Brew Batch #66 (or #1) Jake's Juice AG

Final kegging, conditioning and bottling (6/30/15) has taken place on this much anticipated batch of JJ's and this was an awesome experience in changing one aspect of a beer with slight but profound difference in the profile. In the past I had used solely American 1010 yeast, but with this batch I pitched it and German 2565 in their respective fermenters. Each one had the same amount of time in their primaries, racking and conditioning and the jury is in. German 2565 came in at 1.004+0.001 @74F yielded 5.91% abv, the best albeit the same color but with a taste slightly sweeter and a minuscule yeast background. American 1010 (my stable horse on this recipe) 1.002+0.002 @77F yielded 6.3% basically the same color but with a more crisp and a hint of tartness that in batches before I had overlooked or missed. I am extremely proud of this maiden all grain lengthily researched batch. With a protein rest next time and the same conditioning schedule, it may hit it's pinnacle. However, like all good horses I think I'll have to let 1010 got to pasture because the properties 2565 showed, I'm going to let it race from now on.

Our Tastes-- Yellowhammer 3rd Anniversary Ale

Yellowhammer 3rd Anniversary Ale is a Belgian Strong Dark Ale at 9.2%. It pours up the same color we've had all night. Death by mahogany. The nose imparts a nice vanilla extract on the flattened head no doubt from the aging and abv (it's a 2013 brew). Astringent to begin with but ends spicy warm as it passes through the palate with a full bodied peppercorn coming through. I've noticed YH likes brewing Belgians of all kinds. Next time I'm in Huntsville, I may need to try their tasting room. Solid beer guys, keep it up.

Our Tastes-- Voodoo Doughnut Pretzel Raspberry Chocolate Ale

Another contribution by Junk and a taster I finally got to try. This line of beers also includes a banana doughnut something or other, I think? VDPRCA pours a dark brown with chestnut highlights and is made with 10 ingredients, "2-Row, Munich, C120, Chocolate, Black - Kiln Coffee & Rogue Farms Dare™ and Risk™ Malts; Rogue Farms Rebel Hops™; Pretzels, Raspberry Extract, Chocolate, Pacman Yeast & Free Range Coastal Water". The aroma is dead on for absolute German chocolate covered pretzels!! Now let's be honest the taste is a gimmick and I often wonder what "flavor" we will taint good beer with next along with a snazzy label just to push conventional thought. Having said that and being a capitalist and proponent of the free market, I'd buy it again, try it with doughnuts and the shirt though pink is a must have for me. 5.4% abv for this candy coated "doughnut" brown ale. Will be trying the bacon one when I get it with my bacon-lovers t-shirt on.

Brew Batch #65 La Gran Calabaza...Pastel

Into the keg today at FG 1.010+ 0.001 @74F. The color is spot on and the nose hints away at pumpkin pie but it's much more subdued that I thought. This recipe has continued to haunt me, but I've decided not to give up. I'll just continue to take good notes and alter it where necessary. I'll be dropping it cold and blowing off the keg, so in the mean time while it's pressurizing, I hope the nose and flavor pump up a bit. On the FG taste it seemed more like an amber that someone jut put spices in, not 8lbs of pumpkin. 6.83% and we'll see where it goes, even have a great tap handle for the keezer!

National Beer Day

I had no idea that this was such a big deal that we celebrated New Beer's Eve (April 6th), to coincide with it. So on this day in 1933 FDR signed the Cullen-Harrison Act which allowed people to buy, sell and drink beer again as long as it was <4 .05="" 1.5million="" a="" abv.="" amstel="" barrels="" be="" beer="" day="" drank="" drinking="" enough="" href="http://www.brewersassociation.org/statistics/by-state/" in="" is="" light="" more="" must="" oddly="" of="" one="" popular="" population="" s="" so="" than="" that="" the="" why="">Colorado
produced in all of 2013. To put it all in perspective, every man, woman and child (and yes the census included Native American's as of 1930) consumed 47 ounces of beer on that one day. You read it here first.

Our Tastes-- Southern Tier Warlock

I finally got a chance to sample Southern Tier Warlock and it did not disappoint. The dichotomy to ST's Imperial Ale, Pumking, this imperial stout has already been perfected considering it's only been brewed since 2013. Pouring a clear medium brown with slight garnet hues, the white thin head gave way to pumpkin pie and hazel nut (good pick up by The Taskmaster). The taste is a bit overly spicy in the nutmeg realm with much bitter coffee in conjunction with allspice. I haven't tried a lot of ST brews, but after checking out their website, I may have to brush up a bit more on them. I noticed at least 4 pumpkin based beers, so apparently they're not skittish of the gourd! I'll definitely be picking this full bodied "Black Series" beer up again next year. 8.6% abv

Happy St. Pat's 2015

It's a rarity that I have to work on St. Pat's but this year was just how it fell. Managed to get in a pint of lovely and found a couple of articles that explain a good bit behind the "why" of certain points to the holiday. I think the last one is a little extreme but has some good points. But if they post it at the international airport in Dublin, it's gotta be right.

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/lifestyle/2014/03/please-dont-call-it-st-pattys-day/
http://paddynotpatty.com/
http://gawker.com/5990788/its-st-paddys-day-not-st-pattys-day