Bottle De-Labeling

September 29, 2016 -

This blog is mostly an online notebook for me as I pursue the home brewing process. One trick that I have learned to help save even more money is to de-label bottles of beer that I have enjoyed prior to making some of my own. Glass bottles are wonderful in that you can use them over and over again. It also gives you some pretty cool bottles to put your own beer in.

This process is fairly easy. Rule number 1 is it has to be a pry off top. No twist caps here. The twist caps cannot stand up to the bottle conditioning process. So if you need a "Church Key" to open that bottle, this is something you can do.

Once you have accumulated enough bottles to do a bath it is time to take that label off. For some brands it is simple. These would include Sam Adams and Sweetwater bottles. Others have to go through a pre-step because their labels are coated in plastic. For those, simple warm up some water in a saucepan on the stove. Set the bottles in the simmering water and allow them to stand for a little bit. Once they have stayed in the water long enough, take the bottle out and see if you can peel the label off. If you can't yet, let the bottle sit for a little longer. Once the label comes free, peel it off. There will be some paper and glue residue still on the bottle. That is no problem, at this point the are ready to join the others that you have already set aside that have the paper label.

Get a container big enough to hold all of your accumulated bottles. You will have to purchase some of the OXY CLEAN detergent from your local grocery store. Place one or two scoops in the bottom of the container. Arrange your accumulated bottles in the container. Fill the container with warm water to the point where you are covering all of your bottles. Let stand overnight. Some bottles may need to sit in this solution longer. Pull the bottles and rinse with cold water and set aside.

That's how you can save some money reusing old beer bottles.

Natty Greene's Buckshot Amber Ale

September18, 2016 -

I bought a six-pack of this local Greensboro, NC this summer while on a baseball road trip. I really love Amber Ales and was really looking forward to trying this one. Now I am in no way a Beer Judge but I want to use the form going forward so I can represent my thoughts and compare to other beers with a set scale. So here is my first judging.

Natty Greene's Buckshot Amber Ale:

Aroma - 10/12
This has the aroma of what an Amber Ale should smell like. There is a real malt smell to this mixed with a honey aroma. Really nice smell. No off aromas.

Appearance - 3/3
Very clear amber color. Lives up to its namesake.

Flavor - 17/20
Flavor is extremely smooth. I really like this. It has a slight warm taste and is best suited for fall. Has a sweet maltiness that is not too bitter. Natty Greene's says it has six different malts and has mild American hops. Good overall flavor.

Mouthfeel - 4/5
Very smooth. No coating of the mouth with stickiness. Very clean.

Overall Impression - 8/10
It may be the age of the beer but carbonation was low. Still, even though it might be a little old, it was still a great beer.

Score - 42/50


Natty Greene's website has nothing else really about this beer. But if you happen to be in Greensboro, grab one of these.

Samuel Adams Heaven or Helles

September 2, 2016 -

Tried this one also with dinner. Really enjoyed this. Probably because of the Tettnang hops. I really like the light bitterness that they bring. Cool and nice, this beer is something that I would put in my rotation.

Let's see what all Samuel Adams has to say:

"Light and golden blonde, this seemingly innocent brew is hellishly drinkable. ‘Helles’ translates to bright in German, befitting this fresh lager. We brew our version in the Zwickelbier style meaning that it’s lightly filtered, resulting in a slightly hazy lager that tastes like it’s fresh from the tank. Spicy, floral hop notes from Saaz and Tettnang hops are complemented by a touch of honey malt sweetness for a drinkable yet flavorful brew."

Hops - Saaz and Tettnang, Tettnanger Noble hops
Malts - Samuel Adams two-row pale malt blend, Bohemian Pilsner Malt
Yeast - Samuel Adams Lager Yeast

I always love it when they put some history with it:

Floral and slightly grassy, Saaz and Tettnang Noble hops add a brightness that perfectly complements the Noble hops. Helles differs from its Pilsner neighbor by balancing the hops with soft, delicate malt notes. To develop the light honey character we use Bohemian spring barley, still made using the labor intensive technique of floor malting where the barley is hand turned daily to carefully achieve its light golden taste.

Inspired by the fresh from the tank lager experience, our Helles is brewed in the Zwickelbier style (named after the tap used to sample straight from the tank). Its slightly hazy appearance comes from less filtration creating soft fruity esters not typical of lagers.

