Thursday, December 29, 2011
Palm
Today I had my first taste of Palm, a Belgian Amber ale. It pours a golden copper color with a small foamy, white head. Right away the scent of Belgian yeast comes through the delicate lacing around the glass. The nose is Belgian, fruity, lightly hopped and crisp. The taste is very smooth, almost lager like in it's rounded, dry finish. Absolutely delightful and a home run in the world of Belgians. I can't believe it took me this long. I grabbed a six pack, so I plan on enjoying them for those moments that call for a really nice, smooth ale that scratches my itch for classic Belgians.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
2 Hours
Well, I did it. Last night, with a few close friends, I opened one bottle of Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA. I followed Sam's instructions, and served it after letting it out of the fridge for about 30 minutes. It poured beautifully into a brandy snifter a wonderful gold with a very quickly dissipating head. I braced myself as the nose screamed of hops, but was taken aback by the massive amounts of malts. The grain bill cut through the bitterness and made rather sweet taste, followed by a very present alcohol warming. Since this one was bottled in 2011, I will keep the second one until at least late 2012 or longer if I can stand it. Be forewarned though, make sure you eat well when consuming this IPA, it will knock your socks off in a hurry. However, I must say that at $10 a bottle, it is definitely a must try and the recapped empty bottle now adorns the bookcase in the office. A one of a kind brew that is super malty, ridiculously hopped, and drinks like a liquor.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Long Time
It has been quite a while, so I thought I'd post something to let everyone know that I have not stopped. We have been trying a few new things, and though nothing is quite ready, I am really excited about a number of them.
First, is the Lindeman's Framboise pseudo clone. I call it a pseudo clone, because we are doing our version of it. We took a basic Belgian wheat recipe, fermented with Belgian Ale yeast, and then racked it onto 6 pounds of sweet dark cherries, and then added a lambic bacteria blend (Wyeast 3278). It currently still resides in the secondary, until I can rack it into a third carboy for a few weeks to clear and get really happy. We will prime with DME, and most likely bottle in large Belgian corked bottles.
The next great thing is a Baltic Porter. This is still several months from being ready, but I attempted a step mash of this through decoction. It did not go even remotely according to plan, but my numbers ended up being only slightly off. While aiming for 1.070, I ended up around 1.064...not bad despite the fact of having to fight through a stuck sparge and making quite the mess. This big ale is fermented with lager yeast to keep the fruity esters at bay, and make it nice and crisp. This will be sampled in the early spring, with the majority saved until next winter.
Following close behind is a nice American lager. While I forgot to add the pound of carapils (providing for some frustration mid brew), this may very well become the house lager. Still in the primary, I am going to keg it and put it in the garage for a few weeks to keep it nice and cool before tapping.
And finally, on the wine front. The blueberry still wine is just about ready to be bottled after having relaxed in the secondary since August. I have high hopes for this one, and maybe even a few lucky individuals will be able to procure a split for the holidays.
That should just about catch everyone up. Since December is a rather hectic month, things may be on hold a bit, but perhaps a Sunday brew of a black lager will happen...
First, is the Lindeman's Framboise pseudo clone. I call it a pseudo clone, because we are doing our version of it. We took a basic Belgian wheat recipe, fermented with Belgian Ale yeast, and then racked it onto 6 pounds of sweet dark cherries, and then added a lambic bacteria blend (Wyeast 3278). It currently still resides in the secondary, until I can rack it into a third carboy for a few weeks to clear and get really happy. We will prime with DME, and most likely bottle in large Belgian corked bottles.
The next great thing is a Baltic Porter. This is still several months from being ready, but I attempted a step mash of this through decoction. It did not go even remotely according to plan, but my numbers ended up being only slightly off. While aiming for 1.070, I ended up around 1.064...not bad despite the fact of having to fight through a stuck sparge and making quite the mess. This big ale is fermented with lager yeast to keep the fruity esters at bay, and make it nice and crisp. This will be sampled in the early spring, with the majority saved until next winter.
Following close behind is a nice American lager. While I forgot to add the pound of carapils (providing for some frustration mid brew), this may very well become the house lager. Still in the primary, I am going to keg it and put it in the garage for a few weeks to keep it nice and cool before tapping.
And finally, on the wine front. The blueberry still wine is just about ready to be bottled after having relaxed in the secondary since August. I have high hopes for this one, and maybe even a few lucky individuals will be able to procure a split for the holidays.
That should just about catch everyone up. Since December is a rather hectic month, things may be on hold a bit, but perhaps a Sunday brew of a black lager will happen...
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