As we quickly approach the holiday season, every year we look forward to trying Trader Joe’s Vintage Ale.  Every year we buy a case and taste test it against the previous few years of Vintage Ale that we have had stashed away aging.  This year, The SofaKing has been doing a lot of home brewing and thought it would be fun to try and replicate the Trader Joe’s Vintage Ale recipe.  The only problem is, we don’t have a recipe to brew.

To all our readers and home brewers: if you have tried to replicate the Trader Joe’s Vintage ale at home and have had pretty good success, please post a comment below with the recipe, or shoot us an email at TheSofaKing@sofakingdrunk.com.

The TJ’s Vintage Ale is one of the best beers that we have ever had and would love to try and make it ourselves.  We have been scouring the internet trying to find a decent clone recipe that looks legit but keep coming up empty handed.  Help us out this holiday season and post a clone recipe of the Trader Joe’s Vintage Ale below.

Cheers, and Happy Holidays!!!

We just finished our next brew kit from True Brew by Crosby & Baker, which was the Oktoberfest beer kit.  Like all the other True Brew Beer Ingredient Kits, this one came with everything you need to brew the beer from start to finish, it even includes bottle caps.  All you need to provide is the equipment to brew the beer, and the bottles to put the beer into.

Difficulty to Brew
The True Oktoberfest beer kit was a lot of fun to brew, like all the others. The kit comes with everything you need to make a 5 gallon batch of beer. The Kit contains:

• Unhopped Amber Malt Extract (1 can)
• Light Dried Malt Extract (2 lbs)
• Melanoidin Grain (8 oz)
• Hop Pellets (2 oz)
• Ale Yeast (1 pack)
• Grain Steeping Bag
• Priming Sugar (5 oz)
• Bottle Caps
• Instructions

Pretty much all the of the True Brew beer ingredient kits seem to be similar in how difficult they are to brew. They are all very manageable kits even though you have more ingredients to deal with than some other home brewing kits that are on the market. The True Brew Instructions are perfect and easy to follow. This kit was fun to do because it was not too difficult to manage, but still fun to cook.

Taste and Outcome
The beer only needed to stay in the fermenter for a week, and didn’t need to go through a secondary fermentation.  We tested the gravity of the beer and it was right in the range that it should be (stated by the instructions), so we bottled the beer and gave it another week to sit in the bottles.

Our first glass of the True Brew Oktoberfest looked and smelled great. The beer was slightly cloudier than we were expecting, but it had a great aroma.  The beer had a wonderful bouquet with very mild hints of citrus, giving it that authentic German feel that you would expect in an Oktoberfest beer.

The taste was just as good as the smell. The color, smell and taste of the beer all resembled the True Brew Belgian Ale Kit that we previously brewed by Crosby and Baker.  The flavor was well achieved, and what you would be looking for in a typical German Oktoberfest.  The color of the beer color was a bit murky, almost like a hefeweizen, and the flavor was a lot like the Belgian Ale, but a bit more mild.  There wasn’t as strong of a citrus flavor to this beer as compared to the Belgian Ale.

Conclusion
This kit is definitely worth trying! The Oktoberfest Beer Kit was just as fun to brew as any of the other True Brew kits, and you get an amazing tasting beer.  This beer has a very mild and smooth flavor with hints of citrus, making it an excellent choice to pair with food! We highly recommend this kit for fans of Oktoberfest beers, or Belgian Ales.

Stay tuned, we will be brewing more True Brew Beer kits and posting reviews for them.

Today we got our hands on Brütül Lagerhead Turtle and were excited to test it out on one of our favorite drinks with it, a Black and Tan!

Right away we noticed how useful the Turtle was because it had a bottle opener on it.  We didn’t need to have a bottle opener and a bent spoon to make our black and tans, one tool does it all now.

Next we liked the ease of being able to just throw the Turtle on top of a glass and not have to worry about holding a spoon in place while pouring the beer over it. The turtle has 4 feet which grab the glass very easily and hold it in place perfectly as you pour your drink.  This little tool, even though seems like a very simple and almost pointless design compared to a bent spoon, actually is pretty cool and very handy. It makes it easy, especially for beginners to pour their own Black and Tans, or whatever mixture they may want to float on top of each other. And as mentioned above, its got a bottle opener on it, so you are killing two birds with one stone and gets that drink to your mouth faster!

