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    Can You Take Me Higher? Brewing with Cannabis

    enMarch 31, 2020
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    About this Episode

    Being basically socially locked down and spending waaaay too much time at home, I am tiring of such things as videos of Hollywood celebrities singing John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ to ‘entertain’ me, instead I have been brewing quite a bit and of course listening to music. This has started me daydreaming about brewing a beer with weed. My version of ‘Imagine’ I guess. HA!

    As of March 2020, 11 states (including my home state of Illinois as the newest state on the roster) and the District of Columbia have laws on the books that allow legalized adult recreational use of marijuana. However, under Federal law it is still an illegal substance and because it is an illegal substance brewing beer with alcohol and THC is not commercially legal anywhere in the United States. This is because federal law supersedes state law.

    Due to these legal hurdles, THC infused beer with alcohol can currently be made as home brew projects legally in these states only. Over the years I have tried a few of these attempts offered from some of my home brewing acquaintances. The beers were good but most missed getting the psycho active THC into the brew, what a tragic waste of good weed. This was not their fault, as the science of THC extraction was not available back then. Until the Feds get their act together we’re going to have to tackle this on our own! Hey, that’s what home brewers do...am I wrong?!

    So the question some may ask, "Why brew a beer infused with THC?". Well as you probably know (or maybe you don't), marijuana is a cousin to the hop plant. That right there is a great reason to try it...experimental hops! (hell, where do you think the term dank came from?) How about the sheer sport of it? Call me a curious yellow (whew, dating myself here) or in this case a nice shade of marijuana green. Maybe smoking is not your thing; this could be a form of an edible, while slaking your thirst, win-win. Finally, how about the challenge of trying something new and pushing boundaries on brew day?

    The first hurdle is securing enough weed. This is based on how much THC infused beer you want to make and I’ll leave that decision up to you. The next question – what style? The first style that comes to mind is an IPA. Double IPA, Hazy, traditional IPA; all would pair well with the aroma and taste of some dank weed. The problem with hoppy beers is that the flavor and aroma of the hops fades fairly quickly so it needs to be drunk fairly fresh. This is ok if you were to make a small batch but 5 gallons would be challenging to drink it all before the freshness diminished, I guess this would not be an issue if we’re still sheltering-in-place (fuck that term irritates me) in the near future. Cooped up at home drunk and stoned, yeah that’s never happened to me. HA HA HA! I have some other style ideas I will float by ya but for now let’s get to the process.

    THC is alcohol soluble at a level of 8 percent ABV or higher, so if you want to use a dry hop method stick with a double IPA—the higher the alcohol content, the better the THC extraction. Extraction efficiency is a concern based on the high (pun intended) cost of weed from a legal dispensary. A possibility is if you live in a state like Illinois where a marijuana medical card holder can legally grow up to 5 plants at a time, and you know one of these individuals, to keep costs low you could co-brew a weed beer? I mean it is still illegal to sell weed if you are not a dispensary but you’re helping out a person in need, right?

    Cannabis strain selection is the next thing to figure out. Sativa strains for the most part have uplifting and mental focus characteristics, a good match to offset the alcohol in my opinion. Indica strains have the more relaxing & mellow and possibly couch lock effects. There are many sources available that will help you find a cannabis strain that’s right for you. A source I have found helpful is leafly.com 

    Now hold on, don’t just go throwing that precious weed into the secondary! There are some things we need to do to get all that THC goodness into our brew. So let’s review these.

    Water curing is the process of removing the chlorophyll (grassy flavors) from the green plant material. It also removes the nutrient salts without removing the THC, remember THC and the resin glands are only dissolvable in alcohol or fats. That is why THC stays in our system so long; it binds with the fat cells in our bodies until they are flushed over a period of time.

    Decarboxylation is the process of heating or aging cannabis to activate THC, the component of cannabis that produces a “high.” Without this process, the cannabis won’t have any psychoactive property thus you will get only flavor from its use. Sadly, the down fall of my home brewing acquaintances as I stated previously.

    Ok now that we have some weed ready for our beer, there are a few ways to get it into the beer.

