Batch #118 - Occupy Anonymous Ale

I labeled this Anonymous Ale in moral support of the "Occupy Wall Street" movement.  In New York, Occupy protesters have organized themselves in the tiny rectangle of public space called Zuccotti Park, which they have re-dubbed "Liberty Park".  They have a community kitchen, a care station, a public library, sanitary facilities, tents for sleeping a few hundred people, and the entire perimeter a public discussion forum.  The Wall Street camp anonymous calls itself "The NYC General Assembly", and publishes views arrived at by democratic discussion and concensus, at http://nycga.cc

In particular, I am in support of the movement's claim that big business and big government are acting together in ways that dis-serve the vast majority and spoil the commons, if I may excerpt from the Declaration of the NYC GA:
"We come to you at a time when corporations, which place profit over people, self-interest over justice, and oppression over equality, run our governments. We have peaceably assembled here, as is our right, to let these facts be known."  Read the entire declaration: Declaration of the NYC GA

I admire these hardy souls who are resolutely preparing for Winter camping in New York City and elsewhere around the world, to bring attention to the injustices brought to us by corporations and government, and I will support their efforts to push for legislative change, but that may not suffice.

In addition, we must each recognize our support for "BIG" government and business in the choices we make every day.  STOP choosing to support "BIG".  Take our money out of the big banks and invest in our communities.  Buy local.  Know your Farmer.  Barter.  Press government to shift management of everything possible from the Federal level to the State and Local levels.  Press government and industry for regulations to outlaw pollution of the commons - including Nature AND the Economy!  And until these regulations have been achieved, I personally urge everyone to boycott "BIG", and choose "small".

The mask we are beginning to see used by the Occupy movement is from the film "V is for Vendetta", and is apparently based on a 16th century Englishman named "Guy Fawkes", who was arrested for trying to blow up the House of Lords, in order to assasinate King James I, in 1605.  His failure to accomplish the deed is celebrated in England on November 5 every year since, known as "Guy Fawkes Day".  His image has been used as a symbol of protest of oppression ever since.

Batch #117 - American Pale Ale

Bicycle touring adventures stir my soul, I readily admit, so please indulge me while I dedicate a second label to the Oregon tour, and my intrepid pals, Paul Andersen and Charlie Gillis.

Read Paul's essay in the Aspen Times Weekly,

“Touring Pandora: Adventure Bicycling in the Cascades of Oregon”

Download a "Google Earth" map of our tour, and have a look at the 3D terrain:
"Oregon Bliss and Euphoria Bicycle Tour 2011"

Batch #108 - Flying Pig Smoked Porter

Trying to imitate the wonderful flavor of the HAMs Team Brew, "Whiskey Barrel Baltic Porter", I brewed a 10-gallon batch of Smoked Porter, using 2.5# of smoked barley malt grains, in addition to 18# of 2-row malt and 1.5# of pale chocolate malt.  Upon first taste, I was frankly appalled - my porter tasted like . . . like . . . well, like BACON!!  Oh no!  How could I expect my friends to enjoy drinking liquid bacon, unless I promote it as a breakfast beer?!  I was so embarrassed that I declined to bring a two week old bottle to the November Homebrewers Club meeting, offering instead a half-dozen bottles of previous batches.  When I explained my reluctance to the members, Ken Jones, master brewer at the Glenwood Canyon Brew Pub, soothed my fears by suggesting that I just let the bottles age, and that in a couple of months, the smokiness would probably subside a bit.  Well, we'll see, but for the time being, I'm labeling the beer and hoping for the best.  If Ken's right, it will be drinkable, but I still fear that my friends will like it, if only pigs could fly.
MT

Batch #107 - Fresh Hops Ale

Late August was the perfect time this year for harvesting fresh hops, and I gathered these from a couple of my favorite patches along the Rio Grande bike path, then I brewed with them the following day.  I hope you like the way they flavored this late summer ale.  Tastes as fresh as new January snow!

