I've been quietly but persistently brewing over the last few months.
My pilsner turned out OK - it had a slightly buttery aftertaste (which I think was due to diacetyl being produced because I couldn't regulate the fermentation & conditioning temperatures) but at least one taster commented on that being a good thing.
My pale ale (brewed with exactly the same ingredients as the pilsner but with a different yeast) was recognisably different. More flavours, a slightly fuller mouthfeel. More ale-y, which of course isn't surprising. It was favourably compared to Coopers Pale which I was pretty chuffed about. The only problem with it is that it tended to be very lively in the bottle, gushing out in a foaming snake if not handled extremely gently.
I realised that I had enough ingredients sitting in my store to make a full beer, so my 'left over bitter' was created. Pale malt, crystal malt, dextrose, hallertau hops. Simple but very quaffable, in the style of an English bitter. It made me realise that I've been playing around with pale ales a lot, so once it colls down a bit I'll get back to my roots and get some more bitter on the go.
I also tried an experimental smoke beer. Even thirds of smoked malt, pale malt and wheat with some pepper added at the end of the boil. There was a bit of confusion at the homebrew shop and I ended up getting a kg more fermentables than I was expecting, so I threw that all in. I also backed the hops off on this one to try and let the smoke come through. It didn't and the malt overpowered the other flavours. In an attempt to give it a bit more character I added extras to the secondaries - one with liquid smoke, one was dry hopped, one was dry hopped and had liquid smoke and the final one was left as is. Still waiting for this one to fully condition, but the samplers I've had so far aren't that impressive.
I've got high hopes for my spring summer ale and I'm keen to see if the use of spring water reduces the aftertaste I've been getting. That went in the bottle on Friday so there's still a couple of weeks to wait. And 30odd labels to write.
And finally my much-requested ginger beer is still bubbling away gently. I'll leave it one more week in the fermentor and bottle direct instead of racking it off to a secondary - that way it will be ready for xmas.
Speaking of experimental brews, I tried these the other evening
Mikkeller black (17.5%ABV), and Mikkeller Santas Little Helper (a puny 10.9% ABV). Both were brewed to that strength, not distilled, and that really is masterful brewing which shows a real understanding of how to get the best out of their ingredients. They were both - interesting, with the Black being a thick oily 'imperial stout' that I should have photographed but was too excited about drinking to remember. Definately worth a try, but only occasionally.
Needless to say I slept well that night.
My pilsner turned out OK - it had a slightly buttery aftertaste (which I think was due to diacetyl being produced because I couldn't regulate the fermentation & conditioning temperatures) but at least one taster commented on that being a good thing.
My pale ale (brewed with exactly the same ingredients as the pilsner but with a different yeast) was recognisably different. More flavours, a slightly fuller mouthfeel. More ale-y, which of course isn't surprising. It was favourably compared to Coopers Pale which I was pretty chuffed about. The only problem with it is that it tended to be very lively in the bottle, gushing out in a foaming snake if not handled extremely gently.
I realised that I had enough ingredients sitting in my store to make a full beer, so my 'left over bitter' was created. Pale malt, crystal malt, dextrose, hallertau hops. Simple but very quaffable, in the style of an English bitter. It made me realise that I've been playing around with pale ales a lot, so once it colls down a bit I'll get back to my roots and get some more bitter on the go.
I also tried an experimental smoke beer. Even thirds of smoked malt, pale malt and wheat with some pepper added at the end of the boil. There was a bit of confusion at the homebrew shop and I ended up getting a kg more fermentables than I was expecting, so I threw that all in. I also backed the hops off on this one to try and let the smoke come through. It didn't and the malt overpowered the other flavours. In an attempt to give it a bit more character I added extras to the secondaries - one with liquid smoke, one was dry hopped, one was dry hopped and had liquid smoke and the final one was left as is. Still waiting for this one to fully condition, but the samplers I've had so far aren't that impressive.
I've got high hopes for my spring summer ale and I'm keen to see if the use of spring water reduces the aftertaste I've been getting. That went in the bottle on Friday so there's still a couple of weeks to wait. And 30odd labels to write.
And finally my much-requested ginger beer is still bubbling away gently. I'll leave it one more week in the fermentor and bottle direct instead of racking it off to a secondary - that way it will be ready for xmas.
Speaking of experimental brews, I tried these the other evening
Needless to say I slept well that night.
I had a foaming snake, once you got to drink it, it was tasty. Remindered me of mentos and diet coke, when I first opened it. Bring on the ginger beer. :-)
ReplyDeleteGordy