New England Series: Cambridge Brewing Company's "Triple Threat"

Despite being in Colorado with very limited New England craft beer to choose from, I am happy to say that the New England Series beer features lives on!

The other day at work, an email went out with the always welcomed news: "bombers ripe for the taking in the conference room." Being the intern, I try not to rush down there too fast, but I'll be damned if I am the last one. As I was turning the bottles to see what the selection was looking like, I was shocked to see a bottle with "CBC" on the top of the label. Never had I thought I would be able to be in Boulder, CO and enjoying a Cambridge Brewing Co. beer at the same time..but there it was. A cardboard-brown label with "Tripel Threat" written on a flag coming off of a blue motorcycle. I did not even have think twice before grabbing the prize.

After I poured myself a glass, I went onto Cambridge Brewing Company's website to find out the story behind Triple Threat. To my surprise, CBC is hailed as the first craft brewery to create and produce a Belgian beer in the United States (the late Michael Jackson aka The Beer Hunter is the source for this). CBC ended up winning the their first gold medal at GABF with the tripel, and this was before there was even a specific Belgian category. This was all music to my ears...

In the glass, Tripel Threat is a rich gold color with subtle haze. A thick white head forms during the pour, but dissipates quickly leaving clear evidence around the edges of the glass. A spiciness dominates the aromas, with hints of coriander and cloves, and subtle notes of citrus and sweet fruit are in the background. One taste of Tripel threat had my pallet searching and picking out different flavors. A rich, Belgian spiciness is in the forefront. The cloves and coriander from the aromas are quite apparent, as well as some of the fruit notes. A mouth-watering breadiness from the malt blends well with the spices, balancing out some of the stronger flavors from the yeast and toasted coriander.

As thrilled as I am that I managed to get this bottle in Colorado, I am just as upset that I probably won't  be enjoying a glass of this historical, well-balanced tripel anytime in the near future...well until GABF 2012!

Surly Brewing Company's "Smoke"

Dylan at GABF 2011

Two years ago, I had my first run in with a smoked beer, and I distinctly remember that strange day. My buddy Dylan, beer enthusiast, video-game assassin, and fancy carpenter, cracked open a bottle of beer and said, "Try this...It tastes like sausages." Sausages? That wasn't exactly a description that got me anxious for the first sip, but who am I to turn down a taste of a unexplored brew? I was given the glass of the dark ale...or was it a lager?...I don't remember...nonetheless, I was given the glass and immediately sensed the smokiness in the aromas. It did have a BBQ quality to it that I had never smelled on a beer, so my interest was peaked. Sure enough, the thick, smokiness filled my mouth on the first sip and a meatiness lingered through the finish. Dylan was right. It did taste like sausage, the good kind that are charred on the grill.

Fast forward to today. I now have a few smoked beers under my belt. The Stone Smoked Porter and Left Hand Smoke Jumper really got me into the style. Both examples have a lot of smokey characterstics but without an overwhelming ammount of meat, which makes it more approachable to the smoke-newbie. I also got my hands on the Rogue and Voodoo Donought's smoked collaboration (which I talk about here). The Maple Bacon Ale is delicious, but after a half pint it starts to taste like you are drinking liquid pancakes and bacon. This brings me to the beer of the day...Surly Brewing Company's "Smoke."

Surly founder and owner, Omar Ansari, started the same way most homebrewers spend their days: dreaming about opening a nano-brewery. Ansari developed a passion for fine beers early in his life, which prompted him to start homebrewing in 1994. Ansari evolved from extract to all grain brews, acquiring the endless amounts of equipment along with it, and he ended up taking over the space from the old family business to use for brewing. After completing an educational program with the American Brewers Guild, Ansari opened Surly and began selling his canned and bottled beers.

Surly's "Smoke" is a Baltic porter that lives up to its name. In the glass it pours dark, impenetrable brown, bordering on black, with a thick, mocha brown head. The smoke is the star of the aroma show, with some hints of meat. I was pleasantly surprised to be greeted with hints of chocolate and dark malt flavors up front, as opposed to being smacked in the face with smoke right away. The smoke and a bitterness appears in the middle, and last through the finish where it is joined by the slightest touch of smoked meat. The mouth feel has a creamy quality (I'm assuming from the oak-aging), which paired with the black malt and chocolate notes has taste buds begging for another sip of the smokey goodness. This is a very tasty, well balanced Baltic Porter, with its deceivingly high ABV of 8.3%!

