Homebrew Day

So #1 son wants to make a chocolate/coffee stout as our second batch. so after three weeks of trying to do it, he has off this saturday so today is the day, except that he has to take his girlfriend to work and should e home by 11:30. Shit hits the fan at her job, so #1 son helps out and realizes that he will be down there all day. In the meantime, i already started the soaking of grain, and i get the call that he can't do it, so i continue the process. During the boil the power goes out and i have to find the propoane Cajun cooker that i purchased 10 years ago and never used, found some propane, and lit it up. flame kept going out between boil overs and wind, finally got it going, a quick 45 minute boil instead of 60 minutes, got it into the house and realized that i didn't rinse the fermentation bucket. no power means no water, well you know, so i decided to go drinking at the Captain until the power comes back on, hopefully.

got the call that the power is on, went home, got it up to 4 gallons and dumped some Captain Lawrence yeast in it.

I think we wil be calling this "Shit Don't Work Stout"

Chancery Part II - Kielbasa on a Burger

Kielbasa on a Burger


Only in the mid west can you get a 1/3lb burger, 1/4lb kielbasa, cheese and onion strings on a roll. Man i love this place

The Chancery

New Glarus Back 40 Bock Beer

Your Daddy's Schlitz

My Little Guy kicking my butt in video bowling

There is a family that puts my little guy up whenever he flies to Milwaukee with out us so in appreciation we took them out to dinner to a place called the Chancery in Wauwatosa, WI. The place was kind of cool with two bars, one in the restaurant and the other one thru a door from the restaurant along with a door to the street. They had a decent beer selection, nothing killer but they had some New Belgian, a New Glarus, Miller, of course. They also had Schlitz.

Schlitz is an old time beer that thru the decades went from being decent, long before i was born, to a crappy yellow fizzy beer. Last year they resurrected the original recipe and decided to brew it. I think it is only in Wisconsin right now so i figured sine i am Wisconsin i might as well give it a whirl. It is now decent yellow fizzy shit, alright to try but i don't think i will try it again.

food was decent and inexpensive, no complaints there, the conversation and company was nice too. It is a little out of our way but if i had to go back i would with a smile on my face.

Central Waters Satin Solstice

New Glarus Smoked Rye Ale

Bought a few beers to sip at the hotel.

Central Waters Brewing from Amherst, WI is a very smooth and drinkable 7.5% imperial stout.

New Glarus Smoked Rye Ale from New Glarus, WI, part of their Unplugged series, it is a rye ale with smoked malt. Not overly smoked, no bacon, but it is pretty drinkable. i am not a fan of overly smoked beers but this ne was pretty good. I probably could drink more than one in a sitting but it was very enjoyable

My Milwaukee Ride

Bells Two Hearted

Bells Two Hearted Ale, a 7% india pale ale from Bells Brewing, Comstock, MI.

One of my favorite beers, i can only get it in Wisconsin and Michigan

Bacon Patty

Only in Milwaukee does your bacon come in a patty

hotel beer

Franks Wild Rye'd India pale Ale

Zonker Stout

picked up a few bottles of beer's to try.

The first one i tried was the Franks Wild Rye'd India Pale Ale from Sand Creek Brewing, Black River Falls, WI. A copper colored beer that pours with a nice white head, malty and hoppy aroma, citrus, cinnamon aroma, malty taste with the spiciness of rye. I see wild on the label i am expecting Bret, Lacto, crazy sourness which this has none. MAybe wild means a rye IPA. It was pretty good and i would probably drink this again if offered.

Zonker Stout from Snake River Brewing, Jackson Hole, WY.  a 6% stout, very black, nice roasty, barley aroma, a litlle chocolate, a little coffee. a very nice drinkable beer

Culver's

Shaved Prime Rib Sandwich

Closing for the Super Bowl. Lets go Packers

As you know, i hate fast food but when we go to Milwaukee, we hit up Culver's for butter burgers a couple of times during each skating meet. I will probably be eating a ton of hamburgers this weekend so i decided to try something else so i got the Shaved Prime Rib Sandwich hold the cheese.
It wasn't that good so if you ever find yourself in a Culvers, take this advice: STICK WITH THE BURGERS.

Look at the second picture, the Culver's are shutting down on Super Bowl sunday at 5pm so everybody can go watch the Green Bay Packers in the Super Bowl. You got to love the MidWest. Can you imagine the NY McDonalds closing on Super bowl sunday next year when the Giants are playing, NOT.

Breughers Bagels

in Wauwatosa, WI, near the Pettit Center is a Breugher's Bagels with a locally brewed coffee shop located in it. We have a little ritual where after my little guys first race, he makes me get him a bagel, so this is where i go for good coffee and, not NYC, bagels. In October of last year i was here everyday of the meet and got to talking to some of the employees, mostly them busting my chops about the Yankees, and spending one morning, answering questions about NY bagels.

So since i spilled my coffee at the airport, i needed a coffee badly so i went to Breughers. As soon as i walked in, one of the employees remembered me from last year and we fell right into sports conversation.

For the next three days i will be visiting the store for bagels and convo, especially since the Packers are in the Super Bowl and this whole city is Packer Crazy

Milwaukee, WI

Once again the alarm clock is going off at 3:15AM for a trip to the airport, 6:50 am flight to Milwaukee, my little guy and i, in his chase for his dream.

Once again, the small, quiet Air Tran Gate B7 at Laguardia Airport, for a bad bagel, too hot coffee, a forced nap before we board. We have started to talk about taking a "normal" 3pm flight.

Once again i burnt my tongue on the too hot coffee. But i can't complain, this is my last trip, my little guy is on his 7 with at least 1 or 2 more to go.

Shit, spilled my coffee, not a good way to start a trip

A Saturday Visit to The Captain

Went Saturday noontime to the Captain to get some growlers, samples and some yeast to use in our next homebrew project.  The Captain was running out to deliver some kegs so we decided to hang a bit and taste some beer. The newly released Noreaster was on tap and was delicious, ran into employee #2 who i haven't seen in a while, broke a bottle of Iron Fist Brewing Velvet Glove from Visa, CA, an imperial stout. Turned #1 son onto tasting this one when i run into soccerman7 from Katonah who now is up in VT, he brought Lawsons Maple Nipple and Hill Farmstead Everett which is a barrel aged porter. #1 got to talking to a whole bunch of people, he is understanding the draw to the Captain, not just the beer but the camaraderie of craft brew drinkers. He met a German dude, a pair  of dudes from Brooklyn and the Bronx, put him on the tour of the brewery where we finally made arrangements for us to get some yeast. Ran into a good friend who i haven't seen in a while and he broke out a bottle of Perfect Storm fro Pelican Brewery. The day was a little longer than expected but it was fun.