibroue (Sapporro)
Chambly Canada.

A strong dark Belgian style ale re fermented in the bottle.
9% ABV
Dark color
Great after dinner drink or with a desert, sweet tones in the aftertaste. Brewed with a roasted malt.
Serve in a Trappist or tulip glass.
Large 75o ML bottle

Available in Austin: Yes

Homebrew: Cream Ale

2007-03-27T17:23:00.000-05:00

Cream Ale

2 1/2 lbs 2 - Row
3/4 lb. Crystal 40L
1/4 lb. Carapils
45 minute soak in grain bag at 155 degrees.
4 1/2 lbs. Extract Pale Ale
1/2lb. Malto Dextrin
1 oz Willamette Hops for 60 minute boil.
1 oz Fuggle Hops for the last 5 minutes of 60 minute boil.

California V White Labs Pitch yeast.

Unfortunately I ran out of time when I started my new business and this batch of supplies had to be frozen or stored, probably degrading the value of the flavors. This deserves a re-do with fresh ingredients to really appreciate it. Beer still turned out to have a good flavor with good carbonation.

Notes: "Home brew: taste, after discussing it with another home brewer, we think the taste is coming from the plastic buckets. Glass will be the main fermenter until a larger setup is acquired.

San Francisco Oct 2006

2006-11-01T12:49:00.000-06:00

While visiting San Francisco with my Wife, we stopped in the Fisherman's Warf for a snack at Aliotos and they had a few local beers on tap.

Bear Brewing
345 Healdsburg Avenue
Healdsburg, California, 95448, USA

Racer 5 Pale Ale.
2004 L.A. Commercial Brewing Competition, Silver Medal Winner; 2004 World Beer Cup, Silver Medal Winner; 2001 Real Ale Festival, San Diego, Gold Medal Winner; 2001 Real Ale Festival, Chicago, Gold Medal Winner; 1999 Great Amercian Beer Festival, Gold Medal Winner - og 1.070, ABV 7.0%, IBU 69. California State Fair Bronze Medal, 1997 Beerfest Invitational. - og 1.070, ABV 7.0%, IBU 69.

Not only is the brewer a fan of hops, but for somereason I thinnk he was a fan the classic comic show speed racer! That was the first thing I thought of when I saw the label. Enjoyable beer, if I remember correctly I had two.

Belgium Beer Tastings: Trappist Ales

2006-06-30T15:54:00.000-05:00

The following beers were tasted in Belgium, the photos were added later.

Brouwerij Westmalle (Adbij der Trappisten van Westmalle)
Antwerpsesteenweg 496
Malle, 2390
Belgium
phone: +32 (0)33 12 92 22

Style: Trippel
9.5% ABV
Golden copper in color and a slight haze, with a thick head formed by tightly packed bubbles. Malt and fruit on the nose, hints of pepper. Very smooth for such a high alcohol content.
Available in Austin: Yes

Brasseire d'Orval
Abbaye de Notre-Dame d'Orval
Villers-devant-Orval, 6823
Belgium
phone: +32 (0)61 31 12 61

Belgian Pale Ale
6.9 % ABV

Hazy golden orange in color, thick foamy head. Slight sourness behind the malt taste but still well balanced.
Available in Austin: Yes

Chimay

Corsendonk

Belgium Trip Day # Liege, Deigne

2006-06-29T12:00:00.000-05:00

We arrive in Deigne very late. This is a small village with narrow streets, there is a large block party going on when we arrive that lasts until early morning. The weekend we are staying here, the town is closed of and there is a large festival, craft booths and garage style setups along every road. All through the day ceremonies are taking place with announcements, people in costumes, all designed for fun. Chantal and her mother cruise the jewelry stalls and a few of the local cheese and specialty food vendors. I venture out looking for the booths that looks like they pulled it out of the garage or junk pile. Lots of bier glasses for various styles of beers, most are not in photographic condition but I pick up a small Trappist glass for tastings. I found a really cool chocolate mold that makes a full size pig that is about 6 inches long, I thought about coming back later for it, when I did it was gone. My mother always says when shopping in a foreign country"You see it, you want it, you buy it", because it will not be there later.

