my favorite beer?

.... the one that most recently danced on my taste buds. There is more to this than just a snappy comeback!

Seriously, there have been a couple times I have re-thunk? what my favorite beer for a particular style is, in tonight's case, we are talking IPA. Each time it has been with the one I just drank. I just had (for the first time) a Conniption Double IPA (from Atwater brewing -- have had offerings from them before and was hesitant to grab it, but did anyway, now am glad I did!)

A few weeks back Monkeynaut (the CAN has a picture of a monkey donning an astronaut helmet on it) was it. It's still a favorite. This week it's not my favorite. Who knows what next week brings?

On another note, today, Dec. 11th (2010), is the first time I brewed my own. This happened four years ago today. This will be the fourth consecutive 12/11 that I have brewed. Sometimes an action becomes a tradition -- I am thinking this has now become such.

Tonight I am brewing a smoked porter. It's odd though!

I went to my local homebrew store to get something to brew today. I found a smoked porter within an acceptable price range. I grabbed it up along with some other things I "need". Oddly, this is an extract beer. I haven't done an extract for over a year and a half now.

So I intend to brew this tonight. As soon as I grabbed up the kit, I pulled out the instructions (which had the ingredients list on it. I looked at it -- not good enough!) I immediately went over to where their grains were and began thinking what can I add to this to make it a Skipp'n Rocks brew?

The "odd" part is notsomuch that I added to it since there have been VERY few brews that I have followed to the letter -- including the first -- but more that this time I *knew* what would work as the early ones were lucky guesses. I always seem to try and put my own spin on it. I guess the fact that it normally works out, I have yet to be discouraged from this practice.   ; )

Anyhow, off to brew. I have finished dinner and have a couple areas cleaned and prepped. Now to finish up dinner dishes and get the ball rollin'. Being an extract brew I should be done in 2 hours (had it been an all-grain it would be about 6 hours).