MT

Batch #106 - Apricot Summer Ale

A secondary fermentation with 1/2 gallon of organic apricot mash directly into the carboy set our Strong Ale Yeasties off for another week of party time, and a final week to calm the heck down for bottling.  Definite fruity background, and crisp tasting like a summer ale should be.  This one will celebrate "Indian Summer" because it won't be naturally carbonated until after August 31.  I hope it will be worth the wait!

Batch #104 - American Strong Ale

Okay, perhaps I'm over-simplifying things a bit, by brewing with simple grains, just half a 50# sack of two-row malted barley, with a pile of Sterling leaf hops, and a strong American Ale Yeast, for a 10-gallon batch of beer.  Sort of like making Big Music with a three piece band.  My starting gravity came in at 1.078 for this ale, and the finish gravity at bottling time was 1.010, which resulted in an alcohol by volume of over 10%.

Well, here's a toast to my hero, Lance Armstrong, inspiration to athletes and cancer patients all over the world, as he rides in the Tour de France this July.  Ride safely, and we'll all look forward to seeing you on the podium in Paris.  Go Lance!

84 bottles, 1 mini-keg minted Saturday, June 26.

Postscript, Sunday July 11: Lance Armstrong had a very bad day riding Stage 8, suffering three crashes and falling back to 13 minutes behind the leader.  Lance told the press today that this tour is finished for him, but that he will continue to ride for his team.  My admiration for the man gets stronger still.

batch #103 - Heather Ale

Here's to SPRING, and the happy appearance of flowers everywhere!  This batch of my Heather Ale landed 78 bottles and one 5-liter keg in my cellar, all best tasted after May 25.

Due to Noah's request, I am beginning with this batch, to post my recipes in the messages area below each post.  Let me know how it turns out, if you brew a batch yourself, and please save me a bottle!

MT

HAMs Team Brew: Whiskey Barrel Baltic Porter

Seven homebrewers in the Roaring Fork HAM's Homebrewers Club got together and brewed a 55-gallon batch of Baltic Porter, and aged it for a couple of months in a decommisioned barrel from Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey.  I helped them to create a nice label for the bottles they planned to put away, and even labels for the kegs they planned to fill.  Homebrewer Tony May created the "pigman in a barrel" club logo for the label.
I can't wait to taste their work at the next Club meeting, May 10!

batch #102: Mountain Winter Trappist Ale

A new Trappist Ale Yeast has come to live in my carboys, and I'm feeding them some wonderful barley, hops, and mountain water.  I keep them happy, and yes, they will keep me and my friends very happy also!
Cheers!

53 bottles

batch #101: Holy Habanero, THEY'RE BACK!!

Yes, the rollercoaster monks are back, this time cruising in to visit Pandora, the magical planet in the recent blockbuster movie, "AVATAR". I wonder where they'll be heading next?

Cheers!

40 bottles

BATCH #100! - Yak Porter

Here's to the end of a long winter drought in my homebrewing practice. This Porter has a rich nutty flavor, and a significant kick, at 8.3% abv. Have yourself a nice, cool water chaser! I borrowed this Yak porter photo from JKirby's Travelpod.com blog. This label is in honor of a local Yak herd at Sustainable Settings Ranch in Carbondale, CO.

38 bottles

Champagne Cider Season 2009

Cider pressed from three different trees this Autumn:

Grange Cider Apple is from Billy's front orchard, small yellow-red cider apple on the highway fence line, picked in the peak of ripeness in October;

Zordel Cider Apple is from Mary Lou Zordel's yellow delicious apple, picked and pressed in the peak of its ripeness in October;

ICE Cider was picked and pressed in late November, from Joan Remsbecher's cider apple tree in the rear yard of Butch's Seafood Bar, when the apples had frozen hard and thawed several times.  This was the sweetest cider of the season, and I hope it will be among the best champagne ciders I've ever bottled.

Cheers!

Pumpkin Ale! Happy Thanksgiving! - Batch #99

HOMEBREW LABELS!

Here's to HALF the FUN of Brewing Beer!