Updates

Admittedly, it's been awhile since my last update, but until recently not too much has been happening. I nearly forgot about my Big Sky IPA while it sat in my closet carbonating, but I opened a few up over break and they tasted great: well-balanced, very hoppy but not necessarily bitter. A truly drinkable IPA, and much better than my first attempt with only Amarillo hops.

Speaking of forgetting things, I should probably move the Stock Ale into tertiary tonight, since it's now been sitting on Challenger hops for more than a month, which has a potential hazard to develop grassy flavors with prolonged dry-hopping, but in a beer this huge, I wouldn't expect it to make much of a difference.

I kept it on the downlow previously, but I made a great Viogner for my Mom for Christmas (a semi-sweet white) and pulled out all the stops, corking and waxing some nice clear Claret bottles and making custom labels. With a little bit of research, it was easy. I have a Sangiovese kit on the way (an Italian red) also for my mom, and a Sauvignon Blanc for myself. I'll probably whip those up when they arrive next week.


The really big news for the time being is that I received a $1200.00 grant from the Lee Honors College to hold a Beer and Food pairing dinner as my senior/honors thesis project, which is a really big deal. The tentative plan is to have a guest list of anywhere from 25-35, including faculty, friends, and family, and hopefully somebody influential that can get me a job doing what I want to do (namely: this). But basically, it's free money to brew beer, cook food, and have a great time. So instead of staying on brewing hiatus through the cold winter, I'm going to have to throw on some mittens and pull out the propane and get to work, since the event will probably take place in late March or early April. I'll be interviewing caterers in the near future, and will surely post about this event many many more times in the future, so keep your eyes open.

On deck (for this Monday and the following Sunday) are some old favorites: a reformulated Rachel that takes a few tips from Honker's Ale (a personal favorite), and Mikaela if I can get Molly to brave the cold with me. If not, I'll probably get started on the imperial dessert beer for the dinner so I can get maximum aging before the event. Expect an all new recipe along the lines of an old ale or barleywine. Until then...

Sam