Apologies

It's been awhile since I've posted, but it's been awhile since I've done anything with the brew. But not to worry. Ophelia is still in secondary, and she should benefit from the aging by losing that ripe, new beer flavor caused by active yeast. Judging by the looks of her, the fact that she's still crystal clear (as clear as a dark beer can be) and has nothing floating on top, this may be our most stable batch yet. I'm excited to see what the aging process will lend to her. We'll bottle this week sometime, hopefully, but exams and such have made the end of the semester rather hectic. Not to mention female distractions.

Hannah, therefore, is off to a late start, and we won't be able to get her out by Christmas. I ordered 20 blank six-pack containers, with label paper, to make up nice professional looking samplers a gifts. Consider yourself lucky if you get one. They'll contain 2 of each of our remaining beers: Jasmine, Cristin, and Ophelia. That's the plan anyway.

So Hannah's next up. We'll brew her definately during holiday break, if not sooner, depending on available time. After that, I'm looking into some more adventurous recipes, including trying to capture the essence of Chai in beer form. It may be a flop. We'll just have to see. Nothing has completely sucked so far.

Sorry it's been so long. Don't worry, we're still going strong.

Sam

Ophelia Update

Racked Ophelia into secondary today, because her fermentation started like crazy. She probably has a little left in her, but an early change of environments off all the dead yeast and grain husks is going to keep her clean and stable.

I gave her a taste. Very chocolatey, yum yum. Trust me, you want to try this one. End of November.

Sam

Successful Brew

Brewed Ophelia tonight. Very successful batch. I feel we've finally gotten a grasp on our own personal brewing methodology, rather than experimenting and not knowing what to expect. Putting the grain in little muslin bags and floating them around like bobbing apples...squeezing out their juices with a potato masher...I guess it's sort of primitive, but it's very consistent (our efficiency is about 60%, as expected), and Kitten gets to take out his feline rage through the use of a common kitchen utensil.

As for the beer, she should turn out exactly as expected, around 5.5% alcohol and nice and dark (but not opaque). I made a last minute to add 1/3 cup of coffee grinds, via a little filter pouch. I'm unsure if it'll make any noticable difference (some people brew porters and stouts with 5 quarts of brewed espresso), but hopefully it'll add a nice touch to the coffee flavor already imparted by the chocolate malt (not actually chocolate; the name refers to the color).

Dierksenkougan's first official dark beer will be done in 3 or 4 weeks. There's no need for extended aging on Ophelia; it wouldn't likely make much of a difference. Come enjoy a bottle with us following Thanksgiving break.

Look for art updates regarding Ophelia's label, and news about new t-shirts or hoodies. If you're not in immediate contact with me here at Western, let me know if you're interested soon! They'll be cheap, too.

A repeat brewing of Hannah is next. I'd like to have bottles available by Christmas so as to distribute them to those who missed the first run. Similarly, let me know now if you'd like me to set one aside for you.

Sam