July 26^th, 2009

The B-4 event held at The Weekend Pub was a huge success. The event was put on by the Brew Crew to raise money for our local Susan G. Komen Foundation affiliate. We were able to donate $1,200.00 to the Tidewater affiliate.

We could not have pulled it off if it weren't for everyone involved and every small business which donated time, space and resources. The Weekend Pub gave us use of the Pub and two of the very lovely pub therapists volunteered to stay after their shift and tend bar for another six hours. Tim Morgan and the Mojo Brothers were incredible and donated not only their time (can't have a Blues event without a Blues Band), but Tim also dontated an antique guitar, slide, case and a free lesson for the silent auction. Homebrew USA graciously donated the ingredients used to brew. There was plenty of bar-b-que to go around, oh, and the beverages weren't too bad either (you gotta go to The Weekend Pub).

The Brewing Gods, Murphy's Law or a little of both forced our hand and not only sent us into emergency Alternative Engineering mode, but granted us the wisdom of chilling. We had been using a Glycol chiller with a huge energy draw and a 50-foot, 1/2-inch whirlpool immersion chiller giving us our best time for ten gallons at just over 35 minutes. Due to a rash of equipment failures (the Glycol chiller and a transfer pump) at the start of a twenty-gallon brew day (two ten-gallon batches) we were urged into re-evaluating our chilling system. We decided to re-plumb in order to pump ice water from the bottom of a ten-gallon cooler through the immersion chiller with the return being sent into the top of the cooler. This ended up cutting our chill-time in half for a ten-gallon batch. We went from ~36 minutes to just over the 18 minute mark (that is almost a cigar in garage-math).

Next up is the Shriner's Golf Tournament. We have six, five-gallon kegs ready and waiting. Stay tuned!

May 18^th, 2009

It has been a while since our last update, and a lot has happened. We had our first 20-gallon brew day in which 10 gallons each of Panty Dropper and Pirogue Stout were brewed. We participated in a local fundraiser put on by the Kiwanis Club and the Elks: the 4th Annual Den-B-Que. We also recently acquired two more 1/2-barrel kegs that will become fermentation vessels.

We were able to build the Mobile Draught Bar (MDB) which was completed ahead of time (the day it was needed). We donated 15 gallons to raise money for the local USO and every last drop was gone in under four hours! Converting lager-lovers/corporate-lemmings to fresh, unfiltered, unpasteurized, carbonated goodness that is an ale was a challenge at first, but once the word got out, we ran out. A surprising number of folks, it turns out, were ale drinkers and they never knew it before that day. The masses were enlightened to the light, crisp, citrus-y taste of an American Pale Ale and the full-bodied flavor of Nut Brown Ales. We hope to be at the 5th Annual Den-B-Que next year with twice the volume and flavor as this year.

The Den-B-Que was our second event to date. We had a blast and we are now back to planning our B-4 party: Beer, Barbeque and Blues for Boobs (borrowing from other Susan G. Komen Foundation Beer-4-Boobs fundraisers). We're aiming for mid-July of this year and we haven't quite settled on a venue yet. We hope to achieve answers to both by this weekend.

More news to follow!

February 24^th, 2009

• Bottled Yeast
• Tapped the keg of River Road Stout

• Wood clad the mash tun - now looks more like a wooden barrel

• River Road Stout (oak barrel)
• Panty-Dropper
• Antoinette's Express
  • Kegged - California Creole (formerly Batch-Q)
  • Secondary
    • 10 gallons Pirogue Stout (sour-mash) 3^rd week
    • 90 min IPA our way 2^nd week

We have taken a couple of weeks off from brewing as beer storage and some much-needed maintenance were becoming issues. We have completed most of the tasks on the "'round-to-it" list. The conversion of our little garage brewery from a RIMS (Recirculation Infusion Mash System) to a HERMS (Heat Exchanger Recirculation Mash System) is now in a functioning state and working well. The wood cladding of the mash tun (for the second run) has cut the HERMS cycling by half of what's needed in the first run where the setup is uninsulated. We mash in at 150° then let the HERMS bring the temperature up to 154° and hold it there. On a cool morning (mid 40's), the system only cycled three times and never dropped below 152°. I know that wood may not have the highest R-value, but it looks good!!!

Later.

January 19^th, 2009

• Brewed second batch of Batch Q
• Transferred Panty-Dropper and the oak barrel stout now-named River Road Stout
• Kegged Antoinette's Express
• Tasted the River Road Stout (made with vanilla and charred oak strips from the Weekend Pub's bar extension). It's going to be good!

