This is officially our 700th post on the site.  It's a little hard to believe that we started this thing not quite two years ago and have reached a landmark.  Writing that much is always a lot of work, but we hope to keep putting posts up.  At any rate, I thought we would do something very special and write a Bud Light review for number 700. It's amazing what I've not tasted in this beer before, but I gave it another try and, to my surprise, it was bursting with all sorts of subtle qualities underneath.  Granted, most of you are not as good at tasting as am I, so I'm expecting you not to pick it up and snub my pretensions. The Pour: Although, by all empirical data, this beer looks to be a very light straw and pale yellow with little substance, taking a closer look will reveal the real depth of the this beer's color schemes.  Of course I have to admit from the start that my eyes are actually filled with natural prisms, so I can readily break what appears to be colorless light into rainbows.  I noted an iridescent myriad of vividness that appeared like the ...

This week's Sip With Us Saturday beer is unlike any other SWUS brew we've drank together, in that there is a rather strange addition to the brew:  Seaweed.  The beer, Kelpie, that hales from Scotland's Williams Brothers Brewing Company follows the pattern of a very historical approach to their brews.  Williams may be best know for their Gruit ales, a style that forgoes hops in favor of different herbs and flowers.  You may recall some time ago I reviewed their Fraoch Heather Ale. I have been wanting to try Kelpie for some time...the idea of seaweed in a brew is intriguing.  Unfortunately, Williams Brothers' brews are very hard to come by around here.  Fortunately, my dad snagged some from a friend was recently up north in Michigan.  Here is what the brewery says about this ale: Prior to the 1850's there were many Scottish coastal alehouses, which brewed their own ales, these ales were made from local malted barley, which was grown on fields fertilised with seaweed. This environment gave the barley a very specific flavour which we have recreated by the inclusion of fresh seaweed in the mash tun. Seaweed (bladder rack) taken fresh from the water on the Argyll coast is ...

For those who don't know, Mike and I are resolute on starting a brewery, and we'd like to see it happen within the next few years.  We have a problem though.  It seems like it is easier for us to come up with brews, brewery ideas, and general business plans than it is a name. Why is this so difficult?  You can modify your business plan.  You can swap out your equipment.  You can drop or add beers to your breweries lineup.  You can't change your name (well you can, but it is HIGHLY inadvisable).  Besides the immutable nature of this branding,  a name can reflect a lot about the brewers.  For example, naming our brewery "Flower Power," might lead customers down certain paths of assumption we would not be prepared to substantiate. That being said, we'd like to ask for some feedback on some name ideas.  we have a poll posted in this post, as well as in the sidebar of our main page.  Please only vote once, and feel free to leave feedback in the form of comments as well. You may note the spiritual theme.  For sake of context, Mike and I both hold graduate degrees in the field of ...

As a result of this site, I have the opportunity to interact with more than a few beer lovers.  The more conversations I have with individuals who find themselves falling head over heels in love with quality craft beer, the more folks I find who express a desire to start a brewery.  The vast majority of these dreamers unfortunately relinquish their desire to the realm of daydreams as they plunk away at the computer in their cubicle.  So coming across someone who says, "Enough is enough," and puts their future where their dreams are is quite refreshing. Mike and I are on our way to saying, "Enough is enough," and thus we take greater interest in infant brewery start-ups.  What has continued to astonish me is the routine methodology that seems to encompass all new brewery start-ups.  The abridged version seems to be:  1) An epiphany that one's homebrew is worthy of shelf space in the local beer shop 2) begin looking for and securing BIG investors and BIG bank loans to purchase awesome brewery and equipment 3) suffer years of agony jumping through bureaucratic hoops and waiting for legal doors to swing open while loans and bank accounts hemorrhage 4) ...

The closer that Nate and I get to opening a brewery (it’s still a ways off), the more questions we find ourselves asking.  It seems like a natural enough progression, but various forks in the road could drastically shape the outcome.  Specific questions that we have asked along the way relate to styles and flagship brews, etc.  However, one question that I have really been considering with some depth is “How big should the brewery be?”  Like so many other questions in life, the answer is “It depends.” Long ago, I came to the conclusion that happiness is not about money.  For most of us, this is aphoristic…at least on theoretical grounds.  In fact, I take the “mo money, mo problems” ideological framework to ground most of my activity.  Without expatiating too much, I’ll just come out and say that I simply want to make a living brewing beer.  Yet, there is quite a bit more to it than that. Granted, it takes money to make money (i.e., opening a brewery is not cheap by any means).  But once a profit starts posting and your brewery gains more popularity, you have to decide what level of growth and profit you are targeting.  ...

