Kilted Hop Brewing

05/30/2026

Finally received the hardware from the Washington DC competition from March... a Gold medal from the DC Homebrewers Cherry Blossom Competition for my German Helles Exportbier named "Beautiful Boy".

This beer was brewed in honor of the birth of my first grandchild born in December.

https://www.dchbcompetition.com/

05/20/2026

Great news coming out of GLINTCAP (Great Lakes International Cider and Perry), one of the largest Cider competitions in the world...

I took Gold, Best In Class in the Botanical Cider category with my Hibiscus and Pink Peppercorns Cider named "Florida Cranberry and Baies Roses".

Silver in the main category for Botanical Ciders.

And, Silver for my Modern Cider "Giving It A Try".



Thank you Great Lakes International Cider & Perry Competition

https://michiganciders.com/glintcap-2026-noncommercial-results/

05/10/2026

Just wrapped up a 2nd batch of beer from Big Brew Day last weekend. I had 3 gals of extra wort from last weekend and stored it in my keg cooler for a week.

I pulled it out and boiled up a mini-batch of Red IPA today.

It was a bit windy outside so I had the bonus brew in the house today.

05/02/2026

Small crowd brewing for Big Brew Day at Church Street Brewing Company.

Wort for the day is Red Ale but I'm transforming it with a mini-mash and some Munich into a Märzen.

Fresh Augustiner yeast provided by Church Street will provide the rocket fuel for fermentation.

04/26/2026

Just finished brewing batches #5 & #6 of 2026... and also my 400th batch for Kilted Hop Brewing. (425 all-time)

Today's brew day was two variations of my Tropical Stout "Parrot Spit"!

Overall, the day went well with only one mishap with my mash tun.

My beverages for the day were, for the most part, non-alcoholic. I was evaluating a new product for a friend... the Sober Carpenter. Interesting stuff that worked well with the day and tasted pretty good.

I also bottled a new mead which was an old mead reimagined. I made a Mango blossom Traditional in March 2021 that has remained hot and somewhat dry. I tweaked it with some Amoretti lemon flavoring, some oak, and backsweetened it a bit. It's now a Limoncello mead.

04/17/2026

It's official... I have one cider moving forward to the 2026 National Homebrew Competition (NHC) Finals in Asheville, NC from the Chicago Regional Competition.

https://homebrewersassociation.org/national-homebrew-competition/2026-winners/chicago-il/

04/11/2026

Kilted Hop Brewing is judging three sessions today at the NHC Chicago first round judging.

I'm currently slated for one session of beer and two mead sessions.

We have a good crowd of UKG members out to help judge and steward at the NHC Chicago Region first round judging today at Dovetail Brewery.

The first session of judging is almost finished.

04/05/2026

Drinking and Brewing don't mix very well sometimes. Got my first two brews of 2026 finished and in the kegs yesterday.

Didn't realize until yesterday that I forgot to add an ingredient during the boil...LOL. Just chalked up the low OG on brew day to a bad mash... that was the drinking part talking.

But, the brews finished, are clean with no fermentation flaws, and are within the gravity and ABV for the style. They just may not have the complexity of flavor I was aiming for.

01/04/2026

Great time today drinking bourbon and Kilted Hop English Brown Ale with the cousins...all day.

Currently listening to and watching cousin Greg's band on YouTube...The Sons of Gladys Kravitz... based out of Desmoines, Iowa.

01/03/2026

Sweet Saturday Afternoon with some family.