    Dry Hop method is similar to selecting hops for a normal beer recipe. Fruity, bright, melon hops work well for the dry hop method such as Citra. Others that would tend to complement the flavors of dry hopped cannabis are Lemondrop, Motueka, Ekuanot, and Amarillo. Try to avoid dank, catty and grassy types such as Simcoe, CTZ, Crystal, Fuggle.

    Try two separate dry-hop doses will help minimize the grassy/weed flavors, just like hops. There are many dry hop to weed formulas along with suggested amounts of weed to use based on your weed’s THC strength and desired buzz level, so I’ll let you do the research on that.

    THC tincture Tinctures are made with high percentage alcohol, they usually come in glass bottles with droppers. As a result, the cannabis tincture is one of the best methods of consumption for precise dosing. By using a tincture, you can custom dose each bottle with the precise amount of THC you want.  Maybe the bulk of your bottles are a mild dose so you can share a couple without getting wasted. Then dose a few bottles (or more, it’s up to you) with a higher amount of tincture for those special occasions. You can see how to make a tincture at home by going to THC tincture. Reminder: since tinctures are edibles, the cannabis used must be decarboxylated to ensure all the ingredients are active. This would be my preferred method as I could dose a scotch ale, robust porter or stout all of which have a much longer shelf life than a highly hopped beer.

    Follow standard packaging practices with kegging or bottling. Cannabis beer tends to maintain freshness longer (from many months) and the hops/cannabis flavors stay vibrant for much longer even in the bottle. Use good packaging practices and minimize oxygen as usual in your process to get the best results. 

    If you decide to make a THC infused beer, drop us a message here at Home Brew Rock Stars and let us know how it went and the results. Hey maybe send us a bottle for us to sample on one of our podcasts. Good brewing to all and PLEASE… Like us, rate us and follow us!

    Prost! #drinkitup

    Recent Episodes from Home Brew Rock Stars Podcast

    E85 Trippin' on a Bicycle Day

    E85 Trippin' on a Bicycle Day

    bicycle day lsd beer

    “Psychedelics are illegal not because a loving government is concerned that you may jump out of a third story window. Psychedelics are illegal because they dissolve opinion structures and culturally laid down models of behaviour and information processing. They open you up to the possibility that everything you know is wrong.”
    ― Terence McKenna

    Greetings and welcome to HomeBrew RockStars Episode 85 “Trippin on Bicycle Day”.  In this episode we talk about Bicycle Day and we don’t mean the celebration of the two wheeled, pedal driven device although there is a bicycle involved. We are discussing the discovery by Swiss scientist Dr. Albert Hoffman of the effects of Lysergic acid diethylamide or LSD as it is more commonly known as, on the human body. Here is a hilarious clip from the movie Wanderlust to get ya in the right frame of mind.

    There are many forms of psychedelics such as LSD, Psilocybin (commonly known as magic mushrooms), MDMA (ecstasy) and DMT to name a few. In the last decade these mind-altering drugs have come out of the shadowy underground world into the mainstream as possibly valid tools to help with depression, addictions (including nicotine and alcoholism) and overall better mental health as an alternative to the chemical compounds traditionally used that have undesirable side effects. Code writers from the Silcon Valley use a method known as ‘micro dosing’ to help them focus. 

    As we journey through out trippy episode, we list some bicycle inspired beers and sampled some fine beers. On the tasting table we have a homebrew from Sears he calls ‘Old Skool IPA’ a traditional American IPA generously dosed with Falconers Flight hops with a 6.5% ABV. We also have a non-alcoholic IPA with 5mg of THC from our friends at CERIA Brewing. Kent brought a ridiculously good Bavarian Lager called Zwickle from  Urban Chestnut Brewing Co of St. Louis, MO. If you in the St. Louis area stop in to their Bierhall in The Grove District, you will not be disappointed! We rounded out with a White Stout from an area brewery named G-5 Brewing Co of Beloit WI. A different but tasty brew that has granola, toasted coconut and vanilla. It reminded us of a hiking trip except it has a 7% ABV that would not be conducive to walking the trails!    

