Need a little pick me up? This is the true breakfast of champions.


Step One: Take one egg yolk and put it in your favorite breakfast beer glass.


Step Two: Add a teaspoon of sugar to the yolk.


Step Three: Whisk the sugar and yolk together.

Step Four: Add a dark malty beer, like a stout. Nothing hoppy or dry. I like Sam Adams Cream Stout or an Imperial Stout.


Step Five: Mix well and drink up!

Wreck em!

I'm getting anxious, I want this to start now. But watching this never gets old.
Enjoy.

Here we find a few varieties of Cockgobbler is their native environment.
The Bovine Cockgobbler: Better known as the "meat sack" Cockgobbler, he is one of the more common varieties found in the wild. They are known for their sheer disdain for the Red Dirt Cockgobbler, but have been known to cross breed when needed for pro-creation (or post season play). They can be found chasing the female Bovine gobbler who can be easily identified by the large amounts of hair under their arms and lack of any grooming or hygiene.
The Yellow Breasted Parrot Cockgobbler: Though easily excitable, this gobbler is known for his "parrot" like facial features. He has been known to chum up to some only to turn his back on them when he thinks no one is watching. They have the longest lifespan and will more than likely outlive us all.
The Rainbow Rear Cockgobbler: Better known as the "back biter" or "stool pushing" cockgobbler, he is the rarest of all the Cockgobblers. Since procreation is almost unheard of among them due to their homosexual tendencies, they are near extinct. They will usually be found blowing whoever is up for Heisman that week, and will forever dismiss any achievement from a West Texas team.
The Red Dirt Cockgobbler: Also known as the "Ball-Sacajawea Corn-Holer" Cockgobbler, he can be found roaming the plains of Oklahoma. Though they have little inteligence, they are known for their confusing tactics and mental masturbatory delusions of grandeur. Some of them have an aversion to alcohol and small pox, while other aversions include to gold teef, taking money from boosters, unattractive females, and an overall miss-conception that its OK to butt-bang your sister.

This wont ever get old.

When our Defense plays its A game, and our Offense plays its B game, good shit is bound to happen. The score doesn't reflect the game. We pounded them. I say at the beginning of the football year, every year, "if we win only one game, let it be against UT". This year is a little different now. Just take it one week at a time, and hopefully we can put together 4 more of these.

My son and future Red Raider.

Another car I've added to the ever popular series "If I ever wanted my brakes to fail, now would be the time.". Nice touch on the vanity plates.....douchebag.

My entries for the dixie cup. Of the ones missing; my bitter which is still fermenting, and my 40 (pronounced fouty).

After 6 years with my family and close to 40 with many others, my old friend and recent recipient of a kegerator upgrade passed away while the family was on vacation. You never complained as you were moved from the kitchen to the garage. It never phased you to see newer, fancier models replace you. Your almond color faded but your compressor stayed strong. I know you have seen generations of children go from drawing and coloring on you, to moving away in adulthood. It is a sad day indeed, and you will be missed.

Another 10 gallons of cream ale awaiting yeast!

Evidently there isn't a hop shortage in New Zealand. This fresh hop offering from Sierra Nevada is pleasant, with a very floral aroma and spiciness. Perfect for a 98 degree evening.

McNellie's in Oklahoma City!

Just look at that island of taps, and they have Chimay on tap!

My favorite drinking vessel is no more. Sadly this completes a trifecta of broken items including this Duvel tulip, my ipod and my fathers brandy snifter....


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Now playing: Jamil Zainasheff - Belgian Blond Ale - The Jamil Show 07-28-08

Screw mixed feelings. To hell with hostile takeovers. What has happened in the last 48 hours is nothing short of pure American.

I've been hearing all day long that AB sold out. The fact is Anheuser Busch sold out many years ago when they went public. That decision started a momentum that ended with the largest American owned brewery being bought by a foreign country.

Fine by me. And there is bud light in my fridge right now! Not a lot but a few......gotta make beer biscuits with something!

AB was muscle, and hopefully that will dissipate. Look at the government imposed rules and sanctions when it comes to branding and labeling. Breweries that produced beers with names like "homegrown hops" and "420 pale ale" were disallowed due to the marijuana slang.

But you can put "Bud" on 20 million cans a day without one word.

Fuck em. Good Riddance.

Don't for a second think this is a tragedy. If the shareholders wanted to stop it they could. The only people who couldn't do a thing was the AB family and those of us who arent shareholders.

Lesson learned. Don't sell out, that way you don't have your name ripped away from you later.

........... maybe we might even see a fresh bottle of Stella now.

What is the matter with you? You've got kids for petes sake!

After being in Kalamazoo for a week I'm back home anbd celebrating with IPA and prime rib.

I finally figured out what to do with an old baby monitor.

That's about as full a mash tun as I can get. 33lbs of grain, and 11 gallons of water. I figured out my thermometer is shitty, so my mash was a little on the low side (147F). I think it will be OK though. My efficiency however, blows!!! I was suppose to have 13 gallons at 1.056 and I had 1.5 at 1.044 so its been a long boil so far.