• Rebuilt the grain mill
• Installed a heater in the fermenting cabinet

• Bayou Blond (we seem to have floated the others - consumption remains a problem)

In keeping with the recent run of changes and improvements, this coming week is Brewery Maintenance Week. We have completed a few of the tasks on the "'round-to-it" list. The grain mill has been rebuilt into a rolling cabinet - adding a little more work space. A much-needed heat source has been added to the fermenting cabinet. Work has started on a heat exchanger which is required to convert our little Brewery from a RIMS (Recirculation Infusion Mash System) into a HERMS (Heat Exchanger Recirculation Mash System). This Sunday is Yeast Ranch Maintenance Day as we need to grow more yeast and pressure-can a few more quarts of sweet wort to be used for yeast starters. Bring your cowboy hat, chaps and spurs for a little fun on the ranch!

The 2^nd annual Sam Adams Home Brew Competition hosted by BOB FM is over and we want to congratulate the 1^st Place team: Pat, Andy and Amy Myers! They entered ten different beers and we had the good fortune to talk with Pat and Andy at the award ceremony last Sunday - great guys and extremely passionate about their craft. They not only brew fine beer, but make wine as well. Check out their website.

HomeBrewUSA is going to carry Pat and Andy's best-in-show beer as a kit.

Backwater Brewery took 5^th place in our first competition attempt and with only having three of our four beers judged. Not exactly clear as to why the fourth, our beloved Pirogue Stout, wasn't judged or scored. It was a good experience nonetheless, and we will come out swinging next year. We will definitely be better prepared and will enter a greater number, and a more diverse selection, of beer.

Later.

January 11^th, 2009

• Brewed Panty Dropper and Oak Barrel Stout
• Transferred Antoinette's Express
• Kegged Bayou Blond
• On tap:
• Blond and Batch Q
• Seems we floated the rest. And, Q is soon to follow.

I do believe that "change" is the watchword for the Backwater Brewery. We've made the process so efficient that today we were able to brew 2 different batches and clean up in less time than it took to brew a single batch just a few months ago. The improvements have been inexpensive but integral to the expansion and efficiency of the brewery. By this time next week, we should have added additional cold storage for kegs, yeast, yeast food, etc. Keep an eye out for more great innovations.

New recipes and never-ending research keep our brewing fresh and lively. Oak barrel stout is another groundbreaking brew. By adding charred oak both at the boil and in the carboy for primary fermentation, we should maximize the woody flavor. We're looking forward to the interim tasting next week.

We have yet to name either "Q" or the oak barrel stout. The brainstorming has created a typhoon of creativity. However, like the prima donnas we are, we can't seem to come to a decision. So maybe you'll see something by next week. Maybe.

Another Weekend Pub friend came by to see the brewery in action. Ben not only observed the process, but he also donated some carboys to the enterprise. He sampled our meager offerings (Robbie's been drinking too much, like usual) and was suitably impressed. Thanks, Ben! And, although he drinks a lot, Robbie was early today (paid announcement).

Much to our chagrin, judging still continues for the BOB FM homebrew contest. We'll let you know when we hear anything.

Well, Dave and I are off to Italy this week so we'll miss the next Vice Club meeting - and ash contest. Jim will explain next week.

So until then, ciao.

January 4^th, 2009

• Brewed Antoinette's Express
• Transferred Bayou Blond to secondary
• Kegged (Batch Q) the un-named blond
• On tap:
• Batch Q - the un-named, roasted almond blond ale
• Cypress Knee Hard Cider

We brewed a 5-gallon batch of Antoinette's Express, kegged Batch Q and transferred the Bayou Blond to secondary. Batch Q has a unique flavor, not sure if I can taste the almonds, but a very good, young beer. I can't wait until the flavors mature - again we wait.

The brewery has undergone a few changes during the holidays. The frame for the control board is finished and bolted to the main brew frame. We put up a wall and added more shelving, a butcher-block table/work bench was found, and a tasking board was hung and quickly filled. Becoming more organized seems to be the theme for January. Repeated requests (more like verbal bludgeoning) for more Panty-Dropper, and hopefully an attempt at an oak barrel stout for the full-figured beer drinkers, will be the next batches brewed this coming Sunday.

