Kickstart Ghostfish

Last night I tried some fantastic gluten-free beers.  Yes, I know.  There might be a lot wrong with that sentence.  1.  What am I doing drinking gluten-free beers?  2.  Did I really mean "fantastic"?  Let me give you some back story.

I have known about Ghostfish Brewing from the beginning. Watching a trio of passionate beer loving guys take their dream of creating Seattle's first gluten-free brewery to a reality has been nothing short of inspiring.  What was even more inspiring were the four beers I tried last night.  From a wit to a pale to a porter to a dry stout, I had to keep telling myself these were actually gluten-free.

Now, here is where you come in.  The Ghostfish Brewing team needs your help in the next two days.  They are less than $5000 away from making their Kickstarter goal of $30,000 for an R&D lab.  Why does this matter to you?  Research and Development labs are how breweries make exciting new beers.  After tasting what they already have brewed, I couldn't be more supportive for this cause.

And you should be too.

Act now...the clock is ticking!

Boo Brew Bash

When NWBeerBabe invites you over....you go.  It doesn't matter what time or how long it will take you to get there...you go.  When she invites you over for her second annual Adult Halloween...you get there early. With strict instructions to bring a snack, bottles of beer, and to arrive before the first Elsa rang the door bell, we headed up north to her very own Naughty Gallagher's Pub, a self named residential beer paradise.

The next few hours flew by.  Bottles opened.  Steaks grilled.  Laughter heard.  Elsas spotted.  Trick or Treating parents hydrated.  Stories told.  Memories shared.  Too many home brewing beer lovers were present to not have an elite beer line up.  Now that my Untappd app has recovered from overuse, let's review my favorites from the night.

1.  Eclipse Elijah Craig 12 from FiftyFifty Brewing Company
This imperial stout aged in heavily sought after Elijah Craig Bourbon barrels from Heaven Hill Distilleries was a luscious treat.  After learning more about this brewery, I am more than tempted to find a way to get my hands on a ticket to their 2014 Eclipse party on December 4th.

2.  16 Barrels from 10 Barrel Brewing Company
One thing that I love about anything else is finding a unique bottle from a favorite brewery.  I thought I had enjoyed every 10 Barrel beer there was, so when 16 Barrels came out, my jaw dropped.  This smooth Golden Ale aged in Pinot Noir barrels was nothing short of delicious.

3.  Cowiche Canyon Fresh Hop from Fremont Brewing
With the overload of barrel aged treats, this fresh hop from Fremont was a welcomed refresher.  Toting a nice bright hop aroma, its bitterness balanced perfectly with the malt.  Rumor has it that there were four cans at the table.  However, they mysteriously disappeared before I could get my hands on another taste.  If you see this treat around town, scoop it up.  Like Halloween candy, Fresh Hop Season won't last forever.

WHL #4: Tri-City Americans "Glass Pounding Fights" (2013-2014 season)

After WHL teams within an hour's drive were checked off the list, it was now time to plan a weekend venture east of the mountains to knock off the rest of the American teams in the division.  Luckily, our winter break left us with some time to high tail it over to see the Tri-City Americans.

Fans:  The moment (and yes I mean THE moment) we sat down, some enthusiastic hockey lover shook the chairs we were in asking if we were ready for some hockey.  They really had no idea, did they?  Heck yeah, we were!  Throughout the entire game, fans were on their feet pounding on the glass, screaming at the refs, cheering on the numerous fights, and high-fiving strangers for each home goal.

Arena:  Similar to where the Winterhawks play, the Toyota Center was like stepping back in time.  We quickly realized that the names above the concessions booths didn't necessarily mean that was the food they were serving.  Except when it came to the Papa Johns booth.  An enclosed corner alcove with big screen televisions playing the Husky game was sponsored by a local cable company.  Getting our much needed pic with the mascot resulted in us chasing Winger down, spinning him around, and finally getting a halfway decent photo.

Beer:  While the food didn't knock our socks off, I was impressed with the local beer choices.  I had a couple of IPAs from a Richland based brewery.  Domestic choices were available for those that feared the power of the hop.

Smashed Pumpkin Brew Day

Last weekend of October.  Pumpkin Spice Lattes on the brain.  Rainstorm outside.  It must be that time of year to make my Smashed Pumpkin Ale.  The last  time I was brave enough to brew this pesky squash quencher was back in 2010.  That year, I was still a novice brewer making partial mash/partial extract brews.  With friends and family alike begging for this harvest beer, it was time to make it an all grain masterpiece.

Smashed Pumpkin Ale

Yield:
10 gallons

Grains:
3.0 lbs Rye
3.5 lbs Crystal 80
3.5 lbs Crystal 20
18 lbs  Gambrinus Pale

Mash:
45 minutes at 152 degrees

Sparge:
12 gallons

Boil:
60 min:   2oz Cascade hops
20 min:   9.5 lbs of 100% canned pumpkin
15 min:   2oz of Mt. Hood hops
10 min:   1 tbsp each of Nutmeg, Cinnamon, All Spice, and Cloves
               1 oz of pure vanilla extract

Yeast:
NW Ale 1332 by Wyeast (2)

Original Gravity:
1058

Conditioning Options:
Four years ago, I put in a bottle of Pinnacle Whipped Vodka after fermentation was complete.  I immediately force carbonated the batch and bottled it a week later.  When the boil kettle was filling our humble garage brewery with pie spice, two alternate options came to mind: taking half the batch and throwing it in a cask with Mexican vanilla beans to be enjoyed a month from now or putting the whole batch into a Bourbon Whiskey barrel from Woodinville Whiskey and see what magic happens.  Check back in a few weeks to see what we decided.  If you try this recipe at home, let us know any adaptations you made and how it all turned out in the comment section below.  

Happy brewing!