Mad Zack Brewing Blog

Thu, 21 Mar 2024 17:00:00 -0400

Brewery Review: Rising Silo Farm Brewery

Rising Silo Brewery is a little roadside farm brewery and eatery located just outside of Blacksburg, Virginia near Virginia Tech (erm, "Go Hokies"?). more...

kelly jacklin

Mon, 02 Oct 2023 17:58:04 -0400

Brewery Review: Microbrasserie Saint-Arnould

We were on an RV voyage in eastern Canada, enjoying the fall colours, and happened upon this brewpub called the Microbrasserie Saint-Arnould, in Mont-Tremblant, Quebec. more...

kelly jacklin

Wed, 09 Aug 2023 10:30:01 -0700

Farewell Anchor Brewing...

I happened to be in SF for an unrelated matter (buying a used guitar), and was in the neighborhood, so I thought I'd take a pilgrimage to Anchor Brewing, to say farewell. more...

kelly jacklin

Wed, 12 Jul 2023 11:12:25 -0700

Sad News from Anchor Brewing...

It was with an incredible sense of sadness that I read the press release today regarding Sapporo's decision to cease operations of Anchor Brewing, and liquidate the assets (see here and here). I find it very difficult to believe that they were unable to find a buyer. Sapporo has made some unbelievably stupid changes to the operation since their 2017 purchase of the brand: the awful re-branding in early 2021, the decision to discontinue to iconic Christmas ale earlier this year (despite apparently already having purchased all the ingredients and consumables!), and decision (also earlier this year) to limit distribution to just California. Suspiciously myopic decisions. more...

kelly jacklin

Thu, 16 Feb 2023 14:45:00 -0800

Brewery Review: Pelican Brewing Company in Siletz Bay

I've always liked the external aesthetics of this building. It kind of declares itself a "modern brewpub", even if you missed the signage. But we had always been cruising by in the past, and I had not had the opportunity to visit, until now... more...

kelly jacklin

Fri, 09 Sep 2022 13:45:00 -0400

Review: Stein Brewing Company, Mt Vernon Ohio

We took an RV trip to drop off my younger son at college in Ohio, and found ourselves in Mt Vernon, where my wife and he had (while touring a different college) eaten dinner at a local brewery. Since it was after lunch and we were hungry, we decided to visit that same brewery, the Stein Brewing Company. more...

kelly jacklin

Sun, 21 Aug 2022 23:32:59 -0500

Coal Creek Coffee and Tap

During a cross country trip, we stopped in Laramie, Wyoming for lunch, and after finding out that our usual Laramie haunt (the Prairie Rose) wasn't open for lunch on Sunday, we drove around until we spotted a place that was open: the Coal Creek Coffee and Taproom, a funky little corner side place down near the tracks in downtown Laramie. There was another place across the street, but this place caught my eye more, so we went there. more...

kelly jacklin

Thu, 09 Jun 2022 17:25:00 -0700

Brewery Review: 7 Devils Brewery in Coos Bay, Oregon

It's been a while. I didn't do much brewing during the pandemic, mostly because our beer fridge was reserved for provisions, since we were doing a lot of cooking at home, and I was a bit paranoid about supply chain disruptions (still am, actually, perhaps even more now that inflation is hitting). I did do some mead that turned out OK, and a California Common that was pretty darned good, but other than that, nothing. Then I broke my ankle and fibula last year, and after three surgeries, I'm only now getting to the point where I can walk unaided, so the idea of a brew day, with the accompanying cleaning up, was not too appealing. Starting to think about brewing again now, though. more...

kelly jacklin

Sun, 27 Sep 2020 12:10:37 -0700

Mead and Plum Melomel progress...

Kinda forgot to do anything with my mead and melomel batches, after the first 8 days, but I decided to rack them to secondary today, after 50 days in primary... more...

kelly jacklin

Sun, 03 May 2020 06:01:01 -0700

Gear Review: Anvil Foundry 10.5

I recently got a new piece of brewing kit, an electric BiaK (brew in a kettle) system from Anvil Brewing Supplies and Blichmann Engineering called the Foundry. I purchased the 10.5-gallon unit, capable of doing full-size 5-gallon batches or homebrew. more...

kelly jacklin

Sun, 22 Sep 2019 18:24:06 -0700

Brewery Review: R&B Brewing in Vancouver BC

Now this is more like it! Super-sweet neighborhood brewery, with really good beer, not crowded, and a funky, unique ambience. Not too sketchy neighborhood, mostly couples and groups, friendly staff, and funky furnishings. Very good beer, with some adventurous choices. This is for what I've been looking... more...

kelly jacklin

Sun, 22 Sep 2019 17:30:00 -0700

Brewery Review: 33 Acres in Vancouver BC

This was a tiny neighborhood brewery tucked away in a sleepy area of the Mount Pleasant neighborhood of Vancouver. It's a small, modern-looking space with a clean look. Quite loud from crowds. Pizza (from a permanent-looking food truck parked in front) and snacks like pretzels, jerked dried sausages, scones, etc. more...

kelly jacklin

Sat, 21 Sep 2019 21:00:00 -0700

Brewery Review: Steel & Oak Brewery in New Westminster BC (near Vancouver)

Steel & Oak Brewery more...

kelly jacklin

Fri, 20 Sep 2019 21:00:00 -0700

Brewery Review: Central City Brewpub in Surrey near Vancouver BC

Central City Brewing (Red Racer) more...

kelly jacklin

Sat, 24 Aug 2019 08:50:21 -0700

Air Freshener for a Brewer...