Craft Beer Cellar: Heaven on Earth

While visiting Massachusetts in April, I was snooping around online to see if there were any decent local stores selling craft beer. There was one packy in my home town that had a decent 6 pack selection and a small shelving unit of bombers, but it still left a lot to be desired. Surprisingly, the local Whole Foods ended up having one of the better selections, but the staff wasn't very helpful and it just felt out of place. If only there was a store that carried all of the finest craft brews available in the area... I came across a store on Google and Yelp that sounded like the exact place that I, and every other beer nerd in the nation, was looking for, the Craft Beer Cellar in Belmont, Massachusetts.

From the moment I walked through the front door of the Craft Beer Cellar, I was overwhelmed. This is what I have been waiting so long to find in a retail beer store: craft beer, and only craft beer...everywhere. When you first walk into the stylish, dark-wood paneled store, you are greeted by an impressive selection of domestic craft brews at room temperature on one side and refrigerated options on the other side. Various brewery-specific stands are strategically placed on the floor showcasing special offerings from some of the greats, like Allagash, Dogfish Head, and Brooklyn. Towards the back is a most impressive selections of imports. Because my mission while home was to drink strictly New England brews, I didn't spend much time back there, which I now regret. If the selection is not enough to get you drooling, the owners encourage you to pull singles and build your own 6 pack(s) at very reasonable prices. If this store is not beer heaven on earth, then I don't know what is. In all they offer over 1,000 types of craft beer with seasonal and rare offerings rotating in when available.

Undoubtedly, the Craft Beer Cellar has the most impressive selection of craft beer I have ever seen in one place, but this was not the best part of my new favorite store. What got me driving a half hour back to Belmont for a second time was the quality of customer service I experienced during my first visit. Owner's and fellow beer nerds, Suzanne Schalow and Kate Baker, really elevated my experience at the Craft Beer Cellar from being simply a trip to buy beer into what felt more like a friendly conversation between beer enthusiasts that you might have at a pub. When I mentioned to Suzanne and Kate that I was trying to explore New England breweries while I was in town, they pointed me to a few up and coming Boston area breweries that I would have otherwise passed over. One of their suggestions, Night Shift's Trifecta, is now one of my favorite Belgian pale ales, and I only have the Craft Beer Cellar to thank for that. There is nothing more disappointing than taking a liquor store employee up and their offer for advice and being pointed to Blue Moon when you ask for a good Belgian white.

Garret Oliver showing off cans at CBC

The only downside of my visit was that I missed meeting Garret Oliver, brewmaster of Brooklyn Brewery, by an hour. He just so happened to be in town with some of Brooklyn Brewery's new canned offerings and dropped by the Craft Beer Cellar to say, "Hello." Kate and Suzanne seem very connected and respected within the craft beer industry, which makes appearances by respected members in the industry as well as brewery tasting and showcases a typical scene at their store. Their impressive tasting schedule alone will surely get you drooling.

Hopefully, the Craft Beer Cellar is a beacon of hope for the future of the retail craft beer industry. Stores like this one dedicated solely to the sale of craft beer are beginning to appear and thrive because of the increasing presence and popularity of craft beer. Though somewhat regional right now, these stores are a possible model for the future in craft beer retail by exposing consumers to a new world of beer that they might not otherwise see in a typical package store that only offers the usual macro suspects.

If you are anywhere near Boston, you owe it to yourself to stop at Craft Beer Cellar. Be sure to chat it up with Suzanne and Kate and maybe even catch one of their many tastings that they host. Support your local craft beer store!

Grimm Brothers Brewhouse: The Fearless Youth Dunkel Lager

I was rushing my way through the liquor store the other day looking for a bomber and was having quite the time making any decisions. It was one of those days where nothing was jumping out at me and I felt like I had already tried everything, although that is most definitely not the case. While perusing, I found myself in front of the Colorado-based bomber cooler and my eyes kept getting pulled towards the same bottle with a very cool, fairy tale like scene adorning the label under the name the Fearless Youth. I grabbed the 22oz bottle and saw it was a Dunkel Lager brewed by Grimm Brothers Brewhouse out of Loveland, Colorado. I have had dunkelweizens before, but never dunkel lagers, so I thought, "why not?"

In the glass, Fearless Youth pours a very deep amber color, with hints of red and brown. A creamy, off-white head sat on top and never fully dissipated. There was not an overwhelming amount of aroma, but hints of toasted malts were at the forefront with a bit of spice. A strong dark, toasted malt character dominated the flavor profile, with prominent notes of chocolate and caramel. This strong malt profile maintained through to the finish where a breadiness and a slight bitterness, though not with much hop flavors, made an appearance. The breadiness and toasted malts left a mouth watering after taste that begged for another sip.

