Sacrilegious? Nah, it's Sacrilicious! In bad taste? Are you kidding? It tastes awesome!

With both this idea (and the water) Blessed by a Catholic priest, it's hard to be offended if you ask me. Monasteries have been brewing beer (and sometimes liquors) for hundreds of years. Benedictine Monks drank beer brewed on premise in place of eating food while they were fasting. I had originally intended to brew this beer on Easter 2009. But, a UPS delay of the communion wafers pushed it back a week.

Nothing like going back into history and brewing the past!

This ale is based on an old Latvian (Baltic) tradition of using local ingredients available to them, including the use of river stones to make their beer. Friends and family like to drink it to celebrate "Jani", an ancient summer solstice festival held during the shortest night of the year. We jump over a bonfire, sing songs (Ligo! Ligo!), wear crowns of oak leaves, eat rye bread, and, of course, drink beer. Sounds strange, but trust me, it’s a blast!

One of my favorite beers to brew is this semi-clone of Unibroue’s La Fin Du Monde, created with a little bit of yeast ingenuity. It has a drinkable Belgian taste, very fruity with a touch of clove. This recipe was designed and brewed by fellow ALEien Homebrew Club Member Don Gravatt and myself. We attempted this beer as our first all-grain batch not realizing the extent of the challenge until the homebrew store owner commented on our plans by saying “if you're going to be a bear - be a grizzly," This has now become my new personal mantra.

Here is a beer you can enjoy almost any time of the year. Due to its dark amber color and reddish tint from the cherries, most of my friends enjoy this in the late summer and fall timeframe. Based on an Octoberfest lager this beer is smooth and flavorful.  A slight smoky taste from toasting the grains and bit of vanilla finish this one off. A slight sour taste from the cherries along with a hint of chocolate malt makes this one of the more unique beers you will ever taste and my favorite to brew. Hated or Loved, but never ignored.

On Friday, November 13, 2009, Neil and Mat had the honor of being two of the five judges of the first annual Philly BeerCamp. Philly BeerCamp is a DIY beer event hosted by Philly’s favorite beer drinkers, Johnny Bilotta and Dave Martorana of Two Guys on Beer.

Do you have sunglasses?"

"Umm... somewhere..."

"Oh, you're gonna need sunglasses."

Looking for a great refreshing summer Kolsh that you can make at home? Here is a simple recipe that is sure to delight. The outcome is golden honey in color with a light malty sweetness in the body and a fantastic touch of hops in its finish.
Brewer: 12 String Brewing • Beer: Schuylkill Kolsch Style: Kolsch • Type: Extract w/ grain • Size: 5 gallons SG: 1.054 • FG: 1.010 • Bitterness: 23 IBU’s • ABV: 6%

Here’s an easy drinking beer for summer with both nods to tradition and the creative side of brewing. The honey brings an interesting flavor note to the brew and keeps the body light and crisp. Most of the spices are traditional to the Belgian style. Chamomile is reportedly brewing legend Pierre Celis’ “secret ingredient.” The inclusion of saffron is a new twist on the style. The flavors of saffron and honey go so well together in Dogfish Head’s Midas Touch, it adds a rich depth of flavor to the brew. This may just be the most complex easy drinking beer you’ll ever make.