I'm brewing a hazy/juicy IPA, and just racked to secondary, so I'm left with the used-up hop sock that was in there during active fermentation (part of the magic behind the haze). Wow, does it smell heavenly! I emptied the hop sock into a little trash bag, intending to throw it away, but I can't bring myself to close it up, because it smells so good. more...

kelly jacklin

Fri, 26 Jul 2019 17:36:37 -0400

Brewery Review: Trestle Brewing in Parry Sound

Trestle Brewing Company9 Great North RoadParry Sound, Ontario, Canada more...

kelly jacklin

Wed, 10 Jul 2019 15:15:05 -0700

New Brewing Sink...

My new brewing sink!!! more...

kelly jacklin

Sun, 05 May 2019 18:31:26 -0700

Earthquake Steam Beer

A California Common beer in the style similar to Anchor Steam Beer, fermented with a lager yeast, but at ale temperatures. Not a very unique recipe, but yummy, and something to start with and tweak from there. I'm thinking I'll try this with Cascade hops. more...

kelly jacklin

Sat, 04 May 2019 17:25:05 -0700

My first lager...

My first lager (Avalanche Lager, nothing to do with the hockey team!) turned out pretty tasty. A bit cloudy (I didn't fine it, next time I will), but the taste is spot on. more...

kelly jacklin

Sun, 10 Mar 2019 14:17:29 -0700

The Chickens Love It!

As I've mentioned before, I take my spent grain to a nice lady who has chickens on the east side of Santa Cruz. She now has ducklings, too, which she has loaned out to the nearby elementary school for the kindergarteners to raise until they are a bit older. She has promised me some duck eggs once they are old enough to start laying. more...

kelly jacklin

Sat, 23 Feb 2019 11:03:12 -0800

Hawaiian Post-apocalyptic Guava Ginger Beet

So that guava-augmented ginger beer is finally ready to consume, and it came out fairly tasty! Pure cane syrup (dehydrated, as in Sucanat), guava purée, diced ginger, and an ale yeast. Yum! more...

kelly jacklin

Sat, 12 Jan 2019 19:06:10 -0800

Experiments with Alternate Fermentables...

I've been doing some research into alternative fermentable sugars for brewing, in order to better understand what ingredients can be used when malt is not available. I've done cider and mead in the past, which was a lot of fun and had great results. I'm not very interested in grape wine, although I might play around with fruit at some point. But for now, I was thinking about what it would be like to be cut off from normal supply lines in various environments, if one still wanted to brew. I had two specific scenarios in mind: northeast United States/Canada, and Hawaii. more...

kelly jacklin

Sat, 08 Dec 2018 09:26:32 -0800

SN Resilience IPA in solidarity with Butte County and Camp fire victims...

When the Camp Fire raged in northern california, Sierra Nevada Brewing took an interesting approach to raising awareness about the fire, and donations for the victims. They decided to create, and publish, a recipe for a unique IPA called Resilience IPA, dedicated to supporting victims of the Camp Fire. They sent out the call to fellow breweries, and in all, over 14,000 commercial brewers and countless homebrewers across the nation agreed to all brew this recipe, and donate the funds raised through sale of the beer to Camp Fire victims and relief organizations. more...

kelly jacklin

Sat, 24 Nov 2018 08:16:51 -0800

Fastest Bottling Day Ever (mead)...

It's mead bottling day today. My latest batch of mead has been doing its thing for 2 months, and is nice and clear, so time to bottle. more...

kelly jacklin

Fri, 09 Nov 2018 11:48:00 -0800

Bottling day (in detail)...

Today was bottling day for my "Act of Gourd" pumpkin-spiced ale. I realized I haven't done a bottling blog in a while, so I thought I would provide some insight into how this works. more...

kelly jacklin

Thu, 25 Oct 2018 18:56:04 -0700

My White IPA won 1st place in Specialty IPA!

My Epic Blizzard (aka Nuclear Winter) White IPA just won first place in the Specialty IPA division at a homebrew competition! more...

kelly jacklin

Sun, 21 Oct 2018 18:31:31 -0700

Restaurant Review: Tyrolean Inn Restaurant

Tyrolean Inn Restaurant (here) is a German restaurant nestled in the redwoods of the Santa Cruz Mountains. I've been there for dinner a few times over the years, and it has never disappointed, but I've never written about it from a beer perspective before, so I thought I do a write-up. more...

kelly jacklin

Wed, 03 Oct 2018 08:15:00 -0700

Adding flavour adjuncts to my Stout...

