Cold Morning Maple Wheat - Opening

Now this is starting the hot summer months off right...

The first beer I ever remember really enjoying was a witbier: Blue Moon. I had just turned 21, and my roommate brought home a six pack to share. Now, my tastes (read: preference for hops) have evolved a bit since then, and you won't catch me sneaking out to pick up a six pack of a witbier these days, but still, there are time when a good witbier is just right. It had been a while since I brewed one, and with the weather turning warmer, I was certainly eager to give this slightly modified recipe a try, and suffice to say, I'm pretty pleased.

It looks great from the start: slightly more golden and more clear than I'd expected. The aroma is fairly muted and the taste is less than bold, but both of these are fairly well in keeping with the style. It's the kind of beer you drink instead of lemonade or sweet tea on the front porch or the couch at the end of the day. It's not supposed to get your attention. To this end, it excels.

I should point out that the maple syrup taste isn't very noticeable at first, unless you know to look for it. As your glass warms up a bit though, it starts to be noticeable particularly in the aftertaste. I should also mention that at this point, this batch has been in the bottle three months, literally months longer than the I had originally intended to "give it." The taste has mellowed a bit of course, but the bottles that I opened at three to five weeks seemed fine.

All things considered, I probably wouldn't brew this one again until a little later in the year next year. I've enjoyed it, particularly over the past month, but it really feels like the time to be starting into this batch would have been just now, at the end of May/start of June.

Appearance	3.5	It's golden brown and with surprisingly good clarity for witbier, though not quite that of a lager. The head has been more than adequate in most bottles as well, though the retention hasn't been the best.
Aroma	3.5	It's weak, but what you can smell is sweet and wheat smelling as you might expect. All of this is in keeping with the style, in my experience.
Taste	3.0	It's not the most complex or pronounced beer I've ever had. It starts a little watery, then turns slightly sweet into a small but noticeable alcohol bite for an accent. This fade into a milder, wheaty aftertaste with the maple syrup taste only really becoming noticeable as the glass warms.
Mouthfeel	3.0	It's light and crisp like a good witbier should be.
Drinkability	3.5	This one goes down pretty easy, particularly in hot weather, and especially given the ABV.
Bottom Line	3.5	This is a great one to start the summer off. I wouldn't prefer it during any other season (and still would take a good IPA over it now), but this will certainly do in a pinch.

Mr. Beer Fall Seasonal - Opening

A Fall brew should be good, especially in the Spring...

I LOVE a good fall seasonal. In fact, there isn't a better time of year to sneak into our local supermarket (or rather the restaurant inside the supermarket, thanks to these idiotic PA alcohol laws) and pick up a six pack of something as far as I'm concerned. Given this, I really had high hopes that this brew would get me through my post-fall withdrawal. Unfortunately, this has not been the case.

From the pour, it looks like it's going to be a fine dark brown ale. The clarity is kind of middle of the road, and some of the bottles have even had nice heads on them. The aroma is light in keeping with the style as well, but from here on, it goes down hill pretty quickly. Unlike what I would have expected, there wasn't anything sweet about the taste. In fact, the most noticeable part of the taste is a jarring alcohol pop, and that's after more than ample conditioning time. The mouthfeel is a bit harsh too. After about half way through your glass, your mouth feels like you had about 3 beers and then went to bed without brushing your teeth. Needless to say, it's a bit of a struggle to get through just one glass, so forget about having a second.

When a batch comes out worse than you would have liked, it's always a question of whether the brew or the brewer is to blame. Now, I did have a bit of an issue will the beer mix not dissolving like it normally does, and there was quite a bit of trub at the bottom of the keg when it came to bottling time (see my previous entry). However, I wasn't really settled on what would have caused the issues, especially given that I followed the Mr. Beer instructions faithfully. It may not be as a result of issues like the ones I described above, but I did notice that Mr. Beer has changed up the Fall Seasonal mix for 2011. With a rebrew out of the question then (not that I would even consider it), I guess it will have to stay a mystery.