For lunch we sent our own dishes to a food vendor and he filled them up for us to take back to the cottage. We enjoyed a paella, some local bread and cheeses, the local water is supplied from a spring in the center of town. George would take two large bottles every morning and fill them from the spring for our drinking water.

Belgium Trip Day 5: Antwerp

2006-06-28T10:00:00.000-05:00

Today we are back in Antwerp at our family's home, relaxing before the wedding. Tonight we will be dining at the Bernardin Restaurant with family, but today we are going bier and chocolate shopping!

Shopping List:

Rochefort Trappistes 6
Rochefort Trappistes 8
Rochefort Trappistes 10
Chimay, (Very Affordable)
Duvell
Orval
Westmalle Dubbel
and any other bier that catches my eye.

I notice the usual suspect in most grocery type stores, Duval, Chimay, Jupiler, Stella, Leffe and on. A large selection of the beer aisle changes in each region of Belgium, if you see a beer you want, go ahead and pick it up, good chance you might not find it again.

Dinner was great, beautiful outdoor setting in a courtyard in the shadow of the Saint James Church. After dinner, We drove to the main square in Antwerp and enjoyed drinks in an outdoor cafe, underneath the Cathedral of Our Lady. George pointed out that one tower is shorter than the other, he says the urban legend of the towers is that the tall one was funded by the people and the short one was funded by the government. There was some sort of festival going on so the square was full of people and lots of activity. With the Catherdral being closed the outside spotlights made an interestng back drop for a street performer posing as a statue. Tonight we will sleep well.

The seating for this establishment is in an outdoor courtyard, in the shadow of a cathedral, awesome setting.

Belgium Trip Day 3: Brugge

2006-06-27T19:30:00.000-05:00

Day 3.

Chantal, Maria, Christine and I travel to Brugge, the Venice of Belgium. We try to find a spot closest to the canal, Christine decides its worth the risk of a parking ticket and we get a good spot. We stop in a local cafe for a quick bite, giving me ample time to sample a few pints before the canal tour.

XXXXX

After the canal tour, we headed to La Grande Place for some shopping, sightseeing and working up a thirst. There are a number of cafes that line La Grand Place and you can expect to pay the tourist premium when you dine. We settled into one of the cafes, choosing a table by the square I settled into a nice Brugse Tripel and do some people watching.

Brugse Tripel
Brewed by Brouwerij Palm
Well rounded malt character, nice hop aroma.
Amber color.
Top Fermented. 9% ABV

We are pretty worn out from our constant travelling as well as it being unusually warm in Belgium.

Belgium Trip Day4: Knokke-Zoute

2006-06-27T08:36:00.000-05:00

Today we visit the upscale coastal town of Knokke. We stayed at the Hotel Carlton, just steps away from the beach, with a wonderful room view of the North Sea from out balcony. There is a large boardwalk that seems to run for miles up and down the beach. It is divided into lanes for walkers and bikes and scooters. Just past the boardwalk are rows of white storage sheds with names or numbers on them, these are personal storage areas for frequent visitors. On the beach are rows and rows of white umbrellas and chairs, just take a seat and someone will be along shortly to collect a rental fee. Large rock jetties stick out into the water every few hundred yards with people clamoring about, upon closer inspection they are fishing for crabs. I decided to try my luck after watching a few locals, first find a piece of string, then break a small mussel off of the rocks and open him up, tie the string around the mussel. Find a small tidal pool or crevice under the rocks and toss in the bait. Every few moments pull it out and a very small crab will be attached. Whole families would be catching these small crabs and putting them in a bucket, too small for bait, not sure if you can eat them, but they catch them.

Chantal and I stroll the boardwalk and stop in a few open air cafes for snacks and bier. Tonight I dined in a local restaurant with Christine, Marie, and Chantal. We enjoyed a nice glass bottle of wine and a bier. My entree was a garlic sauteed langoustine lobster or shrimp, wonderful meal.