My Dark Matter stout has been fermenting for a while, and has not made any more progress creeping down the specific gravity, so it's done. (I actually thought it might be stuck, so I pitched more yeast a few days ago, but after no further progress, I'm calling it...) more...

kelly jacklin

Tue, 02 Oct 2018 18:30:00 -0700

My brew as a PicoPak!

Well all the Ts finally got crossed, and my "Plague of Kali" recipe is now available on the PicoBrew website as a PicoPak for people who have a PicoC or PicoPro to brew. more...

kelly jacklin

Sun, 23 Sep 2018 08:46:31 -0700

Brewday: New Grain Mill, Stout and Mead...

Busy brewing day today! more...

kelly jacklin

Thu, 20 Sep 2018 19:46:45 -0700

One happy fridge...

What do you think, is my brewing fridge a happy fridge, or what? 20 pounds of unmilled grains (ready for me new grain mill, more on that to come), fresh whole cone cascade hops (a product of barter, along with eggs, with a local chicken lady for my spent grain), lots of pellet hops (mostly New Zealand varieties, some American), liquid and dry yeast, all waiting for coming brew days. Not to mention quite a few bottles of homebrew (from batches of white IPA, rye IPA, pale ale and ESB). A happier fridge can scarcely be found... more...

kelly jacklin

Fri, 24 Aug 2018 18:03:29 -0700

Brewery Review: Shanty Shack Brewing (in Santa Cruz)...

I'm just now getting around to posting a review of a local brewpub, Shanty Shack Brewing. This is a tiny brewery on Fair Street, in the Harvey West area of Santa Cruz (near Costco). Not the nicest neighborhood around, but a cool little shack. more...

kelly jacklin

Tue, 31 Jul 2018 17:15:55 -0400

Brewery Review: Mill Street Toronto

Mill Street Brewery are a big thing up here. Their organic lager is everywhere, and lots of restaurants have other offerings from them available on draught. Their main brewery is in Scarborough, but their original location was in Toronto's historic - and beautiful - distillery district, and when they moved the main brewery to Scarborough, the re-opened the original location as a brewpub. After a slightly disappointing dinner venture the previous evening (see my review of the 3 Brewers Adelaide), I still had the bug for a good brewpub experience, so when I learned about this place, it sounded just the ticket. more...

kelly jacklin

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 19:51:55 -0400

Brewpub Review: Les 3 Brasseurs (3 Brewers) Review

We happened to be in Toronto for a couple of days, staying at the downtown Hilton, and looking for a place to dine, I stumbled on a brewpub called the 3 Brewers. It seems to be a Québécois outfit, since their real name appears to be Les 3 Brasseurs, and they have locations in Montreal, Quebec, Ottawa and Toronto, the latter being located near the corner of Adelaide and Sheppard in the downtown financial district, just a block from the Hilton. more...

kelly jacklin

Tue, 03 Jul 2018 06:52:00 -0700

Standing Stone Brewing Company...

On a recent trip northwards, we found ourselves in Ashland, Oregon around dinner time, so we headed downtown to find something to eat. A quick web search informed me that there were two brewpubs in town, and on advice from a local (our Lyft driver), we elected to go with Standing Stone (over Caldera), which also matched with my instinct from looking at the web search results and Yelpage. more...

kelly jacklin

Wed, 27 Jun 2018 10:43:04 -0700

Beer rationing in the UK?

At least according to this article here, CO2 shortages are leading to beer rationing in the UK. more...

kelly jacklin

Sat, 09 Jun 2018 06:58:06 -0700

Bottling Irish Red Dawn...

21 days ago, I brewed a new recipe, inspired by BJs' Jeremiah Red: an Irish-style Red ale which I'm dubbing Irish Red Dawn, for reasons that are a bit mysterious, even to me... more...

kelly jacklin

Fri, 25 May 2018 13:21:54 -0700

White IPA tasting...

Decided to give my white IPA a taste today, and see if it is done carbonating. Looks lovely, nice and pale blonde, not too clear, since it has wheat in it, but not full-on cloudy like a Hefeweizen. The head (despite a vigorous pour) was still a bit fragile, so I'll age it a bit more before crashing the bottles. more...

kelly jacklin

Sun, 20 May 2018 09:30:00 -0700

Bottling Nuclear Winter White IPA...

Today was bottling day for my newest recipe: Nuclear Winter White IPA. Since this was another small batch (2.5 gallons), I was able to fill fourteen 12-ounce bottles and six 22-ounce bottles, with exactly enough for the last bottle. more...

kelly jacklin

Tue, 08 May 2018 07:40:00 -0700

New recipe: Nuclear Winter White IPA...

A couple weeks ago, I was over at a friend's house, and had a quite wonderful beer: New Belgium's Accumulation White IPA. I was taken aback by the wonderful flavour, and quite impressed. I hadn't had a white IPA before, it's actually a fairly new style. Basically it is based on a whitbier style, but with the hop-forward and dry-hopped elements of an IPA. Wonderfully refreshing and cool tasting, and quite drinkable. Probably will be a good summer beer, as most wheat-based beers are. more...

kelly jacklin

Sun, 13 May 2018 18:18:11 -0700

Plague of Kali - the PicpPak edition recipe...