Appearance	3.5	It's dark brown, and I'd say it's just shy of a stout. The head has varied a bit from "give it a minute, then pour some more" to almost non-existent and everything in between.
Aroma	3.0	It's fairly weak, though not out of character for the style. What I do get is malty and slightly sour smelling.
Taste	2.0	It starts weak then comes a pretty pronounced alcohol pop, possibly the most pronounced alcohol pop of any of my brews. Next, the taste turns sour and lingers into the aftertaste. On the very end of the aftertaste, a slight alcohol tingle seems to return, oddly enough.
Mouthfeel	1.5	It feels a little harsh, and leaves a bit of an unpleasant, stale feel as you finish the glass.
Drinkability	1.5	The aforementioned alcohol bite and harsh mouthfeel really make this one a bit slow to drink.
Bottom Line	1.5	Fall seasonals are some of my favorite brews. This, unfortunately, was not one of my favorites.

Dubbel Trouble

SRM: 24
IBU: 22
Original Gravity: 1.058
Final Gravity: 1.019
ABV: 5.31%

Recipe ...

• 1 Can High Country Canadian Draft HME
• 1 Can Creamy Brown UME
• 13 Ounces of Booster

Kegging (2011-02-02)...
As this recipe was pretty much straight forward, I followed the Mr. Beer instructions pretty much all the way. I did heat the water while I was adding the Booster, however. I just find that it dissolves a little better that way. Speaking of the Booster, it's actually not a part of the Mr. Beer recipe. Like the Cold Morning Maple Wheat though, I had it and without another use for it, I decided to add it to the recipe.

Bottling (2011-02-28)...
The clarity is much improved over what it was at kegging of course, but still only average at this point. The is A LOT of foam at this point, more than I've every had before. It has me a little worried about exploding bottles, but a good Tupperware tote should contain anything, no matter how catastrophic. The aroma has a roasty, malty, beery feel, but it isn't overwhelming in the least. Conversely, the taste is pretty bold. It starts sweet, then turns malty then sour into a bitter (Canadian Draft) aftertaste. It's a little unbalanced at the moment, but honestly, not too bad.

I got 21 bottles (12 Dogfish Head, 6 Victory Yakama Glory, 3 Rude Elf's Reserve) before the trub came out, and they went into a red tote. I plan on letting this one go on the same schedule as the Cold Morning Maple Wheat: 2 weeks warm, 3 weeks cold and then a couple more weeks cold, if needed.

Cold Morning Maple Wheat

This may be my most fermentable brew yet...

SRM: 15
IBU: 18
Original Gravity: 1.072
Final Gravity: 1.018
ABV: 7.49%

Recipe ...

• 1 Can Whispering Wheat Weizenbier HME
• 1 Can Golden Wheat UME
• 13 Ounces Booster
• 1 Cup Maple Syrup
• 1/2 Ounce Tettnanger Pellet Hops

I was fortunate enough to snag a few variety packs at Bed Bath and Beyond the day after Christmas for half price. These are basically just a three pack of standard refills (1 can of HME and a bag of booster). My plan (at least at the moment) is to add a can of UME to each plus hops, if the recipe calls for it until the refills are gone. Given that these are likely to have a higher ABV than I usual brew, fermentation and conditioning times will likely be a little extend, and it may slow down my brewing schedule as a result.

Kegging (2011-02-02)...
As you can see, the sheer amount of fermentable material in this recipe did push the ABV above what I typically get. I gave the hops a 20 minute boil before adding the Booster, syrup, and malt extracts. The Booster is actually in addition to the given Mr. Beer recipe, but I really didn't have another use for it anyway.

