Lone Pint Brewing--Magnolia, Texas

Heather Bolla and her brother are waiting on label approval from TABC so that they can start selling their beer under the Lone Pint name. She wrote and told me that their IPA,667 Neighbor of the Beast, is one of the best IPAs out there.  Someone is going to have to test that for me. The Brewery is at 507 Commerce in Magnolia.

Leather Beer Holster

I've featured a beer holster before, but it was made of ballistic nylon, not hand tooled leather! Not only will it hold a 12 ounce can or bottle, it has a pocket on the back to hold credit cards and ID. Plus, there's a clip that eliminates the need for an actual belt! And if you get two, you'll look like the Lone Ranger! And who doesn't want to look like the Lone Ranger?

Christmas IPA Kegging Day

After four days of dry hopping with Simcoe and Chinook, it was time to keg Christmas Dirktastic. My sample had a nice evergreen aroma, but the flavor was spot on piney.

Satan asked me if it was too Piney.  It's not.  It will mellow nicely as it ages a few weeks.

My OG was 1.051, and FG was 1.007, giving me 5.8% abv.  Should be quite sessionable.

A contest - Win a Home Breathalyzer

The legal limit of intoxication in Texas, and most other states, is .08%. With this home breathalyzer, you can make sure you're below the legal limit.

So how do you get it?

Email your name, shipping address and date of birth to me at jeff@texasbreweries.com I will draw from all the entries on November 30. You'll get an email from me on December 1 if you won.

This contest sponsor, Home Test 4 . . ., will ship you the home breathalyzer from Amazon.com free if you live in the United States.

If this model sells out, they will ship a comparable model.

Good luck!

The BevBuckle

While we're on the subject of things you can give me for Chri$tma$, here is the Bevbuckle. This stylish Western-style buckle flips down to create a mini shelf upon which you can rest your adult beverage. After all, tables are hard to come by at a rodeo!

Now I can lean against a wall, thumbs hooked in my pockets--looking cool AND have my beer nearby.

Once I'm finished I can flip the little shelf up, and get back to buckle polishing on the dance floor.

Beer Hunter Jacket

I'm a pretty easy guy to buy Christmas presents for. (Hint, hint.) Beer gadgets.  That's what I like. So feel free to drop $105 on the Enjoi Beer Hunter Jacket for me.  I take a XXXL.

The exterior, lower right hand pocket is insulated, perfect for keeping a couple of beverages frosty. In inside pocket can hold a Forty, if that's how you roll.

They advertise this as a skateboarder jacket, but I've seen "America's Funniest Videos" and "World's Dumbest. . .".  I wouldn't carry a forty in this thing. As sure as shootin', as soon as I ollied onto a handrail for a righteous boardslide, I'd fall, ramming the handrail into my testicles, and the glass from the once intact bottle into my heart.

No thanks.

I'll stick with cans while skateboarding.

903 Brewers Signs a Lease

Jeremy and Natalie Roberts of 903 Brewers decided to go pro in January. Two weeks ago, they signed a lease for a brewery at 1820 South Elm Street in Sherman, Texas. Their equipment should arrive in May, and they are planning three core beers (an English brown ale, a light American coconut ale and a sweet pecan porter) and 4 seasonals.

Somewhere in Davy Jones' Locker

Circle Brewing Company recently posted a letter from Maersk shipping lines on their Facebook page. The letter was sent to inform them that the 90 barrel tanks were lost overboard during a storm en route to Los Angeles.  Fortunately, they had insurance, and their new tanks are on the way. Cross your fingers for good weather.

Something similar happened to Lagunita Brewing last year, forcing them to cancel their seasonal Brown Shugga.

Poseidon must be opening a brewery.

Bloody Bastard Ale

The now exiled Craft Brewer Graham Sanders read this recipe on one of his last shows. I've brewed it before and liked it.  This is on the agenda for Monday.

I am visiting one of my friends from Nagasaki Wesleyan Junior College this weekend. He is in San Antonio for the International Society of Caricature Artists convention. Like me and NHC, he manages to attend all of the conventions.  Although we've been in sporadic email contact over the years, this will be the first time we've been face to face since 1985.

