Tap This

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

Tap This: Southern Tier Pumking Ale Review

by CJ

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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

Tap This: Keg It! (Part 2)

by CJ

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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

Tap This: Keg It! (Part 1)

by CJ

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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

Tap This: The Pseudo Summer Pilsner Project

by CJ

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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

Tap This: Pliny the Elder

by CJ

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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

Tap This: Fuck Idaho (A Strong Brown Ale)

by CJ

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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

Brown Shugga’: This Bastard Turned Out Alright!

by CJ

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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

Home Brewing Part 6, DRINK IT!

by CJ

June 4, 2009

Tap This: Belgian Whites – The Ultimate Summer Beer!

by CJ

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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

Tap This: Home Brewing Part 5 – Bottling

by CJ