I wanted to share a link to a guest post I recently wrote for Homestead Geek on how I became a homebrewer. I think that a few of my friends will really like some of the content Erin has on her site. Such as making ice cream, raising chickens, massive gardening adventures, and locally sourced dairy and meat
1. the equipment is real expensive and I think it will take
up too much space
2. brewing takes too long, i want some beer right now!
3. there is so much good commercial craft beer on the shelves why bother making my own
4. brewing my own beer will save me tons of money
5. brewing is too complicated for my small brain
Now that I got all the negativity out of the way, ignore this list, get out there and brew your own damn beer!
Take pride in crafting something amazing with your own two hands (that people actually want). When I pour a pint of Kruski’s for a friend and get to hear them say something along the lines of “Damn Gina! this beer is delicious” or “Hott Lava, this shit is great” or “this beer tastes better than other craft beers” Its the ultimate pat on back.
And now five reasons why you SHOULD become a homebrewer Continue reading
Hey there – I guess you could call me the new kid here on the Kruski’s blog…a gluten free beer and cider guru? Perhaps you could call me that but, I usually go by Kelley. Please don’t sing me that Cheers song though! I’ve actually heard it before 
My favorite place in the world is around a table, with friends indulging in scrumptious food and drink…but, make sure it’s gluten free for me, please!
I entered the gluten free world around four years ago and I immediately began missing hops. I won’t even go into how not psyched I was about the hard cider options I saw around. I had been on a beer adventure of trying new styles and learning to brew – this nearly stopped me in my tracks. You could say a true adventure starts where the map ends (at least that’s what my mom told me when we were lost) and I have been dedicated to finding and trying the best gluten free alcoholic options available from around the world. In the process, I’ve learned what the heck sorghum is and, more importantly, what it tastes like and why it makes for a sorta strange beer. Cider and I are now good friends; I understand the different styles and appreciate the more unique varieties. Thanks to Kruski’s my husband and I even learned how to make our own apfelwein!
When I’m not eating and drinking I can be found cooking and baking up a storm, hiking with my husband and Australian shepherd or ogling produce at the farmers market. I look forward to sharing my experiences with gluten free beer (the good, the bad, and the ugly) and fabulous cider (there is more to them than you might expect). Sláinte!
I’ve been on the hunt for a reasonably priced, daily sipping bourbon and I think this one pretty much nailed it. Russell’s Reserve 10 Year Small Batch is produced by the Wild Turkey distillery. As the name implies it has been matured for 10 years in oak and weighs in at 90 proof. I’ve found it in stores for between $30-$35.
Appearance
It pours a deep coppery hue with some touches or tangerine. Definitely a nice, rich and pretty color. It really pops out at you under the light.
Aroma
The nose is definitely intesely oaky as your would expect from a bourbon of this age. It also has some nice strong accents of cinnamon, cardamom, plum and a little spicy chili paste. It’s a real joy to just sit and sniff for a while.
Flavor
Again, as you would expect, this is some pretty rich stuff. Loads of oak upfront. It’s a nice smooth woodiness though so I’m guessing they used something like a medium char on the barrels. The middle brings out a fair amount of vanilla and some almond nuttiness but that’s quickly overpowered by a really spicy finish with a ton of black pepper and chili paste.
Body
The body is surprisingly full. Very creamy, smooth and chewy. Usually this kind of mouth feel only comes from the higher 100+ proof boubons.
Overall
I’m definitely partial to big, bold flavored and oaky bourbons so this one pretty much hits the spot for me. I really recommend picking up a bottle of this stuff. The intense spice on the finish is a tad much for my taste but a little extra water will mellow that out. I can foresee always keeping a bottle of this around. At $30, if you don’t enjoy it straight, you don’t have to feel guilty mixing it or serving to guests either.
I have recently updated the look and feel of the Kruski’s website to include some new logo work. The logo was inspired both by my dog Barley and The Great Beer State of Michigan. Once the logo was finished and the website had been updated, I wanted to show it off. I wanted to get the artwork printed out on something cool, and wanted it ASAP. T-shirts? Coasters? How about some custom Kruski’s bottle caps?