Weekday tasks have been slipping through the cracks lately. The icemaker is not being emptied and we had to purchase more ice for the pre-pre-chiller. The tasking board may help - it can't hurt. We are out of Sweet Wort (yeast food) and will need to make and pressure-can a few quarts before Friday.

Some Weekend Pub friends came by to see the changes, sample new beers and just hang out. Friends and excellent beverages - how can you go wrong? Serving Pub Therapist Christine beer instead of her always waiting on me was a plus!

Judging continues for the BOB FM homebrew contest.

Until the next meeting of the Backwater Brewery / Vice Club, Later.

December 21^st, 2008

• Brewed 5 gal of Bayou Blond
• Transferred (batch #5) to secondary
• First run with the new control/valve board "Ouija board"
• Kegged 5 gal of Pirogue Stout after a month in secondary
• On tap:
• Pirogue Stout
• Cypress Knee Hard Cider

We transferred Batch #5 to secondary. It didn't taste bad out of primary. I can't wait until the flavors mature - guess, we 'll see in a few weeks.

The newer, smaller and greatly simplified Ouija board performed better than expected. It made clean-up and draining the system quick and easy, leaving more time for vices (I love technological advances in brewing). We got off to a later-than-normal start around 11:00am, but somehow managed to brew an all-grain 5-gallon batch, transferred 5 gallons to secondary, kegged 5 gallons and had everything cleaned and stowed by 3:00pm. The recent time reduction was largely due to sub 30 min times for chilling the wort to pitch temperatures (212º F to 74º F) thanks to the new whirlpool chiller mod, a lot of ice, and the new control/valve board.

Did I mention that we brewed a 5-gallon all-grain beer in less than 4 hours?

Our yeast ranch has paid dividends. The cultivation and use of our own yeast is proving to be a reduction of 98% in annual yeast cost. We're now buying one tube of yeast a year instead of 40 tubes at nearly $8.00 a tube, and this savings doesn't even take into account gas or shipping costs.

No news on the BOB FM contest.

Until the next meeting of the Backwater Brewery / Vice Club, Later.

December 14^th, 2008

• Brewed 5 gal of Swamp Water (batch #5)
• Finished the updated Ouija board
• On tap:
• Pirogue Stout
• Cypress Knee Hard Cider
• Panty-Dropper
• Bayou Blond

Another oustanding meeting of the Brew Crew. We tried a new recipe for Swamp Water using lighter grains, toasted almonds and our home strain of yeast. I guess we'll see in a few weeks. Our last keg of Swamp Water was emptied in record time. It reminded this blogger of Abbey Ale. Yum! The cultivation and use of our own yeast will not only individualize our brews but will save the enterprise roughly 20-30% per batch.

The Ouija board was finally finished, and just in the nick of time. In work for more than a month, it was completed roughly 45 minutes before we REALLY needed it. We even sparged old-school style today. Very novel. Sometimes you miss technology. Sometimes. Oh yeah, the primary chiller was modified as well. By adding another short fitting, the chiller now employs a whirlpool action so the wort essentially stirs itself, cooling more uniformly.

Big news: On Friday, Dave and Jim dropped off our 4 entries to the BOB FM contest. If you've been keeping up, the contest was the impetus to a lot of innovation and an increase in production. I'm sure we'll find out sometime after the new year how our handcrafted brews rated against the other local brewers. We're biased, of course, but our beers rock!

Until next time, Cheers.

December 7^th, 2008

• Bottled Bayou Blond for BOB FM Home Brew Contest
• Double filtered Cypress Knee Hard Cider
• Currently on tap:
• Pirogue Stout
• Bayou Blond
• Panty-Dropper
• Cypress Knee Hard Cider

We made a one-gallon yeast starter to re-stock our supply before heading to the Weekend Pub to try their new Breakfast Menu, all who went were impressed. The portions were generous and the taste was everything we have we have come to expect: well seasoned, perfectly prepared and filling. Some found that the "special" Bloody Marys were not for the faint of heart. "Make mine spicy" and "Yes I like horse radish" should not be used in the same sentence with Pub Therapist Christine (some gastronomic candy-[insert plural expletive here] never learn).

Back at the Brewery, we doubled filtered the Cypress Knee Hard Cider to mellow the flavors a bit. All agreed the recipe needs some work. The Panty-Dropper is becoming a hit, much to my dismay. Folks just like it. Who would have guessed? We still have another 5 gallons of Pirogue Stout in secondary to hold some of us over until the Panty-Dropper is gone.

