Samiclaus continues to churn away, Bo-Pils is lagering, and a young Double Bock is on tap and will be good once it has aged (if it makes it that long!)...
It would seem that I am not as good at updating as I once was. Tough tacos. Anyway, severl developments in the RCBC...
First, the "RC" is gone, sold it to a nice guy in Apex, NC. I used the proceeds to build a cold room and begin construction on my basement gameroom. Gameroom is almost complete, and I still have enough cash leftover to upgrade the brewery.
Second, I've joined a group to become a certified Beer Judge (BJCP). It's a lot of memorization, and figuring out what flavors are what in beer. I've enjoyed it, but to say it is difficult would be an understatement. Examine in in June.
Third, once again I am brewing a big beer, Samiclaus, for the BBG club. Next weekend it is on!
Finally, the Dopplebock came out well, so far. Definitely needs some time to lager, so we will get to see how it goes after that. I also brewed a Bohemian pilsner using pallisade bittering hops, not proper, but that's what you get during a hop shortage!
Nearly a month, not that anyone is counting. Starting a new business has taken it's toll on my free time!
The Christmas Stout got good reviews at my club meeting last night, although it is obviously not a drinking beer, and therefore not much was missing when I got home. No biggie, it's a rich full beer that wasn't meant to be drank in bulk...
Another biggie is the CAP I have lagering. It's mellowing nicely, although I figure it really needs a few months more. I'll have to put it on tap before then since that's about all I have right now. Brewing gold ale this weekend that should be ready to serve in a few weeks, so I can make up the difference.
A true beer this Pilsner is,
Not weak, tastless, Clydesdale horse piss.
It's big and it's bold,
On your palate it will hold,
A flavor your taste buds will miss!
American Pilsners have a particularly bad rap for beer snobs out there thanks to the efforts of Anheuser-Busch and Miller Brewing. Don't get me wrong, these companies garner tremendous respect for me as a hombrewer because they produce a consistent, quality product. Their product, however, is a far cry from the original CAP that was full-bodied and full of flavor...
So I took it upon myself to try and recreate the CAP the way it was meant to be. Only thing is I am cleaning out the winter grain stock and had pilsner malt (CAPs usually use 6-row malts) and 2 pounds of corn. Either way I went big, with a strong starting gravity that sould put us in the 6-6.5% ABV range. Balanced that with a heartier hop bill than normal and a bit of Munich to give it a tad more flavor. I have high hopes for this brew!
Spent a week at the beach with the wife drinking homebrew and hooch...Good Times...
Back home and brewed a Dunkel yesterday, trying to get rid of some pilsner malt. I still have a good bit of it, thinking of doing a big classic American Pilsner later this week as well.
This Friday I am brewing a Scottish Ale using a recipe I found on the net. It's called "Highland Amber" and I hope to do it justice. This winter I'm going to try and brew a number of different styles:
Belgian (Farmhouse style)
American Lager (Sam Adams)
Bock
German Pilsner
EXPERIMENTAL (Probably the chestnut brown)
Porter
We'll see how many I get through since I will be moving to part-time work and doing some home remodeling!
