Day 19 - Hefeweizen, Spoetzle Brewery

Everyone I know is sick. Including me. I woke up with a major sore throat. Not a good prospect when your job is to talk/teach all day long. It even hurts my throat to type. I took so much medicine to get through the day I felt numb. My class probably thought there was something wrong with me.

Scene Setting: My wife and I sitting on the couch wondering who is more pittiful. My brother stopped by earlier so I could shave his head. We can throw him into the mix too, he looked pretty miserable.

Verdict: Not my favorite hefeweizen. To be fair though, my taste buds may not be working correctly. It seemed a little sour or tangy. Not to brag, but mine is better. Although I did use a recipe book. Shiner probably invented theirs.

Day 9 - Relentless Hefe, Brewery Name TBD

Victorious!! A night of victory. The Dallas Cowboys beat the Eagles and are going on to the next round of the playoffs. Not only were the "Boys" big winners tonight, but the "Wakeland Boys" were big winners too.

It all began on November 29th when we brewed our first batch of beer. We have anticipated the unveiling since then, and tonight was the big night. We each opened a bottle and turned it up.

Scene Setting: The living room at my parents house. The crowd on the tv cheering for us. Well, maybe they were cheering for the Boys but it felt like they were cheering for the unveiling of Relentless Hefe.

Verdict: I'm not sure that could have gone any better. The surprised look on my brothers face after the first drink worried me a little until I realized that his shock came from the taste of near perfection. I thoroughly enjoyed drinking a beer that I brewed myself.

Day 3 - Hefe-Weissbier, Franziskaner

Recently, my brother and I brewed our first batch of beer at home. We decided to start with a hefeweizen recipe. Although we hadn't had too many hefeweizen beers, we decided to take the advice of the local authority and start there. We've conducted a few samplings throughout the process and I must admit that it's not half bad.

Today I have chosen a hefeweizen that has been around for a while. Perfected in Germany and imported to us.

Scene Setting: Watching a DVR recording (thanks to modern technology) of the Sing Off championship round we missed over a week ago. Congrats Nota, we were rooting for you all the way. My lovely bride and her cousin sitting on one end of the couch and me on the other end trying to focus on my hefe.

Verdict: I hope ours turns out this good, but then again they do have the advantage of a couple hundred years more experience than us. An age old recipe, seasoned brewmasters, and a friar all in one 12oz bottle. And I could taste every bit of it.