Looking for a beercation this weekend?  Why not try the Omaha Beer Fest.  Omaha is close and the lineup sounds good!  The dates are May 18-19.

Chuck Loose on brewday

I resumed homebrewing lately, and my wife, Sue, requested that I make something she would like.  Since she likes lighter, low hopped beers such as Magic Hat #9 from the Magic Hat Brewing Company, I set out to find a recipe she would like.  I discovered the Dry Dock Paragon Apricot Blonde kit from Northern Brewer which seemed like a winner.  The extract kit is a clone recipe of the Dry Dock Brewing Company Apricot Blonde.

Chuck Loose, our son from Plainfield, IL, helped brew the beer on April 3.  This beer is unique because it contains only a small amount of hops (0.75 oz. Cascade hops), apricot puree, and apricot extract.  The brewing process went well and we bottled it on April 29.  It was hard to wait, but the first bottle was sampled by Sue on May 11.  See our tasting comments below.

Sue's Paragon Apricot Blonde homebrew

Dry Dock Brewing

Northern Brewer 

ABV = 5.5% (estimated)

Aroma – light apricot

white fluffy head

orangish gold color

cloudy

good carbonation

light mouthfeel

not hoppy

Sue says it is smooth & she loves it!

This was a very rewarding experience because it was ready for Mothers Day and our anniversary on May 12.  I’m already planning to brew it again.  Apricot Blonde for the win!

Booked travel to Indianapolis for the Beer Bloggers Conference July 13 – 15.  The meeting should be awesome!  There is a pre-conference pub crawl in downtown Chicago!

by Ben Lippert of Loud and Clear

When you think of the perfect summer beer, distinctions like “light” and “refreshing” probably come to mind. Well, light beer fans can rejoice with the newest addition to the Crow Peak canned beer line-up, the Canyon Cream Ale.

The Cream Ale was actually first introduced nearly one year ago, although it was just recently put into mass production due to its widespread popularity. The clear reason for the beers’ success is the fact that it appeals to practically all palates.

What this beer lacks in ABV, it makes up for in drinkability. The Cream Ale is best compared to a Bud Light or Coors Light with its smooth consistency, except they one-upped the traditional American lagers with added honey flavor and their own blend of local ingredients.

Crow Peak’s vice president, Josh Fritz, was kind enough to chat with me about the introduction of Canyon Cream Ale to the canned line; joining its delicious brothers, the 11th Hour IPA and Pile O’ Dirt Porter.

Ben — Why can the Cream Ale over any other beer?

Josh — We originally were going to just brew the Canyon Cream Ale as a summer season beer. So we started distributing it in draft form and it quickly became evident that it was very popular. After some urging by customers as well as distributors and retailers we decided to add it to our full time lineup of beers. Putting it in cans just opens up more retail options for our beer instead of just draft.

Ben — Would you say the Cream Ale is one of your top selling beers?

Josh — It is definitely our top selling beer. I attribute that to the fact that it is a very light beer that appeals more to the Bud Light/Miller Lite/Coors Light drinkers. The cream ale gives those beer drinkers a locally produced option. I would say it has a broader appeal than a darker or more flavorful beer.

Ben — What makes Cream Ale the ultimate summer drink?

Josh — It is a light, crisp, refreshing beer that goes down smooth on a hot SD summer day! The ultimate local lawnmower beer!

Ben — Describe the flavor texture and smell. Correlate that with the ABV and IBU It has a light body and texture.

Josh — The hop aroma and flavor is very mild, this is due to a low IBU of 10. The flavor can be described as more on the malty side with a slight sweetness. The sweetness comes from the locally produced honey that we use in the brewing process, as stated on the side of the can. The ABV is 5%.

Ben — What are you and/or Crow Peak as a business most looking forward to this summer?

Josh — We look forward to a busy tourist season here in the taproom. We also look forward to coming up with new exciting beers to keep people’s interest level up! In addition we are sponsoring some bike races as well as other events this summer and we hope to be hosting many more musical acts throughout the summer.