    If any of you listeners have a home brew you want to have the guys sample on the show give us a shout either via e-mail, our web site or Facebook. We would love the opportunity and get ya to call in and share with us, we promise we will be nice.

    As always, we are thankful for our sponsors who we are glad to see still rocking it! If you are looking for a great craft beer and some of the best vegan food in the state line? Try Pig Minds Brewing and check out the new addition, looks awesome guys! Also stop in and see our good friends at Urban Forest Brewing and try the fine libations Alex and Heath proudly pour…YOU WON’T BE DISAPPOINTED! Want to get some of Chicago area’s finest craft beer without the travel into the Windy City? Seeking a hard-to-find commercial craft beer, wine or spirits to take home or as a gift? Stop in to Artale & Co, Anthony and Aaron have plenty of great ideas. When you are ready to start a new indoor gardening project stop in to 815 Gardens, Bob will be happy to help. Tell them that HomeBrew Rockstars sent ya.

    As always, we appreciate if you make sure to Like us, Follow us and RATE US, or hate us, but do something! 

    Prost! #drinkitup

    E84 The Hazy History of 420

    E84 The Hazy History of 420

    420 podcast about homegrown homebrewing

    “Sativa to change the things I can, Indica to accept the things I can’t.”- Bob Marley

     

    Greetings and welcome to HomeBrew RockStars Episode 84 “Hazy History of 420”. In this episode we visit the origins of ’420’. There are many versions, but we have the real deal detailng some Cali teenagers in search of free weed unbeknown to them that they would carve out a piece of modern folklore and an unofficial holiday. In fact, Lagunitas Brewing Co. brews a seasonal beer artfully named The Waldos, commemorating those crazy teens. The guys also talk about a list titled ‘9 Beers with a 420 Twiist’ So, grab a beer, roll one up if you wish and settle in for some fun history that they never taught you in school. This is an appropriate time to queue up some Sublime and Cheech & Chong before ya ‘hit’ the podcast. 

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    If any of you listeners have a home brew you want to have the guys sample on the show give us a shout either via e-mail, our web site or Facebook. We would love the opportunity and get ya to call in and share with us, we promise we will be nice.

    As always we are thankful for our sponsors who we are glad to see still rocking it! If you are looking for a great craft beer and some of the best vegan food in the state line? Try Pig Minds Brewing and check out the new addition, looks awesome guys! Also stop in and see our good friends at Urban Forest Brewing and try the fine libations Alex and Heath proudly pour… YOU WON’T BE DISAPPOINTED! Want to get some of Chicago area’s finest craft beer without the travel into the Windy City? Or seeking a hard-to-find commercial craft beer, wine or spirits to take home or as a gift? Stop in to Artale & Co, Anthony and Aaron have plenty of great ideas. When you are ready to start a new indoor gardening project stop in to 815 Gardens, Bob will be happy to help. Tell them that HomeBrew Rockstars sent ya.

    As always, we appreciate if you make sure to Like us, Follow us and RATE US, or hate us, but do something!

    Prost! #drinkitup

    E82 St. Paddy's Day & The Irish Pub

    E82 St. Paddy's Day & The Irish Pub

    st patricks day green beerHappy St. Patrick’s Day, or is that St. Paddy’s Day? Either way, when it comes to beer and brewing, perhaps the real Saint we should be admiring could very well be St. Brigid (more on that in this episode).

    Speaking of episodes, we start this shindig off by tasting some excellent Irish/St. Paddy’s themed beers and then give it a lash to discuss the history of the Irish Pub, learning about Ireland’s patron saints, Publicans, Barmen, Alewives, Spirit Grocers, SheBeens, Patrick Cavanaugh and Brendan Behan “dog days to drink” legend, and the lot that brought us into the era of the Public Houses we so fondly adore and frequently adjourn to.

    As for theater on the table, we start with Mike’s home brewed Red Ale, a tasty, roasty, clean, easy drinker, if there ever was one ;) that finished off fast (1.5 weeks) at 4.5 ABV. We also sip on Urban Forest Landmire Spring, a zest black IPA that warms the soul. Then on to more traditional fermentations from Smithwick Red Ale (the most consumed ale in Ireland…ever!) and Guinness Extra Stout, a beer that some have called the perfect balance of bitter and sweet, smooth and dry with a yummy creamy head, first brewed in 1821.