Bloody Bastard Ale

Other Smoked Beer

Type: All Grain	Date: 11/20/2012
Batch Size: 6.00 gal	Brewer: Jeff Holt
Boil Size: 8.38 gal	Asst Brewer:
Boil Time: 90 min	Equipment: Jeff's Equipment
Taste Rating(out of 50): 35.0	Brewhouse Efficiency: 60.00
Taste Notes:
Ingredients
Amount Item Type % or IBU 9.50 lb Pilsner (2 Row) Bel (2.0 SRM) Grain 63.76 % 2.00 lb Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 13.42 % 2.00 lb Smoked Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 13.42 % 0.90 lb Caramunich Malt (56.0 SRM) Grain 6.04 % 0.50 lb Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) Grain 3.36 % 1.00 oz Hallertauer [4.80 %] (60 min) Hops 14.4 IBU 1.00 oz Hallertauer [4.80 %] (30 min) Hops 11.1 IBU 1.00 oz Hallertauer [4.80 %] (10 min) Hops 5.2 IBU 0.00 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 10.0 min) Misc 1 Pkgs California Ale (White Labs #WLP001) [Starter 500 ml] Yeast-Ale
Beer Profile
Est Original Gravity: 1.054 SG	Measured Original Gravity: 1.010 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.012 SG	Measured Final Gravity: 1.005 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 5.41 %	Actual Alcohol by Vol: 0.65 %
Bitterness: 30.8 IBU	Calories: 43 cal/pint
Est Color: 20.8 SRM	Color: Color
Mash Profile
Mash Name: Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge	Total Grain Weight: 14.90 lb
Sparge Water: 5.51 gal	Grain Temperature: 72.0 F
Sparge Temperature: 168.0 F	TunTemperature: 72.0 F
Adjust Temp for Equipment: FALSE	Mash PH: 5.4 PH
Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge Step Time Name Description Step Temp 60 min Mash In Add 18.63 qt of water at 165.9 F 154.0 F
Mash Notes: Simple single infusion mash for use with most modern well modified grains (about 95% of the time).
Carbonation and Storage
Carbonation Type: Corn Sugar	Volumes of CO2: 2.4
Pressure/Weight: 4.5 oz	Carbonation Used: -
Keg/Bottling Temperature: 60.0 F	Age for: 28.0 days
Storage Temperature: 52.0 F
Notes
Created with BeerSmith

Christmas Dirktastic

Satan was in town, and I tricked him into helping me brew this. It was a quick brew day, which we topped off with fried pickles at Fredericksburg Brewing Company.

Dirktastic 3

American Pale Ale

Type: All Grain	Date: 11/12/2012
Batch Size: 6.00 gal	Brewer: Jeff Holt
Boil Size: 7.23 gal	Asst Brewer: Gary Turner
Boil Time: 90 min	Equipment: My Equipment
Taste Rating(out of 50): 35.0	Brewhouse Efficiency: 60.00
Taste Notes:
Ingredients
Amount Item Type % or IBU 8.50 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 52.76 % 3.67 lb Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (2.0 SRM) Grain 22.78 % 1.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 10L (10.0 SRM) Grain 9.31 % 1.22 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 7.57 % 0.61 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) Grain 3.79 % 0.61 lb White Wheat Malt (2.4 SRM) Grain 3.79 % 0.25 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] (90 min) Hops 10.1 IBU 0.25 oz Chinook [12.00 %] (90 min) (Mash Hop) Hops 1.9 IBU 0.75 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (90 min) Hops 12.8 IBU 1.00 oz Chinook [13.00 %] (Dry Hop 4 days) Hops - 1.00 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] (Dry Hop 4 days) Hops - 0.24 oz Warrior [15.00 %] (60 min) Hops 10.5 IBU 0.25 oz Citra [13.00 %] (10 min) Hops 3.4 IBU 0.25 oz Citra [13.00 %] (1 min) Hops 0.4 IBU 0.25 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] (1 min) Hops 0.4 IBU 1.00 oz Zythos [10.90 %] (0 min) Hops - 0.30 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 10.0 min) Misc 1 Pkgs California Ale (White Labs #WLP001) [Starter 1000 ml] Yeast-Ale
Beer Profile
Est Original Gravity: 1.058 SG	Measured Original Gravity: 1.051 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.013 SG	Measured Final Gravity: 1.005 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 5.89 %	Actual Alcohol by Vol: 5.99 %
Bitterness: 39.6 IBU	Calories: 222 cal/pint
Est Color: 7.9 SRM	Color: Color
Mash Profile
Mash Name: Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge	Total Grain Weight: 16.11 lb
Sparge Water: 4.13 gal	Grain Temperature: 72.0 F
Sparge Temperature: 168.0 F	TunTemperature: 72.0 F
Adjust Temp for Equipment: FALSE	Mash PH: 5.4 PH
Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge Step Time Name Description Step Temp 60 min Mash In Add 20.14 qt of water at 165.9 F 154.0 F
Mash Notes: Simple single infusion mash for use with most modern well modified grains (about 95% of the time).
Carbonation and Storage
Carbonation Type: Kegged (Corn Sugar)	Volumes of CO2: 2.4
Pressure/Weight: 2.3 oz	Carbonation Used: -
Keg/Bottling Temperature: 60.0 F	Age for: 35.0 days
Storage Temperature: 52.0 F
Notes
On CYBI' Wytchwood Hobgoblin show, Tasty said he had taken out 10% of thebase malt and added 10% light Crystal to give his APA more body.
Created with BeerSmith

