The Great Pumpkin Porter 2022

A perennial fall favorite in the Zorn house - Pumpkin Ales. The past few years we've been focusing on our "Der Kurbis" version which is a rich Amber ale fermenting with German Ale yeast. But, in 2022 we return to a classic, the Pumpkin Porter. Sticking with what works, we use fresh pumpkin spices in the keg, add a touch of Brown Sugar and Honey in the boil and ferment with an English yeast for a bit of residual sugar/mouthfeel. 

2022 Return...It's been a minute

Prost from the Netherlands! 

A must-see hidden gem of a beer bar
 in Brugge, Belgium - De Garre

It's been a crazy few years for all of us - and I've been focusing on all sorts of different professional and personal projects that took me away from more regular updates on the blog. That said, the beer journey continues and with some new adventures being stationed in Europe these days. Using this blog as mostly an archive, I'm hoping to update it with some of our favorite recent stories, recipes, and beer pairing dinners...

A few highlights along the way:

Articles for the American Homebrew Association (Need to have subscription for access):

• Zymurgy May/June 2021 
• Article: ROI Return on Investment for the Homebrewer
• Recipes: Charismatic Mango Fauna (Mango Cream Ale); Oceania Southern Hemisphere Hop IPA/Homegrown IPA; Any Porter in a Storm Rye Whiskey Barrel Rye Imperial Porter
•  Zymurgy July/August 2020
• Article: Homebrewing, One Spreadsheet at a time
• Recipes: Pops & Bobs Parti-Gyle (Imperial Pale/Kellerbier); West Seattle Amber Ale

Story in Military Families Magazine highlighting my last tour working on Capitol Hill during Coast Guard Congressional Affairs assignment.

I'm also jumped on the Instagram bandwagon @Zorn.brewing. 

Shoutout to Sam Kulp for his awesome 
craftsmanship on the Coast Guard Marine Safety
Trident Tap!

Tom's 40th "Munstergeleen Rye Double IPA"

It's an understatement to say that our 2021 transfer to the Netherlands was a bit rocky. Two ER visits and losing our rental house days before moving was not the introduction to Europe we expected. But - there's always a silver lining! We found another house just around the corner and thankfully met some wonderful neighbor's to help with our transition. Neighbor Tom was one of the best from the start and we became fast friends. We brewed up a special batch of Rye Double IPA for his 40th birthday party. Great beer & company!

A historical tribute: WWII Hero RAF Flt Lt Arkle - British Golden Ale with American Hops

This special beer was inspired by my good friend Chris Watts' research/documentation into Royal Air Force WWII hero that seemed to have little documentation in English. Chris did a masterful job of researching the archives in Belgium, Netherlands, and UK to compile his heroic and tragic WWII story here. 

It seemed fitting to brew a UK inspired beer on what would have been RAF Flt Lt Arkle's 100th birthday. We kept it in the "session-able" pub strength but added a little American flare w/ Cascade and Simcoe hops.