All in all, this medium bodied lager is great option for someone looking for a refreshing and easy to drink beer, but with a bit more depth in the flavor and aroma than some of the lighter lagers. The Fearless Youth makes me eager to try Grimm Brothers' other German influenced beers when I come across them in the future. I seem to favor the ales completely and never find myself running towards lagers, but maybe this is a sign that I should try and expand my horizons a bit...

Fort Collins Craft Beer Tour

Being a (former) CU Buff, I inherited a sworn hatred for the hometown of our biggest rival, Colorado State University. Though I had never so much as driven through Fort Collins, I was certain I wasn't going to like it because it is the home of the Rams. While I still think Fort Collins doesn't hold a flame to the ultra-hip Boulder that I call my own, they do have a craft beer scene that, dare I say, rivals that of Boulder.

Nation-wide distributed craft breweries, up-and-coming micro-breweries, and local-level pubs all call Fort Collins home and create a very diverse and exciting beer culture. My friend Andrew and I knew it would be quite the feat to hit every brewery, tap house, and pub in town, so we narrowed ourselves down to a handful of spots that were most convenient for getting around.

A sneak peak at the barrel room during
the Odells brewery tour

We started our FoCo craft beer tour in the second oldest Colorado brewery (after Boulder Beer Co.), Odells Brewing Company. It was quite the happening spot, with live music set up both in and outside, a BBQ pit going, and tours running every hour. We signed up for the three o'clock tour, which left us time to have a few pints outside on the patio, watching a storm roll in from the west. I started the day off with Odells' "happy accident," Shenanigans. It is brewed with Brettanomyces, which gives it a really interesting tartness. Then I enjoyed a pint of the Hiveranno New American Wild Ale, which is brewed wild Belgian yeasts that instilled a lot of fruity flavors. Before the tour, I grabbed a Cutthroat Porter on the nitro tap, which tasted unbelievably delicious as usual, but with a more silky quality than the CO2 version. The tour was pretty standard as far as brew tours are concerned. I would say the highlight, for me at least, was getting to see the room with all the barrel aged beers. That was a site to see...

Fort Collins Brewing.
Beers are listed from L-R in post

About half a block down the road from Odells conveniently sat Fort Collins Brewery, also with a live band playing. Because the band was taking up more space than usual, the tours were cancelled, so Andrew and I decided to get a flight of the seasonal brews. I won't go into too much detail about each, since there were six, but here was the line up (most of these aren't on their website, but BeerAdvocate has most): Edgar Lager, Maibock, Woody, Double Chocolate Stout, and Incredihop. I remember the Double Chocolate Stout really sticking out as something I wouldn't hesitate to pick up a bomber of. It was really rich and actually had a thick chocolate quality to it.

Equinox Brewing

A quick ride back to Oldtown (I think?) brought us to a pub called Equinox Brewing that I came across while looking online for places to go. Again, there was more live music and an even livelier crowd. This place was packed from wall to wall, but Andrew and I managed to weasel two spots at the bar. I started with the Night Ryder dunkelweizen because I have had a recent infatuation with the dark-wheat, German brews. Next, I had a sample of the Orion red that was being served from the cask, which was one of my favorite beers of the night. Before heading out, I tried the Pazuzu Imperial Stout which did not fail to please, either.

The bar at Funkwerks tap house

Our last stop was to Funkwerks tap house, which was where I was most looking forward to going into this mini-trip. We ended up getting a flight, which was more than enough to keep us occupied. It came with a hefty portion of each of the following: White, Saison, Tropic King, Belgian Oatmeal Stout, and Dark Prophet. Getting to sample each one of their offerings in their tap house has only made me like Funkwerks even more. They are definitely a brewery to keep your eye on.

Funkwerks was our last stop. A series of unfortunate events split a phone-less Andrew and I up at the tap house. We had plans to go to the Mayor of Oldtown, which has 100 beers on tap and serves breakfast all day (sounds like heaven), but that will have to wait until next time. When I do find myself in Fort Collins next, I will definitely want to visit New Belgium since their facility is supposed to be impressive, Mayor of Oldtown for obvious reasons, and Pateros which is another local pub that was recommended by the friendly hotel guy.

All in all, I think my first experience with the FoCo craft beer scene can be chalked up to a success. Maybe I will see you soon Fort Collins...

