Further Adventures in Brewing
So since my post in January I have brewed a further four (4) batches all of which turned out quite well, but before I get to those I wanted to hearken back to last Christmas, or actually in late January , when I first sampled my home brewed "Groundhog's Shadow" Spiced Christmas Ale. I spoke about this beer in my January post where I list the spices used (Cinnamon, ginger, All spice, Nutmeg) and some details about the process, but since I had not sampled the beer at that time there was no review. So to remedy that I'll start with that beer and then continue on to the 4 newest batches.
"Groundhog's Shadow" Spiced Christmas Ale - I poured my first sample after the beer had bottle conditioned for 4 weeks. It came out a deep amber colour with a thick rich head and plenty of carbonation. Had a nice flavour with a slightly bitter edge with hints of the spices used...not over powering or over obvious but certainly there.
My second sample came after the beer had conditioned a further two weeks, and this is a tasty beer. Slightly richer in flavour with a definite spice kick...again not overpowering just more obvious.
I am very happy with the final outcome and so far the reviews from everyone who has sampled it have been positive.
7% Abv
Rating: *****
Extra Special Pale Ale - Upon first taste not a bad flavour and slightly hoppier than your average Pale Ale with a hoppy bitterness quite pronounced in the aftertaste. My first impression was that this is a drinkable, but not spectacular, pale ale that would hopefully improve with more time conditioning in the bottle.
I have tried several times since and each time it was a little less bitter, and had a better head retention than my first few samples.
After about 4 weeks in the bottle I took a couple of litres to a party and everyone that tried it gave glowing reviews. (I think some of that was because they were surprised that it was as drinkable as it was)
One person actually asked for seconds.
When I first tasted this beer I rated it as a 3, raised it to a 4 after it conditioned for a bit longer, and in the end up to a 5. I would say that this was one of the best home brews I have made.
A very good pale ale! Just the right amount of hoppy bite with a nice foamy head that retains quite well, and a nice rich amber colour with good clarity. Very tasty!
5.25% Abv
Rating: *****
Belgian Style Wit - This was my first time using liquid yeast which in this case was 'Wyeast - Belgian Wit (3994)' Although Wit beers are usually spiced, generally with coriander, orange peel and a variety of other spices or herbs in the back ground, I did not use spices in this beer as the recipe I was using did not call for them. If I had done more research into what a Wit beer was I most likely would have added spices to my brew pot.
I had my first sample after the beer had conditioned for 14 days in the bottle. The beer had a rich and creamy long lasting head and was a cloudy pale yellow in colour. It had a nice fruity aroma and I could smell the liquid yeast that was used. It had a nice crisp taste with a hint of bitterness and a mild wheaty flavour. Although not quite as wheat forward as I had anticipated it was still a good flavourful beer. Another success.
4.5% Abv
Rating: ****
Grapefruit Bitter - A return to a recipe I used in the past. See my Jan 16/2013 post to see a description of the style but it's basically a Pacific Northwest take on an English bitter.
Had my first taste after the beer had conditioned for 16 days in the bottle. It had a nice thick foamy head, and was a rich amber colour. This turned out to be a nice easy drinking not too bitter bitter.
5.25% Abv
Rating: ****
So there you have reviews on my Christmas beer plus 3 of my newer batches. I've yet to sample my latest batch, which is an Irish Red Ale, and will post about that when I've had a taste.
Brew On!
"Groundhog's Shadow" Spiced Christmas Ale - I poured my first sample after the beer had bottle conditioned for 4 weeks. It came out a deep amber colour with a thick rich head and plenty of carbonation. Had a nice flavour with a slightly bitter edge with hints of the spices used...not over powering or over obvious but certainly there.
My second sample came after the beer had conditioned a further two weeks, and this is a tasty beer. Slightly richer in flavour with a definite spice kick...again not overpowering just more obvious.
I am very happy with the final outcome and so far the reviews from everyone who has sampled it have been positive.
7% Abv
Rating: *****
Extra Special Pale Ale - Upon first taste not a bad flavour and slightly hoppier than your average Pale Ale with a hoppy bitterness quite pronounced in the aftertaste. My first impression was that this is a drinkable, but not spectacular, pale ale that would hopefully improve with more time conditioning in the bottle.
I have tried several times since and each time it was a little less bitter, and had a better head retention than my first few samples.
After about 4 weeks in the bottle I took a couple of litres to a party and everyone that tried it gave glowing reviews. (I think some of that was because they were surprised that it was as drinkable as it was)
One person actually asked for seconds.
When I first tasted this beer I rated it as a 3, raised it to a 4 after it conditioned for a bit longer, and in the end up to a 5. I would say that this was one of the best home brews I have made.
A very good pale ale! Just the right amount of hoppy bite with a nice foamy head that retains quite well, and a nice rich amber colour with good clarity. Very tasty!
5.25% Abv
Rating: *****
Belgian Style Wit - This was my first time using liquid yeast which in this case was 'Wyeast - Belgian Wit (3994)' Although Wit beers are usually spiced, generally with coriander, orange peel and a variety of other spices or herbs in the back ground, I did not use spices in this beer as the recipe I was using did not call for them. If I had done more research into what a Wit beer was I most likely would have added spices to my brew pot.
I had my first sample after the beer had conditioned for 14 days in the bottle. The beer had a rich and creamy long lasting head and was a cloudy pale yellow in colour. It had a nice fruity aroma and I could smell the liquid yeast that was used. It had a nice crisp taste with a hint of bitterness and a mild wheaty flavour. Although not quite as wheat forward as I had anticipated it was still a good flavourful beer. Another success.
4.5% Abv
Rating: ****
Grapefruit Bitter - A return to a recipe I used in the past. See my Jan 16/2013 post to see a description of the style but it's basically a Pacific Northwest take on an English bitter.
Had my first taste after the beer had conditioned for 16 days in the bottle. It had a nice thick foamy head, and was a rich amber colour. This turned out to be a nice easy drinking not too bitter bitter.
5.25% Abv
Rating: ****
So there you have reviews on my Christmas beer plus 3 of my newer batches. I've yet to sample my latest batch, which is an Irish Red Ale, and will post about that when I've had a taste.
Brew On!
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