You cant tell but that mash paddle had just been fished out of the tun. I was looking everywhere for it then I realized it had fallen into the mash! So this beer will be henceforth called: Mash Paddle Pale Ale

This is what a boil over looks like right before it happens. It was close.

I think i need more BTU's and I have to find a way to get my efficiency up. I built this recipe on 60% efficiency, and its going to go down from that. This is the first beer I've made on my new system that's over 1.060, and I've got more in the pipeline, so something has to give.

Either way, the worst day brewing beats the shit out of nest day working!

Cheers!

Getting ready to brew on Saturday so here is the starter. And below the starter is getting to business on my homemade stir plate.

Thunder Chicken IPA on the way

Everything is up and running, now I just need more beer. Ive got 4.5 kegs filled, but its only two beers. Ive got another wit coming out of fermentation soon, so that will add another selection.

The Wit I brewed a few weeks ago is now on tap. It was based loosely on Dr. Scott's (The Brewing Network) Wit recipe. It has a huge, juicy fruit, aroma on the nose. It's not as pale as I wanted, it looks more like a hefe than a wit, and it has a huge grapefruit taste at first then lingers off. Its very drinkable and Im enjoying it.

The Scottish 70/- (/- mean shilling) is awesome. Very malty and sweet, while not cloying. Its low enough in alcohol that you can have many pints before feeling anything. This may be one I keep around.

I'll be brewing a wee heavy and pitching it with the slurry from the 70/-. Ive got a ton of hops left over form some 1 gallon batches I made, so I think a rye IPA is on the horizon soon.

A few hiccups on the new system but nothing major at all. The counterflow chiller is simply bad ass. Wort came out of the kettle at 195F and after passing through the chiller, it went into the fermenter at 68-70.

I also found a shitload of hops in my freezer, many you can't buy due to the shortage. Im thinking an IPA is in the future.

I haven't been excited about an early morning since deer season, but I found myself rolling over every half hour looking at the clock. I finally got up at 6:00 and was doughed in by 6:45. New system is performing well I think. I'm a little off on my volumes but that's all about dialing it in, which will take a little time. I zested 20 oranges, 10 Tangelos, 3 grapefruit, and some big ass asian melon for the end of the boil. Things are looking good! I'm going to have to get a pump though, and possibly fast forward on building a brewing stand. That mash tun is heavy with 20lbs of grain and 7 gallons of water. I cant move the kettle (keggle), but i think a pump will assist me in moving the fluids around.

After a hiatus to create a kegging system and get my fermentation temp under control, I am going to brew this weekend. I've upgrading to a 10 gallon system, made a counterflow chiller, made everything hook up with quick connects, and all that's left to do is brew. The pictue is my starter I made less than 24 hours ago, it was rocking this morning, ill build it up one more time before pitching sometime on saturday. I'm pumped.

I aged some of my single hive clover mead on hibiscus petals. At bottling I dosed a few bottles with peppercorns to add a little spice to the sack style mead. This one still has the strong clover honey flavor with nice hibiscus notes, but the peppercorn is too much. I believe there was three in this one. Its pretty powerful on the back of the palette, but not unpleasant. Would be really nice if it wasn't starting to feel like a Texas summer already. I'm very happy with the color and it has legs like a tawny port. I'm going to make 5 gallons of the same mead and put it all on hibiscus petals and play around with it some. Maybe less peppercorn, and perhaps red pepper flake. Cheers!

Most of us know this saying, it has been echoed in movies, on bumper stickers and t-shirts going back for 40 years. But when Charlton Heston uttered those same words, musket held high above his head, they seemed (at least to me) to have new meaning. They seemed alive. And I truly believe that they mean more now then they ever have. No longer is it a middle finger to liberals or the anti-gun left. No longer is it something that you might hear some drunken redneck say after a wrestling match. It is now more than ever a battle cry for those of us who believe that to be truly free, you must take up arms against those who would take that freedom. This isn't just a right or privilege, but the duty of everyone living within the arms of this great country.

I was very saddened today to hear of Mr. Heston's passing. He led a great life and was indeed a great man. In the very essence of the word he was a patriot. and he will be truly missed. My prayers go out to his family and loved ones, that they may find solace. And know that the inspiration he instilled in so many of us, will live on.

I would encourage anyone who reads this to join or renew your membership to the national Rifle Association in Mr. Heston's name. Show those who would take this right from you, that though a face of the orginization has passed on, his dedication and passion for America and Americans lives on in all of us. www.nra.org

I know what your thinking.

Shiner? Really?

YES!

This Helles is by far the best beer to come out of the Spoetzel brewery in Shiner, Texas.... Ever...

Its very difficult (damn near impossible) to get a fresh Helles in the states. Even if you got it right after the boat docked, it wouldn't be as fresh as it was meant to be.

Shiner's Helles has the malty sweetness in perfect balance with the noble hops. They go down smooth and fast.

If they were smart, they would add this to the line up. Get rid of the Blonde if you have to make room. (It wasn't good in the 70's when it was shiner premium, and was priced around PBR and schlitz. Gotta love that marketing).