The only complaint that we have about the Brütül Lagerhead Turtle is that you cannot change the height that it is sitting on the glass.  The Turtle will always be sitting at a fixed height on the top of the glass.  With a bent spoon, you are able to reach the spoon down into the glass a little lower to hover just above the liquid already in it, allowing for a shorter fall of the second liquid that you are pouring in, which gives you a better separation in your glass.  This is a minor inconvenience, because the Brütül Lagerhead Turtle still allows for great floating of different liquids. So on the scale of 0-5, we give the Brütül Lagerhead Turtle, 4 out of 5!

Every bar should be stocked with a classy looking Brütül Lagerhead Turtle.  Get rid of that dirty-old, trashy looking bent spoon that you have lying around. Pick yours up Here at www.brutul.com.

Beers and recipes to test floating your beer with the Brütül Lagerhead Turtle:
First ingredient goes on bottom, second gets floated on top.

BLACK & TAN (SofaKing FAVORITE)
Guinness® – Bass Ale®

THE DIRTY TURTLE
Terrapin Rye Pale Ale® – Guiness®

BLACKTOP
Beamish® – Fat Tire Amber Ale®

HALF & HALF
Guinness® – Harp Lager®

PATRIOT
Guinness® – Sam Adams Lager®

SNAPPER
Murphy’s® – Redhook ESB®

BOHEMIAN
Beamish® – Pilsner Urquell®

BLACK VELVET
Guinness® – Champagne

BIG EASY
Beamish® – Abita Amber Lager®

SNAKEBITE (SofaKing FAVORITE)
Guinness® – Hard Cider

BUMBLE BEE
Murphy’s® – Dundee Honey Lager®

We just cracked open a bottle of Crosby & Baker’s Red Ale, which was a Brew House All Grain Kit.  We were excited to brew an all grain kit, but to our surprise, there was no grain at all in this kit. The name is a little deceptive but after reading about the kit we found that it was an all grain made beer kit, but pretty much all the work is already done for you. No boiling on the stove and making the wort, its already made for you and sealed in a plastic bag. The kit consists of a huge plastic bag with basically the wort already made for you, yeast and priming sugar.  We have never seen a kit like this so we were eager to test it out!

Difficulty to brew
This was our first time trying one the the Brew House All Grain kits, All you need for the True Brew Beer Kits is your brewing equipment, bottles to put the beer in once it is done and bottle caps. So if you want a simple beer brewing kit, these are the home brew kits for you.  It doesn’t get easier than this!  All you need to do is pour the pre-made wort into your sanitized fermenting bucket, fill the rest up with water to the 5 gallon mark, pitch the yeast and you are done!  No boiling ingredients, or anything.  Just put it in the bucket and wait.  This beer kit will need about 10-14 days in a secondary fermenter though.  So it does take a bit longer until the beer is complete than some of the other kits. After 4 days in the primary fermenter, then 10 in the secondary fermenter (carboy), then another week in the bottles it was time to try the next batch of beer!  We couldn’t wait to try this one.

Taste and Outcome
First pour into a the glass we could tell this was going to be a good beer.  The color was a perfect brownish red color and the beer was nice and clear from being in the secondary fermenter for a couple weeks.  The head on the beer was perfect as well, just the right amount of carbonation.  And the flavor of this beer topped everything else.  Honestly we weren’t sure what to expect with this kit being so easy to make, but this beer is excellent!  The Brew House Red Ale all Grain Kit is a smooth tasting, well balanced  Red Ale.  We would compare it mostly to something of a cross between a Killian’s Irish Red, and a Fire Stone Double Barrel Ale.  As described by Crosby & Baker, this kit is “Stylistically positioned between a German Alt beer and Oktoberfest, our red ale is copper red in color. It has a pronounced crisp, malty character, with delicate hop bitterness and a pleasing floral aroma. Blessed with all of these thirst quenching attributes, this beer is sure to please!”

Conclusion
These kits are truly unique in the fact that almost everything is done for you, so it makes it very easy to get good quality homemade beer!  Although you don’t feel like you get the satisfaction of actually brewing the beer, because all you do is place the ingredients into some buckets for a few weeks, it was still fun to do and atleast you get quality beer with very little work.   All in all this was an amazing tasting beer, especially for how easy it was to make.  Having the wort already made, left us a little disappointed in the fact that it didn’t feel like we actually made the beer. But the outcome and flavor got us past that real fast.  We would highly recommend these kits for home brewing beginners to get an idea of how the brew process works. Or if you just don’t enjoy cooking your own wort, but still want high quality beer, these kits are for you!  This kit makes home brewing very easy!  Pick one up, and let us know what you thought about it!

Stay tuned, we will be brewing more True Brew Beer kits and posting reviews for them.

