In April 2012, Molson Coors is releasing a version of it's Coors Light beer that is filled with iced tea.  Actually, it's spelled iced T because a T is cooler.

C'mon Man!

Just what we need, something else for the people who don't like those "dark beers" to glom on to. Well, at least my 99 year old grandmother can say she's drinking beer.

How did I miss this last month?  A local brewery of ours called Flying Dog out of Frederick, MD released a video promoting their new Wildeman Farmhouse IPA.

It shows a guy preparing for, well we don't know what...maybe battle, or a very tough day of brewing, or I'd like to think he's picking up rent money from one of his tenants.

Check out the video for cool medieval weapons, wolves, and a pair of kooky bat wings.

If you said the only reason I noticed this piece of pine tree bark with wierd insect trails is because I was drinking some of my Absinthe homebrew, I'd have to agree!

Okay, okay, I don't have any Absinthe homebrew... so I guess we'll have to create a recipe!

And a closeup.

Strange huh?

What do you get when you mix 1 part foolishness, 2 parts beer and cocktail info, and one half part monkey?  It's a tv show called Drinking Made Easy!

The host Zane Lamprey and his friend Steve McKenna travel the states visiting popular bars, breweries, and distilleries where they learn about local favorites and enjoy samples of their offerings. This show is actually a spinoff of another favorite of ours called Three Sheets where Zane and the crew travel the world learning about local customs and drinking favorites. 

I really can't explain why we like this show so much, but my buddy scoundrel and I look forward to sharing a few homebrews and laughing at the show every week. You can check out most of the episodes of both shows online.

Recipe: Men in Black IPA
Brewer: tknice
Asst Brewer: Pleepleus
Style: American IPA
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (35.0) 

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 6.72 gal
Post Boil Volume: 5.72 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.50 gal 
Bottling Volume: 5.00 gal
Estimated OG: 1.062 SG
Estimated Color: 29.0 SRM
Estimated IBU: 88.9 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 78.10 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 78.1 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
10 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 1 81.6 % 
12.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 2 6.1 % 
12.0 oz Victory Malt (25.0 SRM) Grain 3 6.1 % 
6.1 oz Carafa Special III (525.0 SRM) Grain 4 3.1 % 
6.1 oz Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) Grain 5 3.1 % 
1.00 oz Centennial [10.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 6 44.6 IBUs 
1.00 oz Centennial [10.00 %] - Boil 30.0 min Hop 7 22.7 IBUs 
1.00 oz Centennial [10.00 %] - Boil 20.0 min Hop 8 15.0 IBUs 
1.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 9 6.5 IBUs 
1.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] - Aroma Steep 0.0 min Hop 10 0.0 IBUs 
1.00 oz Williamette [5.50 %] - Aroma Steep 0.0 m Hop 11 0.0 IBUs 
1.0 pkg California Ale (White Labs #WLP001) [800 Yeast 12 - 
1.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] - Dry Hop 7.0 Days Hop 13 0.0 IBUs 
1.00 oz Williamette [5.50 %] - Dry Hop 7.0 Days Hop 14 0.0 IBUs 

Mash Schedule: BIAB, Medium Body
Total Grain Weight: 12 lbs 4.2 oz
----------------------------
Saccharification Add 7.62 gal of water at 158.9 F 152.0 F 60 min 
Mash Out Heat to 168.0 F over 7 min 168.0 F 10 min 

Sparge: Remove grains, and prepare to boil wort


Notes:
------
1st Batch 1.050 - 74.40% Efficiency
2nd Batch 1.055 - 81.80% Efficiency

Created with BeerSmith 2 - http://www.beersmith.com 

In my ongoing quest for clear beer, I've found a process that I think helps quite a bit. I've always tilted the carboy to get every last drop and eventually realized this puts more yeast into the keg. I've used gelatin and other finings in the past but ended up settling on whirlfloc (or irish moss) in the boil and the process below.

Let the beer stop siphoning when it reaches the bottom of the cane (less yeast in the keg) and the remaining beer is perfect for filling up a liter bottle. I use this to take a final gravity reading and then carbonate it up for a taste test!

That "homebrewy" taste that is really just young yeasty beer is gone for good! [Read More]

In an age of rampant malpractice suits and ridiculously high insurance costs, it's good to see that there are still a few affordable prescriptions out there.

Fortunately, the medicine in this bottle has been around for hundreds of years, needs no test trials, and can be found virtually everywhere. Go here and Dr. Feelgood will write you a prescription for a small fee. 

OK so it's just a beer holder and it is a bit cheesy. But it's still a little funny and is a must buy for anyone named Hugh Jass.

I drink a few beers with my neighbor from time to time and we always enjoy talking about the qualities of each one. Although he is not a homebrewer, he equally appreciates craft beer. 

I bring this up because more often than not he hands me a copy of the Mid-Atlantic Brewing News. I had never heard of this newspaper, but suddenly began looking forward to it every time I received one. It's filled with great articles about local breweries and homebrew education. Flipping through the recent issue, some stories that caught my eye were "Four times the flavor...rating quadrupels", and "Sounding the alarm on MADD's mission creep", an article about their effort to put a mandatory alchohol detector in every new car. There's always something interesting to read.

After checking out the subscription details, I see there are similar versions of this paper around the country and you can visit the Brewing News Store to see them all.

Have you read this before?