As mentioned in a previous post, I had to somewhat modify my Plague of Kali recipe to make it work for the PicoBrew BrewMarketplace. I had to substitute some hops, and also change the yeast I typically use to dry Safale US-05. I did a test batch on the Zymatic a while ago, and after fermentation and bottle-conditioning, it's now ready to sample. more...

kelly jacklin

Wed, 25 Apr 2018 10:44:00 -0700

PicoPak for my Plague of Kali coming soon!

A while ago, I applied to be on the PicoBrew brewers network, so they can sell PicoPaks of my recipes on their BrewMarketplace. more...

kelly jacklin

Mon, 02 Apr 2018 13:40:39 -0700

Solar Flare Session Mild...

After my last batch of my Rye IPA, I decided to do a lower-alcohol recipe, something maybe not so hoppy. I decided to try a British Mild, so I set about designing a recipe for a mild, with a complex malt bill, and just a single hop. I brewed it with the Zymatic back in mid-February, and used Wyeast's 1968 London ESB yeast (which I've used frequently before). After a week in fermentation, I aged it for 2 weeks, crashed and then carbonated it for a couple weeks. more...

kelly jacklin

Wed, 21 Feb 2018 19:16:51 -0800

Great Batch of Rye IPA...

This batch of my Rye IPA, Plague of Kali, came out great, nice colour, lovely aroma of Nelson-Sauvin and slightly spice taste of rye. Probably my best batch yet of this recipe, even better than the batch that won the NOBC award, IMNSHO! more...

kelly jacklin

Sat, 10 Feb 2018 14:03:05 -0800

PicoBrew Z...

Those wacky PicoBrew folks are at it again, innovating away. Now they're tacking the higher end of the market, aiming at experienced homebrewers and professionals alike, with the Pico Z, a solution for larger batch sizes, up to 10 gallons of beer. Check them out during the launch next Tuesday! more...

kelly jacklin

Sat, 20 Jan 2018 08:36:13 -0800

Zymatic batch of Rye IPA...

I've spent the last couple of months furiously brewing PicoPaks on my new Pico C brewing appliance, because of a time-limited unlimited subscription to PicoPaks. It's been a ton of fun, and I've brewed a large variety of brews, some far outside of my comfort zone as a brewer. While it has been a ton of fun, from a brewer's perspective, it's not nearly as satisfying as brewing my own recipes with my own ingredients. more...

kelly jacklin

Tue, 19 Dec 2017 03:00:16 -0800

On lager yeast origin and symbiosis...

During a particularly meandering web-crawl, I came across a fascinating article describing the discovery of what some scientists believe to be the original wild yeast that enabled lager fermentation. more...

kelly jacklin

Sun, 17 Dec 2017 16:37:46 -0800

Bottling two dark brews...

It was bottling day for my "two dark beers" Pico brew session. No serving kegs for these batches, bottles this time. Racked to a bucket with the priming sugar, and thence to bottles: 4 22-ounce bottles and 2 12-ounce bottles. For each, There was plenty of leftover for tasting, probably enough where I could have had two more 12-ounce bottles. more...

kelly jacklin

Sat, 16 Dec 2017 18:18:09 -0800

Mead bottling day...

It's been 1.5 months since I racked the non-JAOM mead batches to secondary, so I decided to bottle them and let them continue conditioning (aging) in bottles. more...

kelly jacklin

Sat, 09 Dec 2017 15:32:00 -0800

Two Dark Ales

Yesterday was "two dark beer" day a Mad Zack's! I brewed two PicoPak batches: Elysian's Dragontooth Stout and Flying Monkeys' awesomely-named Netherworld Cascadian Dark Ale. The place still smells wonderfully of roasty, toasty, chocolatety, malty goodness! more...

kelly jacklin

Sun, 10 Dec 2017 12:30:41 -0800

New Tilt Hydrometer!

I messed up and busted my old Brewometer (now called a Tilt Hydrometer)... more...

kelly jacklin

Sat, 04 Nov 2017 15:46:10 -0700

Pico #3 - Gourdgeous Harvest Ale...

Yes, it's that time again... This year, I'm doing it on my Pico C, using the Gourdgeous Harvest Ale from PicoBrew. I know, a cop out, but hey, it's easy, and for goodness sake, it's a pumpkin ale. I'm not even a huge fan of pumpkin ales... more...

kelly jacklin

Sat, 04 Nov 2017 11:32:03 -0700

Bottled Joe's Ancient Orange Mead...

OK, two months ago I started a 1-gallon batch of a mead recipe called Joe's Ancient Orange Mead. Typically one bottles after 2 months, and it also happens to be Learn How to Homebrew Day, so I decided to bottle my JAOM batch. Super easy bottling session, since it was only a 1-gallon carboy, and there was quite a bit on the lees; as a result, there were only 6 bottles, and I used up one for tasting and measuring specific gravity (1.016). more...

kelly jacklin

Tue, 10 Oct 2017 16:21:21 -0700

Pico C first successful batch...

