December 31, 2005

I broke down and tried one of my Abbot’s Habit Begium Dubbels, even though it really needs a few more weeks to age. I poured it into my Chimay goblet (thanks, Cindy!), and it formed no head whatsoever, but was well-carbonated. I hope this isn’t a headless brew, but we’ll see. Anyhow, my wife saw it and said “Is that a Chimay? Let me try! MMmMMmmmM!MMMM!Mmm! Do I taste honey?!” I hadn’t told her it was my own concoction, just wanting an unbiased opinion. While she’s no connoiseur, she does like what I’ve been brewing lately, and her critique does matter to me on some level. But yeah, it does need some more aging, though it really shows a great deal of potential.

December 31, 2005

Paid a visit to my LHBS today (Karp’s Hardware in East Northport), and his selection was better than the past few times, though I still had to order some ingredients from Northern Brewer (a few malt types he was missing, as well as some more specialized stuff). I was able to get a 5 gallon Rubbermaid cooler for only 30 bucks, though, so that’s something (they’re normally 38 or so elsewhere). I really like his shop, and his prices are generally much better than elsewhere, particularly for equipment items (sometimes just a tad higher for ingredients). Anyhow, with the cooler I’m going to make a proper mash tun. I ordered a new stainless false bottom and one of those cooler conversion kits. The sparging arm I already have should work just fine, though my “cheapy” mash tun will now see little to no use. Well, that’s 40 bucks down the drain.

December 27, 2005

So I’m trying to figure out what to brew next. I’m all gung-ho to brew something unusual that probably noone other than myself would really enjoy. Something like a Saison or Altbier. But I think I’m going to stick with something a little more mainstream. Possibly a British Bitter, cause I really love that style, and it’s not going to offend anyone. Or perhaps a Brown Ale, something like a Newcastle (I’m eyeing NB’s Nukey Brown Ale). Or, maybe go just a bit further than the norm, and do a Honey Weizen. I think I’ve ruled out a Stout at this point, since a couple of my recent brews were dark (Imperial Porter) and heavy (Wee Heavy).

I also intend to brew up a mead at some point, but that seems to me to be more of a cool or cold weather beverage. It would need to ferment and condition for something like 4 to 6 months, so that would put it finishing in late spring or possibly even early summer. But I know my wife would enjoy it. I’ll definitely do a small batch before too long.

December 26, 2005

I got around to bottling my Belgium Dubbel (Abbot’s Habit recipe) today. Final gravity was 1016, so it hadn’t dropped any further in secondary. I’m still boggled by the 36-hour ferment. Anyhow, the taste was excellent, if still a bit raw. The color was sort of a coppery-brown, and the nose was… undeveloped. Bottle conditioning should help that out, though. 53 12oz bottles was my yield, and they are all labeled and aging for 3 or 4 weeks before they (I) will get drunk.

On Tap: Pumpkin Ale (may be tossing soon), Wee Heavy (nearly gone), Hellesbock, Bourbon Vanilla Imperial Porter, Belgium Dubbel (conditioning)
In Primary: Nothing
In Secondary: Noting
On Deck: British Bitter, Nukey Brown or Honey Weizen

December 25, 2005

Happy Christmas, everyone! I hope the beer fairy was as good to you this year as she was to me. I received a Barley Crusher grain mill, the Farmhouse Ales book and a Chimay gift pack that included one bottle of each type of Chimay and a lovely goblet (which is the bit I really needed).

I’m in the process of selecting my next brew as well. I’m thinking either an Ordinary Bitter for easy quaffability, or perhaps a Stout since it’s still winter-y, and it would likely be complete before the spring thaw. Decisions… decisions…

December 10, 2005

Racked the beer into the secondary. Took another gravity reading, but it didn’t drop any since yesterday. It looks like 1016 is the final, and that’s fine by me. I can’t wait for this one to clear so I can bottle and enjoy. Smooth like Chimay, I think it’s gonna be special.

On a side note, I also stopped by Shoreline Beverage and picked up a couple interesting beers. Stone’s Arrogant Bastard Ale, Hennepin Farmhouse Ale and Delirium Noel. I also happened upon a bottle of “He’Brew,” something my neighbor came up with. I got a bottle for him, just to point out that he’s too late. The domain’s still available, though. I tried the Arrogant Bastard, and it was good, but nothing uber special about it. Seemed just like a bitterer ESB. Haven’t tried the others yet, but I’m certainly looking forward to the Delirium Noel. Oh, they also had a Chimay gift pack that I’ll have to pick up post-holidays, cause it came with a Chimay goblet.

On Tap: Pumpkin Ale, Wee Heavy, Hellesbock, Bourbon Vanilla Imperial Porter
In Primary: Nothing
In Secondary: Belgium Dubbel
On Deck: British Bitter, Nukey Brown or Honey Weizen

December 9, 2005

So I took a hydrometer reading last night. All airlock activity ceased a day or two ago, so I was wondering if this Dubbel actually fermented out in 1.5 days. My terminal gravity? 1016, right in line with what I was expecting. From a start of 1067, this gives an ABV of 6.63. It tasted quite good, too, and shows a lot of potential. A bit tart at the moment, but that should mellow once the yeast settles out. I’ll rack to secondary this weekend and let it sit for another couple-three weeks before bottling.

December 6, 2005

This morning, the airlock does not appear to be bubbling, at least not as vigorously as I would have expected. Could it be that my precious Dubbel fermented out in merely 36 hours?? Well, that really WAS a lot of yeast, so I suppose it’s possible, and the krausen does appear to have fallen back in. It’s going to take forEVer to clear, though. I’ll take a hydrometer reading in the next day or so and see where we’re at, and then… on to the secondary!

December 5, 2005

This past weekend, I brewed up a Belgian Dubbel (“Abbot’s Habit” recipe from Seven Barrel Brewery Handbook, with some modifications). My plan was to make Saturday my brew day, but I somehow got suckered into putting up <snide>Christmas</snide> decorations, and that ended up taking away my whole day. As the saying goes, “The best laid plans are worth two in the bush,” whatever that means.