    Happy listening…we’re off to the pub! While we’ll miss out on the ultimate Irish authenticity on this March 17, we have a nice selection of traditional ale houses to drink until we’re gilded green with envy. 

    Special shout out to our sponsors, especially the boys at Pig Minds Brewing who are always brewing for perfection! If you’re seeking a hard-to-find commercial craft beer, wine or spirits to take home or as a gift, then stop in to Artale & Co, Anthony and Aaron have plenty of great ideas. When you are ready to start a new indoor gardening project stop in to 815 Gardens, Bob will be happy to help. And of course, the aforementioned Urban Forest, hard at work making awesome moments for your taste buds. Tell them that HomeBrew Rockstars sent ya.

    As always, we appreciate if you make sure to Like us, Follow us and RATE US, or hate us, but do something!

    Prost! #drinkitup

     

     

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    E81 Wish You Were Beer - Joe Mongan

    E81 Wish You Were Beer - Joe Mongan

    podcast-hombrewing-florida-villages“Did they get you to trade, Your heroes for ghosts? Hot ashes for trees? Hot air for a cool breeze? Cold comfort for change? Did you exchange, A walk-on part in the war, For a leading role in a cage?”  Wish You Were Here – Pink Floyd 

    Greetings and welcome to HomeBrew RockStars Episode 81 “Wish You Were Beer”. In this installment we have our old friend and past Forest City Brewers President, Joe Mongan call in. Joe is now a resident of Gator Country a.k.a. Florida. Since packing it up and leaving the state of Illinois (lucky SOB) Joe has been busy! He has set up his home brewery, formed a home brew club in the retirement community, The Villages and had his almost famous F-Bomb IPA brewed at one of the area breweries… Whew, he’s been busy. 

    While visiting with Joe we sampled some fine beer. From one of our sponsors, Urban Forest we quaffed a chocolate porter named Sock Monkey which is nod to the stuffed toy originating in Rockford IL . A tasty roasty and chocolaty brew with a 6.4% ABV, well done Alex and Heath! We then turned our tastebuds to a brew that we talked about on Episode-77 Why Dr. Villa Brews with Cannabis. This was the Belgian Wit named Grainwave, an alcohol-free beer with 5mg of THC from CERIA Brewing. Nice job Keith!

    If any of you listeners have a home you want to have the guys sample on the show give us a shout either via e-mail, our web site or Facebook. We would love the opportunity and get ya to call in and share with us, we promise we will be nice.

    As always we are thankful for our sponsors who we are glad to see still hanging tough in these trying times of ever changing ‘rules’, mandates and general bullshit. Keep up the good work! If you are looking for a great craft beer and some of the best vegan food in the state line? Try Pig Minds Brewing and check out the new addition, looks awesome guys! Seeking a hard-to-find commercial craft beer, wine or spirits to take home or as a gift? Stop in to Artale & Co, Anthony and Aaron have plenty of great ideas. When you are ready to start a new indoor gardening project stop in to 815 Gardens, Bob will be happy to help. Tell them that HomeBrew Rockstars sent ya.

    As always, we appreciate if you make sure to Like us, Follow us and RATE US, or hate us, but do something!

    Prost! #drinkitup

     

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    E80 WHAT WILL BE - 2022 BEER TRENDS

    E80 WHAT WILL BE - 2022 BEER TRENDS

    2022 beer trends“Still don't know what I was waitin' for, and my time was runnin' wild. A million dead end streets. And every time I thought I'd got it made, It seemed the taste was not so sweet” – Changes / David Bowie 

    An appropriate line for this show from one of my favorite artists, Ziggy Stardust A.K.A. David Bowie. Welcome to Episode 80 – What Will Be - 2022 Beer Trends, where we talk about and forecast he year ahead in the craft beer world. We also have one of our favorite guests sitting in with us, Cory Kuczynsk, to help us kick off a new year of podcasts!