X-Rated Fusion Liqueur Summer Cocktails
Summer is up and the heat might be killing you! You might remember the good ol’ days when you used to cool yourself down with Slurpee or the Icee, but our predilections have matured since. It’s now time to chill with more sexier and more tempting bevy or ice-blended drinks. As the nights keep getting hot, prove your party-throwing prowess with a sexy soiree thrown right at home. The margarita has been a hit since ever, but expand your horizons and earn points for ingenuity with these ice-cold summer libations.

Since you friend bring in the heat, focus on keeping them cool with frosty, easy-to-make cocktails. Serve your guests an icy treat from X-Rated Fusion Liqueur. It’s always been great on its own, but when blended with ice and a few easy-to-find ingredients, X-Rated Fusion Liqueur cocktails are undeniable showstoppers – perfect for this bash and the next.

X-Rated Fusion Liqueur is a sensuous blend of smooth, French vodka mingling with blood orange, mango and passion fruit, ideal for quenching your summertime thirst. June, July, and August are the perfect months to experience this sensual blend in a sensational blended cocktail. The long-awaited heat should be enjoyed in style, and the sun is best enjoyed with X-Rated Fusion Liqueur with ice – blended and cubed.

It’s the perfect accessory to toast with under the scorching summer sun!

Blood Orange Freeze
3 oz.X-Rated Fusion Liqueur
1 oz.Light Rum
½ oz.Grenadine

Blend ingredients in a blender with ice. Garnish with a slice of blood orange.

Racer X
2 oz.X-Rated Fusion Liqueur
2 slices of PeeledCucumber
12 Red Seedlessgrapes

Blend all ingredients with ice in a blender. Garnish with slices of cucumber.

Smooth Fusion
2 oz.X-Rated Fusion Liqueur
2 oz.Half ‘n Half
1¼ oz.Simple Syrup
¼ oz.Banana
1Strawberry
1 ScoopIce Cream

Blend all Ingredients above. Pour into wine glass and rim with pink sugar (dip glass rim in grenadine and then rim granulated sugar). Place a strawberry on the rim of the glass and serve.

Author Bio
Richard Jacobs is a chief editor since early 2007, and he currently works for www.myduiattorney.org. A webiste that helps you to find the right DUI lawyer, you can search for a NJ DUI Lawyer or a Maryland DUI Lawyer online, anytime!

We just finished and got to try our latest brew. This home brew kit came from True Brew by Crosby & Baker, and it was a Belgian Ale.  This was our first time brewing a Tue Brew Beer Kit, and we were totally impressed!!  The Kit was a little bit more extensive and fun to brew than a Cooper’s Home brew, but it was still easy to manage.  These kits are great for any level of brewer, from beginner to advanced.

Difficulty to brew
The True Brew Belgian Ale was a lot of fun to brew.  The kit comes with everything you need to make a batch of beer.  It even comes with bottle caps!  That was a huge plus, we didn’t have to make an extra trip out to get some caps. All you need for the True Brew Beer Kits is your brewing equipment and bottles to put the beer in once it is done.  As mentioned above, the kits are bit more extensive than the Coopers home brewing kits, because you are putting more than just the liquid malt extract and sugar into a pot of boiling water.  This kit comes with a couple different kinds of malt extract, grain, rock sugar, and hops, all which need to be boiled for specific times. Although there is a little bit more to manage, this kit is not difficult to complete. The True Brew Instructions are perfect and easy to follow. This is the perfect type of home brewing kit, because is fun to do and it is not too easy, so it feels more authentic and satisfying when completed.

Taste and Outcome
The beer only needed to stay in the fermenter for a week, and when we bottled it, it looked and smelled great.  We took the reading after primary fermentation and the alcohol level was perfect (just under 6%).  So we bottled the beer and let it sit for another 10 days.

The first pour looked great.  The beer was perfectly carbonated, and had a great head on it. The color of the beer resembles a Hefenweizen.  It had that yellowish-wheat color and was a bit cloudy, unable to see through.

The taste lived up to everything else in this kit.  As described by True Brew, this kit is “a strong and spicy golden ale made with real Belgian Candy Sugar, balanced with Czech and Slovenian hops.”  The beer has some amazing spice flavors in it, coupled with a slight citrus flavor.  If we were to compare the True Brew Belgian Ale to a beer it resembles a Duvel, with a slight Blue Moon flavoring and look.

Conclusion
Everything about this Kit was great and just what you want in a Home Brewing Kit.  The kit was fun to do because it was a little challenging with all the ingredients you need to add, but it was still easy to manage because the instructions are easy to follow.  The taste and quality of the beer was great and we will be drinking and making the the True Brew Belgian Ale Kit again very soon!  Highly recommended kit for fans of Belgian Ales, this kit offers an authentic taste and look of a true Belgian Ale.

