The Bar Towel

[Derek]

I'm sipping one of my last bottles of a dubbel I bottled on Jan 29, 2005 (this was only the second brew I mashed).

What was I thinking? (sort of a Chimay red clone)

2.5 kg Munich
0.75 kg Vienna
0.5 kg Crystal 30/40
0.25 kg Crystal 70/80
300 g Jaggery sugar
150 g Demerara sugar
3.5 # of pale LME (was limited by a 5 Ga mash tun)

33 g Hallertau (4.5% aa)
15 g Northern brewer (8.2% aa)

60 minute boil with both hops (what was I thinking?)

OG=70
FG=11

WLP500 cake.

I thought it was too dry, so I bottled with 250 g of Malto dextrose, bringing the gravity up to 1.021 (WHAT WAS I THINKING??).

I used Lyles golden syrup to prime it.

It ended up a little sweet (especially to my taste now), but it has aged nicely and it's still quite drinkable.

Cheers to brewing & learning!

[phat matt]

drinking a cider with a little malt and hops. I added 2lbs light dme and steeped 10 ounces 60l crystal malt. Also added 1/2 ounce sazz hops for 40 min boil. Turned out pretty good. Definetly getting better the longer it sits. I has been a month since bottling and just now i am enjoying it fully.

[Derek]

BIG NUT Brown Ale

Inspired by the Amsterdam Nut Brown, brewed for the SOB contest.

The plan was to do an India Brown Ale, cutting back on the crystal to dry it out like an IPA, and of course hopping it like an American IPA.

5# American Pale
5# Marris Otter
2.2# Biscuit
1# Weyermann CaraMunich I
1# Crystal 120L
0.5# Chocolate Malt

1oz Simcoe 12.2%AA - 60 min
1oz Amarillo 7.5%AA - 30 min
1oz Centennial 8%AA - 20 min
1oz Willamette 5.5%AA - 10 min
1oz Simcoe - dry hop

OG=1.062
FG=1.012

The Amsterdam is lightly finished with Fuggle, so I thought I'd finish with the new-world derivative Willamette, thinking the woodsy spicing would go with the nutty flavour.

When I racked to secondary, it was right on track with what I had envisioned. Knowing the hops would fade, I dry hopped with an ounce of Simcoe. Man did that take over!

Not something I'd normally brew, but I might actually give it another go. A little less chocolate, cut back (or eliminate the dry hop), and maybe even add some oats to try & cut some of the hop acidity.

That said, the certified judge commented that if he was rating an Imperial Brown, he'd give it 38/50 (which was a pleasant surprise!).

[Derek]

I had my cool runnings dry stout with some shepherds pie; then had the Imperialish chocolate oatmeal this evening.

[jcc]

My TAFTH (Teach a Friend to Homebrew) Bock as post-work relaxer.

[matt7215]

Saison

70% pils malt
30% light wheat

tettanger hops

wyeast belgian saison strain

simple, easy, splendid (and after only a week in the bottle)
_________________
"I like the 10.5%, Jesus!"

[Derek]

My SMaSH Alt... double decocted light Munich and Mt. Hood (finished with homegrown hops).

After only a little more than 2 weeks in the bottle at cellar temps, the carbonation is a little light, but it's tasty.

[jaymack]

[matt7215]

just bottled this

[pootz]

popped the first liter of rocky Rye Bock....very happy with the resulys This one had 5 weeks of cold conditioning. Very smooth and roasty with a great rye-noble bite at the end.
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Gambrinus rules!

[Derek]

Bringing this thread back from the dead...

My last cider fermented with Chimay yeast.

My Jingle Belgian (Christmas) Dark Ale from 2005.

My Belgian chocolate stout... finished with Orval yeast and bottled up with three oak cubes for 4 years... man that was a gusher! Very tasty though.

[pootz]

I'm just finishing some cider made last month as well.....used champagne yeast, lemon zest, brown sugar ...nice tart-dry fizzy cider....great chilled on the porch in this hot weather.
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Gambrinus rules!

[matt7215]

[Derek]

I still see the Presidents Choice Cider at Value Mart. Just the plain, fresh-pressed cider, not the spiced/mulled one.

I used some of the mulled stuff in the fall, and I really didn't like the taste of the spices in the fermented cider. It had a bit of a cinnamon toothpaste to it.

[matt7215]

homebrewed unblended lambic
_________________
"I like the 10.5%, Jesus!"