    So, what do you, our beloved listeners, think will be the biggest beer trends in 2022? We found some obvious predictions and some surprising ones. Cleaner and simpler beer should be popular trends that emerge, riding the coat tails of hard seltzers, low alcohol and lager beers in 2021. Have we seen the run of hazy IPAs begin to fizzle and the demand for sour beers looking to reunion for another gig?

    For some of the surprising trends we found… Smoothie and rosé beers should have a bigger presence along with fresh hop beers. Craft malts or Branded malt beverages get a nod as craft brewers are trying to separate themselves from the brands acquired and made by the mega breweries. The smaller breweries are also trending to what is known as ‘no style’ beers as they try to make their own mark among the mega brewery dominance. The resurrection of the taproom concept is a trend that we find appealing. There is nothing better than sipping some fine fresh local beer in a beer garden on a nice day or inside the taproom on a cold winter night. Hell anytime is a good time to be drinking good beer, especially local…or home brew…HAH!

    And speaking of sipping some fine beer we had the following beers to sample. From one of our sponsors Pig Minds Brewing  we had the always delicious IPA, Sweep the Leg. As for home brews Kent brought in a Kölsch style that was a good representation. Sears brought a holiday spice beer that is a clone of Boston Beer Co  Old Fezziwig Ale  a style he loved during the holidays but is now difficult to find so he took a stab at it. Sears also brought a Belgian Wit that is infused with THC. A tasty beer with an additional ‘kick’ inspired by our Episode 77 podcast  with Dr Keith Villa of CERIA Brewing.

    Speaking of home brews if you want to have the guys sample your beer on the show give us a shout either via e-mail, our web site or Facebook. We would love the opportunity and get ya to call in and share with us, we promise we will be nice.

    As always we are thankful for our sponsors who we are glad to see hanging tough in these trying times of ever changing ‘rules’. Keep up the good work! If you are looking for a great craft beer and some of the best vegan food in the state line? Try Pig Minds Brewing and check out the new addition, looks awesome guys! Seeking a hard-to-find commercial craft beer, wine or spirits to take home or as a gift? Stop in to Artale & Co, Anthony and Aaron have plenty of great ideas. When you are ready to start a new indoor gardening project stop in to 815 Gardens, Bob will be happy to help. Tell them that HomeBrew Rockstars sent ya.

    As always, we appreciate if you make sure to Like us, Follow us and RATE US, or hate us, but do something!

    Prost! #drinkitup

    E79 Beer Festivus for the Restivus

    E79 Beer Festivus for the Restivus

    beer festival homebrew preparation and setup“Many Christmases ago, I went to buy a doll for my son. I reached for the last one they had, but so did another man. As I rained blows upon him, I realized there had to be another way.” – Frank Costanza

    Welcome back to Home Brew Rock Stars episode 79 - Beer Festivus for the Rest of Us! In this podcast we unabashedly borrow from the Seinfeld episode where George and his father celebrate an alternative holiday, Festivus. So grab a couple of beers, prepare a Festivus dinner (meatloaf on a bed of lettuce is key to stay true to the holiday), get a Festivus pole, air your grievances and join in the feats of strength then settle in for the show. HAH!!

    On this episode we have the pleasure of having Scott Walker (no, no not the former Governor of Wisconsin) sit in with us. Scott is the current Vice President of the Forest City Brewers of Rockford, IL. He discusses with us planning, prepping, setting up and tearing down for a beer festival.

    There is plenty of home brew beer to sample. Scott brought a delicious Amber ale @ 6% ABV using Bravo and East Kent Golding hops. He also shared a New England style IPA that has a 6.2% ABV using Citra, Strata and Azacca hops. Both were great beers! Kent brought his first attempt at an Oktoberfest with a modest 5.4% ABV, golden orange in color and a good malt flavor, very tasty. Kent also made a 5.5% ABV IPA using strictly Loral hops which offered a unique combination of floral, citusy and peppery notes. A very enjoyable session IPA, nice job Kent! Sears went with the high octane and brought a 12% ABV cherry cyser. Cysers are fermented from honey and apple cider then aged to smooth out the flavor. This one was back sweetened and sour cherry puree added for flavor. A sneaky drink that will “grab ya by the Boo Boo” (nod to Cheech and Chong) as the alcohol is well hidden.  

