DOUBLE INDIGO 666 WORLD TOUR
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As promised I went to Jester King this morning and it was great as always!
I've been many times but never actually have taken the tour, so I did that too.
But before that I needed to whet the palate a bit before taking in all that knowledge and information.
Starting the morning off with Multifarious, a beer Jester King brewed in collaboration with 18th Street Brewery that was released this weekend. Great oatmeal stout, very drinkable.
Next up was Buford's Roadside Wares, brewed in collaboration with Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co. Absolutely loved this one and could drink it by the case.
A little bit of IHSH-137 love today too!
Took this one while walking the tour. Audio Palette, brewed in collaboration with Stillwater Artisanal. Low ABV, funky farmhouse ale brewed with American hops.
Now it was actually time for the tour, where first we were shown their hot brewing vats where a lot of the beers tend to start but not necessarily finish. A lot of American breweries tend to use laboratory grown brewers yeast, not usually the case with most Jester King beers. It all starts with Texas Hill Country well water (naturally very heavy in minerals) and then different yeasts are collected from things like fruit skins, different flowers and other bits from around the ranch and used in their beers making each one very representative of the land around the brewery. This method of spontaneous brewing is unique Jester King in Texas, they're really the only ones making beer like this around these parts.
Next up was the barrel aging room. Kept at a nice, cool 65 degrees Fahrenheit year round (if they get too warm they could go acidic) this room is where most of the magic tends to happen. Jester King doesn't rely on aging beer for certain set amounts of time, they wait until each beer tastes best and is ready for bottle conditioning. The tour guide even said that certain barrels sometimes get passed up when it's time for bottling regardless of how long they have been in the barrel, so it's a very wait and see approach to things. All in all there were a few hundred barrels all over the place.
Hey, a random keg of Cantillon!
Lastly they showed us their new coolship, which evidently they are the only ones in Texas with one. Essentially (from my basic understanding) they put the wort in here on cool nights and let the breeze bring naturally occurring yeast into the wort. Problem is we don't get too many cool nights (down in the 30's and 40's) so the actual amount of time that they have every year to use this is very limited. Maybe two months tops. They said they are working on a beer that is 3 years in the making, taking the coolship method each year and blending it together. Creating a Texas Hill Country beer representing winter nights, hopefully I'll make it out to that release. The tour guide even said they are beginning to experiment with using the coolship on warmer nights to see what kind of yeasts and bacteria they can find at different times of the year.
That was it for the tour, next up was Madrugada Obscura from Jolly Pumpkin. Great sour stout.
That about wraps it up, it's been a fun time wearing these jeans and I can't wait to see how they look by the end of this tour! If anyone ever wants to come down to Austin just let me know, we'll go out to Jester King and drink all kinds out funky, unique beers. -
It's been fun y'all, the jeans are on the way to @sabergirl as of today.
I threw in a couple bottles of beer, hope they make it! I wrapped them in a ton of bubble wrap so they should be good.
Treated the patch a bit the other day:
And signed!
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Got a little care package in the mail, just now!
Thanks for the beers, Broark! I can't wait to try 'em. As for the jeans, I haven't gotten ready for the day, yet–still having morning coffee in my PJs. I'll put these on in a bit, and put up some more pics.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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They look awesome on you! Look forward to the updates.
Cheers from the mobile
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They look great! Enjoy them.
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Extended coffee hour today in the front yard. A blustery but beautiful spring day. I was supposed to work later, but I have a herniated disc in my back, so I can't really do much of anything right now. Chiropractor again on Monday, and then I'll see my doctor on Wednesday to find out if I've injured myself again, and how badly this time. For now, sitting until that's unbearable, then I'll change it up a bit. Chronic pain is a bitch.
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They look sooo good on you and I really hope that your pain lessens x
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Thanks, everyone. I'm a big proponent of chiropractic, and I had one in SF that I adored. When I was living in Mexico was the first time that my back really "went out". I had physical therapy while I was there, but never got a chiropractor. Since moving back to Asheville, money has been a little tight, so I wasn't taking care of myself very well. Now, here we are. I'm optimistic about the new one that I'm seeing, she did some work on me yesterday. But, the pain remains. I just want to avoid surgery, at all costs.
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Dealing with a bout of sciatica from my younger years I know how debilitating and painful back issues can be. Worst pain I've felt in my life. I hope there is something that helps you.
Cheers from the mobile
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Thanks for the cheerleading, everyone! I went grocery shopping, and then took the dogs for a little walk. Not bad, but now I'm laying flat on my back on the floor, with an ice pack. Baby steps.
It's apparent that I may be taller than the previous guys on the tour, honeycombs and knee fades are a wee bit off.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Glad the beers made it there safely! I was worried they might get broken so I went heavy on the bubble wrap and tape.
I thought it was fitting to send the Buford's Roadside Wares beer with the jeans since it was an Austin based brewery in collaboration with an Arizona brewery and that's where the jeans came from before I got them.
Enjoy! -
Bubble wrap is key!
The rest of today is going to be all about relaxing (again). I got up early and worked brunch. We weren't very busy, so I got to come home in a timely fashion. My back doesn't seem much the worse for wear so far, but I just got done. Hopefully working wasn't a bad idea.
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Thanks for the cheerleading, everyone! I went grocery shopping, and then took the dogs for a little walk. Not bad, but now I'm laying flat on my back on the floor, with an ice pack. Baby steps.
It's apparent that I may be taller than the previous guys on the tour, honeycombs and knee fades are a wee bit off.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I'm vertically challenged and horizontally gifted.