Bottling (2011-02-27)...
It looks something like apple juice (or rum, when it's in a shot glass) at this point. The clarity is actually pretty good, particularly for a witbier. The aroma is a little weak, but the maple does make it through what there is of a beer aroma. It has a wheaty, yeasty feel to it, as you might expect. It's a little sweeter than pretty much any of my brews that I can recall. The maple taste actually comes through on the end. It's got a pretty clean taste without an alcohol bite like I had expected from the high ABV.

I got 20 bottles from this batch (14 Southern Tier, 6 Bell's Red Ale), and they went into the gray tote. I plan on giving this one 2 weeks warm conditioning, followed by at least 3 weeks cold. Given the amount of ingredients, I won't be surprised if I need to give at least 2 more weeks cold conditioning to balance it out.

Howlin' Red Ale - Opening

While not exactly red, the "ale" part is what really counts...

Well, I'm down to my last bottle which I've been holding on to for about 2 weeks while putting off this review. It's shameful, I know, but another move (second time in 2 years) has somewhat put a damper in my brewing and reviewing time. Thankfully, this move was just down the street, and we had some amazing help from some family who drove QUITE a ways just to help us out.

At this point, this batch has been in the bottle for about two and a half months, which is more than enough conditioning time.

Appearance: 2.5 - I'd call the color brown with a red tint. It's a little cloudy from the wheat UME, but not completely opaque. In fact, it looks a little watery. The head isn't the largest nor does it linger very long.

Aroma: 3.0 - The aroma is mostly hops with a slight sweet note. It's not particularly strong, but you don't have to really dig for it either.

Taste: 3.0 - The taste closely mirrors the bottling sample, only blended and more mellow, of course. It starts a little weak, then accents quickly before turning sour and transitioning into a tangy, citrus, and ever so slightly bitter aftertaste

Mouthfeel: 2.0 - It feels a little thin but also harsh. It certainly has a bit of an alcohol bite and a tingling sensation into the aftertaste.

Drinkability: 2.5 - It's not very smooth, and it isn't easy to sip away on autopilot. You will notice when you are drinking this one.

Bottom Line: 2.0 - While the aroma and initial taste would lead you to believe that this one is just going to get better, the harshness of the mouthfeel and the constant reminder of what you are drinking are tough to get past. Add to that a less than appealing appearance, and this one just isn't worth the time/effort.

Otto's Octoberfest - Opening

You know, October is only eight months away...

Looking back at my notes from previous batches is this genre, one might conclude that I've never met a fall seasonal that I didn't like. While Fall is my favorite season, and I do enjoy a nice brown ale outside when the air is crisp, not all brews are created equal.

Appearance: 4.0 - It's brown (lighter than the photo turned out) and has fairly good clarity with a fairly good head as well. The head retention isn't the best, but it will do.

Aroma: 2.0 - It's weak, but strikes a good balance between beer and hops. I think I detect a sour note which is slightly smokey on the end.

Taste: 3.5 - It starts a little sweet, then turns a little sour. This accents, then lingers into the aftertaste which is ever so slightly bitter.

Mouthfeel: 2.5 - It starts a little bubbly, pops noticeably on the accent, then mellows as it goes. On the whole, it sits fairly light.

Drinkability: 3.5 - It's definitely smooth enough to enjoy a couple before you realize it.

Bottom Line: 3.0 - It's not bad, but it's nothing special. On the whole, it comes off a little weak, but it's definitely not the worst thing to ever come out of a keg. Still, I probably won't be brewing this one again...unless it's specifically requested by Kendra. She thought a little more of it than I did.

Howlin' Red Ale - Bottling

It's never too late for a Fall ale...

SRM: 12
IBU: 23
Original Gravity: 1.049
Final Gravity: 1.010
ABV: 5.12%

Recipe ...

• 1 Can Octoberfest Vienna Lager HME
• 1 Can Golden Wheat UME
• 1 Packet Cascade Pellet Hops
• 1/2 Cup Honey

Kegging (2010-11-28) ...
As has become my custom, I added extra water to the pot (roughly double), brought it to a boil and then boiled the hops for about 20 minutes. Other than that, kegging went according to the Mr. Beer instructions.

