Bluebird Day IPA

Brennan’s Wave

El Vaquero Mexican Lager

Hidden Lady IPA

complex, inviting Mezcal Unnion, Amaro Montenegro, Barq’s Root Beer

Italian Roots

layered, crushable Pisco, Vanilla, Lemon, Ginger, Red Wine, Egg White

Sunset in Santiago

bold, clean Aviation Gin, Dry Vermouth, Blackberry

Mr. Formal Whatever

herbal, refreshing Pine Liquor, Lemon, Soda

Pink Pine

sparkling, fruity Smirnoff Vodka, Shivelight, Huckleberry Shrub, Ginger Lime

Bearberry Mule

calming, contemplative Ron Zacapa 23yr Rum, Vanilla, Earl Grey, Cream

My Friend Ron Todd

indulgent, toasty Astral Tequila, Union Mezcal, Coffee, Vanilla

Campfire Carajillo

boozy, spiced Bulleit Bourbon, Apple, Chai

Chai Could Have Another

warming, crisp George Dickel Rye, Peach, Cinnamon, Apple, Western Cider

Get Bucked on a Horse

Heat 4.0 gallons of water to 166°F (to achieve a mash temperature around 152°F with grain temperature near 68°F).

Heat strike water

Dough in: Pour the heated strike water over the crushed grains in your mash tun, stirring to eliminate dry clumps and ensure even hydration. Target mash temperature: 152°F (67°C).

Mash rest: Hold the mash at 152°F for 60 minutes. Maintain temperature within ±2°F by insulating the tun or applying gentle heat if necessary.

Mash out: Raise the mash temperature to 168°F for 10 minutes to stop enzymatic activity and improve wort flow.

Recirculate/run off the first runnings until the wort runs clear (vorlauf) back into the mash tun or a kettle, then begin collecting into your boil kettle.

Sparge with enough water at 168°F to collect approximately 6.5 gallons of wort in the kettle (adjust volume based on your system losses). Aim for pre-boil gravity around 1.048–1.052 (specific to system).

Bring the wort to a vigorous boil and begin a 60-minute timed boil once boiling starts.

Add 0.75 oz Columbus (CTZ) at 60 minutes remaining (start of boil) for bittering.

Bittering hop

With 15 minutes left in the boil, add Citra 0.75 oz and Mosaic 0.75 oz. Also add 1 tsp Whirlfloc or Irish moss at 15 minutes if using.

Late flavor hops

At flameout (end of the 60-minute boil), turn off heat and add the remaining late hops: Citra 0.75 oz and Mosaic 0.75 oz. Cover the kettle and let the wort sit (hop stand/whirlpool) for 15–30 minutes to extract aroma without excessive bitterness.

Hop stand / flameout

Cool the wort quickly to yeast-pitching temperature: 66–68°F (19–20°C) using an immersion chiller, counterflow chiller, or ice bath. Aim to cool within 20–30 minutes to minimize DMS and contamination risk.

Transfer the cooled wort to a sanitized fermenter, leaving as much hop/trub material behind in the kettle as practical. Top up with water to reach 5.5 gallons if needed to reach target volume.

Aerate or oxygenate the wort thoroughly (shake, stir, or use pure oxygen) to provide yeast with enough dissolved oxygen for healthy fermentation.

Pitch yeast: Rehydrate or prepare your chosen ale yeast per manufacturer instructions and pitch into wort at 66–68°F.

Ferment: Maintain fermentation temperature at 66–68°F for primary fermentation. Expect active fermentation to begin within 12–36 hours and continue for 4–7 days until activity slows.

After primary fermentation has slowed (around day 4–7, when specific gravity has dropped significantly but not yet fully final), add the dry hops: combine Simcoe 1.5 oz, Citra 1.5 oz, and Mosaic 1.5 oz in a sanitized hop bag or directly into the fermenter.

Allow the dry hops to remain in contact with beer for 3–5 days for maximum aroma without excessive vegetal character. Keep the fermenter at fermentation temperature during dry hop contact.

After dry hopping, optionally cold-crash the fermenter to ~35–40°F for 24–48 hours to help clear hops and yeast.

Prepare priming sugar: dissolve 3.5 oz corn sugar (dextrose) in 6 oz boiling water, cool, and add to a sanitized bottling bucket.

Rack beer from the fermenter to the bottling bucket, gently mixing with the priming solution to evenly distribute. Avoid excessive splashing to limit oxygen pickup.

Bottle into sanitized bottles and cap, or transfer to a sanitized keg and carbonate to ~2.4–2.6 vols CO2. If bottling, condition at room temperature (65–70°F) for 10–14 days for carbonation.

