On Tap (Jan 11th 2010)
Its been a busy week for non-beer related reasons. The job market is really picking up and I have been interviewing like crazy. We managed to spend some great time with friends for my birthday, spending time sampling beers from all around the world. I have very thoughtful friends. We had a great Northern California Organic Porter that won the night but my American IPA came in 2nd. Back at home we polished off the Abbot Ale, moved some ales into the secondary and bottles and started a new batch. Its time for an On Tap update.
Primary
- Flowers Original Ale clone (1 day) – my first brew of 2010 and first attempt at the classic Flowers recipe I worked on earlier this week. OG came in as expected, the yeast is doing its job, now we wait and see.
Secondary
- Draught Irish Ale (3 days) – my first attempt at Northern Brewers Irish Ale, this one is destined for the keg. FG came in slightly higher than expected as the yeast attenuation was higher than the stated 71-75% coming in at 78%. Not complaining, the sample was sufficiently robust with nutty notes, the wife will like this one.
- Dry Irish Stout (2 days) – my second batch of Northern Brewers Guinness clone and a faithful reproduction it is. This batch is a pre-order keg for a friends poker night though I hope to get a couple of bottles for myself. Its on the money and proceeding well in the secondary
- Lord Fatbottom Ale (2 week 3 days) – 2 1/2 weeks of a 6 month rest down and already cleared.
Bottle Conditioning
- Swampswill 6X (2 days) – my first attempt at a true Wadworth 6X clone, only doing a 2.5 gl batch as an experiment which yielded just under a case. Still excited about this one, FG is spot on, the ale is bright and on target for colour and aroma. I will reduce the quantity of oak chips in future recipes as the oak comes through a little strong but I hope everything settles out during conditioning. Tried some Coopers carb tabs to see if I can get a more consistent carbonation.
- Dogfish Head 90 min IPA clone – (1 month, 3 weeks) Over half way through its 3 month rest, cannot wait. Still managed not to open a bottle.
Drinking
- Sinistral Warrior IPA (3 days) – nice hoppy IPA, not quite an Imperial but its close. Became my birthday brew, an awesome, peppery IPA by Northern Brewer. Colour is bright, with smooth mouthfeel and a bunch of peppery hops. We managed to finish off almost a case with all the birthday activities and everyone that sampled a bottle gave a strong thumbs up. Its a nominee for the 2010 brew of the year.
- Chiswick ESB (1 day) – version 1.0 of my Fullers ESB clone. I am disappointed. I cracked open the first bottle yesterday and my postmortem will be the subject of a post later this week.
