Save the Ales!

 After many moths away, it was time to brew again.  This time I brewed a partial mash Double IPA.  I had 7 pounds of home grown hops (mostly Nugget) to create this monster brew with (with another pound of Mt Hood reserved for dry hopping.)  Jared provided me with 3 pounds of honey and 128 oz of white grape juice to make this the biggest beer that I've ever brewed before.  This bad boy should end up right around 12% ABV!

Of course every brew has it's own set of problems.  This one my yeast didn't take off.  Luckily, I have a guy for that.  Jerry at Bluff Street Brew Haus in Dubuque always has me covered for all of my brewing needs. http://www.bluffbrewhaus.com/  This beer is now happily bubbling away in the fermenter thanks to the extra yeast from Jerry.

 Did you know there's another brewery in Decorah, that's not called Toppling Goliath?  On a chilly Halloween afternoon I took a road trip with Jared, Chad, and Larry to grab some "to go" beer from TG, and to check out Pulpit Brock Brewing.

We sampled several of the beers they had available, some good, some not so much.  The best of the day was The Pour Over Porter, a 6.5% ABV Porter brewed with coffee.  The taproom was cramped, but I was with good company and the Iowa game was on the TV, so I didn't care.  This place is worth checking  out, and I look forward to trying more of their brews.  http://www.pulpitrockbrewing.com/

Unita Anniversary Barley Wine was not what I was hoping for.  Big, bold Barley Wine's are some of my favorite beers, but I ended up being very disappointed with this one.  Maybe the bottle I had was mishandled some how, and the beer wasn't as good as a result, but this is not even a beer I would take another chance on when there are so many delicious Barley Wines available like Killer Penguin or Olde School Barleywine.

This was the last of my vacation beers that I brought back from Deleware.  It's too bad I didn't have room for more beers like this.  Morning Glory Expresso Stout is a 9% AVB stout that's thick and roasty, with a nice balanced coffee flavor, and it drank surprisingly smooth.  This one is a definite must buy if you see it.

There are tons of great beers coming out soon that I hope to get my hands on.  TG Sosus and King Sue, and of course, with Black Friday coming  Bourbon County Stout will be released too.  It's time to start collecting brews to share with the family and friends over the holidays so keep your eyes out!  Don't forget the great local breweries too.  A growler from Single Speed, 515, or Millstream is the perfect thing to share at holiday parties.

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