Stinky Daddy Brewery & Winery

Busy Busy Busy ... but not Brewing

Wow have I been busy. Work, school, and baby girl have been wide open since February. Have not had any time for stinky fun...no brewing & no blogging. EMR project at work has been taking it all.

Had to go to Dallas for 2 weeks of work related training in March. I did get to visit the Flying Saucer and BJ's Brewhouse in Addison. I took tasting notes and will post them here. I do have to say I was not impressed with BJ's. 

Took a trip with Stinky Momma and some really stinky friends to Miami last weekend. We stayed in a 3 bedroom condo at Acqualina. All I can say is WOW!!! Way out of my tax bracket. The BMWs and Mercedes were the junk cars in this parking lot and black suited security guards in the beach/pool area. The valets sure made our rented minivan disappear quickly..... 

Maybe ... just maybe I'll block some brewing time for tomorrow! 

Balashi Brewery Tour - Aruba

I had a little time on my hands while in Aruba so I took a tour of the Balashi Brewery. This was not a huge operation by any stretch of the imagination but it did seem to be an "up-to-date" process. I did enjoy walking through the brewery. I was the only one there. The tour guide was extremely nice but I did stump her with a few questions.

They brew with desalinated water. I found it interesting that they add chlorine to the water to kill any nasties then remove the chlorine before brewing. I thought this a little odd because chlorine will give beer a plastic taste. Everything else (hops, malt, etc) is imported.

I would guess that Balashi is a lager but my guide said it took 5 days from mill to bottle. That sounds really quick for lager yeast. It is also hot in Aruba so maybe they are using ale yeast. I have yet to figure that out. On another note I would guess they are using Hallertauer hops.  

They also bottle Coke products. I found it interesting that the Coke flavoring comes in part A & part B bottles. To make a Coke product you must have each bottle, one will not do it. They mix the flavoring in simple syrup made with beet sugar. 

After the tour I stopped in the beer garden and sampled a Balashi Light. It was mild and went down really easy. Perfect for 90F weather. I had been drinking a little Balashi all along. The normal beer tasted like Grolsch to me. Besides bottles the beer comes in a little 3-4oz can. It makes the perfect "beer shooter".   

Back From Aruba!!

Got back from Aruba this AM. It was an eventful trip. We went with a group of 10. Stinky Momma got stuck in Atlanta (with one of the other honeys) for 2 days while I (and the other honey's hubby) was on the beach. They had to re-route through Pittsburgh to get there. She then became homesick missing Stinky Baby and came home after only 48 hours on the island. I could not get out that day because the flight was full so, I stayed. Of the 8 days I was on the island  Stinky Momma was only with me for 3 of them. We won't be flying stand-by again...

I did enjoy myself. I am glad our friends were there. I drank a 5th of Havana Club 7 year Cuban rum, smoked a nice Montecristo, and hung out on the beach ... and that was just day 1!!! Well .. It took 2 days for the rum.. I also spent a nice afternoon napping in this hammock.

I tried a few new brews but more on that later.

I had a great time but am really glad to be home.

Isle of Palms, South Carolina

I have been hanging out at the beach for the last couple of days with my honey and 10 of our friends. We had a nice house on the Atlantic with a swimming pool. It was a great time to go because the crowds are gone and we had plenty of beach to ourselves.

I took Tatum's Tail Pale Ale and Lay Down B-Cider #1 to share with everyone.

I've decided that this batch of cider is getting pulled. It's not "undrinkable" but it is not very good. It has too much of a sour taste. I must have contaminated it when adding table sugar.

On the other hand Tatum's Tail was a HIT! Everybody loved it and said it was as good as any beer they have tasted. They couldn't believe that I actually brewed it. Everyone wanted more but unfortunately I only had a couple of liters left (after drinking it myself!). Nothing is better than getting positive feedback on your beer! I will be brewing this one again... soon.

I did get a chance to taste Palmetto Brewing Company's Amber Ale (on tap). Besides being a little too bitter on the finish for my taste I thought it had a nice flavor. I really wanted to give their Pale Ale a shot but couldn't find it.