Now that we've finally received the submittal packet for the BOB FM Home Brew Competition, Toni, our resident academic, labeled the beer for the competition.

Vice Club's only standing rule of good cigars and better beverages was observed. Chef Toni once again spoiled us with football snacks and a pesto salmon dinner befitting a fine restaurant. No Golden Arches here.

November 30^th, 2008

• Kegged 5 gal of Pirogue Stout and 5 gal of Bayou Blond
• Sampled Cypress Knee Hard Cider
• Currently on tap:
• Antoinette's Express
• Panty-Dropper
• Cypress Knee Hard Cider

We are nearly complete, all but one of the Vice Club members are back in town from visiting family and friends for the holidays. No brewing was done, but beer was consumed and cigars were smoked, kegs and beverage lines were cleaned and beer was transferred.

R. J. called BOB FM about the labels for the Home Brew competition. They're sending them out today and we should receive the package by week's end giving us one week to deliver our entries, if the labels are on time.

The garage was rearranged to look more like a home brew pub and make room for a bar to be built along the back wall. The new valve and pump board is still not complete, better ideas keep slowing down the progress. The board can be made functional - we can still brew with it prior to its final configuration. That said, completion is nearing.

November 23^rd, 2008

• Cypress Knee (Ugly Wood) Cider was Kegged
• Bayou Blond (original recipe) remains in secondary and may get a third week unless consumption increases and keg becomes available

Not much happening this week, we started work on the new plumbing for the brew frame A.K.A. the Ouija board. The new plumbing looks and works well on paper, but has gone through a number of changes in the lay out stage. For some reason 1/2" CPVC tees and elbows seem to just work better in pencil. Transfer and Sparge pumps were mounted in a removable frame that was bolted under the piping board and will have to be lowered (again my pencil has greater depth perception than I do). New Stainless Steel quick disconnects and cleaning supplies ordered from More Beer are in, so it's back to work on the brewery plumbing and kegerators.

Most of the Vice Club members are out of town visiting family and friends for the holidays, they are missed. Those that remained in town upheld the Vice Club rule of good cigars and better beverages.

That's it for this week.

November 16^th, 2008

• Transferred 5 gal of Bayou Blond (original recipe) to secondary
• Sampled Cider
• Build/Experiment with Car-boy/Keg cleaner
• Smoked meats, fine cigars and 10+ year-old Whiskey

Another outstanding meeting of the Brew Club. Today wasn't a brew day but we had a great time. Great fellowship; stimulating exchange of ideas; and consumption of high quality food, drink and tobacco. Did I mention that membership in the Backwater Brew Crew also provides for honorary membership in the local chapter of the Vices Club? Yeah, vices. You figure it out...

The Ouija board has been dismantled. The replacement is in work. Outstanding new designs... the genius (a.k.a. Jim) is at it again. The Car-boy/Keg cleaner, another of Jim's designs, was a success. Much better than the old method.

OK, it's just not flowing today. Must...have...more...whiskey...

And now, a word for our sponsor, the Weekend Pub. Over 99 beers in inventory. Awesome drafts. Killer food. Fab live entertainment. Try it sometime.

Ah, la dolce vita. Ciao.

November 8^th, 2008

• Brewed 5 gal of Bayou Blond (original recipe)
• Transferred 5 gal of cider and 10 gal of stout to secondary fermentation
• Kegged and Carbonated 5 gal of Panty Dropper
• Sampled bottled Blond and Swamp Water

Good crew today... new additions and old friends. And, someone brought a camera. So, much to my chagrin, the web site will soon have photos. Ugg, pay no attention to the brunette.

Much to our disappointment, the BOB FM contest was postponed till 12 Dec. Our bottles, except for the Blond, are holding their integrity so the delay shouldn't be an issue. And, now we have another chance to perfect the Blond. We brewed another 5 gal batch of blond today. Should be ready just in time. BOB FM is still looking for judges. So, if you have experience or just want to sample some beer, go to BOB FM and fill out an application.

Our cider experiment from last week seems to be a success. We sampled some on the way to secondary. Pretty good. Nice cinnamon flavor and the natural carbonation is already kickin'. We still have at least 2 weeks left before the cider is ready for kegging. And, I looked up cypress knees on the Internet. That's some ugly wood but Jim says its better when it's polished. Yeah, polished. Huh, who knew?

