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.
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November 5, 2010
Tap This: Southern Tier Pumking Ale Review
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. Â This seasonal brew has become wildly popular […]
July 30, 2010
Tap This: Keg It! (Part 2)
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 same point in the brewing process […]
July 16, 2010
Tap This: Keg It! (Part 1)
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 capping each one. It was at that point when […]
June 25, 2010
Tap This: The Pseudo Summer Pilsner Project
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 always been one style missing from this […]
June 11, 2010
Tap This: Pliny the Elder
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 Elder (the beer) is a […]
May 7, 2010
Tap This: Fuck Idaho (A Strong Brown Ale)
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 project, my first strong beer may not have been […]
February 12, 2010
Brown Shugga’: This Bastard Turned Out Alright!
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 to choose from. If you live on the west […]
June 22, 2009
Home Brewing Part 6, DRINK IT!
READ ALL 6 PARTS OF THEÂ TAP THIS HOME BREWING GUIDE HERE Popping the cap off of the first beer in a new batch is always exciting. When I first started I used to think nothing but “I hope it doesn’t suck.” Now I am a little more confident in my batches and am curious to […]
June 4, 2009
Tap This: Belgian Whites – The Ultimate Summer Beer!
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 favorite styles of summer beer are Belgian White Ales. Great […]
May 29, 2009
Tap This: Home Brewing Part 5 – Bottling
READ ALL 6 PARTS OF THE TAP THIS HOME BREWING GUIDE HERE Bottling is easily the most tedious, pain in the ass, and time consuming part of the home brewing process. It takes so long to peel the labels off of every bottle, clean them, and sanitize them. I think this is why once most […]