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woensdag 28 november 2012

How's the beer, you say?

A long overdue status update on my brews then.

Red&BruCap isn't doing very well. After some weeks in warm storage, followed by two more in cold, the beer still refuses to carbonate. And while I think it's tasty, I never intended it to be served flat.
Just so.
My guess is that the estimated 11% ABV is just too much for the Moinette yeast to handle. Graphically speaking, the yeast has pee-ed itself to death.

That picture in your mind should be graphic enough already.

I'm going to try and be patient with this one, emploing various tricks of the trade to get this secondary fermentation thing on a roll. If temperature control, turning the bottles upside down and playing Eine Kleine Nachtmusik don't work, I'll need to manually reopen every bottle, add some sturdy yeast, and recap'em.

But I'm still filled with hope about this one.

No not that one.

Torakun, my little dojo tiger, is doing well. I siphoned the beer off the yeast sediment after a good week of lagering, and then put it back in the celler, with some added Pacific Jade hops for dry-hopping. Lab tests run during the first week of lagering were optimistic: the hop is robustly present, and the Munich malt gives the beer a certain toothiness which is fitting for a wee tiger. One carboy will become the KIAI version, with a secret ingredient added for extra punch.


Sometime this week, it'll be bottling time again, and Bob, you better make sure this tiger doesn't become another sick puppy.

Until then!

Greetz

Jo

dinsdag 27 november 2012

Haver & Gort (de Molen)

When the cap of your bottle of beer is sealed with a layer of thick black wax, then you know you're holding a bit a cellar beast. If said beast comes with this spiffy typical de Molen label, anticipation soars through the rooftop.

Pic not actually mine since camera AWOL.
De Molen use semi-funny, ampersand-empowered names for their beers, and this one is no exception. Haver&Gort translates quite literally to "Oats&Grits", which makes sense when you read the label. As usual, you're left in the dark as to exactly what kind of "Extra strong beer" this will be, but I was informed by those in the know: this is an (Russian) Imperial Stout.

Which means "Pimped Up Kickass Stout Extreme To The Max" for the uninitiated

It pours like syrup; a thick, almost gloopy, pitch black monster of a brew, topped with a surprisingly lively tan head, which settles to a creamy froth. Oh my, what a sight.

In the nose, you get an explosive richness which I've come to expect from the Molen's heavy stouts. You get some coffee, a bit of chocolate, and lots and lots of dark dried fruits. Figs and apricots, mostly, overlayed with a boozy, almost peaty maltiness. There's something vastly intriguing about the nose of this one, an intangible whiff of smoky heat, like the residual smell of a woodstove on winter mornings. Just a smidgeon of grainy, cerealy, oatmealy suaveness too.
I've no idea just what kind of barrel the Haver&Gort was aged in, but I'm guessing it's whisky. Never fear: the oak is there, and just a hint of peat, but it's never the main feature.

The mouthfeel is perversely sensual: silken, smooth and full bodied like a wanton maiden. Low carbonation, which is just what I expect from a 12.5% ABV stout, and the booziness just adds to the sensuality of the mouthfeel. A truly sensational sip.
Aroma-wise, there's layers and layers and more layers still, of peat and smoke, and coffee and the aforementioned figs, with that gentle, but pervasive undercurrent of oats and black fruits. With the aroma comes the realisation that part of the intangibility I mentioned earlier is caused by clever little winks to that other heavy beer style, the barley wine (recently dubbed Quadruple by beergeeks and commercial scumbags alike): a heavy, dense impression of very complex maltiness.

It's mainly a bitter beer, caused by the presence of a number of roasted and smoked barley malts, and the presence of hops is hardly noticable, if at all. A high gravity yields a sweetness which, combined with the incredible mouthfeel, perfectly complements the bitterness and makes this a treat unlike any other.

While this is a great beer, it's not quite the beast I anticipated. In fact, it is a stunning exercise in the balance of extremes, resulting in a peaceful, yet powerful equilibrium of bitter and sweet, of bold and temperate, of guts and glory.

A word of advice: stock up on a couple of bottles of this brew. Store them safely in your cellar, and then forget about them. Or pretend you can. After a couple of months, give in temptation, and on a quiet evening, taste just one. Take your time. Steal the moment.

Then, for the next twenty five years, remember to forget those other bottles. They really are that good.

Greetz

Jo

PS: oh, you were wondering about my brews? I'll tell you more about those in just a few more days.

zondag 11 november 2012

Birth of a Tiger

No karate training today, so I'm using this lazy Sunday to do some more brewing.
With the kagami biraki drawing nearer each day, I'm preparing a little something for all those charming people that kick my ass two nights a week (and Sunday mornings too if they're not having an examination).

Kagami biraki means the opening a barrel of sake which sounds like a hell of a lot more fun than visiting Gran and Gramps for the holiday season
So, a new brew for a new year (brewers need to plan ahead by at least a month or two). Since I want to reduce the risk of the dojo becoming known as The House of Inebriation I decided to brew a light beer (pilsner or lower in terms of ABV) but with a bit of punch, preferrably with something other than its name hinting at distant Japan.

I really wanted to use a Japanese hop (there's currently only one kown to Westen Civilisation) but I couldn't find it in time. Instead, I settled for a New Zealand hop which is supposed to imbue my brew with lemon-and-peppercorn aromas. Sounds like a treat already.
Imbue by brew, babies!

I might contemplate adding some more mysteries of the Orient at various stages but that will depend on how adventurous I'm feeling by then.

For the Constant Reader curious about the state of my Red-&BruCap beer...expect an update soon but for the moment, suffice to say that it taste pretty damn great. If only the yeast would consider waking up again to carbinate my beer...

Until then!

Greetz

Jo

PS: "Tiger? Where?" I hear you say. While the name is still a work in progress, I'm calling this li'l buddy Torakun, meaning "Little Tiger".