Category Archives: homebrewing

I call it Dunkel Kyle

Posted on March 15, 2013 by J

My brother-in-law Kyle is not dark, but he is a pretty good unkel to my kids, so to commemorate his good unkelness, I decided to name my well-massaged Munich Dunkel after him. I call it Dunkel Kyle. Here’s how you … Continue reading →

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Ye Olde Ale

Posted on February 26, 2013 by J

I have been fortunate in the last few years to have several opportunities to brew my homebrew recipes on a commercial scale, and last week, my second beer hit the tap lines at Wynkoop Brewing Company in Denver, Colorado. The … Continue reading →

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Derek’s first time

Posted on January 28, 2013 by J

I was Derek’s Christmas present. His lovely and thoughtful girlfriend bought me (and my brother-in-law Kyle) at a good price. This weekend, he cashed in his gift certificate, and I stopped by to help him brew his first batch of … Continue reading →

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Honey Score!

Posted on July 24, 2012 by J

For my day job recently, I wrote a feature about a local beekeeper, Dray Walter of Back 40 Bees. Dray (pictured right) liked the idea of mead so much that he tossed some honey my way so I could get … Continue reading →

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Smoke-hopping: a stupid idea?

Posted on June 11, 2012 by J

Why would I brew a 200-barrel batch of a beer based on an intriguing idea? I wouldn’t. And that’s why breweries have pilot systems–to test ideas. Sometimes ideas are bright, the resulting elixirs rushed into production. And sometimes ideas are … Continue reading →

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Anti-Black Friday Beer Shenanigans

Posted on November 28, 2011 by J

In an act of anti-Black Friday defiance, I elected not to knock down old ladies for bargains. Instead, I had a turkey sandwich for lunch before joining forces with my merry band of local homebrewers for an afternoon of kegging and … Continue reading →

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Barrel-aged book tour, part 2

Posted on October 19, 2011 by J

Stop number two on the probably-two-stop Diary of a Part-Time Monk Barrel-aged Book Tour is Des Moines’ well-regarded El Bait Shop, a must-see tap room with an explosion of personality, a wall full of taps and–coming soon–Barrel-aged Illuminator Doppelbock. November 17 … Continue reading →

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Sniff, sniff

Posted on February 24, 2011 by J

We just couldn’t stop sniffing. Two really good-smelling things the other day: 1. our Templeton Rye barrel 2. our Baltic Porter Our homebrew club combined those two into a glorious, whiskified brewser of an olfactory experience, as we racked 53 … Continue reading →

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Welcome, Gabe!

Posted on February 14, 2011 by J

The world is a better place. My friend Gabe joined the ranks of homebrewers over the weekend. We fired up a stout over the weekend (and sampled a gaggle of tasty brews along the way). Raise one!

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Brewing Illuminator–a beer for the fast lane

Posted on January 28, 2011 by J

A few days ago I mentioned my doppelbock collaboration with Eric Sorensen of Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery–Des Moines, and it’s time to dive a little deeper into what that’s all about. Enamored with the story of the origins of … Continue reading →