Saturday, July 26, 2014

Brainstorm part wahid

Attack of the Killer Red Delicious
Red Ale
A knock-out heavy caramel-tasting typical red ale malt, with a hint of apple (somehow). Get it? Caramel apple. I'm so clever.

Maybe what made me think of it or why it's not possible right now:
I dunno if it actually sounds like it would be good, or if it just sounds like it would be interesting. I think it would be fun for a one-gallon batch in the fall, if I can find a good grain bill for a red. And I'm struggling with names right now. I really want to make a red, and the other day I came up with "Gallon Donor." No idea why I thought that was a good idea to make it seem like you were drinking blood.

Swamp Water
Black Ale or Smoked Ale
Maybe a Keweenaw Widow Maker clone. Or if I can find a decent extract recipe for a smoked ale. Who knows? Maybe this is my cue to try partial mash.

Maybe what made me think of it or why it's not possible right now:
I wonder if Gator would drink this. Nah, I don't wonder. But I absolutely don't have the funds for this beer right now.

Captain Shorty's Sharp Wit
Belgian Witbier
A fluffy Belgian wheat ale with blood oranges & coriander. Or maybe something with a little more tang. I'm thinking of this guy right here. Sounds fantastic.

Maybe what made me think of it or why it's not possible right now:
Shorty deserves a beer. He puts up with a lot of crap. He's a veteran, for Pete's sake. But this is a summer beer, I think.

Saturday, July 12, 2014

Secret beer is secret

So don't tell anyone!

I've been refraining from posting about the batch that I've recently brewed and have been fermenting for two weeks now, because I've wanted to keep it on the down low. It's another gift beer, a one-gallon batch that I'm really hoping turns out well (and all signs point to yes, as the oracular billiards implement says). Today is bottle day.

As I stated before, my house is just way too hot to bother with trying to ferment responsibly. So, I did this batch at my in-laws' house. A really nice bonus is that their kitchen much better set up for this kind of operation-- it's huge, and having a lot of space to dry/clean implements and containers has been very, very helpful.

This batch is a blonde ale with brown sugar, what I'm going to call a "dirty blonde" (since I think I missed the color target a few SRMs to the right). Here's a pic of the fermenter after two weeks.

I also don't have an OG estimate, since my hydrometer hits the bottom of my one-gallon carboy. I'm going to put my best-fermentation-case scenario at about 5.5% ABV, with about 18 IBUs of bitterness. (PROTIP: Most people like more alcohol!)

My priming sugar solution is boiling away, so I'm going to get back to it. This means we have until the ready date to get a decent label for this stuff: something my wife says she already has ideas for. When I get a chance, I'll have to upload the label she made for Ring By Spring. It's fantastic.

And to cap it off, some research my uncle found that may convince you to trade your kale-spinach smoothie for a nice, cool Märzen. Prost!