I've Been Reprimanded.

No, not from my General Manager.  Not from the Owners.

Rather, from my eldest step-son.  Joshua said I do not update my blog often enough. 

Sadly, he is correct.

You see, though this blog is a year or so old, I'm still a relative newbie.  I take a look at the list of followers to the bottom left of this post and see it at a steady 22 +/- followers, so I feel I'm writing to a tiny microcosm of the people who stop in for a beer.  What I didn't realize, is that for every full-fledged "follower", there are several (if not many) of you who silently follow along and soak in the beauty that flows from my mind, though my fingertips and out to the blogosphere.  Ok, maybe that's taking it a little too far.....

To you who actually enjoy the occasional musings from me, I truly appreciate it.  For you I make these promises:

1.  I will update more often.  Or:
2.  I will sincerely feel bad if I don't.

Since my last post, we have tapped the Harvest Strong, and I'm proud to say that it turned out pretty well.  This being my first "conceptual beer", I am honored that many of you who have offered feedback said that it is exactly what I touted it to be.  If you haven't tried it yet, come on it and give it a shot.  Ask the bartender what it is.  Hopefully he or she will give you the full description--as I left a half-page cheat sheet right next to the taps.  If this information isn't provided, let me know and I'll crack some skulls!  What I can suggest is to give it a small sip when it's first poured, but then let it warm in the glass and take in all the aromas.  As it warms, the flavor will change dramatically, and for the better.

As I type this, I am sitting in a hotel room in Virginia Beach with my family for a little R&R and some holiday time with my stepson and his family.  The body's here, but the mind drifts back to St. Francis many times each day.

One of the things I'm gearing up for is this year's Christmas Ale.  Last year, I made the Cranberry Rye.  It went over fairly well.  Most Christmas beers involve some sort of spice.  I'm not a huge fan of spiced beers, and I am loathe to put out a spiced beer so close to the Pumpkin Ale.  That's why I went with a fruit beer last year. 

This year will be different.  I will be putting out a style which I've not brewed commercially before, so it will be a bit of an adventure.  This will also challenge the good patrons of St. Francis, as you all tend to prefer the lighter beers over the darker ones. 

This year's Christmas Ale will be a Chocolate Hazelnut Porter.  I'm planning to brew it this coming Tuesday and it will be tapped December 15th.  I will write more about it in an upcoming post.

Other upcoming posts may include a tale of me falling off the back of a farmer's pick-up truck before 9:30 am on my birthday....