Homebrew 1: Sally Struthaz Saison

As luck would have it, our first batch of home brew was ready for consumption almost a year to the day after our beloved family dog, Sally, passed away.  A friend and former co-worker of mine once offered to let Sally attend one of his training classes.  I am pretty sure he was amazed at just how crazy she was and how few instructions/commands she knew. After just one doggie class (her only class, ever), he gave her the name Sally Struthaz and it stuck with her ever since.

So in honor of her lively and crazy spirit, her loyalty to family, her love of the outdoors and ability to find every cholla plant on the trail, her willingness to make us all laugh and her love of good beer, we named our first home brew in her honor.

Sally Struthaz Saison (~6% ABV)
Suburban Suds Brewery
Chandler, Arizona

This brew originally started off following a recipe for a wit beer.  However because summertime in Arizona (yes, September is still summertime) means that we cannot afford to keep our house at 70 degrees, I decided to tweak the recipe and use a Saison yeast, which is much more forgiving when it comes to higher temperatures during fermentation.  The corriander, orange, lemon and lime flavors are present but not overpowering.  Feedback from our test group of neighbors and friends has been good so far.  It makes for a pretty good fall session beer if you ask me.

Recommendations: pour into a glass and take a few sips.  After a few minutes when the beer has warmed, take a few more.  Kick your feet up and take a minute to appreciate everything you have in life.  Then call us if you want another one.

Score: 4.5 out of 5 pint glasses on the unofficial Suburban Suds pint glass rating system



Cheers to you Sally-Wally Struthaz.  Bawwwwwwwwooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!

She drank both cans (8%) in under 10 minutes.

Sally Struthaz rocks the beat.

First one in the Bronco to go camping.

Playing in the snow with the kids in Pagosa Springs.

Laying around the campsite.

After the vet gave her 24-hours to live.  She stayed with us until after Natalie
 was born and then 6 more months until our new puppy, Gus, arrived.  She
helped to teach him the rules of the house and then passed away a week later.

Sally's tombstone and final resting place.

Buttkiss' Ass Kisser

Ass Kisser Double IPA (9% ABV)
Ass Kisser Ales
San Jose, California

Bottling day Hoptologist

Today was bottling day for our first batch of homebrew.  What a giant pain in the ass.

Hoptologist Double IPA (9% ABV)
Knee Deep Brewing Company
Lincoln, California

Small town smart phone discovery

After driving 6.5 hours in the car with myself, I was getting thirsty.  Especially when I stopped for gas in Cortez, Colorado and noticed a text message from The Husband ... a picture of his breakfast beer at Carver Brewing Company in Durango, Colorado.  You see, I was nice enough to let The Husband go up to Colorado 4 days before me to hike Mt. Sneffels with two friends who then left The Husband and his beloved bike in Durango for two days until I could drive up there to meet him to kick off the 2012 Beercation.

As I stood next to my trusty Subaru watching the numbers go up, up, up at the pump, I checked my phone to see if by chance there was a brewery in Cortez.  What on earth would we do without smart phones?  I mean, seriously.  Main Street Brewery and Restaurant.  Two blocks away.  Perfect.

Sadly, it is only 11:30am and although I am thirsty, I would just like to get to my final destination 1.5 hours ahead of me.  Lucky for me I've planned ahead and have a cooler in the car for collecting beers.  So I walk in and purchase a few cheap bombers and get back on the road. 

Honey Raspberry Wheat (~5% ABV)
Main Street Brewery and Restaurant
Cortez, Colorado

Not normally a big fan of berry-flavored beers as they usually end up tasting like either Cherry 7-Up or the syrup that's left in the cone when you make it to the end of a snow cone.  But I figured what the hell....it's summertime in Colorado....maybe this will be good.

I was right.

The carbonation level of this beer, despite being driven all over the back roads of Colorado, Utah and Arizona, is perfect.  The berry-level is not overpowering but rather refreshingly tart.  The honey balances out the tart to give this beer a clean finish.  Even The Husband remarked at how surprisingly good it was...which is unusual for him with beers that aren't so hoppy you have to chew them.

Well done Cortez.  I'll be sure to stop by next time we're on our way through town and try some of your other brews, which, at this rate, will be twice a year.

Recommendations: I'm not sure what their distribution range is, but if you ever come across a beer from Main Street Brewery and Restaurant in Cortez, try it.  I'm curious to hear about their other varieties.

Score: 4.5 out of 5 pint glasses on the unofficial Suburban Suds pint glass rating system

Stowaway summer seasonal

After another outstanding Labor Day in Aspen, we found this bomber rolling around in my car.  It must have fallen out of the cooler at some point.  Stowaway!

Our first batch of home brew has been safely re-located in the fermenting bucket and the yeast has been pitched.  Now we must wait...two weeks.  So in honor of successfully completing Step 1 (and not getting divorced in the process), The Husband and I poured ourselves a celebratory beer.

Hefeweizen
Aspen Brewing Comapny
Aspen, Colorado

My mom told me repeatedly as a kid not to say anything if you can't say something nice. Good advice.  So rather than tell you about the beer in the glass above, I'll tell you that I like the brewery logo and their unique brew art (for more on this, visit http://aspenbrewingcompany.com/).  I like the Aspen Brewing Company tap room in Aspen and I think Aspen trees are beautiful.  I could go on and on about things that I like, but sadly, none of them would have anything to do with this beer.  So I'll stop here.

Recommendations: only drink if you like bananas in your beer - otherwise choose another Aspen brew

Score: 1.5 out of 5 pint glasses on the unofficial Suburban Suds pint glass rating system

Hard-working beer

Tonight I finally took the plunge into the world of homebrew.  I had been talking about doing it for quite a while but kept wimping out because I was scared I would screw it up.  The Husband finally advised me to either do it or stop talking about it.  Wise words.  Worst case scenario - the beer is terrible and I wasted 5 hours or so of my life and then we either dump it out or give it to the dog.  Best case scenario - the beer is awesome, we drink it and share it with all our friends.

Because the effort of bringing 3 gallons of water to a boil resulted in my kitchen being approximately 9,000 degrees Fahrenheit, I cracked a can of Mexican Logger to keep me refreshed (pure coincidence that the can matches the color of our electric kitchen backsplash).

Mexican Logger (4.2% ABV)
Ska Brewing Company
Durango, Colorado

This beer was clear and crisp but I found myself slightly disappointed.  The beer I was brewing smelled awesome but the beer in my hand smelled like a standard beer.  Don't get me wrong, it was a good brew and a nice variation from Pacifico, Dos and other summertime beers.  I will drink more of this in the future for sure.  However, I think it would've been better enjoyed on a Sunday afternoon in late July in our pool when it is 120 degrees outside with the constant threat of a haboob looming ready to ruin your lazy beer Sunday at any minute.

Recommendations: consume after yard work, a sweaty workout or at pool parties

Score: 4 out of 5 pint glasses on the unofficial Suburban Suds pint glass rating system.