New England Series: Long Trail Double Bag

Every since I started homebrewing, I have wanted to brew a German altbier. I came across a recipe, and it sounded like everything I was looking for in beer with its sweet malt profile and balanced, crisp bitterness. The problem with altbiers is that they require a period of fermentation at very low, lager-like temperatures, despite (usually) being brewed with ale yeast. There was no way for me to get a fermenter down to the temperatures needed, so I unfortunately was never able brew an altbier. So whenever I see a bottled altbier in the store or on tap at the pub, I never hesitate to partake to remind myself what exactly it is I am missing out on.

While at the store, I came across an altbier made by a brewery that I am no stranger to. Long Trail Brewing Company in Bridgewater Corners, Vermont is about as old as I am and have prided themselves on creating quality craft beer while keeping in account the importance of environmental sustainability. For example, they send all their spent grains from the brewing process to local dairy farms for food and use the thermal energy from steam to heat water for the next brew day, which saves a significant amount of propane.

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Long Trail Double Bag is described as a double altbier, or strong ale, that is referred to in Germany as "stickebier," which loosely translates to "secret brew." Double Bag pours copper in color with a very slight tint of red. A very creamy head dissipated rather quickly, but left a good amount of lacing. Sweet, almost caramel-like aromas were very prominent with some hints of fruit and alcohol. The first sip was filled with lots of malt sweetness with notes of caramel and a subtle breadiness. There was also a roasty, almost chocolaty, quality present as well that gave it a bit more depth. An earthy bitterness comes through and lasts through the finish, which creates a bit of a bite with the alcohol flavors. For 7.2% ABV, this beer is very, very drinkable with its light body and a slightly dry finish keeping you wanting more.

If I Double Bag was sold in my part of Colorado, I have a feeling it would quickly become my go-to six pack. It has a wonderfully complex malt profile that is balanced perfectly with a bitterness so as to off set the sweetness a bit. This only strengthens my urge to brew an altbier. One day...

New England Series: Atlantic Brewing Company Coal Porter

There is nothing like a good porter to give you that dark beer fix without feeling completely full, like a heavier stout tends to do. I threw in a bottle of Atlantic Brewing Company's Coal Porter into my sixer-mixer (just made that up?) and I sure am glad I did.

The Bar Harbor, Maine based brewery credits itself as one of the premier breweries out of Maine. They moved their brewery a while back into a farm to give it a more "country" feel that seems to be missing from a lot of the industrial park breweries. It sounds and looks like a really great facility, which would make for a great excuse to drive to Maine sometime soon.

Coal Porter is a very dark brown, but not completely impenetrable to light, with a very creamy, mocha-colored head. Aromas rich with robust, roasty malt dominate, with a subtle sweetness similar to molasses (in a good way). The smell is an appropriate representation of the flavors to come, with very robust, dark malt profiles coming through strong up front with some sweetness in the middle and a hint of bitterness (but with no hop flavors) that dries out the finish a bit. It was also a lot smoother than I was anticipating based on the rush of bubbles in the glass. There was almost a silky quality to it despite looking as if it may have a strong carbonation bite.

I thoroughly enjoyed everything about this beer. Though it is sometimes fun to be mislead by aromas to make you surprised by the flavor of a beer, this ale smelt like it tasted which made each sip very full and complete from the scent and taste working together. I was not joking when I said this beer could get me to drive down east to Bar Harbor.

Rogue and Voodoo Doughnut collaboration

Breweries have been collaborating in order to create unique, and usually limited, craft beers for some time now, but what seems to be a more and more frequent occurrence are breweries teaming up with different non-beer industries. For example, Dogfish Head is gearing up to release a cider-esque ale that is a collaboration with Deltron 3030, which is one of the few music related collaborations that DFH has created. It is a great way for brewers to gain some outside influence in order to create recipes that may otherwise have never be imagined.

One of the most interesting inter-industry collaborations that I have read about lately is between Rogue and Voodoo Doughnuts who are both out of Portland, Oregon. Voodoo is no stranger to the foody scene, and you probably have seen there (in)famous maple-bacon doughnut on the Food Network or Travel Channel. This unconventional, meat-covered doughnut is the inspiration behind the Rogue/Voodoo collaboration that has been creating quite a stir in the craft beer community.

Voodoo Bacon Maple Ale, which is listed as a brown ale on Rogue's website, pours a very warm amber color that is close to a light brown. A thick and creamy head settled down to about a half inch and was present throughout the entire pint. Immediately after I poured the beer, before even bringing my nose to the glass, strong maple syrup aromas with a prominent smoke profile were noticeable. It really was eerily close to the scent of a pancake breakfast with a side of bacon. There definitely is a salty/meaty element to the aromas as well, which actually blends nicely with the scents of sweet maple syrup and smoked malts.

