So I figured my lack of posting would happen fast but I wasn't aware it had been this long with out an update.
I've pretty much moved completely over to partial mashing. I tried out a new system of bottling and didn't have the best results. It was, however, a learning experience. The beer turned out very well. I ended up drinking a large quantity of it the last night of my camping trip. I think I have the system figured out and it is a convenient way to dispense beer in the home. It's called Tap-A-Draft. It consists of 6 liter bottles with an apparatus that dispenses with small CO2 cartridges.
So the last beer I brewed was a Chocolate Cream/Milk/Sweet Stout. Sweet stouts are like normal stouts in appearance but they have a lot of residual sweetness and very heavy bodied. The recipe uses copious amounts of dark grains to achieve the desired sweet coffee and bitter chocolate flavors. At the end of the boil I added an entire can of Hershey's Unsweetened Cocoa Powder for a more pronounced chocolate flavor. Most books recommend letting the beer sit on the chocolate sludge for at least 10 days. Due the the extremely slowly attenuating yeast strain I used its been over a month on the chocolate. I expect a ridiculous amount of chocolate flavor. Sweet stout is usually reminiscent of an iced coffee. A bit sweet bit still roasty. It is also a heavy beer because it is brewed with a lot of sugars that yeast won't ferment. These left over sugars increase the body because they don't turn into alcohol which usually makes the solution thinner. I think I will hit the mark on this one I just wish it would have been done sooner. I like to name my beers after Electric Six songs and this one is aptly named Chocolate Pope.
My next beer is going to be a Belgian pale ale. Which I will probably brew Tuesday. They are usually spicy and fruity with lower hop bitterness and low hop character but still finishes dry enough to stay well balanced. I've named it Kukuxumushu. The next after that will be Formula 409, an American Wheat and my fourth wheat beer to date. The cider is still aging nicely and I have decided to dump the pumpkin spice ale. I am also planning a weekly or bi-weekly beer review/tasting.