Panty-Dropper is a hit. Our light beer drinkers dig it. Jim was right... some of the cherry flavor did dissipate. It's more beer than juice now with just a hint of sweetness. This won't last long.

Today is a momentous occasion for the brewery. We are retiring the Ouija board... our master pipe/valve/pump board. Jim is rebuilding to simplify the piping and repair some leaks. The brewery is full so we're not brewing next week. Instead, we'll concentrate on brewery maintenance and modification. The experience we've gained over the last couple of months has proven valuable.

And, the drama continues at the Weekend Pub. You just can't make this s*** up. Go for the beer but stay for the entertainment. Always a lot of local color as well as awesome live music. See the links for the upcoming bands. Thanks, Norris.

That's all for now. Ciao... and, oh yeah, Robbie is the greatest (paid announcement).

November 1^st, 2008

• Brewed 10 gal of Pirogue Stout and 5 gal of Cypress Knee Hard Cider
• Bottled 6 bottles of Swamp Water
• Panty-Dropper remains in Secondary Fermentation

We had a full crew today. Although I'd have to say that our performance was below par due to the various hang-overs and such. Boy did we have fun at the Halloween party last night. But, it's taken a few hours for everyone to get straight. Not to mention a little hair o'the dog. Cheers.

We broke new ground once again. At John's request, we expanded into hard cider. We found a simple recipe on the internet that seemed like it would work. After a few modifications, we brewed a batch. We'll find out in three weeks. The most entertaining part of the process was the naming of the new product. We tried hard to combine the bayou theme with some sexual innuendo. Cypress Knee Hard Cider was the result. You be the judge.

The counter-pressure bottling method was a success. The beer that was bottled last week retained not only carbonation but also flavor. It's a huge improvement over our last effort. We bottled the final 6 for the contest. Next week we'll package the bottles and get them ready for submission. We still haven't gotten the entry materials from BOB FM. I'll call next week and inquire. Only 13 days left!!

We sampled Panty-Dropper again. The cherry extract gave it a distinct flavor. Jim expects that much of the cherry flavor will dissipate during aging. But, it's another success for Backwater Brewery. We're looking forward to carbonation.

Now that the push for the contest is nearly over, we've discussed the future of the brewing efforts. The large batch of stout is only the beginning. As a group, we decided we like having stout on tap. So, we'll continue to brew that recipe regularly. As time goes on, I'm sure we'll have other epiphanies. We're even considering entering other brewing events. It will be fun to see how far the brewery actually evolves.

Now a word for our sponsor... Norris and the Weekend Pub pulled out all the stops for the Halloween Party. Blue in the Face was awesome. And, almost all of our fellow patrons were in costume. A lot of hard playing was accomplished. Looking forward to next year already.

That's all for now. Ciao...

October 26^th, 2008

• Transferred 5 gal of Panty-Dropper to secondary fermentation
• Kegged and Carbonated 5 gal of Swamp water
• Bottled Pirogue Stout and Antoinette's Express (6 bottles each)

No brewing today. We transferred and bottled instead. Seems we've reached the max capacity of the facility. It's another data point for the brew crew. But, the stout still exceeds all expectations. Yumm! Even paired with potato casserole and bratwursts.

We've made plans for a big brew weekend next weekend. I believe cider and stout are on the menu. Should be a good pair.

The new bottling method is a hit. We bottled 6 of each, stout and express. We think we've cracked the code but only time will tell. We'll crack some bottles next week to see how it turned out. Still prepping for the 14 Nov Contest.

On another subject, we have a solid concept for Halloween. No distinct beers but we have cool costumes!! This should be a banner event for the crew. All different but exciting, nonetheless.

Jim found a brew fest on 15 Nov in Williamsburg. We're considering the impact of transporting the whole enterprise to a parking lot 15 miles way. It could be a good gig. More later.

Not feeling much inspiration today. But, make sure you catch the cool Halloween Party at the Weekend Pub on Friday. Yes, costumes expected.

Ciao...

October 19^th, 2008

• Brewed 5 gal of Panty-Dropper, an American Pale Ale high in alcohol with essence of cherries
• 5 gal of Swamp water remained in secondary for its second week
• Carbonated and Tapped 10 gal of Pirogue Stout
• Checked the current bottling method
• Canned sweet-wort for yeast production

Another awesome week for the Backwater Brew Crew. We were down to only three members this week, but we were able to concentrate more on the brewing than the consuming. To be perfectly honest, we really needed to adjust a bit. Seems we've been enjoying the consuming a bit too much and some of the details that have made our product great have gone by the wayside. So, the first thing we did was develop a checklist to keep the operation on track. Not too anal, mind you, but enough to ensure the beer we diligently brewed was cold and carbonated; and the equipment was ready for the next batch of greatness.