Do yourself a favor, go get a six pack. If you like, write them and tell them to keep it. Might be the only way.

I cant think of any better way to start off St. Patty's day than with a traditional Irish breakfast.  (see above)  Of course I had to Americanize it a little, so I added the plate of food, OJ and water.

A perfect end to a great weekend, and beginning to a good week.

 

Currently Listening to: Wrinkle Neck Mules - Pull the Brake - When Things Unravel

Its a few weeks late but I want to post the results for an eventful weekend fondly referred to as the "Pig Poke".

For those of you who have no idea what I'm refering to, I'll give you a brief synopsis.

Our good buddies Jon and Nathan make the trip down every year, usually in Jan or Feb, to the deer camp. Its a weekend of food, fun, and fellowship. And the occasional wild hog slaughter. Basically its an excuse to run around the woods with more firepower than som third world countries, and rain hell on the over populated resident hog populations in southern Oklahoma. the nights are filled with laughter and drinking, the days filled with stalking, shooting and cleaning the occasional pig.

We did pretty good this year. Keep in mind we by no means put a dent in the population, and this will need to continue more often than once a year. I believe the final total was 7 pigs down. Which is pretty amazing considering the number of shots fired.

This big boy is pushing 250 pounds, dispatched my Nathan early on the first day.



Hog hunting is a ton of fun, but is not the safest form of entertainment. These pigs are wild and can really mess you up if they get a hold of you. They are the equivilent of small rommel tanks with teeth. They are fast and tough. They can take multiple shots and still charge you at full speed.

So the meat headed back to Arkansas as it does every year and we look forward to next years get together.

Here is a picture of the posse: Ryan, Ted, Jon, Nathan and myself (minus Joel)

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Because there is obviously a hell. And it appears they have a VW factory there.

Few things in this world have made me want to actually crash my vehicle, this is one of them. This kind of shit should be illegal. Its distracting and just plain wrong.

Bet your butt. McNellie's in Tulsa. Back to the Belgian's and there is a bunch that are new here. Well new to me at least. I'm going with a geuze next. Never tried one so I might as well. Even if they serve it in a frilly glass, I can handle it.

Great food and beer once again. If you ever happen upon this place, stop in for a pint.

The geuze was interesting. Definitly sour, and not like a fruit lambic sour. It would be great on a summer day after mowing the lawn or something.

All in all, a great evening.

Holy crap, words cannot describe the genius of this man. Just watch, learn, and pass on. This man could be a disciple.

Well the whiskey fog has finally departed and I'm left to look at the aftermath that is 2007. The Raiders pulled off a win in what is becoming typical fashion, much to the chagrin of its die hard alumni' and their respective livers. My liver in particular felt robbed he didn't get the game MVP, but that Long kid was pretty spectacular. My wife even asked me if she needed to take the kids elsewhere after "six" was hit with the second safety. With Jim Beam as my witness, I never thought we were out of it, but it didn't make me act the part well. I leave 2007 as I have the past few years, optimistic, excited and hungover. Its truly hard to be a Red Raider fan, but I'm very appreciative to the players this last year for making every game exciting.

I was however in the fetal position with tears in my eyes as they carted Reed off the field while the Goin' band played the interlude to "Superman", and just as if the chills heading up my spine couldn't get stronger, he gives the guns up. Game, set, match. I was crying like a little girl. Call is fanaticism, or just a whiskey dent on ticker, but it grabbed at every heart string I had and pulled. Prayers have been sent Reed, get better man.





I finally counted and it looks like i spent 21 days in the woods chasing deer this year. Some days more than others but all in all it was a great season. I learned a ton this year, and will be counting the days until Oct 1, 2008. I'm hoping to possibly draw an out of state hunt, and maybe get to chase some mulies or elk around. We shall see. I'm not that lucky at drawings. Until then its time to decide whether to get a new bow or just upgrade the Hoyt. I can outfit my ultra mag with 80# limbs and a single pin sight, or I can get a new bow and start from scratch. The next few weeks will determine my course, but for now I'm leaning towards upgrading some parts. We saw a ton of deer this year and the big ones are still around. I'm looking forward to being outsmarted again.





Homebrewing this year was great. I made 14 batches of beer and some of those were more than good. My Saison is probably the best beer Ive ever made and is not lasting long. I will not brew again until i have upgraded my brewery to 10 gallon batches and completed my kegerator. Until then it will be all grain pilot batches in the 6 pack size. Hops are getting herder to come by so it might be a good time to start focusing on the equipment. I won a silver in my first competition this year. My blueberry wheat took 2nd in the fruit beer category at the Limbo competition here in Dallas. I was surprised and pleased. I did however get smoked at this years Dixie Cup. Never to worry, I've got a few tricks up my sleeve, and some great beers stored for this year. Ive been making mead a lot this year too. My first batch was in 1992 and the mead that's coming out now is great. Ive take to turning 5 gallon batches into 5 1 gallon batches and adding "stuff" to them. Ive also experimented with different varieties of honey. My goal is to have 5 gallons of mead going at any given time, that way after a year I should always have some coming of age.

Bring on '08!