Drom John logo/labels

[DromJohn]

I started with says-it.com, and have switched to Photoshop since says-it.com has been mostly "forbidden." I use an horizontal oval to cover the horizontal bracket on swingtops.

My avatar is my logo.
The logo has been etched onto four mugs and four tulips.

 

[DromJohn]

My first brew back in 2009, was a Continental Light Lager from Patrick Baker's "The New Brewer's Handbook." It was picked as a random recipe from over 700 cookbooks. I was given the booklet in the early 90's by my father's classmate "Uncle Jack," a retired Army engineer who learn to brew while working for Aramco. I took the handbook to LHBS in Winston-Salem and starting loading beginner's equipment in a cart when I noticed the dozen's of imported beers and crafts. I put the equipment back on the shelves and left with about three cases of singles and a case of Anchor Christmas Ale. About 17 years later, choosing my next cooking recipe, random.org selected the handbook. Continental Light Lager went labeless.

I bought my two bucket setup and the first two brews from Xtreme Brewing because they had a 60-Minute clone.

My second brew was the Dogfish Head 60-Minute IPA. Tasted great, but I mishandled bottling so that I had teeth picking hops. I had to strain each pour. So I hit the internet and found Homebrewtalk, and learned about auto-siphons, Irish moss, says-it.com, and Austin Homebrew Supply.

 

[DromJohn]

My wife decides to encourage me, and announced that every other brew was SWMBO's choice. Meanwhile, when my step-daughters couldn't figure out what to get me for Christmas, my wife directed them to AHS, and helped them select two kits that showed up under the tree. I've been an AHS fan since. First up, AHS Dry Stout.

 

[DromJohn]

The second of the stepdaughters kits was AHS Ordinary Bitter, and the following label has the first of several ignorant misspellings.

 

[DromJohn]

And then it was the first of the SWMBO choices and the main reason we went to AHS. AHS seemed to be the best source for her favorite beer, too hard to get in Georgia, Redhook Double Dark Stout, and another misspelling.

 

[DromJohn]

So, since I had the Dry Stout and the Ordinary Bitter, SWMBO got two in a row, AHS Lemongrass Ginger Ale.

 

[DromJohn]

Back to me and trying new styles with a Belhaven Scottish Ale.

 

[DromJohn]

Hmm, we just finished the Lemongrass Ginger Ale before the Belhaven. The Belhaven was brewed first.
So, then I brewed the AHS clone of my go to porter since the early 90s, Anchor Porter.

 

[DromJohn]

SWMBO loves her stouts. Next up was AHS Holiday Chocolate Stout.

 

[DromJohn]

I have quaffed about 200 Berghoff Darks at The Berghoff in Chicago, mostly 1977-1981, and a few after, and a handful at O'Hare. I hadn't yet brewed a dark lager, and AHS had a clone. This was a MS Paint job.

 

[DromJohn]

Did I tell you that Redhook Double Black Stout is my SWMBO's longstanding favorite beer (though she's recently discovered the Scaldis line). Even though I knew I had misspelled espresso the first time, my fingers x'ed it again.

 

[DromJohn]

Then, for me, AHS Samuel Adams Boston Ale.

 

[DromJohn]

SWMBO then chose AHS Abt 12.

 

[DromJohn]

Time for something fancy. BYO has a Dogfish Head Chateau Jiahu clone, 50% ale, 25% mead, 25% wine (half rice, half grape), bittered by hawthorn berry, fermented with sake yeast.

 

[DromJohn]

SWMBO goes dark again with AHS Munich Spiced Porter. says-it.com is forbidden. This is my first Photoshop.

 

[DromJohn]

I repeated the recipe for 60-minute IPA but replaced some LME with tamarind concentrate, and replaced with leftover hops, for my 60-Minute Tamarindia Ale.

 

[DromJohn]

And SWMBO selects AHS Oaked Imperial Whiskey Stout. AHS recommended Makers Mark, but I went to my go to, because Jerry Jeff Walker would down a bottle every concert in the mid-70s.

 

[DromJohn]

This morning I put my AHS Redhook ESB clone in the primary.

 

[DromJohn]

This morning I put my AHS Scaldis Belgian Special Ale clone in the primary, a SWMBO choice.

 

[DromJohn]

This morning I put my Allagash Grand Cru (AHS clone) in the primary, from the not Bitter/IPA column.

 

[DromJohn]

This morning I put my Innis & Gunn clone in the primary, SWMBO's choice, my recipe cobbling off others and especially the Innis & Gunn website. New iMac, made on Seashore.

 

[DromJohn]

My second brew was a Dogfish Head 60-Minute IPA. Later I substituted tamarind nectar for some LME for 60-Minute Tamarindia Ale. My current plan is that every eight brews will be an IPA, and that I'll alternate brewing an AHS kit and a clone. Using cheapest as a substitute for simplest, the AHS kits will be their cheapest 14B that I haven't brewed. This is an Excel chart with some text added in Word.

 

[DromJohn]

Letting random.org select among our 911 books with recipes for my next random cooking. Four of the 911 are brew books. Home Beermaking by William Moore was picked. Then random page, and random recipe on that page and I have brewed a Summer Beer. This was my first all extract beer, and my first purchase from Brewmasters Warehouse (because I was going to be up near Marietta).

 

[DromJohn]

SWMBO's choice, Redhook Double Black Stout III. This time a more organic version from Brew Brothers, Hillsoboro. Instead of Starbuck's Espresso SWMBO selected Counter Culture Espresso Toscano.

 

[DromJohn]

Chrysanthemum Honey Rye Ale, a Drom John experiment, a hopless rye braggot; all organic, first purchase from Seven Bridges Cooperative because of Briess Organic Pale LME and organic rye.

 

[DromJohn]

SWMBO choice, because of the Macon Cherry Blossom Festival coming up.

 

[DromJohn]

Drom John choice. Every 8th brew will be a bitter, alternating between Redhook ESB variations and the cheapest category 8 AHS kit that I haven't brewed. Except this time the AHS Special Bitter kit was out of stock (Maris Otter). So I skipped down to AHS SuperCaliFugglisticESBAledocious. The circled graphic is by AHS with permission of White Labs. Obviously this uses San Diego Super Yeast WLP090 and Fuggle (plus Northdown). I modified the label by adding my preferred horizontal oval and by adding the text. The beer name is too small, but it is a long name.

 

[DromJohn]

SWMBO's choice, and it's a tweaked redo.

 

[DromJohn]

From my non Bitter/IPA slot, my first gluten free attempt for my step-daughter. Her distance Arabian is featured in the name and on the label.

 

[DromJohn]

SWMBO's choice and our first Northern Brewer kit.