Tuesday 28 June 2011

Mmmm, I'm getting grapefruit...

Having been enticed into the world of aromatic US hops, I brewed an all Amarillo IPA at the weekend....some interesting new ingredients (Munich malt and cara-amber, supposed to give a bit of colour, sweetness, and something to do with biscuits???? WTF???), including amazingly pungent Amarillo hops. They smelt really citrusy, and I'm looking forward to a bottle of this chilled down....shame it takes so long to brew, the weather here is just a bit on the muggy side.

Another brew-in-the-bag effort this. I'm still struggling to control temperatures, and I am hoping I managed to get something approaching a decent conversion out of the process. Clocked in at OG 1052, not quite the 1058 I planned for. Still, the way it started bubbling within about an hour of pitching, fermentation might be done before I know it!! Great pitchable vials of yeast from White Labs, same price as the smack packs I buy, no starter necessary....bonus. Certainly liked the warmish temperatures to start it off; it's now frothing away like mad.....

Tuesday 7 June 2011

Pacific Rim musings

It's been a mad month.....travelling hither and thither. Start of the month, the Lakes for a week, third week of May two days in Germany, week four saw three days in France, and the end (plus 13 days in June) sees me on Vancouver Island.

What a place this is. Difficult to sum up in words, you just need to come here! Different to my visits to the Rockies, but none the worse for missing the odd glacier!

Added to that, the West Coast vibe of craft brewing has also made it here. Sampled some good stuff from Vancouver Island Brewery, and, last night checked out two beers by the local Tofino Brewing Company (Beer transport miles = 1). A good 'Tuff Session Ale', well balanced with an interesting hint of at the end...burnt sugar?...reminded me of that really dark maple syrup you can get. But the Hoppin' Cretin IPA was glorious...not hopped beyond belief like some of these new N American IPAs, and better for it, in my opinion. Great citrus hits from the hops, and a solid bitter taste throughout.

On the homebrew front, thoughts turn to that all Amarillo IPA I have been promising to myself...will have to get to ordering the ingredients, so they are there on my return