About Crow Peak Brewing Co.

Crow Peak Brewing is located in Spearfish, SD. They brew all their beer with local ingredients from farms and producers. The taproom in Spearfish is open daily with select beers also available at local grocery stores, convenience stores, liquor stores, restaurants and bars in the Black Hills.

Craft beer fans often look for summer beer styles when spring arrives and the days warm up.  Lagers, wheat beers, cream ales and blonde ales are often selected for their lower alcohol content and easy drinking characteristics.  They are often referred to as “lawnmower beers”.  A couple new beers have just entered the South Dakota market that are worth trying.  Shift Pale Lager is made by New Belgium Brewing of Fort Collins, CO.    Ingredients include Pale, Munich and c-80 malts.  The hops are a mixture of Target, Nelson Sauvin, Liberty and Cascade.  A four pack of 16 oz. cans was $8.29 at the Brookings Liquor Store.

ABV = 5.0%

IBUs = 29

Shift pours out clear and gold into a pint glass.  There is a white head and light citrus hop aroma.  The flavor is citrus and the beer finishes very clean on the palate.  This beer is an easy crossover beer for craft beer newbies.

Lucky Bucket Brewing is located in La Vista, NE on the southern outskirts of Omaha.  Heartland Wheat joins their lineup of Lager, IPA and Certified Evil (Belgian Strong Ale).  It is a craft beer made from barley, wheat, yeast, water and citrus variety hops.  A six pack cost $9.75 at the Brookings Liquor Store.

ABV = 4.8%

Heartland pours out slightly cloudy and yellow into a pint glass.  There is a white head and a light citrus hop/malt aroma.  The flavor is a nice light blend of citrus and malt.  This beer has a little more body than the New Belgium Shift.

These two selections are both flavorful and refreshing.  They are recommended for a warm afternoon on the deck or at your next picnic.  Cheers until next time!

The SDSU Brew Club organized this spring for both students interested in homebrewing as well as Brookings area homebrewers.  The members have been meeting at South Dakota State University, in private homes, at Heist Brewing and at local bars.  Heist Brewing and Wooden Legs Brewing of Brookings have been mentoring the group.

A wheat beer “group brew” was held recently.  Seven five gallon carboys were filled using the facilities at Heist Brewing.  Members used different yeasts and sometimes different hops to make different versions of wheat beer.  Some of the varieties included different European yeast strains and one American strain.   A tasting session will be held in a month to compare differences.

Richard Drawdy working on the recipe

Adding grain to the mash tun

Empty carboys

Several yeast strains were used

Pitching the yeast

This project will teach the club members some of the effects that different yeast strains have.  Check back in a month for the results!

Lakefront IPA

Lakefront IPA is a good choice from the Lakefront Brewery in Milwaukee, WI.   This brewery was recently featured in an enjoyable Northern Brewer video.  I will be visiting there for a conference and will be sure to stop.

This beer is a balanced IPA (India pale ale) with Cascade and Chinook hops.  It would go well with most spicy foods.  A six pack is $7.99 at the Brookings Liquor Store.

ABV = 6.9%

The IPA pours out hazy and dark gold into a pint glass.  There is a decent white head and a great citrus aroma.  The flavor is citrusy but balanced between the malts and hops.  The glass has good lacing.  This is a good IPA that is reasonably priced.  Nice job Lakefront!  I will buy this one again.

Odell Footprint

The Odell Brewing Company recently released Footprint RegionAle.  I shared it with friends and homebrewers Richard Drawdy and Jim Best from the SDSU Brew Club.  The bottle was complimentary from Odell.  This beer includes ingredients from the ten states where Odell distributes.  The list of states and ingredients is below -

1. Colorado – hops & barley
2. Arizona – prickly pear
3. Idaho – barley & hops
4. Kansas – wheat
5. Minnesota – wild rice
6. Missouri – oak barrels
7. Nebraska – corn
8. New Mexico – green chilies
9. South Dakota – barley & honey
10. Wyoming – wheat

ABV = 9.5%

This is a blended ale with 40% ale aged in oak barrels, 40% ale with natural flavors added, 10% ale aged in wine barrels, 5 % ale brewed with honey and 5 % ale brewed with wild rice.