After carbonation, chill bottles or keg for 24–48 hours before serving to allow flavors to settle.

Serve cold (45–50°F / 7–10°C) in a clean pint glass. Pour gently, leaving sediment behind if bottled. Enjoy your Bluebird Day IPA — bright, citrusy, and hop-forward.

Pale Ale malt (2-row)

Vienna malt

Honey malt

Carapils / Dextrine malt

Corn sugar (dextrose) — for priming

Columbus (CTZ) - bittering

Citra - flavor/aroma

Mosaic - flavor/aroma

Simcoe - dry hop

Citra - dry hop

Mosaic - dry hop

Ale yeast (American/West Coast - e.g., Wyeast 1056 / Safale US-05)

Water (brewing or filtered)

Whirlfloc or Irish moss (clarifier, optional)

Gypsum (calcium sulfate) — water adjustment (optional)

Chill a coupe or nick & nora glass in the freezer or fill with ice and water to chill while you prepare the cocktail.

If using egg white, separate one egg and reserve the white. Prepare honey syrup (1:1 honey:water) and rich simple syrup (2:1 sugar:water) in advance and chill.

In a shaker, add aged rum, cognac, orange curaçao, fresh lime juice, fresh lemon juice, rich simple syrup, honey syrup, Angostura bitters, orange bitters, and the egg white (if using). Do not add ice yet. Seal the shaker and dry shake vigorously for 15–20 seconds to emulsify the egg white and build a silky texture.

Dry shake

Open the shaker, add a large handful of ice (or enough to nearly fill), reseal, and shake hard for 12–15 seconds until the outside of the shaker is very cold and you hear a good slosh.

Wet shake

Discard the ice/water from your chilled glass if used. Double-strain the cocktail into the chilled coupe or nick & nora using a Hawthorne strainer and a fine mesh strainer to remove ice shards and any coagulated egg bits.

Garnish with a dehydrated lime wheel or a twist of orange and, if desired, a light sprinkle of freshly grated nutmeg across the foam. For an aromatic note, express the orange twist over the drink before dropping it in.

Aged rum

Cognac (or brandy)

Orange curaçao

Fresh lime juice

Fresh lemon juice

Rich simple syrup (2:1 sugar:water)

Honey syrup (1:1 honey:water)

Angostura bitters

Orange bitters

Egg white (optional for texture)

Dehydrated lime wheel or twist of orange

Grated nutmeg (optional)

Run the lime wedge around the outer lip of a pint or 16–20 oz Collins-style glass. Dip the rim lightly into the coarse salt so the salt adheres in an even band. Set the glass aside.

Rim the glass

Add 1 cup of ice cubes to the prepared glass and set aside while you build the cocktail.

In a cocktail shaker (no need to add ice) or mixing glass, pour 1.5 fl oz reposado tequila, 0.75 fl oz fresh lime juice, and 0.5 fl oz agave syrup. Stir or briefly shake for 5–7 seconds to combine and chill slightly.

Combine tequila, lime and agave

Strain the tequila-lime-agave mixture over the ice in the prepared glass.

Add to glass

Slowly pour 12 fl oz of well-chilled Mexican lager down the inside of the glass so it layers with the spirit mixture. Pour gently to preserve carbonation and avoid excessive foaming.

Top with lager

Give the drink a very gentle stir (1–2 rotations) with a bar spoon to marry the lager and tequila-lime mixture without losing too much carbonation.

Garnish the rim with a lime wheel (slit the wheel so it sits on the glass) and drop a pickled jalapeño slice into the drink if you want a subtle spicy note. Serve immediately with a short straw if desired.

To serve: encourage guests to sip near the rim so they get salt, lime and beer together. Taste and, if you prefer sweeter, add up to 0.25 fl oz more agave syrup and gently stir once.

Mexican lager (well-chilled)

Reposado tequila

Agave syrup (1:1 agave to water)

Kosher or coarse salt (for rimming)

Fresh lime wedge (for rimming and garnish)

Pickled jalapeño slice (optional)

Lime wheel or wheel with a small slit (for garnish)

Ice cubes

Heat 4.0 gallons of brewing water to 165°F (74°C). Mash in the crushed grains (Pale 2-row, Munich, Crystal 20L, Wheat) to reach a stable mash temperature of 152°F (67°C). Hold at 152°F for 60 minutes, stirring occasionally and checking that temperature is steady.

Mash

Raise temperature to 168°F (76°C) for 10 minutes to mash out. This helps stop enzymatic activity and eases lautering.

