Batch #116 - Bliss and Euphoria

A bicycle tour with Paul and Charlie, from Prospect Oregon to Crater Lake, Diamond Lake, the North Umpqua Trail, then back over many hills to the South Umpqua River, then over the longest, highest pass back to Prospect, was among the most memorable tours I've enjoyed.  Good company of hardy lads, camping as we went, we enjoyed the backcountry of SW Oregon, the Huckleberries and Blackberries, the beautiful streams, the colorful trout, the natural hot springs, and the "Dread and Terror" section of the North Umpqua Trail, which Paul suggested be re-named, "Bliss and Euphoria".

Done.

MT

Batch #115 - Summer Solstice Belgian Brown Ale

This Ale celebrates our last backcountry ski tour of the 2010-2011 season, with a hike to the top of Mt. Sopris, and a delightful ski down the center bowl to Thomas Lakes, attended by March, Paul, Randy and me.  March graces the label, mostly because she's so much better looking than we old farts are.

Batch #114: Rye Ale

On a climb to the top of Basalt Mountain from the Permaculture Institute, there is a tree that has received a great deal of damage from tumbling rocks and boulders on a steep ravine above it.  One of these rocks appears to have been caught by the tree, whom I have named "Sisyphus" after the mythical character destined to push a large boulder up the hill, only to have it roll down again.

Sisyphus proudly announces my "Summertime Rye Ale", made with a good dose of sweet rye grain, a real thirst-quencher.

MT

Batch #113 - Watering Hole Summer IPA

Back into the swing of things, here is a 10-gallon batch of India Pale Ale, ready for Summer thirst-quenching.  The photo is a gift from Randy Udall, pictured here filtering water from a rare desert storm, a few years back.

Batch #112 - Amber Ale Duo

Due to popular demand (and the rapid depletion of Batch #110), half of this batch went into an encore of my Habanero Ale, now that I've found the "perfect" mixture of heat and thirst quenching qualities.

The other half of this batch went into a less than satisfactory attempt at bottling with CO2 gas and a "beer gun". Unfortunately, I attempted this on my own, and I am still a novice at carbonating with a can of gas, so the results were a mildly carbonated beer.  Well, here's to celebrating (and learning from) an occasional failure!

Batch #111 - Learning Tree E.S.B.

This Ale was brewed for the Waldorf School's fundraising dinner in March, so it was kegged, never bottled, and by the end of the party it was all gone.

Batch #110 - Habanero Red Ale - They're Baaack! Hotter than ever!

This latest batch of my (in)famous Habanero Ale, I have decided to call the bluff of all my dare-sayers, and pump up the heat!  It still won't damage you, but this one might send you to the sink for a cold water chaser!