AbInBev Doesn't Like Free Advertising - Sometimes

ABInBev is asking Paramount to obscure their logo in Denzel Washington's lastest flick, Flight. "We would never condone the misuse of our products, and have a long history of promoting responsible drinking and preventing drunk driving. It is disappointing that Image Movers, the production company, and Paramount chose to use one of our brands in this manner," Robert McCarthy, the vice president of Budweiser said in a statement. Smirnov and Absolut have done the same.

Responsible, huh?

So, let me get this straight: If it's a teen comedy about non-stop partying, then it's okay to show the Budweiser logo. But if it's a drama about addiction, then it's a no-no.

Here's what I say:

Here's a great site (where I found most of these photos) that covers product placement in films.

Some Beer Industry Thoughts

I was sitting at my dining table, enjoying a Saint Arnold Endeavour, bemoaning what it took to get a solitary case of this Ambrosia to Paradise half a year after finding it in Dallas.

As my thoughts began to drift, I began to think about the megalithic sizes of ABInBev and MillerCoors, and how silly their names looked with random capital letters, and then chalked that last bit up to how much Endeavour I'd had.

Ahem.

Brewing Industry Rule #3: Breweries Always Consolidate

Back in the first Robber Baron days (We are entering the second Robber Baron days, thanks to Citizens United.), an entrepreneur would buy up competing companies and fold them into the purchaser's brand. So if Carnegie bought Jeff's Steel Plant, Jeff's Steel plant became U.S. Steel. If JPMorgan Chase bought Jeff's Bank, it would become Chase Bank.

In pre-Prohibition days in San Antonio, Pearl Brewing and Lone Star Brewing bought out smaller breweries like the Borg assimilating a planet, adding the smaller breweries biological and technological distinctiveness to their own. Resistance was futile. All those old brands disappeared to make way for Pearl and Lone Star.

After Prohibition, the same trend continued. Bigger breweries assimilated smaller breweries, killing off the assimilated's brands to focus on the bigger brands. This lasted until the turn of this century, when Miller Brewing (pre-MillerCoors) bought Celis Brewing, then killed the brand to create more shelf space for Miller Lite. (See my book for details. A new edition is coming soon.) It was a perfect arrangement: Buy out your competitor, then put your beer in his space.

See? Simple.

Today, however, as the Big Two are buying smaller breweries and keeping their brands, trying to convince you and me that, for example, new Rolling Rock was as good as pre-acquisition Rolling Rock produced in another brewery.  They are trying to cash in on the Craft Beer cachet, giving us Blue Moon, Shock Top, and the various Michelob brands.

I recently saw an article that said that as Budweiser sales dipped, ABInBev responded by cutting jobs to keep the brand profitable. Meanwhile, the brewery is going to introduce Black Crown, a higher alcohol version of Budweiser to try to shore up sales.

And when Bud and Bud Light sales fall again, they will lay off more people.

If Carlos Brito, CEO of ABInBev, is so smart, why doesn't he eliminate brands?

Because he wants us confused. He's hoping we'll keep buying the beer we're familiar with, and the beer that is new, and the beer he's gonna come up with next so he can keep market share.

Carlos, just make better beer.

Dear President Francois Hollande,

I know things are rough, and budgets need to be balanced, but are you out of your freaking mind? A 160% beer tax increase? It's clear you have no understanding of what tax hikes do to consumption.  Allow me to educate you.

Many years ago I wrote this article explaining why using excise taxes to reduce consumption (in this particular case, on tobacco) and increase tax revenue actually reduce consumption and tax revenue! Now, that's a 10% increase, mind you. I don't know if a 160% will cause a corresponding 100% decrease in consumption, but I'm sure it's in the 50% range. The only way the tax will work is if you require every French citizen to buy a bottle of beer once a month. I'm sure that will go over well with the Muslims in France.

The first news article I mentioned that France has lower beer taxes than other countries in the EU, but doesn't provide any data to back up the claim, so I am taking the statement with a grain of salt.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that if this tax is implemented, you will not acheive your goal to fund health care for the elderly. Maybe you should consider raising taxes on wine and cheese, too.