Belgium Trip Day #2 Brussells

2006-06-26T15:00:00.000-05:00

We borrow a car and leave for Brussels, after some confusion between Flemish/French communication problems, we make it! Today we will meet up with Juliett and Jean Christopher, the whole reason we are here, their wedding! The best way to see Brussels in a hurry is ride a double decker tour bus, complete with head phones and plenty of translation options. The tour is typical of most historical tours, famous building, bridge, house and so forth. A wonderful piece of information was presented during the tour, Belgium has 400 plus varieties of beer! With that much ground to cover, it looks like many repeated trip will be necessary.

((Post visit addition)I think visiting the oldest citizen of Brussels should be a requirement to all tourists. Something about the irreverence of it all that makes me grin, a small boy, peeing into a fountain, the manekin pis. The real comedy of the situation probably doesn't hit until you get home and look at your photos. After clamoring amongst the other people to get your clear photo in front if the fountain.....convince someone to take your picture.....show them how to work your camera....smile....thanks....flip the digital camera to view....looks good....time for more pictures...buy a souvenir.....move on. Even then you didn't catch it, nope, not until you get home and see the photos on the screen that you notice it, it looks like the boy is pissing on you! Ha!)

We take a break from buying a bunch of mankin pis souvenirs and enjoy a light lunch and a beer off a side street. A nice Hoegarden and some Greek food, street vendor style. The table are set up in the middle of the street, forcing you to walk on the sidewalks, right in front of the vendors. These polite gentlemen will even pull out a chair for you, even from 10 feet away. I suggest walking up one side and down the other and take your pick. Back to Antwerp tonight.

Belgium Trip Day #1 Brussels, Antwerp

2006-06-25T14:56:00.000-05:00

We land in Brussels mid day after a comfortable flight, greeted by family we take a quick tour of the surrounding area and head to Antwerp to sleep off the jet lag. The ext day we will venture back to Brussels to visit JC and Juliet and tour Brussels.

Czech Pilsner, or the Sophie Pilsner

2006-06-19T16:45:00.000-05:00

My brother is having a little girl, so in honor of her arrival I am dedicating this batch to her. He is naming him after our grandmother Sophie (Oehl) Dybala. My Grandmother contributed a mustang wine recipe and a beer recipe that I plan to use in the future. The recipes were found in a Czech Cookbook written by my mother.

Czech Pilsner

1/4 lb. Crystal 1o L
2 1/2 lb Bohemian Pils 45 minute soak at 155 degrees.
5 lb Extra Pale Extract Boil
1 oz German Magnum Hops for 60 minute boil.
1 oz of Saaz hops the last 5 minutes of the 60 minute boil.

California Labs Pitched yeast.

6/19/06: SG 1.10

SG 1.013 at bottling, I got a late start on this is the season, the temperature is a little warm for brewing. Nice refreashing Pilsner, I will be sure to crack one open when she is born, and distrubute the rest to family.

Beer Spa in the Czech Republic

2006-04-26T01:00:00.000-05:00

Chodovar, Czech Republic.

The Chodovar Family Brewery has been offering a rejuvenating beer spa treatment. The major bath ingtredient is a dark bathing beer, produced from original and traditional methods. During your soak it is recomended that you drink unique non-pasteurised Rock Lager, the active yeast are supposed to help your digestive system while you relax. This all takes place in the vintage cellars of the brewery.

A two person bath will cost you around $50 US, this includes your drinking and soaking beer but not a bathrobe, that costs a little extra.

Puerto Vallarta Trip: Mexican Beers

2005-11-24T13:50:00.000-06:00

It's honeymoon time is Puerto Vallarta and I will probaly do more poolside, umbrella drink lounging than searching for odd ball beers. The list of Mexican beers is preety short and most can be obtained in Texas.

So far the list is short:

Leon Negra (Grupo Modelo), an amber lager
Sol
Bohemia, More on this later, but this beer is named after the Czech brewers that came to Mexico to teach brewing!
Carta Blanca
Superior
And my favorite from the baja, Pacifico! I first got hooked on Pacifico in college, when my friends and I would sit in lawn chairs in the middle of the Blanco River, enjoying it by the cooler full!

