Coffee Vanilla Porter

Every once in a while, I diverge from Belgian and farmhouse styles to brew something of the English persuasion. For this batch, I decided to brew up a Porter, which has been one of my favorite beer styles for a long time. It had been a while since I brewed one, so I decided to re-brew a recipe from...

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Thai Basil Tripel

I've been lucky enough to live within a short drive of The Bruery since they opened in Orange County in 2008 and I've been a big fan pretty much since the beginning. While I love their funky and sour beers, I've also always been a huge fan of their Tradewinds Tripel, a Belgian-style tripel brewed...

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Farmhouse Pale Ale

For this one, I set out to create a beer that bridges the gap between a saison and an American pale ale - a brewski that has the phenolic, fruity character and dryness of a traditional saison, but the hop aroma and flavor of a pale ale. I want the beer to be sessionable, easy-drinking, and aromatic,...

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Northeast Pale Ale

My beer preference when it comes to both drinking and brewing, generally leans toward farmhouse, funky, and tart, but even so, I still like to get down on a hoppy pale ale every once in a while. The first really good beer I ever tried was Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. It fueled my passion for beer, inspiring...

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Growing Hops in Containers

Growing my own hops is something I've been wanting to tackle for a while. Unfortunately, living in the city and renting, rather owning my house, has been an obstacle. I figured landlords and gardeners at apartment and condominium complexes probably aren't super fond of hop vines taking over their...

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Catacombs Mixed-Fermentation Saison

I am psyched to finally try something from East Coast Yeast. I got lucky enough to snag a vial of Bug Farm from love2brew.com who sporadically puts up some of Al Buck's bugs for sale. For those not in the know, Bug Farm is a yeast and bacteria blend from ECY that contains Saccharomyces, Brettanomyces,...

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NorCal Beer Adventure

This weekend my wife and I made the trek north from Los Angeles to the Bay area to partake in the glorious Northern California beer scene. We got to visit some breweries and beer spots that had been on our bucket list for a good while - Sante Adairius Rustic Ales, The Rare Barrel, Cellarmaker, City...

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Goses & Mimosas (Blood Orange Gose)

When life gives you blood oranges, make sour beer with it. I think that's how the old adage goes. Something like that. At least that's what I decided to do in this case. My wife and I went to a local farmers market a couple of weeks ago that sells all organic produce. After sampling blood oranges...

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