Picture source: rundagerously

Aborted Brew Day

I was going to brew Christmas Dirktastic yesterday, but on Sunday, I discovered the final gravity of Brown Shugga was too high.  I was expecting 1.021 or so, but the gravity was 1.046.  So I decided to use the yeast intended for Dirktastic in Brown Shugga to dry it out a bit more.

Pecan Porter Brew Day

Well, finally I rebrewed the Pecan Porter. Things went much better this time.  I used 2.8 oz of pecans from the tree in the back yard, chopped 'em and toasted them for 10 minutes.  They got a little browner than I'd intended. As they cooled, I set up for the next day.

After years of lifting a kettle with 8 gallons of hot wort, I finally figured out a way to get gravity to do all the work. I put the mash tun on top of 4 milk crates. That gets the spout 5 inches above the lip of the kettle on the burner. I use a small step ladder to mix the grains and water, other than that, I don't need it.

It was cold, about 38°F when I lit the fire under the HLT, but it got warmer as the sun rose.  A fairly nondescript brew day later, and I had five gallons of Pecan Porter!

Pecan Porter

Robust Porter

Type: All Grain	Date: 10/29/2012
Batch Size: 6.00 gal	Brewer: Jeff Holt
Boil Size: 7.97 gal	Asst Brewer:
Boil Time: 60 min	Equipment: Jeff's Equipment
Taste Rating(out of 50): 35.0	Brewhouse Efficiency: 60.00
Taste Notes:
Ingredients
Amount Item Type % or IBU 13.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 77.61 % 1.50 lb White Wheat Malt (2.4 SRM) Grain 8.96 % 1.00 lb Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) Grain 5.97 % 0.75 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 80L (80.0 SRM) Grain 4.48 % 0.50 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 2.99 % 0.60 oz Galena [13.00 %] (90 min) Hops 23.3 IBU 0.25 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (30 min) Hops 3.0 IBU 0.25 oz Mt. Hood [6.00 %] (5 min) Hops 0.8 IBU 2.82 oz Chopped Pecans (Mash 60.0 min) Misc 1 Pkgs English Ale (White Labs #WLP002) [Starter 500 ml] Yeast-Ale
Beer Profile
Est Original Gravity: 1.060 SG	Measured Original Gravity: 1.053 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.019 SG	Measured Final Gravity: 1.005 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 5.32 %	Actual Alcohol by Vol: 6.26 %
Bitterness: 27.1 IBU	Calories: 231 cal/pint
Est Color: 28.4 SRM	Color: Color
Mash Profile
Mash Name: Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge	Total Grain Weight: 16.75 lb
Sparge Water: 4.75 gal	Grain Temperature: 72.0 F
Sparge Temperature: 168.0 F	TunTemperature: 72.0 F
Adjust Temp for Equipment: FALSE	Mash PH: 5.4 PH
Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge Step Time Name Description Step Temp 60 min Mash In Add 20.94 qt of water at 165.9 F 154.0 F
Mash Notes: Simple single infusion mash for use with most modern well modified grains (about 95% of the time).
Carbonation and Storage
Carbonation Type: Corn Sugar	Volumes of CO2: 2.4
Pressure/Weight: 4.5 oz	Carbonation Used: -
Keg/Bottling Temperature: 60.0 F	Age for: 28.0 days
Storage Temperature: 52.0 F
Notes
Created with BeerSmith

Wit Willie Tasting Notes

Just so you know, Satan* is a damn good brewer.  The last time he was this far east, he dropped off some of his beers. He left me a couple bottles of his latest cider, two bombers of Brother Spuds Oatmeal Stout, and three bottles of Wit Willie, a witbier.

Now Satan is not a particularly bashful fellow. He knows he makes good beer, but he likes to pretend he doesn't.  So whenever he brings me something, he always warns me it isn't his best and makes me promise to tell him if I like it.

So I got around to the Wit Willie recently.

Phaqr.

It pours up a cloudy pale yellow with a nice head that slowly falls to a thin cap of bubbles. Plenty of orange in the aroma (I hope he's quit using D-Limonene.). Take a sip. . .ambrosia! Some orange flavor, notes of honey from the chamomile, a fleeting flavor of Fruit Loops, and a tiny bit of spice.

I hate him.  Mainly because he won't brew a whole batch for me. He only doles out a few bottles.

Bastige.

I want a phaqn case of this!

_________
* My cousin. Not Old Scratch. He has been accused of being the Prince of Evil, though.