We also visited a few small Tequila factories, one was made from 100% Blue Agave and they used some real old school techniques.

Mustang Wine, Local Grapes

2005-08-06T16:41:00.000-05:00

The back fence of my current office has a large spread of ripe mustang grapes. A co worker and I have decided to pick a cooler full for me to attempt to make some mustang wine.

This is a recipe from my Grandmother, the notes warn that if it has been a rainy year the wine will have less of a punch. This also calls for a cheese cloth to be placed over the open fermenter to keep the flies out, thats' how it was done on the farm.

10 lbs of sugar
Grapes, crushed, leave skins.
1 or two yeast packages.

Ferment 10 days, rerack then bottle.

This produced a high octane grape wine, this is probablt better suited to drink in the deer blind to stay warm. Next back I will cut back on the sugar and try to mellow out the flavors.

Mr Beer Recipe

2005-05-25T16:09:00.000-05:00

I was given a couple of small cans of Mr. Beer as part of a gift package. This isn't something I would normally seek out to brew but I have some empty carboys, so why not. It contains a bag of pre mixed goodies and a can of malt extract. Very simple boil and add mix, cool, ferment, prime, bottle. The recipe does not come with priming sugar, so the 1 1/4 teaspoon per 20 oz bottle to prime or 3/4 teaspoon per 12 oz bottles. Mixing it per bottle can cause some discrepancies in carbonation, might even get some explosions out of this one.

The Pale Ale and the Wheat Ale were used.

Bottled May 24th.

Notes: No explosions, some bottles opened with little carbonation and a few with thick foaming heads. Not my favorite beer but I still good enough to drink all of it. Can kits don't produce the flavor and body that you get from a mash or mini mash recipe.

Wedding Wine: Chardonnay

2005-05-05T16:41:00.000-05:00

This is the second of the wedding wines for my wedding, October 29th.

Chardonnay Vinters Reserve Kit

Kit comes with a bag of Chardonnay grape juice and required ingredients.

May 5th: SG 1.085

June 1st: SG 1.000, re racked to secondary fermenter.
June 18th: Whipped to drive out co2. Re Rack add oak chips for flavor.
July 4th: Bottled

Notes: Tasted august 18th, sharp bite when served very cold, nice and mellow when served at 55 degrees.

Wedding Wines: Shiraz

2005-03-01T16:21:00.000-06:00

What no beer? My fiance and I have decided to make some of the wine for our wedding guests to enjoy, along with the other beverages offered.

Shiraz Vinters Reserve Kit

Kit comes with a bag of Shiraz grape juice, essentially you get the liquid without the picking, de- stemming and pressing.

SG 1.081
3 tsp bentonite. 24 - 48 hour ferment

March 14th: SG .990, re racked to secondary fermenter. lower sg than expected, possibly due to late re rack. Nice buttery smell from fermenter, slight haze in wine.

March 20Th: Re rack and add 1/4 teaspoon of Potassium Metabasulfite for storage.

April 7th: Bottled, 24 750 ml, 2 1.5 L bottles.

Homebrew: Northwest Pale Ale

2005-02-26T15:55:00.000-06:00

3/4 lb Crystal 60L 15 minute soak. I have the home brew store mill it for me.
1/2 lb Crystal 90L 15 minute soak.
7 lb Pale Extract Boil
1 1/2 oz Perle hops for 60 minute boil.
1/2 oz Perle hops add the last 15 minutes of 60 minute boil.
1 oz of Tettnang hops the last 5 minutes of the 60 minute boil.

California Labs Pitched yeast.

Notes: First time using a pitch yeast, activity was slow so I added some more yeast, yeast and hops volcano after two days. re racked, SG 1.01. No yeast problems after re rack.

Feb 26: SG 1.01
March 14: SG 1.01, re rack and primed.

47 12 oz bottles.

Notes: Despite the yeast explosion no bottles exploded and the beer developed into a great tasting pale ale.

Muntons Canadian Style Mix

2004-10-13T15:46:00.000-05:00

The last of my can mix beers, picked this up at Austin Home Brew Supply.

