Its been a while

Queue life getting in the way yet again I've neglected the blog, really should stop doing that!

Xmas Stout

Here is the Xmas Stout in all its glory. Very dark as you can see, not much sunlight is getting through there! The head itself sticks around a little, the lacing seems to stick around for longer.

There is not really any aroma, just smells like beer I guess. I wasn't expecting anything since its a stout, but I like having aroma, so might look at a hopped up stout in the future.

Taste...

Its like no other beer I've ever had before, very tart from the aciduated malt, roast from the roasty goodness that went in and coming in at 4.8% its very quaffable. I don't think I will brew this particular recipe again, just not quite right. Might need more time to sit and condition in the bottle. I don't think many will make it through Christmas.

Orange Cascade Pale Ale

I don't have a photo of how this one looks, but its a pale ale by all accounts. There is a tiny amount of orange, not as much as I would like and there is no coriander at all. Aroma is nice, little hop and a little orange. Should be a nice summer beer. Even one to brew again!

Rhubarb Saison

Had to try at least one! Temptation got to me. It is amazingly good for what was a slap together beer. One I will definitely continue to brew, might even become a staple seasonal brew. More rhubarb is coming through so I might even get a chance to get another beer in before winter 2013.

Hops

They growing like wild fire. Mystery German has the two main vines and more have started shooting up from the rhizome. The Smoothcone is doing ok now its shot up. I've given them something to grow on now, some bailing twine from the in-laws. I'll try get some photos up next post.

Tis the season, so the updates might be few and far between until 2013 and things settle down, cheers for reading, prost! 

National Crate Day, Extract & Time

National Crate Day has come and gone. Some good company, some good beers and some not so good beers.

I managed to brew a Vienna/Centennial SMaSH albeit in between drinks, but it came out at 1.062, higher than the 1.057 I was aiming for - good efficiency again! I don't recall too much more than that for obvious reasons...

Onto the not so good beers....Its been a while since I've had a kit n kilo beer, but Brian brought around a couple of beers, a Pilsner, an IPA, Bock, Yorkshire Bitter and a bottle of Wheat Pilsner. I think the common feeling was kit and kilo beers should be drunk fresh. I don't remember much about the Pils apart from gushing bottles, the IPA had no hops in it at all, tasted more like how I remember Lion Red tasting, the Wheat Pils was ok being a partial mash, but just to much malt, not enough hop. A stray ESB made it which I'm trying now. Very much about the malt, similar to what I recall it tasting like fresh, but just no hops, no bitterness. I guess that's how we learn as brewers, our pallet gets used to what we've been brought up on. Second beer in is a Bock, its a little newer than the ESB, but still the same "extract twang". Fresher is better.

We had an impromptu tasting on the day, we had a Pilsner vs a Munich Lager vs the MPA. Two kit n kilo's vs a BIAB.To be honest, it probably wasn't going to be a fair fight, but we headed in full steam. The MPA came first, followed by the Munich then the Pils. One down for the MPA!!!

The star of the night for most of us that where left over was the Bourbon Vanilla Imperial Porter. Brian's done a brilliant job of this beer. The one we had was with Jim Beam Honey as the Bourbon part. Fantastic beer, albeit maybe a little young for such a big beer, but still, was a very good drop. The vanilla comes through, but I think it could use just a touch more, the mouth feel is like velvet, very very smooth beer. Be good to see how its tasting after some time in the cellar, if it can last that long.

Next up will be a BIPA for the brother in-laws birthday, then a double batch of MPA - gotta build up the stocks!