    We also tried Pig Minds Brewing Totally Caked is a pastry style stout at 11% ABV using coco nibs, vanilla and marshmallow. This was a very good beer even for those of you that are not pastry beer fans.

    If you have not figured it out WE LOVE BEER and if you have a homebrew that you would like us to try and review on the podcast contact us and we will make arrangements to get it into our thirsty hands.

    Big thanks to our program sponsors Pig Minds Brewing, Artale & Co, and 815 Gardens and Brewing for all their suds and support, we love you guys!

    Looking for a great craft beer and some of the best vegan food in the state line? Try Pig Minds Brewing. Seeking a hard to find commercial craft beer, wine or spirits to take home or as a gift? Stop in to Artale & Co, Anthony and Aaron have plenty of great suggestions. Looking to jump into indoor gardening? Stop in to 815 Gardens  Bob will be happy to help.

    Tell them that HomeBrew Rockstars sent ya.

    As always we appreciate if you make sure to Like us, Follow us and RATE US!

    Prost! #drinkitup

    E78 Screwing Around with Aaron Sleger

    E78 Screwing Around with Aaron Sleger

    podcast 2021 screw city beer festivalFestivals are happy places, and you don’t really want to enjoy them on your own.– Christine and the Queens

    Welcome back to Home Brew Rock Stars Episode 78. Festivals are back…oh yea! In this episode we bring back our longtime friend and cofounder of Rockford IL Screw City Beer Festival Aaron Sleeger to talk about the 2021 Screw City Beer Festival coming back after being shit canned due to the COVID mandates of 2020.

    Aaron is the ideal person to organize a craft beer festival. He is a graduate of Ray Daniels Cicerone Certification Program , resident beer guy at our sponsor Artale & Co and a genuinely great dude that has his finger on the pulse of the Chicago and Illinois area craft beer scene. 

    The guys and Aaron talk about the upcoming Screw City event (is this the 10th or 11th annual?), the cancelling of the 2020 event, temporary changes to this year’s festival, who’s the new breweries coming in and the old favorites that will be back and the anxiety of who was making the cut. We sampled some beers from breweries that will be at the festival this year. They are in no particular order… 

    2nd Shift Brewery's   Liquid Spiritual Delight  - This is a hearty 11.5% Imperial Stout with great flavor and enough body that I think you can chew it

    Pig Minds Brewing Cherried Enough – also an Imperial Stout (10% ABV) except this one has cherries in it. Plenty of chocolate and cherry to remind us of a chocolate covered cherry candy… Nummy!

    Spiteful Brewing Co  G.F.Y. Coffe Stout – Another dark one that has some great coffee flavor that is not overbearing and a respectable but sneaky 8% ABV.

    So grab a couple of beers, settle in and check out the show! And if you are one of the lucky ones that scored tickets to this year’s Screw City Festival stop by the Forest City Brewers  tent and say ‘High’. Sears will have a beer on tap there named Tangerine Dream. 

    If you have not figured it out WE LOVE BEER and if you have a homebrew that you would like us to try and review on the podcast contact us and we will make arrangements to get it into our thirsty hands.

    Big thanks to our program sponsors Pig Minds Brewing, Artale & Co, and 815 Gardens and Brewing for all their suds and support, we love you guys!

    Looking for a great craft beer and some of the best vegan food in the state line? Try Pig Minds Brewing. Seeking a hard to find commercial craft beer, wine or spirits to take home or as a gift? Stop in to Artale & Co, Anthony and Aaron have plenty of great suggestions. Looking to jump into indoor gardening? Stop in to 815 Gardens  Bob will be happy to help.

    Tell them that HomeBrew Rockstars sent ya.

    As always we appreciate if you make sure to Like us, Follow us and RATE US!