Bottling (2010-12-22, 23 days) ...
On this batch, I think I've learned a new trick: take your sample after filling the first bottle. The sample in the photo above (focus problems aside) was used in my hydrometer reading (obviously), but the tasting sample was taken after pouring that bit into a bottle and filling it up. The clarity seems to be MUCH improved, leading me to believe that a bit of trub rests near the tap and comes out shortly after first opening the tap.

In any case, the clarity is quite good for this stage, especially given the wheat UME. The color is golden to golden brown. The aroma smells hoppy and of Vienna lager with a hint of grain on the tail end (which pretty much sums up the recipe). The taste starts weak, but accelerates quickly, then plateaus. It turns a little sour in the middle where the Vienna malts hit, followed by the bitter, hoppy flavor into a bitter/sour aftertaste. The aftertaste doesn't linger too long, which is a good thing, in my opinion. I find that too much of an aftertaste can get in the way of the next sip.

This batch went mostly into swing top pints, with the remainder being split between some Rude Elf's Reserve (Bethlehem Brew Works) bottles and a couple Southern Tier Harvest Ale bottles. I loaded this batch into the fridge after 16 days. I plan on letting it go 3 weeks before opening. I can hardly wait.

Mr Beer Fall Seasonal - Bottling

It's never too late for a Fall ale...

SRM: 38
IBU: 50
Original Gravity: 1.052
Final Gravity: 1.014
ABV: 4.99%

Recipe ...

• 1 Can Double American Brown HME
• 1 Packet Safale S-04 Dry Ale Yeast

Kegging (2010-11-28) ...
I followed the Mr. Beer instructions on this one, which call for bringing the water to a boil, removing heat, and then adding the beer mix. The beer mix is to be heated in water in a sauce pan on the side. Apparently, I didn't heat it enough as it was a pretty slow pour, and I wound up scraping a bit of it out of the can. Along those lines, I had a slight issue getting all of the beer mix out of the pot and into the keg, and ended up scraping a bit from the pot.

I'm also betting that the fact that there was a bit more HME than I normally use contributed to this. I didn't really think anything of all of this at the time as all the beer mix did make it into the keg, I had followed the instructions, and I was pretty tired as it was after midnight at the time. Fermentation kicked into gear the next day, and I didn't really give it another thought until bottling

Bottling (2010-12-21, 22 days)
The issues that I had kegging apparently weren't as innocuous as I thought. As you can tell from the final ABV, not all of the fermentables were consumed by the yeast. The target for this batch was 6.5%, a full 1.5% higher than I actually got. At first, I was afraid that I needed to give it a little more time to ferment, but with Christmas travel, that really wasn't an option, so I opted to finish bottling and hope for the best (e.g., no exploding bottles).

As I got to the bottom of the keg, I think that I discovered the real issue. Along the bottom of the keg was what I imagine wheat bread looks like after it has rested on the bottom of a water bucket for 3 weeks: soggy, mushy, brown goop. Doubtless this is the beer mix that didn't really dissolve in the wort and had to be scraped into the keg. As the yeast I used was an ale yeast, it fermented on top of the wort, leaving all of this fermentable beer mix to sit on the bottom.

As for the beer itself, the aroma is strong and brown ale-ish as is the color. It appears thick and it doesn't seem to have completely settled out yet as far as clarity goes. The taste is strong on the whole and even more noticeably unbalanced than what I usually get at this point. It starts weak compared to where it goes next. It turns a little sour in the middle, followed by the bitters which are actually quite pronounced for a brown ale. The aftertaste is a mixture of bitter, sour and sweet with a slight roasty note.

I'm guessing that this batch will end up a bit weaker than the recipe is intended to be, but from the sample I tasted, it's not THAT bad. I won't be surprised if I have to pour this one out, but it's certainly worth letting it carb/condition and giving it a try first. This batch went into mostly Southern Tier bottles, plus six Flying Fish Grand Cru Winter Reserve bottles. I let it carb for about 16 days before loading it into the fridge. I plan on giving it 3 weeks of cold conditioning before opening.

