Schwing!!!

Not a whole lot going on in the kitchen this week:  I thought I'd be bottling up that Redneck Mother Imperial Red Ale that's been sitting in my big Speidel fermenter in the living room for the last coupla weeks, but I'm still seeing some activity in the airlock. Not frequent, but every so often it cuts loose with a huge bubble. So we'll let it sit for another week, and see if it settles down. I think it's likely just the yeast got tired before finishing the job--this is going to be a pretty high ABV brew (very close to 10%) and it most likely could have used a strong infusion of oxygen before I pitched the yeast. (And yes, I got the equipment for that, just didn't get to the welding supply shop before I cooked this batch up.)

I did recently try both my Red Dress Raspberry Wheat and Choctaw Bingo Chocolate Milk Stout. Red Dress could use more raspberry and Choctaw Bingo could use a little more chocolate. Live and learn, then brew some more and learn again! LOL! Both are quite drinkable, just not quite "nailed it!"

 Last week, I promised y'all side X side comparison pics of the Spiegelau IPA and Stout crystal glasses, that they designed with input from Rogue, Left Hand, Dogfish Head and Sierra Nevada. So here ya go:

Rogue Stout Glass

Dogfish Head IPA Glass

 If you're not fond of those breweries, or prefer unadorned crystal glassware, these can be purchased elsewhere completely clear and devoid of all logos or other markings. WineEnthusiast carries both glasses and are very pleasant folk to deal with. These glasses look lovely on their own, and look even lovelier when filled with your favorite beverage. I honestly think any taste enhancement is likely little different than you'd achieve pouring into a pint Ball Mason jar. They do look pretty freakin' uptown though!

Drinking beer from a mason jar does let folks know you come from the side of town where the cars are on blocks, and the houses have wheels. Les debris ils sont blanc!

In other news, my Beer Schwings did show up in the mail! WTF is a Beer Schwing, you ask?!? Well, just what you'd expect it to be: a swing for you beer! Why do you need one? Because how else will you manage to check in all your brewfest beers on Untapp'd?!?!

If you've ever attended a brewfest, you already know exactly what I'm talking about. For those of you who've never enjoyed the marvelous brewsy fun of a brewfest, here's a little background:  I attended my first brewfest last fall when I went to the Kentucky Kicks Ass Brewfest. Incredibly fun and a wonderful opportunity to meet some of Kentucky's Kick Ass Brewmeisters. I immediately noticed a huge problem: how would a solid Untapp'd beer ticker check in their beers while holding on to their tasting glass? Or enjoy a tasty sandwich from one of the fine food trucks present while holding onto their tasting glass? Having worn a flannel shirt, I had a convenient pocket into which I could drop my tasting glass (having quit smoking several years prior, said pocket was otherwise unoccupied.) I immediately reached the conclusion that what I really needed was a cupholder on a lanyard. I briefly imagined how unimaginably wealthy I was going to become...then realized that such an obvious idea had surely struck some other like-minded geniuses.

And sure enough--those bright folk at Beer Schwing had not only thought of this, but were actually selling them!!! These are entirely adjustable to whatever size tasting glass might get handed out at the next brewfest you attend. (They will also work at the ballpark, fair or other event where larger beers might be the standard.) Order yours now, and keep your tasting glass handy while you check-in those brews to Untapp'd!

Drink like a chimney, drive like a maniac and jump like a crocodile! Not all at once, though! ;-P