Author Archives: Shawn

VIEW PART 2- THE HISTORY THE RIFF In music, a riff is a repeated musical phrase or theme, and particularly in Jazz, it’s common to vary that phrase or theme in the repetition- which is the act of “riffing.” A Jazz musician might riff on a theme, varying it while remaining close enough to beContinueContinue reading “Ballantine’s Ale- Riffing on a Missing Link, Part 3”

VIEW PART 1 – THE SPARK THE HISTORY Peter Ballantine, circa 1880 Ballantine holds a unique place in the history of American beer, and in the more recent story of American Craft Beer. The beginning of the Ballantine story sounds similar to many other breweries of the nineteenth and twentieth Centuries. First generation immigrant opensContinueContinue reading “Ballantine’s Ale – Riffing on a Missing Link, Part 2”

THE SPARK I’ve been a bit obsessed with Ballantine lately. Although this beer has always had a place in the periphery of my consciousness (as far back as I remember- all the way to my childhood) nothing about it ever sparked much interest for me until very recently. Even a few years ago when PabstContinueContinue reading “Ballantine’s Ale – Riffing on a Missing Link, Part 1”

It’s been nearly half a year since my last brew day, and now that the snow cover is thawing I’m beginning to prepare for the 2021 brewing season. To that end, I spent some time this week cleaning and reconditioning my four tap keezer. Scrubbed the freezer interiorDismantled soaked and scrubbed the shanks and faucetsReplacedContinueContinue reading “Ready for the 2021 Brewing Season”

The other day, I tried to open my copy of BeerSmith 2 on my laptop, only to be greeted with this friendly message: Nope, I was not running a trial version that required activation.  I’ve owned and used this software since 2010 (back then just BeerSmith, and yeah I know there’s now a BeerSmith 3).ContinueContinue reading “Pen, Paper, Math! Designing Beer Recipes without Software”

It’s time I finally get around to this overdue write-up on my backyard yeast culture. Late last Summer, I tried my hand at bioprospecting- the practice of capturing wild indigenous yeast and bacteria. This can include simply introducing samples or swabs into growth medium (starter wort), or even isolating individual cells on agar plates toContinueContinue reading “ex vespula”

In the chest of every home brewer beats the heart of a hardcore DIY-er. I believe this to be true even in the age of blinged out, fully automated, shiny turn-key systems manufactured for and specifically marketed to the home brewer.  As, not one, but multiple manufacturers have built a business around this, there obviouslyContinueContinue reading “DIY or Buy?”

A random text this morning from my sister reminded me of this long-forgotten blog, and I opened it on my phone to discover it’s been three years since my last post.  Three years.Not sure if there are Chapters to the gradually evolving story of my homebrewing adventures, but if there are, I have no doubtContinueContinue reading “Point/ Counterpoint”

My water program, like all aspects of my brewing, has evolved over time.When I first started brewing extract batches in 2001, the only thought I gave to water was how much I would need for the beer I was making.  The water came straight from the tap, with an unknown mineral profile, organic content, andContinueContinue reading “Water”

About three weeks ago I brewed a Brown Ale without any hops in the boil, then pitched a starter of Lactobacillus Plantarum into primary and allowed it to sour for 48 hours before adding yeast.  The idea is to have a quick-turnaround (a few weeks instead of months or even years) sour beer.Apparently this isContinueContinue reading “Fast Souring with Lactobacillus”