Saucer Diaspora – Houston
Beer, Beer related activities, Beer and Food, and more about Beer

Moon Tower on the Horizon: A(nother) New Brewpub

Posted by mike | Beer | Posted on January 4th, 2012

We still think it was nuts to close Moon Tower Inn just when the Houston weather was most conducive to outdoor dining.  We could have given them plenty of ideas on how to keep serving up the sausage during the build out.  However, we were pretty excited when we heard about their plans to open a brewery as a part of the new, improved, MTI; even more so when we heard who will be manning the mash tuns. Lushtastic has the details.  Now if they would just be open Monday nights!

Pumpkin Ale Throwdown: Results and Recipe

Posted by mike | Beer | Posted on October 17th, 2010

Wow, that was fun.  Depending on who you talked to, there were either 17 or 22 entries in the Throwdown.  At the end of judging, my Sons of the Scarecrow Organic Pumpkin Ale took first place!  I was as surprised as anybody.  It was great meeting other homebrewers who were all interested in learning from each other.  There were several very interesting-sounding entries: I heard of at least two Saisons and one Imperial Pumpkin Porter.

My recipe was based on Jamil Zainasheff’s recipe for Pumpkin Spice Ale from his book with John J. Palmer, Brewing Classic Styles.  I diverged from his recipe by using organic pumpkin flesh in a can (pumpkins weren’t in season just yet on brew day), using WPL007 pitched from a healthy yeast cake, and by substituting organic grains and hops from BrewOrganic.com.

I’ve posted my recipe in full after the break.

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Thursday, 14 October 2010: Pumpkin Ale Throwdown at The Petrol Station

Posted by mike | Beer, Meetings | Posted on October 14th, 2010

Houston Beer Week continues, and we’ll be at one of today’s events: the Pumpkin Ale Throwdown, 7 PM at The Petrol Station, 985 Wakefield Drive.

This is a homebrew competition, and your humble editor has an entry ready.  So come out and support your local homebrewer.  I don’t think there will be samples for the public: they’ve only asked us for two bottles per entry.  However, there are always good beers on tap at the Station. And I’ll have a few bottles of my “Sons of the Scarecrow” Organic Pumpkin Ale in the trunk of the car if you want to take one home.

That is all.