Notes: use a secondary fermenter after 3 or 4 days.

2 lbs light DME
Can mix of malt, boil to combine sugars.

Oct 13th: SG 1.040
Oct 18th: Transferred to secondary fermenter SG 1.011.
November 11th : SG 1.010 Re racked and primed for bottling.

25 20oz bottles
3 12 oz bottles

Mutons Nut Brown Ale

2004-09-05T13:08:00.000-05:00

This batch is primarilty from a can of ale mix. I purchased it from Austin Home Brew Supply

3.5 liters water
2 lb corn sugar/light DME
1 can nut brown ale mix.
Boil to combine sugars and malt mix.

Add to primary, fill to top.

SG at 75degrees 1.044 + .002 = 1.0145 Sept 5th.
SG 80 deg 1.012 + 0.0025 = 1.0145 Sept 12th
1.008 is the target.

SG 1.008 Sept 14th, still of activity.
SG 1.008 Sept 16th.
SG 1.008 Sept 17th.

Re Racked then mixed with priming sugar. 32 bottles.

Sept 28th, slight sediment in bottom of bottles.
taste test: Chantal - sweet nose, buttery taste.
Curtis - slight carbonation, seems light in body, needs to sit longer to carbonate.

After about two weeks until we ran out, this beer poured with a nice thick head, typically a finger width. Only a few bottles poured a little flat. Not bad from a can mix and a quick easy brew.

Next batch we will try with a secondary fermenter after the initial yeast activity.

Fig Wine Recipe 2004

2004-07-18T12:47:00.000-05:00

Variation of a peach wine recipe from a Czech cookbook, interestingly enough, my mother helped put the book together and my dad submitted the peach wine recipe. I remember them making in in the project room in a dark closet, and it had the ripe sweet fermenting smell.

The figs were picked from Uncle Phil's tree in Cedar Park.

Recipe:
2 1/2 Gallons of water
9 lbs of sugar
4 quarts of figs, I used roughly 8 pounds.
3 lemons, cut up.
4 lb of raisins.
1 package of yeast.

Boil sugar in water until dissolved and allow to cool.
Combine all ingredients (figs, sugar water, lemons, yeast) in a large brew pail or crock container.
Mashing the figs while combining releases some of the natural sugars and yeasts. Add enough cool water to bring to 5 or six gallons.
Enjoy a cold beer.
Stir every day for seven days.
The original recipe called for a cheese cloth placed over the container to keep out the flies, this leaves you open to wild yeasts and the possibility of an off flavor. I used a brew pail with a airlock, trying to keep exposure to a minimum when I stirred it.
On day seven add the raisins and let sit for 21 days.
Re rack after 21 days, there will be a large floating cap of raisins and figs with lots of sediment. This is OK, most will be left behind after the first rack.
Re rack every few days until SG has leveled out and the sediment is gone.

Notes:
July 18th Start Batch
July 25th Raisins
Heavy yeast activity, first rack on August 20
re rack august 28th
re rack Sept 5th.
Bottled Sept 12th.

SG 1.15 15 - 19% alcohol
This batch has a strong alcohol smell with a golden amber dolor. Nose of fruit, peaches and apples, very light body.

Czech Republic 2003 -2004

2004-01-05T13:04:00.000-06:00

Czech Republic

Pivo enjoyed:

Policske Otakar Svetly Lezak 11
Bohemian Pilnser
Brewed By:
Pivovar Policka
572 14 Polička, Pivovarská 151
Česká republika
IČ: 60112344 DIČ: CZ60112344

Velkopopovický Kozel Pale
4% ABV
Brewed By:
Radka Kubátová
Plzeňský Prazdroj, a. s.
Pivovar Velké Popovice
Ringhofferova 1
251 69 Velké Popovice

Budweiser Budvar
Premium Lager
BUDĚJOVICKÝ BUDVAR, N. P.
KAROLINY SVĚTLÉ 4
370 21 ČESKÉ BUDĚJOVICE

Pilsner Urquell
Czech Pilsner

Travel notes:

December 20: Arrive in Vienna, Austria. Drive through a few Austrian villages into the Czech Republic, then onto Klentnice, the town of the Michnas, Joseph, Ellen, Lukas and Christina. Our first party tonight in Mikulov with some locals, we have already started sampling the local wines. This area is the Napa Valley of the Czech Republic, everybody makes, grows or has something to do with wines. Vineyards and cellars are everywhere.