Stay tuned, we will be brewing more True Brew Beer kits and posting reviews for them.

Happy 4th of July everyone! This year do something different and try one of these cool 4th of July drink recipes we have here at sofakingdrunk.com. You drink beer every night, so this year try something new. Click HERE to see all of out 4th of July drink recipes and cocktails!  Let us know if you try any of these recipes!  Post a comment or a picture below, or in our Drunk Pictures section!

CHEERS!!!

Be safe, and have a great Independence Day!!

Photo Credit

Zane Lamprey, who most of you know as the host of the the best show on television “Three Sheet.”   A televisions show dedicated to nothing more than drinking all over the world, and experiencing drinking habits from different cultures.

On June 22, Zane released a 4 song album called “Drinkin’ Songs”.   Although this album is only 4 songs, every song has a different flavor or genre feel, from a country, to piano jazz bar, to Caribbean and even a pop/rock song about drinking.  There is something for everyone on this CD! Every one of these songs is hysterical, and worth listening to.

Check them out on iTunes HERE, and if you are in need of some funny drinking music, make sure you buy these songs!

Cooper’s Mexican Cerveza Home Brew Review

The Cooper’s Home Brew Mexican Cervaza Kit is the second home brew kit that we have tried from the Coopers home brewing company… and again we were more than impressed with outcome of the beer!

The Mexican Cerveza Beer Kit Package give you everything you need to get a batch of beer made for under $30!  This kit came with the Mexican Cerveza brew mix, Brew Enhanser 2, fermenting yeast, and the carbonating drop used when bottling.  Everything that you will need to get 5-gallon batch of beer made comes in this kit, for under $30!  If you’re a first timer to home brewing, these kits are great because the give you everything you need, and they come with detailed instructions on how to brew your beer.  And if you’re not new to home brewing these kits are still awesome to use because they are easy, and give you great quality beer!

Difficulty to brew
The Coopers Mexican Cervesa was incredibly easy and fun to brew. All you need to do is basically add all ingredients together in a pot with some water and boil. Then cool and add to your fermenter and pitch the yeast. After about a week in the fermenter its time to bottle! The Coopers Carbonation Drops make it very easy to make sure all of your beers have the perfect and consistent amount of carbonation in every bottle. After all the beer is bottled, it sits for another couple weeks, then its tasting time!  This process is more or less the same for all the Cooper’s Home Brew Kits. So it easy to do, and so far both of the kits that we have brewed have been delicious!

Taste and Outcome
Again, we were a little hesitant about the outcome of this beer.  It was so easy to make, and when bottling it, it didn’t really smell like a Mexican Cerveza.  It just smelled more like a regular (pilsner) beer. After chilling a few bottles of beer in the fridge, and freezing a couple of mugs to pour the beer into, we were ready to try it!  The beer poured great, and was well carbonated, with a perfect head. So far everything was looking good.  The color was a little darker than your typical Mexican Cervesa, with shades of red.  It almost resembled a slight amber ale color.

After carbonating in the bottles for a couple weeks, the beer seemed to develop more of that Mexican Cerveza aroma.  The beer isn’t nearly as skunky smelling and tasting as a typical Mexican cerveza (like Corona for example), but you could still tell that it was a Mexican Cerveza. For us, this was a good thing.  Most Mexican beers are too skunky, causing people to put limes in them to mask their flavor. Coopers Cerveza on the other hand was a great tasting beer that definitely does not need any lime juice.

Conclusion
It is safe to say that the Coopers Mexican Cerveza Kit is a decent tasting beer, and enjoyable.  The Cerveza Kit is a great way to go if you are a fan of Mexican Beers, but don’t like when they are too skunky tasting/smelling.  And if you aren’t a fan of your typical Meican Cerveza, we would still recommend that you try this one anyway.  Its seems like more of a cross between a Mexican Cerveza and a Pisner, than just a straight Mexican Cerveza. This is a great summertime beer to have ice cold on those hot days!

CLICK HERE to check out all the Home Brew Kits that Coopers has to offer.

For the best drink in June, try a June Bug!

June Bug Drink Recipe
1 oz Midori melon liqueur
.75 oz Malibu coconut rum
.75 oz banana liqueur
1 oz sweet and sour mix
1 oz pineapple juice

Fill shaker with ice. Mix all ingredients together and shake like crazy and pour into shot glasses.  This is a perfect shot for that hot day in June!

Photo Credit