Anemic.  Perhaps this is one of the best ways to describe the job market.  Seriously, in my remembrance the job market has never beer worse.  Here I sit, with a couple of prospects and a Master's degree but still out of work for the period of about three months.  Needless to say, many people are in desperate straits.  Desperate times call for desperate measures, or so the platitude goes.  I'm finally being forced into an idea I've had for a while but am wondering about the market viability.  Even if it doesn't work as a full-time gig, perhaps I can eventually find a way to use it as supplemental income. Let me frame it this way.  Do you know anybody that wants to learn to brew?  Maybe you know someone who is having a beer party. Could there be bars who need advice about what beers to stock?  Do they have employees who are underwhelming in their knowledge about beer in general?  Is there a market for this sort of thing?  These are the questions I'm struggling to answer. So, here's the deal.  With little to no cost to me at all, I'm thinking about trying to looking into try to consult for ...

Remember that $787 Billion Stimulus package that congress passed in 2009?  Under the scrutinizing eye, it was in fact a tax, not a stimulus...the United States has yet to feel the pain of payback; however.  Regardless, free taxpayer money seems to be synonymous with "stimulus" these days.  What does a yet unpaid for tax stimulate?  Apparently not jobs, since the U.S. Unemployment Rate is hovering high still (higher than before the bills passage) at around 9.5% nationwide. I say all this not to lead into a political discussion, but a beer discussion.  Reading through my news feeder, a gripping headline caught my eye:  Beer Stimulus:  Can Hops and Barley Create Jobs? The use of the term Stimulus forced me into the guts of the article, as modern context led me to think the federal government was giving out future tax money to the beer industry.  Such isn't the case, the term is being used improperly in regards to a tax break. The benefit of tax breaks is that they DO encourage long lasting residual income for the populous and the taxman.  The problem with tax breaks, is that someone, somewhere, from some niche or industry or socio-economic strata writhes in anger at ...

Located about 2 hours away from Indianapolis, Three Floyd's Brewery is a very reasonable weekend day trip.  To not visit such a highly acclaimed brewery within one's arm reach would be a criminal's act indeed.  Many people make their way to Three Floyds for Dark Lord Day; in fact, there was an estimated 8,000-10,000 people there for the festivities this year.  It is truly a beehive of wonderful activity to behold. A Brewpub Saturday is not nearly as hectic as a Dark Lord Day, but do not let the reader misunderstand and think it isn't a busy time.  After arriving at 11:30 am, we realized we forgot to take Central Time into account (central Indiana is on Eastern Time and Munster, where Three Floyds is located, is on Central.  No matter, we waited half an hour and got right in the door.  However, there were about 15 other people already there right at noon, which is when the brewery opens on a Saturday.  We looked at the beer and food menus and made our selections.  There are plenty of beer selections.  Three Floyds had around 10 of their beers on tap and several guest beers on tap as well as a ...

Having children is hard work; but hard work is not bad, and usually is quite rewarding.  My wife and I have five children.  We also have forsaken sleeping in, alone time, date nights, and frivolous spending of money.  In the same breath we have gained so much more...pride, love, friendship, and countless nights enjoying our kids being kids.  Hands down, the trade off is worth it. There are certain moments when we, as parents, realize that our kids "get us."  In those moments we see that they don't see us as old geezers, that they enjoy us, trust us, and hold a hell of a lot of respect for us.  The feeling is mutual. How does beer fit into all of this...into child rearing? This past Sunday after spending the afternoon with my dad (yes, I bought him beer for father's day) we headed home, tired and ready to relax.  My son Malachi (seven years old)  asked if he could get out the crayons and paper.  Upon obliging his desired activity, he said, "whatever you do, dad, DON'T LOOK AT WHAT I'M DRAWING."  I knew he was making me a Father's Day card, and was touched that he took the initiative.  I was ...

Outside of Dark Lord Day, I've not been to Three Floyds.  Now that I'm in Indiana, I'm planning on hitting Three Floyds Brewpub for a bite to eat and a couple beers to drink.  Anyway, I don't know how many of you have local brewpubs but that's what I'll be doing on this Saturday.  I'm going to enjoy, I hope you are.