Keg Dimensions

A very useful picture. I've looked for this on the web before unsuccessfully, but today came across it by chance.

Brooklyn Lager Review

So I'm almost embarrassed to admit that I've waited until now to try Brooklyn's lager beer. Wow, I cannot believe what I've been missing. The beer is excellent and will definitely become a regular in the ShipWater beer fridge.

Smell (12/12)- Absolutely the most amazing scent from a lager. Your nostrils are filled with honey which lingers long after you pull the glass from you nose.

Look (2/3) - Speaking of honey, the beer looks like transparent honey with a white thin head.

Taste (17/20) - There is a lot of reviews commenting on the abundance of hops, but I don't pick that up. The sweet earthy malt is present and balanced nicely by the bitterness of the hops. Midway through that honey makes an appearance again and finishes slightly salty... again To comment on another review, I read someone to refer to the salty taste as pickle like. This just shows the complexity of the beer.

Feel (3/5) - The beer is very drinkable and not over powerful. It leaves a slight dryness on the back of the tongue.

Overall (9/10) - Garrett and gang have done an excellent job here with this one. A very complex lager indeed.

Buy again (2/0) - Of course!!!

Total 45/50 = 90%

I think I'm going to have another. Cheers!!

Grand Teton - Home of the Growler

Tonight with our first tasting under the new scoring system, we're trying Grand Teton's Sweetgrass APA. Grand Teton is a brewery in Victor, ID who was originally known as Otto Brothers’ Brewing Company from Wyoming. Otto Brothers' is credited for creating the modern growler.

Sweetgrass is one of Grand Teton's five signature brews. It smells of citrusy hops with hints of caramel. The appearance is cloudy, almost applejuice looking, with a nice full long lasting head. The taste of the beer is flat out enjoyable with a mouthfeel that is bitter but doesn't leave you dry. Overall it is a fun beer that leaves you happy that you tried it.

Cheers!

ABV = 6.0%

Smell: 9/12
Look: 2/3
Taste: 17/20
Feel: 4/5
Overall: 8/10
Buy again: 2/0 (yes)
Total: 42/50 = 84%

Changing Our Ratings Here at ShipWater

So hey, I admit that I'm no expert when it comes to beer ratings. You know what though... that's okay, because practice makes perfect and I do enjoy the practice. So, since I'm no expert I'm going to leverage some knowledge from those who are for future ratings. The American Homebrewers Association have an excellent rating sheet that they make available to you on their website. Going forward, this sheet will be the basis for all of the ratings with one exception. Extra credit will be awarded for the most important question that I believe applys to the beer... Will I buy it again?

So, if you don't know already... here is the ratings we will use.
Smell: ___ / 12
Look: ___ / 3
Taste: ___ / 20
Feel: ___ / 5
Overall: ___ / 10
Buy Again: ___ / 0 (No - 0, Maybe - 1, Yes - 2)

Once we rate the beer in each category, we will give the score as a percentage and list it in the labels for the post. We hope that our new scoring, which aligns more with similar scorings you'll find on the web, makes your experience here that much more enjoyable and helpful. And hey, if not... At least we're all drinking beer!

Cheers!

Gluten Free Beer

Interested in trying a gluten free beer but not sure where to start? Try one of these suggestions from our friends at Men's Health

Bleier's Brew

Haven't seen much on the web about Bleier's Brew so I figured I'd do my part and contribute. The beer is named after the beloved former Pittsburgh Steeler, Rocky Bleier. A portion of the proceeds go to the Southwestern Pennsylvania World War II Memorial Project.

The beer is a light colored American styled lager brewed by Penn Brewery. It has only been available since mid October and distribution is (at least currently) limited to Western PA.

Don't expect to be blown away by some unique original taste, but if you are an American lager fan then this beer will not disappoint. I give this brew a very biased 'A' rating all around and will buy again next time I'm in Da Burgh.

For added enjoyment, try pairing this beer with Sunday Steeler games!

Boston Beer vs Anchor Brewing

In the most recent update about the ongoing lawsuit between Boston Beer and Anchor Brewing, the man at the center of all the attention, Judd Hausner, is appears to be a very polarizing figure.

Boston Beer claims Hausner to be an expert in the beer business and that expertise is exclusively from his days at Boston Beer. Anchor's opinion is a bit more humbling: "He’s just a young guy selling beer," said Wesley Kinnear, Anchor Brewing’s attorney.

I'm sure there are and lawsuits between brewers from time to time and this one won't be the last of them. However, for one reason or another, this seems to be gaining a significant amount of attention which puts a bad taste in the mouth of fans of craft brewed "better beer". One of the things we all love the most about our beer (besides the taste) is the community and collaboration surrounding it.

Your thoughts???

Beer Break In Gone Right

Wyeast 1187 - Ringwood Ale

In the primary right now I have a maple porter fermenting with Wyeast 1187 Ringwood Ale. I spent the first two days concerned that something was wrong as I was seeing no action in the airlock. My suspicions arose on brew night when my smack pack didn't swell. Before freaking out and taking excessive actions on my beer I turned to the internet. A few searches for Wyeast 1187 reveal that it is a temperamental yeast that produces fabulous results.

Read through this post on HomeBrewTalk.com to learn more about Ringwood from home brewers a lot smarter than me.

Cheers

Big Blimp IPA

Wanted to take a minute to share a recipe and notes from the BLack IMperial IPA that was brewed back in early September. Big Blimp... get it? So far I've gotten a lot of good feedback and I'm pretty proud of the brew. The recipe was derived from the grain bill of a Black IPA (not a CDA) and the measured amounts of an Imperial IPA. This is a partial extract recipe

Yeast:
2 packs Wyeast 1056

Grain:
1 lb Crystal 60
1 lb Brown malt
12 oz De-bittered black

Extract:
8 lb light LME

Hops:
1.67 oz Warrior (bittering)
6 oz Amarillo (aroma)

Other:
8 oz Turbinado raw sugar
1 tsp Irish mos
Yeast nutrient

Boil:
Steep grains for 30 min @ 160 deg F
Bring to boil. Add 1/3 DME
Add bittering hops (45min)
Add 2/3 DME, 1/3 aroma hops, sugar, Irish moss, nutrient (15min)
Add 1/3 aroma hops end of boil

Fermentation:
7-10 days in primary
14 days in 2ndry (dry hop w/ 1/3 aroma hops after 2 days)

I hope everyone enjoys. Feel free to comment.
Cheers!