Beer scientist CJ explores the infinite universe of hops and homebrewing.
CJ lives in San Francisco, but can usually be found in Ocean Beach surfing, or feasting on pork and oysters.
November 5, 2010

Everytime I head back east to visit friends and family I am always asking around to find out what good beers people have been having in the area. Some of my friends have been talking about the elusive Pumking Ale from Southern Tier Brewing Company in Lakewood, NY. This seasonal brew
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July 30, 2010
PREFACE Keg It! Part 1
Once you have all the stuff you need covered in Part One, the only thing left to do is get the beer into the keg, which is what I will be covering in this post.
The process to keg your beer starts at the
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July 16, 2010
Bottling is the most painful and tedious task in the brewing process. The main benefit of kegging is that it is far less work than bottling. Several years ago, I got so sick of peeling labels off the bottles, sanitizing and cleaning them, filling them, and
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June 25, 2010
Summer is here! Not much goes better with the warm weather then a cold crisp refreshing beer. Each time this season comes around I get excited to brew some of the styles that help cut the heat. Lighter pale ales, Belgian whites, and blondes. To me, there has
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June 11, 2010

Pliny the Elder (Gaius Plinius Secundus) was a Roman author and naturalist. He and his contemporaries are also known to have created the botanical name for hops. Because of this, Russian River Brewing Company of Santa Rosa, California made a beer in his honor and it is DELICIOUS.
Pliny the
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May 7, 2010
First of all, I have no issues with Idaho. Matter of fact, I have never even been to the state. However, if it were not for the hatred my friend Stanton developed for the state as he was stuck there for almost 2 years on a
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February 12, 2010
For me, days on the mountain become frequent this time of year, and aside from the snow, there is only one other thing that I expect to be present… Lagunitas Brown Shugga’!!!
Lagunitas brewery is located in Peteluma, CA and has a good variety of micro-brews
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June 22, 2009
June 4, 2009
Summer is upon us! To me, there is nothing better than gulping down a refreshing beer outside in the sun with friends and maybe a little BBQ. When it is hot out, I find it nice to drink something light and refreshing. One of my
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May 29, 2009
Preface:Home Brewing Part 1, A Trip to the Home Brew Supply StoreHome Brewing Part 2, The BoilHome Brewing Part 3, FermentationHome Brewing Park 4, Moving to Secondary Fermentation
Bottling is easily the most tedious,
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