Category: Jim’s Useless Ramblings

On Tap for this weekend…

I plan on brewing my second batch of the year, and my first all-grain batch in a few years.  I’ve put together what I think will be a decent little recipe for an Oatmeal Stout.  I tried making on once before but I tried it as an extract-based recipe, and you just can’t do extract…

Chicago Beer Meetup

Last weekend John, the Organizer for the Chicago Beer Meetup group on meetup.com, stepped down as organizer.  I wasn’t sure if I was the man for the job, but I am definitely the man for the beer, so I stepped up.  I am the new Organizer and I’ve scheduled my first event. Chicago Beer Meetup…

Beer SCIENCE and HISTORY

Brewing went well on Saturday and I’m very excited about this batch.  I’m closing in on perfecting the brown ale, or at least the brown ale the way I want to drink it. Also, today is the 75th anniversary of 3.2% beer becoming legal again after Prohibition.  Prohibition wasn’t officially repealed until later in 1933. …

No Fuggles. Shit.

So apparently the Fuggle hops, my absolute favorite, are one of the varieties affected by the hop shortage, about which I am fairly ignorant so I probably need to school myself.  Anyway, I’ll be using Willamette instead… but I’ll be thinking of Fuggle.

Beer Glorious Beer

I whipped up a recipe last night, and Saturday is looking good to get my first brewing session of 2008 under way.  I’m behind, as my buddy Bob (who is holding all my equipment for ransom) has already got 2 batches aging. So I’ll be doing a simple English brown ale, which is my favorite style…

Breakfast of Champions

I just got to work, opened the fridge to put my lunch in, and saw a 12-pack of beer.  Not even very good beer, MGD I think.  Is it so wrong that my first thought was “Hmmmmm, I could have a beer…” Yeah it probably is.  Oh well, coffee is almost as good.

Radio Gen1us

That’s a live RSS feed of my buddy Aaron’s Radio Gen1us project over to the left there.  I’m one of 4 guys contributing to the project.  Hey, it’s free music for you!  Listen to a show and leave a comment, we love the feedback I’ve only done 1 show so far but I should have my…

Guest DJ Spot

I wanted to point you to my buddy Aaron’s podcast where I’ll be doing some guest spots.  Look for my first entry sometime in the next few days.  I’ll be posting a mix for listening to while staring out of train windows.   http://radio.gen1.us

As much of a “best of” list for 2007 as you’re going to get

Blew me away: Darkestrah – Epos Cloak/Dagger – We Are Avett Brothers – Emotionalism Battles – Mirrored Oceansize – Frames Really liked: Finsterforst – Weltenkraft Kroda – Fimbulvinter Drautran – Throne of the Depths Akron/Family – Love Is Simple Intrigued me, need to listen more: Bloody Panda – Pheremone Gowns – Red State Liked enough…