    Prost! #drinkitup

    E77 Why Dr. Villa Brews with Cannabis

    E77 Why Dr. Villa Brews with Cannabis

    PODCAST - how to homebrew with cannabis and non-alcohol“Put a lime in the coconut and drink 'em both together; Put the lime in the coconut, then you feel better; Put the lime in the coconut, drink 'em both down; Put the lime in the coconut, and call me in the morning” Put the Lime in the Coconut 

    This popular novelty song from the 1972 album Nilsson Schmilsson by Harry Nilsson finds a girl in tummy trouble after drinking a concoction of lime and coconut. She calls her exasperated doctor in the middle of the night, who suggests she take a little of the hair of the dog that bit her.

    Welcome back to Home Brew Rock Stars Episode 77 and although we are not putting limes in coconuts we are putting orange slices in Belgian White beer and THC & CBD’s in beer and that sounds like much more fun!

    In this episode we have the privilege and honor of having Dr. Keith Villa call in to our show. Keith has a Ph.D. in brewing science and fermentation biochemistry. If the name is not familiar to you it should as Keith was the brew master that brought Blue Moon beer to the masses. After 32 years as brewer at MillerCoors (now named Molson Coors) Keith retired in 2018. Not long after his retirement he and his wife Jodi co-founded CERIA Brewing Co. to fulfill their dream of creating THC/CBD infused beers.

    Keith is an interesting guy that loves to talk about beer. The Home Brew Rock Stars crew enjoyed visiting with Keith about his journey into brewing, his time at MillerCoors and his new venture with Ceria Brewing Co. CERIA’s claim to fame is infusing THC and CBD’s into great tasting no alcohol beer. No alcohol beer is absolutely necessary to infuse THC into it as federal law still recognizes cannabis as a schedule 1 drug, unlike the 18 states and the District of Columbia that have legalized recreational use.

    I know, I know, great tasting no alcohol beer? But yes Keith has a proprietary technique that removes all the alcohol but still has great taste. Come on man ya gotta trust the guy that brought us Blue Moon. He also tells us how to make any homebrew a great tasting low alcohol (0.5% ABV) beer. Check out Keith’s brand new book titled Brewing With Cannabis: Using THC and CBD in Beer, he shares great tips on brewing beer, low alcohol beer, growing cannabis and more. 

    If you have not figured it out WE LOVE BEER and if you have a homebrew that you would like us to try and review on the podcast contact us and we will make arrangements to get it into our thirsty hands.

    Big thanks to our program sponsors Pig Minds Brewing, Artale & Co, and 815 Gardens and Brewing for all their suds and support, we love you guys!

    Looking for a great craft beer and some of the best vegan food in the state line? Try Pig Minds Brewing. Seeking a hard to find commercial craft beer, wine or spirits to take home or as a gift? Stop in to Artale & Co, Anthony and Aaron have plenty of great suggestions. After you finish reading Dr. Villa’s book we’re sure you want to start your own cannabis garden and when you are ready stop in to 815 Gardens and Brewing, Bob will be happy to help.

    Tell them that HomeBrew Rockstars sent ya.

    As always we appreciate if you make sure to Like us, Follow us and RATE US!

    Prost! #drinkitup

    E76 Let's Play Beer pt.2 Roundtable

    E76 Let's Play Beer pt.2 Roundtable

    podcast brewing beer and baseballSummer breeze makes me feel fine. Blowin' through the jasmine in my mind. Summer breeze makes me feel fine. Blowin' through the jasmine in my mind. – Summer Breeze/Seals & Croft 

    What a great song! It’s one of those that take me back to my teen years, not a care in the world. Long hair, cruising around town, throwing the Frisbee, getting high and a kegger party every weekend. Just like the 1993 movie Dazed & Confused.

    Oh those days of misspent youth… I really dig the warm summer breeze on a summer evening. I spend most of the summer nights on my deck enjoying the weather usually listening to Pat Hughes calling the Cubs games; it’s my living room in the summer!