The first Pico C that I was sent had a serious leak, but the PicoBrew folks were super-helpful and responsive, and overnighted me a new unit, as well as replacing the PicoPak I had tried to brew. The new unit is leak-free, and works great! more...

kelly jacklin

Fri, 29 Sep 2017 18:33:39 -0700

PicoBrew arrived!

My PicoBrew just arrived! Can't wait to give it a try! more...

kelly jacklin

Mon, 04 Sep 2017 09:21:08 -0700

Brewing Mead...

Easiest brew day ever! more...

kelly jacklin

Wed, 28 Jun 2017 19:23:03 -0700

Tasting the second Taupo batch...

OK, the second batch of Taupo Eruption Pale Ale was finished carbonating on Sunday (kinda over-carbonated, actually), so I cold-crashed it then. Today I poured one out after a long day at work, and the results were pretty darn good, if I do say so myself! It was a slow careful pour, but even still it had a decent head. The nose fairly oozed Nelson Sauvin, and the flavour was like Sierra Nevada, but with a definite twist in the hops. Definitely not bad! more...

kelly jacklin

Sat, 27 May 2017 15:41:00 -0700

Bartering spent grain for eggs and salt...

As I've done in the past, after my last Taupo Eruption brew session I went over to the house of our neighbor who has chickens, and gave her the spent grain for her chickens. This time she showed me how much they love it, and boy do they! I couldn't believe how they went to town on the spent grain. All she did was sprinkle a handful of it on the ground, and they came over, pecking away, and in seconds, it was gone! It's like crack for chickens... more...

kelly jacklin

Sat, 27 May 2017 16:50:00 -0700

Brew day: Taupo Eruption...

It's brew day! The brew du jour is a second batch of Taupo Eruption Pale Ale, except all grain this time, and with purely New Zealand (erm, New Zedland?) hops. The hops came from Seven Bridges, my erstwhile brewing supply store, until they went out of business... :'( more...

kelly jacklin

Sat, 06 May 2017 16:39:15 -0700

Bottling Day: ESB in the new place...

I brewed another batch of my ESB back on April 22nd, first batch in a few months as I've been busy. I made a bit of a rookie error, leaving the carboy uncovered in a room that gets a bit of morning sun, so this batch might turn out a bit skunky; we shall see. After a week of primary, I transferred it to our new place, and jostling/moving the carboy much is also something one typically does not do with a fermenting beer. To cap it off, we have a couple days of greater than 80-degree weather, which also isn't great for ESB yeast. I don't have high hopes for this poor little batch, but it's a good way to get my feet wet again after a few months off. more...

kelly jacklin

Sat, 06 May 2017 13:23:13 -0700

National Homebrew Competition results...

I entered a couple of my brews (Taupo Eruption and Plague of Kali) in the National Homebrew Competition. This is the single biggest homebrew competition worldwide, with 8,674 entries from over 3,500 homebrewers this year. That's huge! more...

kelly jacklin

Mon, 03 Apr 2017 13:25:50 -0700

New KickStarter from PicoBrew...

Exciting new KickStarter from awesome Seattle brewing innovators PicoBrew: here more...

kelly jacklin

Wed, 22 Mar 2017 13:19:50 -0700

Article: How to grow your own hops at home...

Great article on home hop-growing: more...

kelly jacklin

Fri, 27 Jan 2017 17:30:00 -0800

Taupo Tasting...

Ok, I left the Taupo Eruption Pale Ale bottles back-carbonating too long, but finally cold-crashed it and tried one. Sure enough, it's a bit over-carbonated, with a rich persistent foamy head. more...

kelly jacklin

Wed, 25 Jan 2017 09:08:53 -0800

Beer Yeast Domestication...

A fascinating article on the history of yeast domestication: more...

kelly jacklin

Sun, 15 Jan 2017 16:45:00 -0800

Bottling Taupo Eruption...

The time has come to bottle my New Zealand hopped pale ale, Taupo Eruption. more...

kelly jacklin

Fri, 30 Dec 2016 19:27:00 -0800

Last Brew of the Year...

Just time for one last batch of beer before the new year... more...

kelly jacklin

Mon, 26 Dec 2016 09:05:00 -0800

You Say Boxing Day...

You say Boxing Day, I say bottling day! I was overdue on my IPA, it has nine days on dry-hops, but what with xmas and all, this was the first chance I had... more...

kelly jacklin

Sat, 17 Dec 2016 16:21:00 -0800

Racked Rye IPA to Secondary

Today the fermentation on my latest batch of Plague of Kali had subsided, so I decided to rack to secondary and begin dry-hopping. I'm using a new 5-gallon carboy, and I had about a half-gallon space left over after transferring. Specific gravity was 1.017+, so we still have a couple points more to ferment down before it is done. Regardless, I shouldn't keep it more than 7 days on the dry hops, so ready or not, I'm bottling next weekend. more...

kelly jacklin

Wed, 14 Dec 2016 12:07:09 -0800

Bottling Bitter End ESB

Yun and I bottled my Bitter End ESB today, to a case of 12-ounce bottles an 10 22-ounce bottles. more...

kelly jacklin

Tue, 13 Dec 2016 17:16:20 -0800

Quick Review: Tied House in Mountain View, CA...

