2008
So far (as of 7/12/2008), I’ve brewed up nine batches of beer. Eight batches have finished and have been packaged; the other one, Bosbessenbier, is in the fermentor along with 4.5 pounds of blueberries; and number ten is on the way this weekend (an English IPA).
This year was witness to my first all-grain batch of beer, Itsy Bitsy Bitter, which turned out deliciously. I will definitely be doing more all-grain batches this year.
Fiftieth Brew
★★★★
OG: 1.083
FG: 1.017
ABV: 8.7%My first batch of the year. I was planning to ring in the new year by brewing this on New Year’s Day. Unfortunately, however, my plans were thwarted, and this beer didn’t get cooked until the following weekend. This beer represents my 50th original recipe. It is an American Stock Ale - strong, dark, and hoppy. It turned out great, too! It features a nice mix of chocolate and toast malt flavors balanced by a decent kick of citrusy hop bitterness and alcohol. One of my personal favorites.
Vanilla Stout
★★★★
OG: 1.056
FG: 1.016
ABV: 5.1%When I asked my wife what kind of beer she wanted me to make, the first thing she thought of was a sweet stout (her actual request was for a Mackeson clone). I wanted to do something a little different, and I had this original recipe laying around. It turned out quite nice. It has a nice, stout, roasty core with a noticable flavor of vanilla. The vanilla, mercifully, isn’t overpowering, but it is enough to push this beer closer to the dessert beer than the table beer.
“Reeb” Rye Pale Ale
★★★★
OG: 1.051
FG: 1.013
ABV: 5.0%This beer was supposed to be an easy drinking but flavorful American Pale Ale. It turned out pretty good. It was better when super-fresh because the hop flavor and bitterness were very bright. It is still good and has a nice hop aroma, but the flavors have faded slightly. The backbone is bready and malty (though not particularly sweet) and the finish is dry and grassy. Overall, it is very drinkable. Two pounds of Rye were added to the mash to give it a subtle grainy, spicy note.
Dunkles Hefeweissbier
★★★★
OG: 1.052
FG: 1.013
ABV: 5.2%After asking my wife what kind of beer I should brew, her second answer (after asking for a Mackeson clone) was Hefeweizen. I wanted to make something a little richer, so I cooked up Hefeweizen’s darker, richer brother: a Dunkelweizen. It has turned out nicely with a delectable note of clove and spicy phenols balanced by wheat malt and banana esters. It is also quite rich in character, almost more like a small Weizenbock than like a traditional Dunkelweizen. It is a welcome addition to the roster.
Black Kriek
★★★★
OG: 1.059
FG: 1.016
ABV: 5.7%“Kriek” is often used to describe Belgian sour ales that are infused with cherry. This beer isn’t a Belgian sour ale, however. It is a rich, robust porter. But it has been infused with nearly eight pounds of tart cherries. The result is a rich, full-bodied, chocolatey porter with a distinct twang of cherries. They provide just enough tartness to make this full, dark brew more drinkable. Even in the dog days of summer, this bold, black brew is drinkable thanks to the subtle touch of cherries.
Itsy Bitsy Bitter
★★★★
OG: 1.039
FG: 1.010
ABV: 3.8%This batch was my first (and only, to-date) all-grain batch of homebrew. It turned out to be a very drinkable English bitter with an excellent bready/cracker malt character and a soft, but noticeable, earthy and citrus bitterness (not Cascade-like citrus - more subtle since all hops were English in origin).
Brain Bludgeoner
★★★★★
OG: 1.092
FG: 1.020
ABV: 9.5%This recipe was originally crafted as a Double IPA (aka Imperial IPA): lots of 2-row malt and some cane sugar to dry it out, nearly 8 ounces of high-alpha hops (Millenium, Warrior, Columbus, Chinook, Centennial, and Glacier), and an American ale yeast.
The result is much more balanced than expected (i.e. not as bitter). It is also wickedly complex - sweet and complex malt profile, subtle diacetyl, lots of fruitiness from both esters and hops, and a decent punch of ethanol. Despite the low mash temp and the addition of cane sugar, I still didn’t get the attenuation I wanted (which could also be why it doesn’t as bitter as expected). My next Double IPA will be a little different and will definitely be more bitter and drier. But this beer turned out to be a fantastic Strong American Ale.