Mash out

Sparge with 2.0 gallons of water at 170°F (77°C) until you collect approximately 6.5–6.75 gallons of wort in the boil kettle. Aim for pre-boil gravity around 1.048–1.054.

Sparge

Bring the wort to a vigorous boil and start a 60-minute timer. At the start of the boil, add 1.0 oz Chinook hops for bittering.

Bittering addition (60 min)

With 15 minutes left in the boil, add 1.0 oz Citra and 1.0 oz Amarillo. Add Irish moss (1 tsp) with 15 minutes remaining as a fining agent. With 10 minutes remaining, add 1.0 oz Simcoe and the remaining 1.0 oz Citra and 1.0 oz Amarillo (or split as preferred) for aroma and flavor.

Flavor/aroma additions (15 and 10 min)

At flameout, after turning off the heat, add 0.5 oz of Citra and 0.5 oz of Amarillo (optional) and cover the kettle for a 10–20 minute hop stand to extract extra aroma without adding bitterness.

Flameout hop stand

Chill the wort quickly to 68°F (20°C) using an immersion chiller or wort chiller. Transfer wort to a sanitized fermenter, leaving trub behind. Top up with clean, treated water to reach 5.25 gallons total volume if needed.

Chill and transfer

After primary fermentation has slowed (typically 4–6 days at 66–68°F), add dry hops: 2.0 oz Citra, 1.5 oz Amarillo, and 1.0 oz Simcoe. Leave dry hops in the fermenter for 4–5 days for maximum aroma, then remove (racking off hops) before packaging.

Dry hopping

Rehydrate or prepare the yeast according to manufacturer instructions (or create a 12–24 hour starter for liquid strains). Aerate the chilled wort well — either by shaking, splashing during transfer, or using sterile oxygen to achieve ~8–10 ppm dissolved oxygen.

Prepare yeast & aeration

Pitch yeast into the wort at 66–68°F (19–20°C). Ferment in a temperature-controlled environment, aiming for 66–68°F for a clean American-IPA profile. Fermentation should show active signs within 12–48 hours and typically completes primary activity in 5–7 days; allow 2 additional days before dry hopping if desired.

Pitch yeast and ferment

After fermentation is complete (final gravity stable for 2–3 days; expected FG ~1.012–1.014), cold crash to near 40°F (4–5°C) for 24–48 hours to help clarify the beer and settle hop debris.

Conditioning

If bottling: dissolve 3.3 oz (approx. 94 g) dextrose in 1 cup boiling water, cool and add to sanitized bottling bucket. Rack beer onto priming solution and gently mix to avoid oxidation. Bottle and cap. If kegging: transfer to a keg and carbonate to ~2.4–2.6 volumes CO2.

Packaging and priming

Sanitize all equipment that will contact wort or beer (fermenter, airlock, siphons, hoses, tools) using Starsan or another no-rinse sanitizer according to product directions before cooling and transferring wort. Maintain good sanitation practices throughout packaging.

Sanitize

Optional water treatment: If your source water contains chlorine or chloramine, treat with a Campden tablet (follow tablet instructions) or use appropriate filtration. Add gypsum (1 tsp) to mash or kettle to accentuate hop character and adjust mineral profile if desired.

Munich malt

Light crystal/caramel malt (20L)

Wheat malt

Dextrose (corn sugar) - priming

Chinook (pellets)

Citra (pellets)

Amarillo (pellets)

Simcoe (pellets)

Citra (dry hop)

Amarillo (dry hop)

Simcoe (dry hop)

American ale yeast (e.g., Wyeast 1056 / White Labs WLP001 / Safale US-05)

Irish moss (or Whirlfloc) - fining

Water (brewing)

Gypsum (calcium sulfate) - optional water adjustment

Campden tablet (optional, for removing chlorine/chloramine)

Starsan (or other no-rinse sanitizer)

Place a rocks glass in the freezer or fill it with ice and cold water while you prepare the cocktail to ensure it stays cold.

Chill glass

In a mixing glass or shaker filled with ice, combine 1.5 oz Mezcal Unnion, 0.75 oz Amaro Montenegro, 0.5 oz fresh lime juice, 0.25 oz simple syrup, and 2 dashes Angostura bitters.

Build base

Stir the mixture briskly for 15–20 seconds (or about 15 revolutions) to chill and achieve light dilution. The goal is to integrate flavors and temper the mezcal's smoke without over-diluting.

Stir and slightly dilute

Discard the chilling ice or remove the glass from the freezer. If using a large cube, add it to the glass now. Otherwise, add crushed ice or standard ice to your preferred level.

