June News

Not much for recent brews, just the Malt Liquor this past Saturday. I've been meaning to brew more, but my weekends have been occupied. The last brew could have gone better: I lost propane 20 minutes (instead of 60) into the boil, just as a massive thunderstorm rolled through, so I didn't get the boil down volume to where I had intended, which will affect the strength of the formerly 8% beer (but will stay within typical malt liquor range) and the effect of the hops. A shorter boil for my 60 minute hops (the beer's only hop addition) will mean less bitterness and slightly more flavor. This could be good or bad; it all depends on the specific characteristics of the final product. Right now, primary fermentation is winding down; the beer got a charge of powdered amylase enzyme in the primary to break up dextrins and starches throughout the fermentation, drying the beer out as per usual in malt liquors. As a result, I'll have to be extra patient to make sure the fermentation is complete before moving it into secondary and letting it sit a short while.

Other than that, Annabelle is now on tap, lightly carbed and tasting terrific. Finally nailed down that recipe...and an empty tap will probably hold the Rozenbier in the near future, though I'm worried that an inconsistant mash really ended up making this beer turbid and starchy, which may affect its flavor significantly. But time will tell.

On deck: another Hannah, Icarus (strong, Belgian honey wheat) and preparations for Sarah's wedding!