Footprint

This beer pours out cloudy gold into a goblet.  There is a nice white head.  The aroma is a mixture of floral, grain and slight alcohol.  The taste is fruity (mainly tropical), very slight chili and some alcohol.  The finish is nice and dry.  There is good carbonation.

This was a fun and tasty beer to try and share with Jim and Richard.  Our home state, South Dakota, provided honey and barley.  Odell’s artistry turned this into an interesting and delicious beer!

Richard Drawdy and Dale Miskimins brewing an IPA

Homebrewing is a hobby enjoyed by thousands of people.  It is a fun way to make good beer and meet friends.  I made a couple batches of beer from kits a couple years ago, but then stored away my equipment until recently.  What made me start again?  My stimulus came through the burgeoning Brookings beer scene.  Heist Brewing, Wooden Legs Brewing and the SDSU Brew Club are generating interest among local craft beer fans.  The Brownstone recently opened with 35 beer taps plus their “Beer Geek Club”!

Richard Drawdy and Luke Rensink

Richard Drawdy and Luke Rensink helped me get the ball rolling with a a joint brewday where Richard made a smoke beer (rauchbier) and I made an IPA (India pale ale – Two Hearted Ale clone).  Their experience helped and we soon had our beer in the fermenters.  My wife, Sue, is already looking through the Northern Brewer catalog picking out a beer style she would like (the Dry Dock Paragon Apricot blonde).  I will have to acquire a few more pieces of equipment and more experience before I tackle that one!

The first beer turned out very respectable (IMHO).  A rye pale ale is in the fernenter and a Warrior hop IPA is on deck.

Where do you get the equipment and ingredients?  Supplies can be purchased at Taylor’s Pantry (Good Spirits) in Sioux Falls or from numerous online homebrew businesses.  Northern Brewer and Midwest Supplies are regional companies that are used by many locals.  See my recent post at the Sustainable Dakota Digest for more information and links.

Why not start homebrewing?  It’s not hard and the reward is good beer.  Cheers!

Dale enjoying the homebrewed IPA

Rogue Chocolate Stout

Valentine’s Day calls for special treats for couples and singles including these two chocolate flavored ales!

The first is Rogue Ales Chocolate Stout.  This ale is a mixture of five malts, two hops, rolled oats, roasted barley, natural chocolate flavoring, coastal water and Pacman yeast.  A 22 ounce bottle costs $6.39.

ABV = 6.0%

IBUs = 69

This ale pours out with a medium brown head and dark brown color into a globe glass.  The aroma is milky, chocolate & roasty.  The taste is a balance of smooth roasty and chocolate flavors.  Delicious!  This beer will be enjoyed by most craft beer drinkers.

Boulevard Chocolate

The second is Boulevard Brewing Company Chocolate.  Christopher Elbow, maker of artisanal chocolates, collaborates with Boulevard brewmaster Steven Pauwels to make this unique ale.  The ingredients include cocoa nibs, Honey Naked oats, malted wheat, pale malt and Hallertau hops.  A 750 ml bottle costs $7.99.

IBUs = 24

ABV = 9.1%

Chocolate Ale pours out dark golden brown and clear into a snifter glass.  The aroma and taste are intense chocolate.  There is a hint of alcohol.  Chocolate Ale is a must for chocolate lovers and experienced craft beer fans.  This is the second year this ale has been available and I look forward to many more Valentine’s Days to enjoy it!

Enjoy these beers if you are with your partner or out with friends.  Have a safe and happy Valentine’s Day!