Speaking of greatness, let me tell you about our latest feat, Pirogue Stout. We carbonated and tapped it today and, man, is it good! I knew it was a success when it cascaded just like the classic, Guinness. We actually put the two side-by-side to observe and taste the differences. Pirogue Stout has a caramel-colored, creamy head. The beer itself is very dark and opaque... even blocks sunlight. It has hints of coffee and chocolate with very few bitter elements. It's just a well-balanced, tasty stout that makes you go back for another pint. This recipe is one for the archives!!

But, there was a low point to today's adventures as well. We broke out one bottle of our freshly bottled Bayou Blond to see if our bottling method was good enough for the contest. It was disappointing to say the least. Considering we floated the Blond keg last week, we don't have any choice but to submit those bottles. However, the bottling method didn't preserve the amount of carbonation that we'd hoped. So, we've suspended the bottling efforts till Jim finishes the counter-pressure filler. It should introduce more CO₂ and integrity to the bottling process. It's teed up for next week, so we'll see.

The Panty-Dropper was an easy brew and now resides in primary fermentation. We added some dehydrated cherries to the mix so we might have more cherry flavor in the end. The last batch of this flavor was brewed in June and was a huge hit. We're hoping this one is just as popular.

Now a word for The Weekend Pub, our home-away-from-home... looking forward to the kickin' Halloween Party on the 31st. Costume contest, live music by Blue in the Face, drink and food specials. Can't beat it!! The Brew Crew will be well represented and in festive attire. I do believe that the transportation plan includes cab rides all around. Believe it or not, we actually support the concept of drinking responsibly.

So, on that note, I'll sign off. Remember that life's too short to drink skunky beer. Ciao.

October 12^th, 2008

• Carbonated Antoinette's Express
• Kegged 10 gal Pirogue Stout
• Transferred 5 gal Swamp Water to secondary
• Bottled 6 pack of Bayou Blond (original)

Well, its been a quite a month. In early September, John Clark, one of the more recent members of our astute group, discovered that BOB FM was hosting a brewing contest in mid-November. Our little brew club felt it was up to the task. So, we've been busy documenting recipes and brewing beer. We've actually had more impromptu business meetings than ever before, trying to determine taste, general impression and category of our favorites so that the public at large can understand our passion. But, for the record, the brewing never suffered.

Once competition was mentioned, though, I'd have to say that our garage brewing mentality was threatened. Dave found a closed-loop chiller and the technology boom began; Jim wanted to go back to the chemistry to document gravity and alcohol contents; and "improved" recipes were suggested. But, I believe that we were able to hold to the overall simplicity of the operation.

This weekend we were finally able to cap a few bottles of our original recipe Bayou Blond. We used a bottling method we found on the web. We'll see if the method is sound next week. If it failed, we'll still have the time to get a beer gun or try another bottling method so we can make the contest deadline. It's all coming together.

It's awesome to see how far this little enterprise has come. In April, the operation was one man with a vision, the product of three years of independent brewing and evolution as a result of trial and error. In May, an ad hoc team was assembled to brew enough for a large summer party consisting of discerning consumers from our local watering hole. The party was a hit and the core group still remains. We gather every Sunday to celebrate our vices (good beer, inventive booze, and fine cigars) and brew some of the best garage beer you could imagine. I'm still shocked at the quality of beer this group produces. Without a doubt, it's a result of superior ingredients, creative minds and discriminating pallets. None of us would claim to be patient, but Jim's told us that we'll appreciate that extra weeks of aging and he hasn't been wrong yet.

Jim said I needed to add a note about the Pub - The Weekend Pub on Warwick in Newport News. This is our home away from home, for inspiration or sustenance. Over 100 beers in inventory from all over the world. Passport not required but recommended - just ask. Open Wednesday through Sunday. The kitchen rocks as well as the bar staff. Ask Tracy or Christine for a cold one and they'll accommodate. Try the link for more info.

That's it for now. Maybe more next week as we float the finished Pirogue Stout and try the Bottle Blond - you just can't get tired of premiere metaphor. Ciao.