What are you drinking now?

[Bum]

WARNING: Parenthesis alert!

Earlier was my first RIS (not ready yet, needs the edges smoothed out still) then came my lotto entry (uh, easily my hardest going beer in over a year - I'm really struggling with the bitterness and grass (and I usually enjoy both). No idea how Mick will fare. Sorry, that's why they call it gambling, dude) and now is a GB which was not so great early on but is really hitting its straps now (oh, only half the batch left, you say? When will I learn?).

[Tipsy]

( )

[Bum]

(I think someone might have had enough to drink last night (though not too much (obviously) - merely "enough".)

[Oliver]

(I think someone might have had enough to drink last night (though not too much (obviously) - merely "enough".)

Hey Bum, I think you missed a bracked! You've got three opened but only two closed

Oliver

[Bum]

I hadn't actually finished yet.)

[hirns]

I hadn't actually finished yet.)

Love it! (()(((

Hirns

[Tipsy]

Boubon and coke cos it's easy to get down and the little voice in my head has been subdued so I'm up for a few more.

[gregb]

Toasted the end of 2010 with a Coopers Vintage and Chimay Blue, both 2010's of course.

[jords]

Hi Elec

My first simple all-juice cider. Exceeds expectations. Don't know if its even worth carbonating it, its more than acceptable straight from the fermenter after 2 days cc. Next round will have a bottle of Nudie in the mix to add a bit.

regards

All juice cider sounds super tasty, any thoughts on ways to keep a moderately sweet finish on it though? My last attempt (from a kit) was sweet when young but turned bone dry with age (I have a feeling there were some undesirables in there too though)

Using the nudie sounds like a great idea, are you boiling your juice?

A couple of months ago a friend left an unopened botle of nudie (reckon it was some kind of strawberry mix) in the fridge. I didnt notice it for a few weeks and when I opened it the thing turned into a foam bomb (inside my nice and clean kitchen).

Nudie have a disclaimer on the label stating that as the juice is unpreserved it should be drunk quickly (ie. not stored as I did). Cearly as it fermented in the bottle it has bugs in it... How to kill them off? Can you boil juice before adding to the fermenter?

Apologies if this is seen as OT, I am still getting the hang of forum etiquette.

By the way... Am recovering from drinking too much vino (I love that italians actually call wine vino, it's not just a nickname!)

Bye for now!

[rotten]

I'm drinking my 2nd installment ot the good drsmurtos TTL clone. Tastes much like the first which even by the designers comments wasn't that bad! I did change the 3rd and 4th installment so far just for science sake, (& I didn't have the same amount of hops) not tasted yet though.
Cheers and many more beers during 2011.

[jords]

10 month old Orval... Not sure about it yet

[drsmurto]

Latest attempt at a Bo Pils. One of my brewing resolutions for 2011 is to nail this style. This one is straight rainwater, the batch fermenting currently has the pH adjusted to 5.5 using CaCl2 and CaSO4. The next one will have the pH adjusted using acid.

It looks very good, 100% JW pils (100% czech saaz) so the extra colour is coming from the decoction. Tastes good but it's lacking the crisp finish you get from a good bo pils.

Sitting on the new Monster Mill

[rotten]

That looks awesome, I'm jealous. Your Bo Pils looks great too

[Bum]

Speaking of BoPils...I had a reasonably nice one tonight (thought it isn't one of my favourite styles) at Red Hill Brewery - easily their best composed current beer. It was tasting night focussed on their Christmas Ale and aged versions thereof. Had the 2006, 2007, 2009 (barrel aged) and 2010 Christmas Ale. Didn't get really much of any sort of the Belgian estery thing going on from any of them despite their claim it is a Dubbel. Favourite was easily the 2006 (very nice dark fruit/Christmas cake flavours) followed by the barrel aged 2009. Was also served an aged Imperial Stout (I missed the year) and while it was very plain in the aroma it was delicious. Also had more than a few pints of the scotch ale. On the way out I asked if they had the 2006 Christmas Ale for sale -in return I received a shifty look about the place and two free bottles. I then went on to ask about the aged Imperial Stout and received the same look and another free bottle (which on my return home I discovered was actually a 2007 Christmas Ale - not too upset as I'm putting it away and hoping it will be as good as the 2006).

