This beer's for the dogs!

via the Daily Mail

Yes, this canine concoction actually has malt extract. Whether is has brewer's yeast or not remains to be seen. Of course, no hops, as some instances have suggested that hops can cause malignant hyperthermia in dogs.

Either way, it's interesting. I'm sure my two mutts wouldn't waste a drop, nor time in consuming it.

Cheers!

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Pleasant surprises

So far a good week for beer, only to get better by the weekend (Friday's my birthday and it's going to involve enjoying good beer of course).

Monday night was my brew club's meeting night and quarterly competition. The style this time: bock. Traditional bock/Helles bock/Dopplebock/Eisbock, take your pick. I brewed up 5 gallons of Jamil's Angel Wings Maibock and took 1st place! Enjoyed a pint or two after the meeting downstairs in Brewer's Alley as a victory dance of sorts...brewmaster Tom had a great selection on tap. The dunkelweizen and Pils on tap were both very good.

Then, tonight after running some errands, we decided to visit one of my fav bottle stores. The wife grabbed two bottles of local wine while I perused the beer selection (mind you, I have 5 gallons of Maibock on tap and a half-case of Bell's Two Hearted Ale as well). I hadn't before noticed the small beer fridge in the back containing a few 22oz bombers; nor did I before notice the shelves immediately to the left of the fridge that were FULL of 22oz bombers! Stone, Southern Tier, La Chouffe, Allagash, Arcadia, Victory...beers that I was previously picking up 500 miles away while visiting family. I grabbed a 22oz of Southern Tier Barleywine and a 500ml bottle of Reissdorf Kölsch.

They know their stuff and the staff is friendly and helpful. By far my favorite bottle shop.

Stay tuned, Friday is going to be fun!

Salvation

Homebrewing requires a lot of patience at times; especially in the case of lagers. Lagers take time and the ability to slow down and pay attention to what's going on. Rushing a Munich Helles is like trying to bed Melissa Theuriau by saying voulez vous coucher avec moi: the result would most likely be futile and humiliating. (you're welcome) My Maibock requires the same level of babying.

Luckily, with a club bock competition coming up Monday, it was absolutely necessary to pull a pint to check for...erm, flaws etc. No other reason. Really! After a slight hiatus, it's nice to see the taps flowing again.

Meanwhile, work on my man-cave (ok, so it's not just mine) has resumed. The brew room has come to resemble the aftermath of an F5 tornado, making brewing that much more difficult.

In times of great stress and multiple irons in the fire, the reward of patience and vigilant respect in paying homage to one of the greatest brewing styles in the world is in itself greatly gratifying, first sip to last.

Prost!!