    Welcome back to Home Brew Rock Stars Episode 76 we are calling ‘Let’s Play Beer!’ The gang’s back to continue on our roundtable conversations, ball busting, and drinking beer. We are including a new format we will be using occasionally with Pete Domino and Jason Sears (to avoid confusion will refer to Mike as Sears the Elder and Jason as Sears the Sune) to sit in with us in round table fashion (actually it’s a pool table with maroon felt). We just discuss what’s on our minds based on summer and of course beer!

    Sears the Elder brought his Special Bitter a 4.5% ABV easy drinker brewed with marris otter, munich and crystal 60 grain and a combination of fuggle and cascade hops. Sears the Sune and Pete brought their Blood Orange Gueuze. A delicious kettle soured beer using hallertau mittelfruh hops and fermented with London Ale III 1318 yeast complimented by the blood orange, perfect summer sipper at 4.5% ABV.

    If you have not figured it out WE LOVE BEER and if you have a homebrew that you would like us to try and review on the podcast contact us and we will make arrangements to get it into our thirsty hands.

    Big thanks to our program sponsors Pig Minds Brewing, Artale & Co, and 815 Gardens and Brewing for all their suds and support, we love you guys!

    Looking for a great craft beer and some of the best vegan food in the state line? Try Pig Minds Brewing. Seeking a hard to find commercial craft beer, wine or spirits to take home or as a gift? Stop in to Artale & Co, Anthony and Aaron have plenty of great suggestions. When you are ready to start a new indoor gardening project stop in to 815 Gardens and Brewing, Bob will be happy to help.

    Tell them that HomeBrew Rockstars sent ya.

    As always we appreciate if you make sure to Like us, Follow us and RATE US!

    Prost! #drinkitup

    E75 Let's Play Beer - pt.1 On the Roundtable

    E75 Let's Play Beer - pt.1 On the Roundtable

    home brewing 4th of july baseball and beer“Summer nights and my radio. Well that's all we need, baby, don'tcha know?

    We celebrate when the gang's all here. Ah, hot summer nights, that's my time of the year.” Summer Nights/ Van Halen- 5150

    I don’t know about you listeners but for me summer is the best season of the year! Cookouts, drinks with friends on warm summer nights under the stars, watching a thunderstorm light display on the canvas of a dark summer sky, listening to a ballgame, outdoor music events, and beer…oh my.

     

    Welcome back to HomeBrew RockStars Episode 75 we are calling ‘Let’s Play Beer!’ And the gang’s all here. On this episode we are introducing a new format and invited Pete Domino and Jason Sears (to avoid confusion will refer to them as Sears the Elder and Sears the Sune) to sit in with us in round table fashion (actually it’s a pool table with maroon felt). We just discuss what’s on our minds based on summer and of course beer!

     

    Sears the Sune and Pete brought their IPA featuring Zythos hops. This is a sneaky 7.5% ABV that gives no clue to its strength, we agreed the next one could use a bit more Zythos to give it a bit more hop punch but a fine beer as it is. Watch out drinking this one in the summer heat!

    Kent brought an IPA as well. This one features Sorachi Ace, Simcoe and Citra fermented with Omega’s West Coast yeast. This has a great hop aroma and flavor. Kent was not sure of the ABV, a well done IPA. 

    If you have not figured it out WE LOVE BEER and if you have a homebrew that you would like us to try and review on the podcast contact us and we will make arrangements to get it into our thirsty hands.

    There is a spirited discussion on the proper order to build a burger, MLB ballparks rated for their craft beer selection and a story about Colonial beer in 1776. We also talked about what music we’ve been listening to lately. 

    Big thanks to our program sponsors Pig Minds Brewing, Artale & Co, and 815 Gardens and Brewing for all their suds and support, we love you guys!

    Looking for a great craft beer and some of the best vegan food in the state line? Try Pig Minds Brewing. Seeking a hard to find commercial craft beer, wine or spirits to take home or as a gift? Stop in to Artale & Co, Anthony and Aaron have plenty of great suggestions. When you are ready to start a new indoor gardening project stop in to 815 Gardens and Brewing, Bob will be happy to help.

    Tell them that HomeBrew Rockstars sent ya.

    As always we appreciate if you make sure to Like us, Follow us and RATE US!

    Prost! #drinkitup

     

     

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