Its been a long time(read over a year) since I've updated this. I have problems with motivation but I don't really want to get into that right now. I will try to start updating this every 3-4 weeks. Since my last post I have made at least six batches of beer. I made an Irish Red Ale, Belgian Pale Ale, Belgian Witbier, a Porter/American Brown Ale, American IPA, and American Wheat.
My brewing schedule was in no way regular even though it works out to brewing about every 2 months. I went a long time between the Witbier and the porter probably six months or so. Then I went a good 2 months after the porter and made the IPA and 3 weeks after that one I made the American Wheat.
I like to name all of my beers after Electric Six songs since they are my favorite band. The my last six beers were called Druid Fluid, Kukuxumushu, Formula 409, Gridlock!, Psychic Visions, and Simulated Love respectively.
As far as tasting I can really only comment on the porterish beer and the IPA. I really like both, even though they are very different beers. The porter/brown ale has a very strong chocolate malt flavor; it's bordering on too much and that's why it's almost a porter. If I brewed it again I would cut the chocolate malt by 2/3's and add more caramel malts to smooth it out. The IPA is an altered recipe of a kit called Dead Ringer IPA. The beer tastes similar to Bell's Two Hearted Ale. My version has Munich malt and more hops. Mine is a bit darker than the commercial beer and doesn't have quite the same hop character, but I still really like it. The American Wheat I just bottled, however, has only been in the bottle for a week so it's not quite time to crack one open. That beer was my own creation all of the way. I wanted a really hoppy beer that was low on bitterness. I used two types of hops I've never used before one is called Falconer's Flight and the other is Citra. I've had beers with Citra in them and I was impressed by the tropical fruit and citrus notes it imparted. The Falconer's Flight, however are completely new to me. They are a very pungently aromatic blend with a lot of citrus character. It smelled incredible when I was bottling it and I can't wait to taste it.
Wrapping up here real quick I will throw out some recommendations from the small beer tasting my friends and I had a couple of weeks ago. I will always recommend Bell's Two Hearted Ale its an outstandingly well balanced and tasty IPA. Next would be Founder's Dirty Bastard Scotch Ale, very taste and surpisingly clean and balanced. Flying Dog's In Heat Wheat Hefeweizen a German weizen with lots of clove flavors. Great Lakes' Eliot Ness, a nice Amber Lager with a surprising amount of malt character. Anchor Liberty Ale a nice Amber Ale. Victory Prima Pils, a nice clean and refreshing German Pils. Hennepin, a true to the style fruity and spicy Saison. Last but definitely not least I have to recommend Stone's Arrogant Bastard Ale. It is the most bitter beer I have ever had. That said it's probably one of the best beer's I've ever had. It has a great malt backbone to keep it in check though. Not every type of beer suits everyone so I like to do a variety.
Thanks for reading and get out there and try something new.