Before kids, we used to go to the Tied House Brewery, both in Mountain View and San Jose, as well as at the Shark Tank (go Sharks!). We thought we'd give it a try again (about 20 years later?), and see if it held up to the level of our memories of it... more...

kelly jacklin

Mon, 12 Dec 2016 15:03:04 -0800

That moment when...

That moment when... more...

kelly jacklin

Sun, 11 Dec 2016 14:01:10 -0800

Eggs for Spent Grain...

OK, so I've been throwing away my spent grain, because it seemed like too much hassle to actually find someone to take it off my hands. Silly kelly, we have the internet! more...

kelly jacklin

Sun, 11 Dec 2016 17:10:00 -0800

Brew-day: Another Plague of Kali Batch...

It's brew day again! I was getting low on my Plague of Kali Rya IPA, so I decided to brew a new batch. My ESB is still sitting in primary fermenter, doing its diacetyl rest, but I have 2 more carboys, so I can do some batches in parallel. more...

kelly jacklin

Tue, 06 Dec 2016 11:10:00 -0800

My NOBC prize...

I picked up the prize I won for NOBC 2nd place: a brand new Spike Brewing 10g brew kettle. Looks like a good kettle, I'll have to give it a try this weekend! more...

kelly jacklin

Sun, 27 Nov 2016 14:23:00 -0800

Brewing "The Bitter End" ESB...

I've been wanting to brew an ESB for a while now. I stumbled across a recipe called that people rave about, so I thought I'd tweak it a bit and try it out. more...

kelly jacklin

Fri, 25 Nov 2016 09:40:59 -0800

Beer Review: La Fin du Monde Belgian-Style Tripel...

Over American Thanksgiving we served an interesting beer that I thought I'd comment on. I happened to have a bottle of this "La Fin du Monde", which is a Belgian tripel from the Quebec brewery Unibroue. The name translates as "end of the world", which refers not to any sort of apocalyptic event (unfortunately), but rather to the erstwhile European view of North America as being the literal end of the world; a name thus referring to Europe, and tying into this unique beer style, which utilizes a form of yeast commonly used by the trappist monks in brewing their beers during the middle ages. more...

kelly jacklin

Thu, 24 Nov 2016 19:23:45 -0800

Gift Idea: Tasting Glasses for your Home-Brewing Friends!

Do you have friends who are into home-brewing? Well I have a gift suggestion for you! Get them tasting glasses: more...

kelly jacklin

Mon, 21 Nov 2016 14:44:03 -0800

Nuclear Fallout Amber gets 2nd place Best of Show 2016 NOBC...

Turns out it's not just in categories that my brews were awarded, "Nuclear Fallout" Amber also got 2nd place in Best of Show! So it got both 1st place in American Brown and Amber Ales category, and 2nd place Best of Show. more...

kelly jacklin

Sat, 19 Nov 2016 15:23:00 -0800

National Organic Brewing Competition Results!

My "Mad Zack's Plague of Kali" Rye IPA brew got first place in the "American IPA" category in the 2016 National Organic Brewing Competition! more...

kelly jacklin

Sat, 19 Nov 2016 05:20:00 -0800

InBev Acquires Northern Brewer and Midwest Supplies

The recently-announced fact that InBev acquired Northern Brewer and Midwest Supplies is generally bad for us homebrewers, and an evil move by InBev mega-corp... NB and Midwest are the two big online homebrew supply stores, kinda the Amazons of homebrew. Knowledgable staff, and occasional good deals. more...

kelly jacklin

Sat, 12 Nov 2016 18:44:00 -0800

Pumpkin Stout?

So my pumpkin ale? Turns out it's a pumpkin stout... more...

kelly jacklin

Sat, 12 Nov 2016 17:30:00 -0800

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Ale Tasting

Gluten-free pumpkin ale. Not bad! Needs some gluten, but other than that... more...

kelly jacklin

Sat, 12 Nov 2016 09:12:00 -0800

220-year-old Yeast Harvested from Shipwreck Beer

Fascinating article! Harvested yeast from a 220-year-old shipwreck, cultivated and reanimated to brew a beer nowadays. Wow! more...

kelly jacklin

Sun, 16 Oct 2016 13:08:00 -0800

Bottled Gluten-Free Red Ale

And to round out a weekend of beer-making, I bottled the gluten-free red ale (a modified clone of BJ's Jeremiah Red). more...

kelly jacklin

Sun, 16 Oct 2016 10:05:00 -0800

Bottled Gluten-Free Pumpkin Ale

My gluten-free pumpkin ale is finally ready to bottle! more...

kelly jacklin

Sat, 15 Oct 2016 15:43:00 -0800

Pumpkin Ale: Act of Gourd

Just finished brewing my "Act of Gourd" Pumpkin Ale... more...

kelly jacklin

Sun, 18 Sep 2016 10:32:00 -0800

Gluten-free brewing day!

