Pinging the list!
Good evening! Sampling a few Barley wine ales I bottled up on Monday even tho they aren’t quite ripe yet, just couldn’t wait. Not exactly what I expected but not bad at all. Will be even better in a few more weeks. Oh yeah, they are 14%! On my 3rd one and #4 should about wrap things up I’d say =)
Reporting for duty.
Enjoying a local brew now - Summit Saga. Very nice and hoppy. For the weekend, I have alternative choices:
1. Homebrew pilsner that I started in January and brewed extra hoppy. Had one pint last weekend and the head held through the entire glass; each sip leaving a foamy ring. My only complaint was that it is a bit thin. Just the ticket for spicy brats and homemade sauerkraut.
2. DAB - a Dortmunder style beer. I have mourned to loss of Dortmunder Union bier for over a decade now. It seemed to me as a young beer drinker that that beer was as close to perfection as possible on this earth. Malty and yet clearly hopped. Very good memories and this is . . . well, quite similar. I think my tastes may have grown to favor more hops and less malt. Still, it has enough appeal that I may try brewing a batch this fall.
Finally, my barley crop is doing OK but broadcasting the seed was a poor second to drilling. The strain is Conlon - a two row barley from NDU in the late ‘90’s (I think). High productivity and excellent malting characteristics from what I read. The hops vine, too, are doing very well and loving all the rain; this year we’re close to Seattle’s climate. Unfortunately, my clay soils are a mess for every other kind of planting since tilling is impossible with this muck.
Prosit!
Can you add me to the ping list? I had to do something with last years excess plums and apples, so I made plum wine and hard cider.
Brewed a nut brown ale on Memorial Day. Pitched the yeast (Nottigham)about 4 pm that afternoon. At or before 8 am Tuesday , I had a mess on my hands. Blew the airlock and rubber stopper off the carboy. Hops and wort everywhere.
I cleaned up and placed a blow-off hose in the stopper.
She’s still roiling 4 days later.
It should be an interesting keg o brew.