Helles originally developed as Munich’s answer to the Czech Pils that was taking Europe by storm back in the 1800s. The style was also light golden but leaned more towards a balance between the spicy, floral hops and subtle bitterness paired with light honey malt character. Today, the Munich Helles style is the perfect session beer, enjoyed by the liter at beer halls and gardens throughout the city and beyond. 

Jekyll Brewing Big Creek

September 2, 2016 -

Tried the Big Creek offering from Jekyll Brewing tonight. Lovely light beer. Pour had a good head on it. Sorta of light compared to what I normally like but was a pretty good "lawn mowing" beer. Had a light, slightly fruity aroma and taste.

Jekyll's website has the following to say about it:

Big Creek Kolsch is delicately balanced beer style originating from the Cologne region of Germany and brewed according to Reinheitsgebot. We use only barley, hops, water and yeast under cold temperatures to give the style a crisp, dry quality. The ale yeast, which is unusual for a beer that is fermented like a lager, contributes to a fruity and slightly tangy taste along with “pear” characteristics.

Much better than Straight to Ale's Sand Island Light House Kolsch. This is however, not one of my favorite styles.

Samuel Adams Downtime Pilsner

March 8, 2016 -

I bought a six pack of this Pilsner because it was new. It is pretty refreshing and has a good taste to it. I am always out to try something new. I prefer to keep it local, but I will say Samuel Adams opened up my eyes to the craft beer scene. When they offer something new, I try to try it. This one was pretty good. A relaxing beer made with the normal hop varieties I have come to like but this one added a new one to the mix...Herkules and Mandarina.

This beer is easy drinking unlike some of the IPA's that are out now that leave you smacking your gums because of the bitterness. This beer is dry hopped with the new variety, Mandarina. Interesting flavor, I think it is has a distinct citrus note to it. Let's see what SA has to say about it.

Hop Varieties: Hallertau, Mittelfrueh and Hersbrucker Noble Hops, Herkules and Mandarina
Malts: Samuel Adams two-row pale malt blend, German pilsner malt
Yeast: Samuel Adams lager yeast

"A laid back golden pilsner that's full of character. The fun of brewing is that it's always evolving, even in the world's most popular beer style, the pilsner, there is still room for creativity. For our German pilsner we wanted to showcase both new and heritage hops from the original hop gardens of Bavaria. The classic Noble Hops offer a floral spiciness while the new varieties create a fruity and citrusy character for an elegant, light bodied yet flavorful beer."

"To give this beer a variety of notes including spicy, floral and earthy, our German Pilsner showcases Hallertau and Hersbrucker Noble hops from the world's oldest growing regions in Bavaria. To round out the balance of the hops, we added German Pils Malt and pale malts for a subtle biscuit notes."

"To add a unique twist for our Downtime Pilsner, we dry hopped this brew with a new hop variety, Mandarina. Dry hopping is a technique of adding hops later in the process for added impact. During the first portion of the brewing, hops are added to the boil where they contribute bitterness to balance the brew's malt sweetness but some of their character is lost in the process. Adding another addition of hops later during dry hopping bring out the flavor and aroma in the finished beer. For Downtime Pilsner, we dry hopped with Mandarina, a newly developed variety, which gives the beer notes of tangerine and citrus and a delicate flavor."

Tailgate Beer Red Rye

February 28, 2016 -

Today I tried a local (as local as 120 miles from me is) brewery called Tailgate beer. Tailgate has a few beers that are available in stores in 6-pack cans but the main thing about them is the taproom and pizza. They boast 30 house beers on tap as well as two new ones every week.

I got a growler of their Rye IPA. This was a decent IPA. It had a good aroma and tasted pretty good. Other than being a little spicy because it is a rye, there was no overly strong favors.

Tailgate's website says this IPA was hopped with the following hops....Chinook and Centennial and then dry hopped with Amarillo. Pretty good hop character.

Straight to Ale Sand Island Light House

February 24, 2016 -

Today I tried Straight to Ale's Sand Island Lighthouse. Although I liked the hop aroma and taste I was not to keen on this one. I am sure it would be awesome on a hot summer day but at the end of February, this is a hot weather beer.

Named for the southernmost tip of Alabama, this is one of the year round beers offered by Straight to Ale. It has one is becoming one of my favorite hops, Tettnanger and is a Kolsch style. Website doesn't list any of the malts, yeast or other hops if any. This is definitely a summer, I just mowed my lawn, kind of beer. Maybe someday soon I will get a chance to visit the brewery and see how they make it.