A pumpkin ale and a red ale, both extracts, and both with sorghum syrup as the base... since we're doing 2 two-gallon batches, we have two boil kettles going on. Both recipes have complicated boil schedules, with hops and adjuncts galore, so a complicated schedule for additions... and roast pumpkin! more...

kelly jacklin

Wed, 17 Aug 2016 18:30:00 -0800

Racked IPA to Secondary

Racked my IPA to secondary fermentation... Tasted it along the way: yum! And I haven't even dry-hopped yet! more...

kelly jacklin

Thu, 11 Aug 2016 08:05:00 -0800

Brew Activity Charting

Overnight brew activity... Note how specific gravity (SG, the light green line) has gone down from original gravity (OG) of 1.062 to 1.035 in less than 18 hours! That's some vigourous fermentation! Those little yeasties are munching their way through my fermentable sugars and farting out alcohol like nobodies business! more...

kelly jacklin

Wed, 10 Aug 2016 17:29:00 -0800

Another Plague of Kali Batch

Started another batch of Plague of Kali Rye IPA... more...

kelly jacklin

Sun, 07 Aug 2016 18:36:00 -0800

Quick Review: BJs Hop Pact IPA

Not really digging the new Hop Pact IPA at BJs: good initial taste and body, but an almost medicinal aftertaste, kinda like listerine, not good... more...

kelly jacklin

Sun, 24 Jul 2016 13:50:00 -0800

Dubious Compliment from Cousin Sue

Of my beer: "it wasn't absolutely awful..." - My Cousin Sue more...

kelly jacklin

Sat, 16 Jul 2016 17:47:00 -0800

Quick Review: Lake of the Woods Brewing

Stopped for dinner at Lake of the Woods Brewing in Enora, Ontario. more...

kelly jacklin

Fri, 08 Jul 2016 09:56:00 -0800

Maui Brewing Company Tour

Very cool tour of the Maui Brewing Company brewery in Kihei, and subsequent visit to the brewpub north of Kaanapali. more...

kelly jacklin

Mon, 20 Jun 2016 06:50:00 -0800

Father's Day at Hwy 1 Brewing!

Had a great Father's Day lunch at Highway 1 Brewing Company (here) yesterday! Great brews and great company! Wish I'd taken some pics... more...

kelly jacklin

Sun, 19 Jun 2016 14:32:00 -0800

Labelling my Beer

Labelling for my "Plague of Kali" Rye IPA, and my "Black Death" oatmeal stout. Used milk for the label glue, and old brewer's trick. more...

kelly jacklin

Wed, 15 Jun 2016 20:16:00 -0800

Plague of Kali Tasting

My "Plague of Kali" rye IPA, after sufficient bottle conditioning. The yeast did a great job on this one! A nice firm head, awesome fruity nose (kinda reminiscent of Muscat grapes, but more herby), fresh hoppy first taste, with medium body and a good mouth feel, and lingering hops after-taste. This one is like night and day compared to my previous (extract) brews, I think I'm sold on all-grain brewing! more...

kelly jacklin

Sun, 12 Jun 2016 18:58:00 -0800

Rant: Bud Light Lime Straw-Ber-Rita

What fresh zymurgy crime (here) has InBev committed? Straw-ber-Rita. There's a special place in hell reserved for the idiot that came up with this... more...

kelly jacklin

Sat, 11 Jun 2016 16:44:00 -0800

Craft Beer Economics

The science of craft beer economics... 'Cept cool and fun to watch 'n stuff... more...

kelly jacklin

Sun, 05 Jun 2016 08:24:00 -0800

Electric Consumption on Bottling Day

Electrical consumption on bottling day at Mad Zack Brewing. more...

kelly jacklin

Sat, 04 Jun 2016 18:57:00 -0800

Plague of Kali Bottling

Yum! If I can be so immodest, I nailed this one! Lovely hop aroma, but not overly bitter. more...

kelly jacklin

Sat, 28 May 2016 13:07:00 -0800

Busy Brewing Day

Busy day brewing: bottled my oatmeal stout (Mad Zack's Black Death) and racked my IPA (Plague of Kali) to secondary and dry-hopped it. Kitchen smells wonderful! more...

kelly jacklin

Fri, 27 May 2016 18:21:00 -0800

So Much Beer, So Little Fridge Space

One of the problems with brewing your own beer is... You end up with too much beer? more...

kelly jacklin

Mon, 23 May 2016 17:55:00 -0800

First All-Grain Brew

My first all-grain, mashed brew... A (very!) pale rye IPA, basically a blonde... more...

kelly jacklin

Tue, 17 May 2016 09:37:00 -0800

Video: Yes, I Am a Geek

Does the fact that I have a webcam to watch my brew bubble whilst at work make me a geek? more...

kelly jacklin

Mon, 16 May 2016 16:33:00 -0800

Video: Stout Burbling

Happy stout! more...

kelly jacklin

Sat, 14 May 2016 15:24:00 -0800

Chilling Wort without a Wort-Chiller

Wort chiller? I don't need no stinkin' wort chiller... more...

kelly jacklin

Sat, 30 Apr 2016 17:30:00 -0800

Scourge of Kali Labels

Labels for my "Scourge of Kali" IPA. more...

kelly jacklin

Sat, 23 Apr 2016 14:42:00 -0800

Tempting Career Change?