I found a company named BottleMark that will print your custom uploaded image onto bottle caps. There is no setup fee, no minimum order quantity, and my custom caps arrived in less than one week. BottleMark charges a flat rate of $0.12 per cap. Continue reading
I just received a few Jack Daniels Old No.7 gifts for the Kruski’s Basement Bar (imported from Lynchburg) from my Uncle John and Aunt Pam. As I opened the package I found a Jack Dainel’s wooden napkin holder, with No.7 napkins, and a wall mounted bottle opener. First lets look at that bottle opener, it is a Starr X stationary bottle opener that has been branded Old No.7. The Starr company has been making these wall mounted bottle openers for over eighty years. If you see a wall mounted bottle opener at a bar or at you buddies house odds are it is a Starr. I also think the rustic wood barrel aged look of the napkin holder is going to look great next to all the walnut used in the bar.
I asked Stacey to take some photos of the No.7 gifts down in the bar. a bunch more photos here!
This weekend we were able to get most of the walnut onto the patron side of the bar. You can see the progression from maple to walnut with the images below. Because of our solid planning, some hard work, and accurate cuts this walnut installation portion of the project moved quickly. The hickory and apple wood smoked pork shoulder and Oberon helped too!
Last time I posted I promised I would talk about space balls. Sometimes referred to as raised panel door spacers, the space balls I want to describe are a woodworkers aid. (not the Mel Brooks movie from the 80′s) These rubber flexible polymer balls get inserted into the groove of rails and stiles that hold the raised panel. The space balls help center the panel during assembly, and they contract when the raised panel expands. This prevents the glue joints from cracking which would essentially destroy the panel. Another reason woodworkers like to use space balls is to prevent a panel from moving around or rattling inside its frame. As I mentioned in prior posts, my bar front will be covered by three raised panel assemblies. A raised panel assembly is comprised by a panel that has been raised (a bevel around the edge), two rails (which hold the panel from top and bottom), and two stiles (which hold panel from the sides). I used three balls per stile and four balls per rail for a total of 14 per panel. Below is an image of space balls that have been inserted into one of my stiles. They kind of look like rabbit turds.
Last week Phil and I made what might be our final trip to Armstrong Millworks in Milford MI. We spent about three hours in the barn picking thru the walnut boards. Our focus was on minimizing the waste due to knots, sapwood, cracks, damaged edges, ect. We selected enough walnut to finish the front portion of the bar. All of the planks we were picking thru had been planked to the dimension of four quarter (4/4=1″). We had the boards run thru the planer and then a sander to make the boards a uniform perfect three-quarter (3/4″). Once our walnut stock was brought home it was time to layout the necessary cuts. This is best done with a piece of standard chalkboard chalk as it is quite visible on the wood, and it erases with some simple wipes of a paper towel.
First action item was to cross cut all of our planks so they are more manageable to handle with the radial arm saw then a table saw was used to make all of the rips (cuts that go the length of the board). Below is a picture of my pile of walnut planks marked up and ready to mill.
Do you know some one whom loves beer but can not partake due to a gluten sensitivity? I have a few close friends and family members that have significant sensitivities to gluten. Although there are plenty of alcoholic beverages (wine/cider/liquor/mead) that can be enjoyed in a GF lifestyle, beer is not one of them. Most gluten free beers made from sorghum malt are quite nasty not as enjoyable as ales crafted with malted barley. About a month ago I had read that Dogfish was producing a new seasonal ale that happened to be gluten-free. Today I have finally gotten my hands on some Tweason’ale. The label describes this beer as a gluten-free sorghum-based ale brewed with strawberries and buckwheat honey. The label lists the ABV at 6% and is one of the first craft beers I have seen that lists the beers nutritional facts on its bottle (per 12 oz bottle:170 cal / 13g carbs). I wonder if this nutritional facts table is required to be able to display the certified gluten-free logo on the beers label?
The photo above was taken in the partially finished Kruski’s basement bar by my wife Stacey. The beer was poured from a 12 oz bottle into a cool looking but not so functional top heavy glass.
