Matt has informed me that if I actually updated my site more than once a month, I would probably have more readers. To that end, I am going to begin an initiative to keep my site up to date (if you are keeping track, this is the 3rd or 4th such initiative). The worst part is, I have lots and lots to post about! This first post will be about something near and dear to my heart (not as near or dear as Anna & Parker though); this post will be about recent beer happenings.
At the beginning of June I entered my second homebrew competition. Feeling a tad more confident, and convinced (at least at the time) that I could handle any negative feedback, I entered four categories and one special entry category. The beers I entered were: BBC 60 Shilling Scottish (BBC stands for Benjamin Brewing Company, this beer was previously a 2nd place winner), BBC Dubbel Down Ale (a Belgian Dubbel), Pink Triang Ale (a beer with a pink hue, it was a Raspberry Cream Ale), and Comrade Alofskie's Russian Imperial Stout (a very, very strong Russian Imperial Stout, it is absolutely pitch black with a dark brown head and weighs in at 12% alcohol by volume). In the end though, Pink Triang Ale was the winner of my entries, grabbing me my first 1st place ribbon (I'll take a picture of it later). My other entries were all panned for various reasons, the Dubbel wasn't complex enough (possibly due to my use of table sugar instead of a complex Belgian sugar syrup, or maybe my yeast selection), the 60 Shilling was too old I think, at the time I bottled it, my bottling methods weren't very sophisticated and to some degree its longevitiy suffered because of it, and Comrade Alofskie's just wasn't 'roasty and toasty' enough apparently. Comrade Alofskie's was also entered into a second special category, a category judged for strength and drinkability (the so-called High Gravity Brew-Off). In that category, Alofskie's was received a little more warmly, garnering comments such as 'Do not share this with those that are unworthy', but alas, even with a relatively high score in that category, it did not place. Winners of the other categories are also all put into a last round selection for Best of Show, and while Pink Triang Ale didn't win BOS, it did get an honorable mention for it, which was cool. My next contests are in September, so I have plenty of time to brew up some entries. I'll probably end up entering alot of things I am brewing for upcoming family social events (more on that in a different entry).
Some recent beer tasting notes (if I can remember, I'll make a separate page in the near future to hold all of my notes in one place):
Project Opus 10, Two Brothers Brewery - To celebrate our house closing (more on that in a different entry), Anna and I bought got a bottle of this unique beer (instead of Champagne). The beer was a dark amber, copper color with a fleeting, rocky white head. The aroma was of wood, earth, and some cherry. The taste started kind of malty, had a touch of tart, and ended with a sort of coffee, leather finish. Overall I think we both liked the beer, but it is relatively expensive for the small bottle and in this case, I'm not sure the cost is justified.
Bare Tree Weiss Wine, Two Brothers Brewery - I'm not sure what vintage the bottles of this I got were, but I did enjoy this beer. A bit of time has passed since I drank it, but I do remember nice complex fruit and wood aromas from the glass. When the beer was cold (around 40F), the flavors were more muted and the hop bitterness was very subdued, when it warmed up (around 50F), many of the flavors were magnified considerably (along with the hop bitterness, so much in fact that Anna finds it much more enjoyable when it is colder, she's not a big bitter fan). I have kept aside two bottles of this for further tasting down the road :)
Three Philosophers Quadrupel, Ommegang Brewery - After listening to the head brewer, Randy Thiel, during an interview on a beer brewing podcast, I was really intrigued by the idea of this beer. A malty, high alcohol beer that is blended with a small amount of tart cherry lambic. I located this beer and decided to try it a few weekends ago; I was not disappointed by what I found. The beer is a dark, rust colored brown with an abundant tan head. The aroma is of malt and fruits. The taste is malty but also has a complex element of figs, prunes, and raisins. This last weekend, I convinced Anna to get another bottle of this for tasting and I think she really enjoyed it as well. In Champaign-Urbana, you'll find that Sunsinger Wine and Deli has the lowest price on this ($6.49 for a 750ml, if I remember correctly, and worth every penny).
Duveneck's Dortmunder Style Lager, BarrelHouse Beers - The first Dortmunder lager I had was actually one of last year's Longshot winners. I enjoyed that beer so much, I decided to give this beer of the same style a try. This particular beer was a malty, decently bodied lager I tried recently with just a touch of hops to it. Overall I thought this beer was a good example of the style.
RedLegg Ale, BarrelHouse Beers - This beer, by the same brewer as the fore-mentioned Dortmunder, is an American Amber Ale. I didn't really know what to make of this beer. It was so malty and butterscotch flavored that I'm not really sure I enjoyed it. The aroma was dominated by malt and the taste was almost entirely malt and some butter to the end. I may try this beer again to get a better feel for what it is all about.
Well, that's all for now, look for another update after work...