Eye Opener Sumatra Stout - Opening

Yep, I still got it.

It's almost embarrassing how late this review is. I had to look back quite a ways to see when I actually kegged this one: December 10th, 2009. Yep, I started it almost a year ago to the day now. My daughter isn't even a year old. I know that beer will keep for a while, but honestly, I had written off all hope of actually getting a useful review for this batch. It was brewed before we made our multi day move and only two bottles remained (Schafly Oatmeal Stout bottles from a trip to St. Louis with some friends, actually) until I opened this one on a whim. So, how did it turn out?

Appearance: 4.5 - It's really dark, opaque and has a nice fluffy head. Carbonation levels we're pretty good as I recall, but this particular bottle was particularly good.

Aroma: 2.5 - There really isn't much of an aroma if any. You really have to dig your nose into it to catch a whiff. What you can smell, is really only distinguishable as something other than air. Alright, maybe it's just barely malty, but you get the point.

Taste: 4.0 - It's actually a bit complex. The taste starts somewhat mild, then quickly just slightly sour, followed by the espresso taste which turns into a dark chocolate like aftertaste.

Mouthfeel: 4.0 - It's creamy and soft at first, but turns to a little bit of bitter bite on the end. In the aftertaste, there is a slight but lingering alcohol bite sensation.

Drinkability: 4.0 - For a stout, this one goes down pretty easy. The flavors and sensations have meld quite pleasingly, and it makes for a great session beer.

Bottom Line: 4.0 - Given ample conditioning time, this is a pretty good brew. I'm really happy that it hung around this long and that I didn't just pour it out one night. I do wish that I had some more impressions from over the past year just to get an idea of what a sufficient conditioning time for this brew is, but I do know this: just under a year is enough.

Otto's Octoberfest - Bottling

On the eve of Halloween, my lone Fall 2010 brew finds its way into bottles...

Original Gravity: 1.044
Final Gravity: 1.012
Alc/Vol: 4.3%
Color: 10 SRM
Bitterness: 18 IBU

At 27 days on the day counter, it was time to go ahead and bottle this one. I opted to bring out my swing top, glass pints for this batch, which unfortunately proved to be a bit problematic. Apparently, the fast flow tap is a little too fast for the smaller opening on these bottles, and it took some patience and steady hands (neither of which do I really possess) to keep the beer from bubbling back out of the bottle. Other than this minor annoyance, bottling went off without a hitch.

I will say that this was probably the grossest looking empty keg I've had yet. The white residue that I've half come to expected with hop added batches was out in full force, but there was also a sticky, dark residue lining the walls keg around the top of the beer. I'm guessing that this was something left over from the HME, but in any case, it was interesting to have both a white and black residue in the same keg.

Unpleasant looking residues aside, the beer itself is shaping up nicely. The ABV is a little lower than I expected, but that's far from what's most important in a brew. It's creamy brown in appearance and still a little cloudy. The aroma is a nice mix of beery and hoppy. The taste starts a little watery, but then turns a little sour followed by a beery, hoppy taste that seems to be the source of the aforementioned aroma. It ends in a bitter aftertaste that is actually reminiscent of an IPA.

As you can see, there is a lot going on in the taste of this brew. An extra week or two of cold conditioning should help settle this down a bit though. Mr. Beer recommends 2-4 weeks, but given how long my last batch took, I'm leaning closer to the 4 week mark. Of course, I may, actually, make that will sneak a bottle or two early, just because I can.

Blueberry Bock - Opening

Not enough fridge space to make it worth the time...

