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Sunday Night - Buffalo Tom

Gimme Gimme Gimme - Black Flag

Saturday: Easter Egg Hunt (yes, a week late) at my dad's house for my kids and all the other grandkids, then we all went to a local Mexican restaurant. They had a mariachi band that sang happy birthday to my son (3 on Friday). Sunday: birthday party for my son. Lots of new toys to play...

In my local school district, we have an elementary PE teacher named Will Nailor. Also, there is an assistant principal whose last name is Johnson, and he recently had a daughter. He named her Major. No kidding. Although those both pale next to Dr. Harry Beaver the OB/GYN. I still can't...

Just FYI: I was only there once (and it was about a year and a half ago), but my experience was pretty good. I remember having to go through a smoky area, but where we were seated wasn't smoky at all. I enjoyed the food (not gourmet, but good brewpub food), and I really liked the Lake Effect...

Iowa's not the best territory for outstanding brewpubs, in my opinion. There are a couple in Des Moines that are alright (but nothing to write home about), and the same is true of the few other large cities. The Quad Cities area (Davenport/Moline) is better: Front Street in Davenport is pretty...

I don't mean to sound like the grammar police, but do you mean "Summer's Sunset"? (with an apostrophe) If not, sorry. Great looking label.

Alright....I cracked one open. And it's good! I was just hoping for "drinkable" with this first attempt, but it's actually tasty. I realize that it's going to change with a few more weeks, but most likely for the better. It's supposed to be an American pale, but at this point it's more like...

Here's my first shot at label design (sorry about the large size), cooked up while my inaugural brew is patiently sitting in the bottles. The name comes from a song by the band Son Volt (extra points for any alt-country fans who picked up on that).

Well, it's been in the bottles for a little over a week, and I'm getting anxious. I've been reading others' questions about tasting, and I think I may have to try one soon, though I understand that the flavor (and carbonation perhaps) will be better with a few more weeks. In the meantime...

Mmmm...certainly a good problem to have. You're making me even more impatient to try my first brew, which has only been in the bottles for a week. I can't wait. A great hobby? yeah, I'd say so.

OK: time for an update. The inaugural brew of the Three Chord Brewing Company has now been bottled. I'm not sure if the yeast was as active as it should have been, as there was a small amount of bubbling for several days (but never anything really aggressive). Anyway, something must have...

oops.....my mistake. The Goose bottles ARE twist-off. Crap.

The regular Target stores don't sell beer. SUPERTarget does, around here anyway, as they have a full grocery. And mine has a pretty good selection: Boulevard, Goose Island, Millstream, Red Hook, etc. Not bad for a big ol' discount store. The Goose bottles are non-twist.

Glad to hear the Courthouse is alive and well. We still pass through the area occasionally on our way to Chicago. I'm actually in the Des Moines area, but I've had several Millstream brews before. I picked up a sampler of theirs at SuperTarget not long ago. The Schild Brau amber is always...

Hey, Born - I see you're in Sycamore. Is P.J.'s Courthouse still around? Used to eat there (and drink Moosehead, as I recall) when I was a grad student in DeKalb....

So while I'm waiting for the beer, I've been removing labels from bottles. I know this has been discussed before here, but just something to add: I'm trying lots of different brands of bottles (soaking them in hot water), and Goose Island are BY FAR the easiest to get off. They remove...

If you're ever in the northwest Chicago suburbs, you must visit Emmett's Tavern and Brewing Company in West Dundee. I used to live a few blocks from there (so it's my sentimental favorite), but I can honestly say that they have some of the best beer I've ever had, especially the Victory Pale...

Yeah, it's hard to be patient at this point. I'm fully prepared for this to be a pretty crappy first-time effort, but I don't care - it's still exciting.

My cousin and I brewed up the inaugural beer on Saturday: an American Pale Ale. It's now been in the basement for a day and a half, and I'm excited to report that we've had bubbles in the airlock for several hours now! This is fun! We're using a Brewer's Best recipe kit, just as is for now...