Neat blog. I love that row of taps.

It really breaks my heart to see what some people HAVE to do for a living!

I see no point in cracking open a bottle of homebrew that you know will taste like sheet, when you can just give it 2-3 mos in the bottle and have some decent beer.

Of course, I always brewed because I drank LOTS of beer - and preferred expensive beers.

My friend, the gadget guy, became disinterested in the beer after it was made, its quality ascertained. My keenest interest in the beer began at that point.

Tonight I'm sharing a Victory Hop Wallop Double IPA with my wife. She just got back home from her first ice hockey lesson and scrimmage, so she deserves it.

It's fantastically bitter with just enough malt to make you crave more. Chewy and resinous. Me like.

Your wife plays hockey and drinks hoppy beer. Sound’s like a keeper.

I’ve always thought the best part of playing Rugby and long distance running is the beer afterward to kill the pain.

My son helped me bottle my IPA this morning. Held the racking cane steady at the edge of the pot for me as I siphoned the beer off into bottles. We shared the last bit of beer in the pot (about an ounce). He said, "Yummy!" but that's his assessment to almost all the tastes he gets.

I think I'm going to like the IPA much more than the porter. Speaking of the porter, I opened another bottle yesterday and the time in the fridge solved the gushing problem. It stayed in the bottle, but I still think it's overly carbonated. The good news is that the acidic tinge is no longer there, so I definitely agree that more bottle time is improving this beer.

It's all in your mind.

I should buy a bunch of porters and blind taste mine among them.

...in another month.

One of my IPA bottles was only half-full, so I decided to open it yesterday to get a preview. The honey (used for priming) is still noticeable, so I'll give it another couple weeks (it's already been in bottles for two) before trying another.

Besides the honey issue -- which actually wasn't too bad -- I'm super happy with this beer so far. Enough that I'll want to share it with local friends. (Sorry! I don't make enough to ship yet.) It smells and tastes like an IPA I'd actually buy for a second time. The carbonation level is perfect too.

Have a look at it after it's been in my glass a few minutes: