Bock from extract, and great news!

I'm putting together my last intermediate recipe from a Bock blend extract before I move to grain-only. It was absolutely spontaneous, and there was about five minutes between the thought "I'm bored, and have beer-making things," and turning the stove on with a pot of water. This will yield about five gallons and be ready in about three weeks. It's a clone brew, so there's nothing especially unique about it. That said, it should be tasty nonetheless.

In other news, I was recently asked to run the business end of a start-up brewery, tentatively named "380 Brewing Co.," so this will be the last of my hobby brews before I get into serious product development and take more of a "from scratch" approach to brewing. This is a huge step for me, as I have always wanted to leave the corporate world for the entrepreneurial. The ability to pursue two passions at once is a blessing. You can follow the business side of this venture at http://businessofbeer.blogspot.com/ . I will continue to use this one to chronicle the beermaking itself. Please come back soon!

Turning over a new leaf...

I fully apologize for my lapse in communication. Long story short, those last batches were awesome, especially the two bayou brews. The cherry melomel was not as big a hit as I had hoped, but "strong as hell" has got to count for something :^).

I was recently asked by a few friends of mine to join their efforts to start a brewery. I, with my passion in brewing and contempt for corporate employment, of course accepted. We just bottled our first practice run of stout. Currently we're developing recipes and establishing the organization. We bottled last night, and so far it smells amazing!

Mead is still my pet project, but marketability is a necessity so I'm working on a braggot-like fusion, using a Texas Hefeweizen as a base for its lighter qualities. Stay tuned!