Awfully tempting... I wonder if they'll match my current salary? more...

kelly jacklin

Sat, 23 Apr 2016 14:29:00 -0800

Birthday Lunch at Highway 1 Brewing

Awesome birthday lunch at Highway 1 Brewing Company (here); had some excellent craft beers (especially the session IPA and highway 1 pale ale and grapefruit ale!), and awesome homemade sauerkraut! Great view, beautiful drive there, good food and great company. I may be biased, but I have to say I dig this place! more...

kelly jacklin

Thu, 21 Apr 2016 19:32:00 -0800

First India Pale Ale

Yum! It may not look like an IPA (more of an India Amber Ale?), but my third batch came out pretty good, if I do say so... Strong hops and rich malty taste. more...

kelly jacklin

Thu, 21 Apr 2016 15:55:00 -0800

Another Pale Ale Batch

Another batch of Mad Zack's Post-Apocalyptic Pale Ale fermenting vigorously. more...

kelly jacklin

Sat, 09 Apr 2016 17:57:00 -0800

Post-Bottling Beer

Enjoying a homebrew after bottling the hard cider... My red ale, which is not as good as my first batch, but still quite drinkable... more...

kelly jacklin

Sat, 09 Apr 2016 17:56:00 -0800

Hard Cider Bottling

It's bottling time for the hard cider! Wood-elf Vinyards' Archer's Choice, aka Mad Zack's Zombie Virus Cider... more...

kelly jacklin

Thu, 07 Apr 2016 18:10:00 -0800

Dry-Hopping

Dry-hopped my third batch tonight, adding 2 oz New Zealand Cascade (a very nice hops, beautiful aroma!). That layer on top is hops, not krausen. more...

kelly jacklin

Sat, 02 Apr 2016 19:20:00 -0800

Brewing with Highway 1 Brewing

Had tons of fun brewing with the folks at Highway 1 Brewing, who let me shadow and help! Lots of work but even more fun! Thanks for the experience, it was awesome! more...

kelly jacklin

Fri, 01 Apr 2016 10:36:00 -0800

Gotcha...

Sorry, Yun, I didn't really quit my job to become a brewer (no matter how tempting it might be), that was an April Fool's Day joke... Note to self: don't stress out your wife... more...

kelly jacklin

Sat, 26 Mar 2016 20:24:00 -0800

Brewed IPA Right Before Easter

Just brewed my third batch, an IPA this time. more...

kelly jacklin

Thu, 24 Mar 2016 18:44:00 -0800

Red Ale

My second batch of beer, a red ale. Just bottled (Jujie helped), this is my taster... more...

kelly jacklin

Tue, 22 Mar 2016 12:05:00 -0800

Tag Line for Mad Zack

Mad Zack's Brewing - Purveyors of fine ales, ciders and meads for the discerning post-apocalyptic survivor more...

kelly jacklin

Sun, 20 Mar 2016 08:30:00 -0800

Choosing a Name

Names for my brewing endeavors more...

kelly jacklin

Fri, 18 Mar 2016 17:49:00 -0800

Brew Finished

My first batch of homebrew (in 20 years) is finished! Turned out surprisingly yummy! Not overly hopped, and with some slight body and a hint of sweetness. For all the minor mistakes I made, it doesn't seem to have affected the taste or alcohol content. more...

kelly jacklin

Sat, 12 Mar 2016 18:45:00 -0800

Bottling the Pale Ale

Second brewing project for the day: bottle the first batch (which is a variant on my Dragon's Breath Pale Ale). Actually drank a small glass with dinner! Still young, and a bit cloudy, hope it clarifies during bottle conditioning. more...

kelly jacklin

Sat, 12 Mar 2016 18:42:00 -0800

American Red Ale

It was a busy day at the Jacklin Nanobrewery (aka Black Dragon Brewery?) today! First project: starting a new batch, an American Red Ale this time. more...

kelly jacklin

Mon, 07 Mar 2016 05:24:00 -0800

Racked Cider to Secondary

Racked my cider for secondary fermentation. No more lees, and just another few weeks before bottling. more...

kelly jacklin

Sat, 27 Feb 2016 19:27:00 -0800

Pale Ale

My first batch of beer in 20 years. Made a few mistakes, and some new equipment and ingredients, so we shall see if it come out alright in the end... more...

kelly jacklin

Sat, 27 Feb 2016 09:00:00 -0800

Cider Clarifying

Cider is starting to clarify! Apparently this process is a lot slower than brewing beer: with beer I'd be drinking it by now... more...

kelly jacklin

Sun, 07 Feb 2016 12:50:00 -0800

Hard Apple Cider

Making hard apple cider (Jujie helping). Small batches (1g ea), experimenting with 4 different yeasts (and keeping all other variables the same). My first time making cider, but it's super-super easy (compared to brewing beer), just dump, pitch and wait for the rhino farts. Oh and then wait a month... :-/ more...

kelly jacklin