Prepare glass

Fine-strain the stirred mixture over the ice in the prepared glass. Slowly top with 3 oz chilled Barq’s Root Beer to preserve carbonation and create a layered interplay between bitter, smoky, and sweet notes.

Strain and top

Hold an orange peel about 2–3 inches above the drink and give it a firm twist to express the oils across the surface, then rub the peel on the rim and drop it into the glass. Optionally add a dehydrated orange wheel or lime wedge for visual appeal.

Finish with oil and garnish

Serve immediately with a short stirring straw so the drinker can gently mix if desired. Note the interplay: mezcal smoke, Montenegro's herbal complexity, and the nostalgic sweet-spiced lift from the root beer.

Serve

If you prefer a less sweet drink, reduce Barq’s to 2 oz and replace 0.25 oz simple syrup with 0.25 oz water. For a more aromatic finish, add a light rinse of anise liqueur (10–15 drops) to the glass before pouring the cocktail.

Mezcal Unnion (or other joven mezcal)

Amaro Montenegro

Barq’s Root Beer (chilled)

Simple syrup (1:1)

Orange peel (for express oil and garnish)

Crushed or large ice cubes

Large ice block or big cube

Dehydrated orange wheel or fresh lime wedge

Combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan with the scraped seeds from 1/2 a vanilla bean (or 1 tsp vanilla extract). Warm just until sugar dissolves. Cool, strain, refrigerate. Yields about 6 oz.

Vanilla syrup

Peel and thinly slice 2 oz fresh ginger. Combine with 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water in a saucepan, simmer 10 minutes, cool and strain. Refrigerate. Yields about 6 oz.

Ginger syrup

Chill a rocks or coupe glass by filling with ice and setting aside.

Add the pisco, fresh lemon juice, vanilla syrup, ginger syrup, and the egg white to a cocktail shaker (no ice).

Seal and shake vigorously without ice for 12–18 seconds. This aerates the egg white and builds a silky foam important for the cocktail’s texture.

Open the shaker, add a large handful of crushed ice (or regular ice if you’ll crush later), reseal and shake very hard for 10–12 seconds to chill and slightly dilute the drink.

Dump the chilling ice from your chilled glass and fill it about three-quarters with fresh crushed ice.

Strain the shaken cocktail over the crushed ice, allowing the foamy head to sit atop the crushed ice.

Using the back of a bar spoon, gently pour 1/2 oz red wine over the foam so it floats and creates a layered 'sunset' line. Pour slowly to keep separation; the wine color will settle at the top edge and streak down slightly for visual effect.

Red wine float

Garnish with a lemon wheel or twist perched on the ice and a piece of candied ginger on the rim or skewered through the lemon if using.

Serve immediately with a short straw so the drinker can crush through the foam into the iced base, enjoying the layered flavors of pisco, vanilla, ginger and the red-wine accent.

Pisco (e.g., quebranta or aromatic blend)

Vanilla syrup (1:1 sugar to water with real vanilla)

Ginger syrup (fresh ginger steeped, 1:1)

Egg white (large)

Dry or medium-bodied red wine (Malbec, Carmenere, Grenache)

Crushed ice

Lemon wheel or twist

Candied ginger (optional)

Chill a coupe or martini glass by filling it with ice water while you mix the drink.

Combine

In a cocktail shaker add 6 ice cubes, 2 oz Aviation Gin, 0.5 oz dry vermouth, 0.5 oz blackberry liqueur (or syrup), 0.5 oz fresh lemon juice, and 0.25 oz simple syrup if you prefer a slightly sweeter profile. The dry vermouth keeps the cocktail clean; the blackberry adds bold fruit notes—adjust the 0.25 oz simple syrup only if your blackberry component is very tart.

Seal the shaker and shake vigorously for 10–15 seconds until the outside of the shaker is frosty and well-chilled. This both dilutes and integrates the bold gin with the vermouth and blackberry.

Dump the ice water from the chilled glass and quickly double-strain the cocktail into the chilled coupe or martini glass using a Hawthorne strainer and a fine mesh strainer to catch any blackberry seeds or ice shards for a clean presentation.

Garnish by skewering two fresh blackberries on a cocktail pick and laying them across the rim, then express the lemon twist over the drink (squeeze the peel to release oils) and drop or tuck it on the rim.

Serve immediately. The recipe yields one cocktail; the balance should be bold and clean, with the gin forward, a subtle dry vermouth backbone, and a bright blackberry note.

Bluebird Day Ipa