Dec 21: Visited Lednice, very cold around 30 degrees and the sun sets about 4pm, this took a few days to adjust.

Dec 22: Travel day to Frydek Mistek, borrowing the family Skoda we set out, via many wrong turn, traffic circles and just about every other driving situation to make a 4 hour trip a six hour trip. Along the way we stopped in Novy Hrozenkov, this is the mountain village my family originated from in the 1500's. My father and I took a picture with the classic "brothers meet in" pose at the village sign.

Dec 23: Frydek Mistik, walked all over the town. Had a surprise meal at the Zamacek Pod Hramen in the great room. Our host treated us to a wonderful dinner as a parting gift before we set off for our return drive to Kletnice.

Dec 24: After celebrating Christmas, that evening Chantal, and I joined Lukas and Marie for a trip to a local pub in Mikulov. We discovered a beer called Velvet. This turned out to be one of our favorite beers, I managed to borrow a glass from the pub to bring back to the states. The beers were very cheap about .25-.45 cents per 0.3L!

Dec 25: We went to visit a few local wine cellars in Budovice. A wine cellar in this area is about as common as a garage is in the US, almost everybody had one, filled with barrels and bottles of wine. The first cellar we went to was Joseph's "working" cellar to taste a few of his wines. Shortly after we arrived one of the other local wine makers stopped in to shared some wine samples and then invited us to his cellar. This had a snowball effect and we managed to stop in at four different cellars, along the way our group grew larger and we lost track of the wine sampling.

December 26: Joseph was kind enough to contact all of the wine makers and get the names and vintage of the wines we sampled. 48 different wines from whites to reds, vintage 2000 - 2003, a very intoxicating evening. We visited two more cellars today in Kletnice but I refrained from sampling. There is a very interesting custom to stick a coin in the natural mold growing on the walls of cellars, the custom is if you leave coin, you will return to visit again. I stuck coins in every cellar we visited, right next to some that seemed to be a part of the wall itself.

We ate dinner at a restaurant near the border, the owner invited us to see her private cellar. This was nothing like the cellars we had been visiting, this was a beautiful, high end cellar, with large collections of bottles. Another interesting thin about this cellar was the owners collection of bricks that she had incorporated into the entire cellar. Antique bricks, bricks from Nazi Germany, just about every kind you could imagine. No wine was produced in this cellar as it was more of a show room/tasting room than cellar. The tasting room consisted of a large room with a great table with seating for 16, along with various side rooms with bottle displays, lights and table settings. Not to mention a fireplace and cooking stove with a very organic copper hood vent. Lots of custom details could be seen throughout the cellar.

Dec 27 - 28: Prague, stayed at the Hotel Pramen, felt like an old communist building. We traveled via subway to various parts of the capital. Old Square, Charles Bridge, Tyn Church. Dinner was in a small Italian restaurant. I stopped in a McDonalds for a cheeseburger to see if they tasted the same, they did.

Dec 29 - 30: Shopping for handmade crystal and garnet jewelry in Mikulov, Breclav and Lednice. We met back in Mikulov for dinner at the Hotel Zamacek. A full cooked goose, purple sauerkraut and knedlicky.

Dec 31: New Years Party with the younger generation at the Hotel Zamacek, A large room had been reserved for us to celebrate. It took us a little but to get over the language barrier but alcohol quickly became the vehicle for easier communication. The girls introduced us to a Czech drink called Becherovka, a potent drink that tastes like Jager mixed with vodka and ginger ale, pretty stout drink. I introduced them to the game quarters, then a version of speed quarters or chandeliers. At midnight we gathered outside in the snow cheering and watching the fireworks from Mikulov. Instead of driving home we stayed at a room in the hotel.

Jan 1