More Homebrew and other June beers

The posts seem to be getting fewer and farther between, but I figure I should at least provide a monthly update. The beer consumption has not decreased along with the post infrequency. Since the last update, I have kegged the first larger beer batch that I can say I had a part in. My friend, also named Matt has been brewing for a long time and has been a homebrewing mentor of sorts for me. He has let me "assist "in two larger batches and I have learned a lot.

In my last post I showed some pics from the brewing of an Irish Red ale. I was able to be a part of the kegging process on Memorial day. This may not seem like a big deal, but remember that the beers I have made by myself have been such small batches that I bottled the 1-2 gallon batches in a dozen or so bottles. This batch is on the order of 10 gallons and fills 2 small kegs.

Filling the kegs 

(For those wondering, the suds are caused by the sanitizer. Gotta keep it clean)

Harnessing the power of gravity

I have yet to try the beer, but I am sure it will be a tasty one. Below is a pic of the pale ale that my friend made earlier this year. One day I hope to get the same clarity with my beers.

Ok, now that the homebrew update is complete, what have I been drinking from professional brewers? I have bemoaned the lack of quality craft beer selection in SW Louisiana and apparently the word is getting out. New Belgium Brewing has finally made their beers available in Louisiana, much to the delight of many local beer fans.

Although I have yet to try several of their offerings, I have had the following other craft beers recently:

• Oskar Blues Brewing's Dale's Pale Ale - Pale Ale with nice hops, but not too much of them. Also comes in a Patriotic looking can. 
  
  
  
• Goose Island's 312 Urban Wheat - This guy is super light and good for summer. Not much in the flavor department though. 

• Shiner's Wild Hare Pale Ale - Quite a surprise from Shiner. This Pale Ale was very impressive, with some fruit sweetness and not what I would expect from them, in a good way. 

This past weekend, the family took a trip to Houston to drop off my oldest daughter at camp for the first time. This of course meant picking up some hard to get beers. This included the Elda M. Stout from my friends at No Label Brewing as well as a sampler from the Real Ale Brewing Company. I have yet to try them, but looking forward to doing so. 

Now that the weather here is getting hot my beer focus has changed to lighter more refreshing ones in order to keep cool. Good luck beating the heat. 

Cheers!