Anyway, of the 5 people in our group there I was pretty much the only one who liked any of the Christmas Ale tasters so I've had something like 20 tasters and howeverthehellmany pints either side and am proper newted. Still not a huge fan of the brewery's product from the shop but have a new respect for their specialties and their view of the long game.

[Tipsy]

Latest attempt at a Bo Pils. One of my brewing resolutions for 2011 is to nail this style. This one is straight rainwater, the batch fermenting currently has the pH adjusted to 5.5 using CaCl2 and CaSO4. The next one will have the pH adjusted using acid.

It looks very good, 100% JW pils (100% czech saaz) so the extra colour is coming from the decoction. Tastes good but it's lacking the crisp finish you get from a good bo pils.

Sitting on the new Monster Mill

That colour is fantastic, I really need to give a decoction a go.

[Planner]

Had a stubbie of Brewdog Tokyo (RIS) on the weekend. Nothing like I expected, more like a port with some stout taste, than a RIS (or what I expect a RIS to taste like, after only sampling the Samual Smith version and a knb brew).
Will probably buy again, but with the expectation that it will be drank as a finisher at the end of the night, as a substitute for a port (I am quite fond of port, have I said that before ).

A word of warning, drinking 330ml of 18.2% stout after a gutfull of beer, may effect judgement and lead to the unwise intake of a further 4 glasses of scotch

[elec]

Hi Elec

My first simple all-juice cider. Exceeds expectations. Don't know if its even worth carbonating it, its more than acceptable straight from the fermenter after 2 days cc. Next round will have a bottle of Nudie in the mix to add a bit.

regards

All juice cider sounds super tasty, any thoughts on ways to keep a moderately sweet finish on it though? My last attempt (from a kit) was sweet when young but turned bone dry with age (I have a feeling there were some undesirables in there too though)

Using the nudie sounds like a great idea, are you boiling your juice?

A couple of months ago a friend left an unopened botle of nudie (reckon it was some kind of strawberry mix) in the fridge. I didnt notice it for a few weeks and when I opened it the thing turned into a foam bomb (inside my nice and clean kitchen).

Nudie have a disclaimer on the label stating that as the juice is unpreserved it should be drunk quickly (ie. not stored as I did). Cearly as it fermented in the bottle it has bugs in it... How to kill them off? Can you boil juice before adding to the fermenter?

Apologies if this is seen as OT, I am still getting the hang of forum etiquette.

By the way... Am recovering from drinking too much vino (I love that italians actually call wine vino, it's not just a nickname!)

Bye for now!

Jords, I just threw the nudie in the fermenter with the rest of the Berri juice. I was using the yeastcake from the previous cider, and reckoned I had plenty of yeasties to deal with the nudie's rawness (?) Certainly doesn't smell dodgy, but proof will be in the kegging this
weekend. There are several ways of keeping some residual sweetness, including cold crashing at the desired FG and kegging, killing the yeast with a campden tablet at the desired FG, or simply adding a splash of apple juice when serving...

Regards

[Oliver]

I dropped past the local bottleshop (which happily, or worringly depending on how you look at it, is a block away) on the way home from work. I picked up a mixed six-pack and got a 10% discount for my troubles.

Just finished a Brew Dog Punk IPA. It's 6% and intensely bitter (45 IBU). It's just past its BB date, so I suspect it's not as aromatic as it once was. In fact, it's not very aromatic at all.

Another beer beckons.

Oliver

[Oliver]

Just had a sip of the Weihenstephaner Pilsner that I bought for Mrs Homebrewandbeer.com. A delicious drop it is too: clean and crisp with nice maltiness. She is happy, which of course is the main thing.

Unfortunately for me I'm drinking a Two Metre Tall brewery Forester Pale Ale from Tasmania. When I popped the top off it was like a geyser. The aroma is astringent and unpleasant, as is the taste. It's made with PoR hops, apparently, and there are just too many of them. With a different hop (more of a lower-bitterness hop?) this may have worked. It's a pity, because it's a lovely deep copper colour with a long-lasting head.

More soon ... if I remember.

Oliver

[Oliver]

On to a Bridge Road "The Harvest" from norther Victoria, which is brewed with hops from the Rostrevor Hop Garden. The only way I can describe this is like the little brother of the previous Forester Pale Ale, except very pale. Which is to say I'm not loving it. It's astringent of taste and of nose, and while the maltiness is coming through a bit more as it warms up, it's not a great beer, sadly.

The danger of brewing with experimental hops, I guess. You've got to give them something for that.

Oliver