Breweries of the United States

This is pretty sweet!!!  This interactive map of the United States lists, what looks to be, most of the craft breweries out there.  Click the map below to take you to the website, then click the map on that site to zoom into the different areas of the U.S to find your favorite breweries.

Beware this map can definitely suck you in but it's fun to see where the hot spots of craft beer are and where they aren't (eh hem North Dakota).

Via Pop Chart Lab

You can buy a print of this map for a reasonable price although it says it is currently back ordered.

Spent Grain Bars

As home brewers know, making beer is quite a lengthy process.  There is a lot of waiting for the liquid to 'do its thing.'  After the steeping process (which looks like your are making a giant batch of tea) you are left with a ton of byproduct made up of whatever grains were used.  If we make a full batch of beer (5 gallon bucket size) we end up with about a pound and a half of wet grain left over.  Don't throw this grain out!  Try making spent grain bars!

My husband first found this recipe on the blog Flying on Jess Fuel.  She first used their spent grains to make dog biscuits then advanced into making what closely resembles granola bars.  The other nice thing is if you aren't ready to use the spent grain right away you can put it in a Ziploc and freeze the grains until you're ready.

We follow this recipe pretty closely but what is great is you can really add whatever you wish or have around the house!  We usually add almonds, and dried cranberries.  We also don't cook them quite as long as her recipe calls for, which makes ours chewier and not hard.

They sure go fast around our house and the dog knows she always gets the last bite!  On a personal note, these suckers are full of fiber making us (and the dog) very ummm...regular.

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"Guaranteed to get you movin'!"

Oh Canada! Genius!

I love the Olympics!  Although I do prefer the summer Olympics to the winter.  I don't know what it is about this Winter Olympics in Sochi Russia.  Is it the abundance of social media that puts a new twist and interactivity to it?  Is it the time difference and media presence that spoils all the fun in prime time?  Is it the lack of our 'go to' athlete that always comes through?

What has been a very positive uptick to this Olympics is the heart felt stories emerging around the Olympics.  We have social media to thank for catching these moments and bringing them to light.

While this isn't the most heart felt, touching story I've read, it did give me a chuckle at all the genius that surrounds it.

1. I love that they drink beer in the athletes village!
2. I love that they make it so only Canadian passports open the beer fridge!
3. I love that if an Canadian 'outsider' wants a Molson, they need to make friends with a Canadian!

taken from the @Molson_Canadian Twitter

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"What, no Labatt Blue Fridge?"

Here We Go Again...Be Prepared!

As posted by Fortnight Brewing Company

Untappd

If you like to experiment and try new beers, like I do, then you definitely need a way to track what you liked and didn't like for future reference.  For me, there is no better way to do that then by using Untappd!

Untappd can be used a few different ways.  You can use the free mobile app for smartphones or go directly to the website.  Either way you get the same experience and it's all free.  You do need to create a login.  It is a type of social network but it is what you make it.  If you don't want to be social about it and 'friend' people then don't.  If you do, it can be fun to see what your friends like to drink and follow other breweries.  Another fun aspect about it is earning badges.

Untappd can be used to:

• Discover the most popular local bars and beer wherever you go.
• Share your beer reviews and photos with your friends
• Personalized beer suggestions help you find your favorite brew.

Personally, what I like about it is how it's a way to keep track of what I've had to drink.  Not in an 'I'm an alcoholic type of way' but in a 'Hey, what was that beer I got in Ohio that I liked to much' type of way.  I usually only check in when I'm drinking a new beer so I can track it and review it.  

Untappd is also very home brewer friendly.  I've been able to add our little home brew company to Untappd so even when we, or our friends, have some of our home brew we can add it on there as well.

If you are interested in following me on Untappd and seeing what I like to drink you can find me at: KellyMiller

Beer Lovers Unite!
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"Too busy 'tasting' to be social.'

Ale and Cheddar Soup

Now that we all survived the 'polar vortex' and are in the heart of winter the idea of soup is really appealing! As an avid Pinterest user, more often than not I pin something but never get around to actually doing it.  This past fall, with the weather turning colder I was in the mood to make soup for dinner.  I mean I love soup!  I have a whole board on Pinterest devoted to it.  So at the end of my work day I went online to find what recipe I wanted to make, made a grocery list and hit the store on the way home.

From Closet Cooking Blog Post

So what did I end up making?  Ale and Cheddar soup of course!  Beer and cheese...how can you go wrong?  This was the perfect choice since I knew we had some beer in the fridge that no one wanted to drink.

Not only was the soup delicious it was a GREAT way to use up some gross beer we didn't really want to drink...we are talking to you Natty Boh Ice!

Lesson Learned: Gross beer is undrinkable but great to cook with!




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"You can make this soup whenever you wish!"

Chemistry of Beer MOOC

With my real job being an instructional designer for online courses in higher education I was really intrigued when I came across a Chemistry of Beer MOOC.  Having just finished leading our own institutions first MOOC in forensics I know how much time and effort comes with an endeavor like this.  For those who haven't heard this buzz word before, MOOC stands for Massive Open Online Course.  Basically this means that it's a free course that anyone in the world can take for fun but no credit.

This particular MOOC is being offered by The University of Oklahoma, starts on January 13, 2014 and lasts 16 weeks.  It does look interesting but also sounds like it might be pretty hard...I mean it does have the word chemistry in it.

If you have any interest in this MOOC I can tell you from experience it is worth it for you to check it out.  It's very common in MOOC's for there to be a big enrollment with participants serving many roles.  Some people are in it to totally complete the course fully, some are voyeurs and just like to observe what is going on and others sign up and do nothing.  All of these roles are totally fine and you aren't hurting any feelings.  So if you are curious...check it out!
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"I'm down!"