OK, that strap line might have been a little harsh, but given how long this one sat in my mini fridge before tasting pleasing enough to enjoy, I do have to wonder if it was worth it. Perhaps I messed up the sanitization (though I can't imagine how), but this one started off a little rough. I don't know if it was an off taste or if it was a bad batch of blueberries, but there was a definite sour/bitter/unpleasant turn in the aftertaste that quite literally would leave a bad taste in your mouth.

It was rough enough that Kendra (who specially requested this recipe to be her first after entering motherhood) wouldn't touch the stuff until about 2 months into conditioning. I'd try a bottle or two every week or two, but it just never seemed to condition out that taste. The beer taste would mellow out a little each time, but the unpleasant aftertaste remained. Suffice to say, Mr. Beer recommends 2-4 weeks of cold conditioning, which is just too short, in my opinion.

Appearance: 3.5 - It's dark brown in color and a might bit cloudy (doubtless from the wheat UME) with a few floaters in most of the bottles. That being said, it does look appealing, or at best not unappealing. Carbonation levels have been a little lacking, and as such, so has head retention.

Aroma: 3.5 - It has a nice mix of beer, fruit and hops. It's not overly strong in this regard, but it's definitely a beer that you are smelling. 

Taste: 2.0 - It's a little weak, as you might expect with this much conditioning time. There was an odd taste to most of the bottles which seems to have all but conditioned out at this point. The taste starts watery, then turns mildly bitter, followed by the beer taste. A slightly fruity/sweet taste comes next and it transitions into a slightly sour aftertaste.

Mouthfeel: 2.5 - It has what I would describe as a gritty mouthfeel. The bubbles hit pretty hard too going into the aftertaste.

Drinkability: 2.5 - It's tough to say exactly on this one, other than to say it's just average. It's not super drinkable, but then again, it's not super undrinkable either... once the lengthy conditioning time passes, of course.

Bottom Line: 2.0 - While the end product may be passable, it far from justifies the extended conditioning time that is apparently required.

I'd drink it with... something bold enough to dominate my palate so that I wouldn't notice that bad aftertaste... until about 2 months of conditioning time, then pretty much anything would do.

Otto's Octoberfest - Kegging

There's nothing like Fall weather to get you brewing again...

Original Gravity: 1.044
Est. Alc/Vol: Approximately 5.0%
Color: 12 SRM
Bitterness: 23 IBU

Recipe ...

• 1 Can Octoberfest Vienna Lager HME
• 1 Can Golden Wheat UME
• 1 Packet Sterling Pellet Hops
• 1/2 Cup Honey (add)

Kegging (2010/10/03)...
As you might expect, I've had this recipe just hanging around for a while. I've been saying pretty much every weekend since the first of September that I intend to load it up, but I just haven't gotten to it. Now it's October, meaning this one won't be ready to consume until sometime in November at the earliest. I'm not too torn up though as a good Oktoberfest brew may be hard to come by at that point. I'm just planning ahead.

Since it worked out well with my Bengal Tiger IPA, I decided to boil the hops for about 20 minutes before adding the malt extracts. Also, the recipe called for only half the packet of Sterling hops. Being the good hop head that I am, I opted for the whole packet. I also took the liberty of adding half a cup or so of honey that I had hanging around the pantry to try and coax a little more ABV out of the recipe. I'm planning on this one taking about 3 weeks in the keg, two warm, two to 4 cold, which puts the first bottle opening somewhere around Thanksgiving. As I love a special occasion to pop open a brew, and since we'll even have company over the holiday, it's actually good timing.

You also might notice that there isn't a second keg to blog about at this time. It seems Mr.Beer has raised the prices on pretty much all of their ingredients and therefore recipes. Part of the draw to making your own beer is the fact that it's typically cheaper than buying a comparable beer off the shelf. With the price increase, the margin has gotten a bit smaller, and it's a little harder to justify the purchase (plus the time investment) for me. I'm still planning on brewing (they do run sales each month, of course), but there isn't a local home brew shop anywhere near where live, unfortunately. Does anyone have any suggestions for another online malt extract supplier?