I really like smoked beers, so the initial sip was really pleasant. Up front there is a lot of maple syrup sweetness and a considerable amount of smoke from the malt, but also probably a bit from the bacon as well. The syrup and smoke is very prominent through out the flavor profile, but a meat quality definitely comes out in the middle and through the finish. The best way I can describe it is literally like eating a piece of chewy bacon covered in syrup. It may sounds pretty off putting from my description, but the flavors the bacon instill really do add another level of complexity to the smokiness.

Voodoo's Maple Bacon doughnut
wikipedia.com

I drank about a pint of the Bacon Maple Ale, and that was about as much as I could do. It was not because I did not enjoy it, because I actually really did, but it seems more like something that would go well with a pork dinner or even a pancake breakfast as opposed to just being enjoyed without food. This beer has gotten very mixed reviews. Some say it is brilliant example of an ale using non-conventional ingredients, while others write it off as some sort of Frankenstein beer experiment gone wrong that makes you feel like you are drinking bacon.

Either way, I would definitely recommend this ale as worth trying, especially for beer enthusiasts who enjoy a good smoked ale. It is definitely something far from the norm of the usual craft brews, and who wouldn't want to try a beer that actually had a doughnut or two thrown in it?

New England Series: Peak Organic Nut Brown Ale

Organically brewed ales and lagers are an increasingly available option at liquor stores and bottle shops. While it may seem silly to some to worry about whether or not pesticides were used in the ingredients, it is also important to realize that along with "organic" often comes environmental consciousness, sustainability, and support of local business and industry. At the end of the day, however, beer is enjoyed based on the way it interacts with your senses, so organic or not, it still needs to taste delicious.

I was in the mood for something on the darker side of the spectrum since I have been favoring the lighter Belgian ales lately. I saw Peak Organic Nut Brown Ale and it seemed like a good choice to mix things up a bit. Based out of Portland, Maine, Peak Organic focuses on brewing craft beer with quality ingredients from sustainable, local resources. It is a comforting to know that people actually care for the well being of not only our environment but also the importance of small-scale industries.

state-maps.org

Peak Organic Nut Brown Ale pours a very light brown with an off-white, creamy head that sticks around for quite some time. Scents of toasty and nutty  malt and caramel sweetness are present with slight hints of chocolate and bread. The taste starts off with toasty malts and strong notes of nuttiness. A very prevalent bitterness appears in the middle and holds out through the finish. Some of the toasty flavors come through in the finish, but it is primarily the bitterness. There is also a slightly off putting metallic flavor that appears in the middle and lingers on to the after taste, which may be due in part to the bitterness overpowering the malt flavor profile.

The beer is drinkable, but seems to be lacking prominent flavors. Honestly, it smells better than it tastes because there is almost a watery quality to it that makes it taste like it is lacking depths of flavors that should be present. I would not rush out to buy this beer again, but I can appreciate what Peak Organics is doing up in Portland in regards to supporting sustainable business ethics. Though I am not won over by this beer, I would not hesitate to try another another Peak Organics brew...

New England Series: Night Shift Brewing Trifecta

While I was perusing The Craft Beer Cellar, I inquired about local beers that are very exclusive to the area and I was pointed to a bottle of Night Shift Brewing Trifecta. Night Shift Brewing was started by three friends who hombrewed at night after work, hence the name Night Shift Brewing. Eventually they upgraded to a nano-brewery setup in Everett, Massachusetts, and their ales are now available in the greater Boston area. This bottle I got my hands on was truly a very special and exclusive Belgian-style pale ale that not many others have had the fortune of enjoying.

Trifecta acquired its name from the three different trappist yeasts (from beers brewed in Belgium under the supervision of monks) that are utilized in this Belgian-style pale ale. Each individual yeast strain brings different flavor profiles to the table that are complimented by the hops, malt, and vanilla beans. In the glass, it is a dark orange with a head that quickly disappears into nothing. Strong scents of cloves are in the aroma with hints of what smells like coriander, vanilla, and even some cinnamon and fruit. The taste greet your mouth with strong flavors of cloves accompanied by floral and slight alcohol notes. The cloves are present through the finish, but are joined by some fruity sweetness, vanilla and something akin to a spicy cinnamon. The maltiness gives it a medium body with creamy elements from the vanilla. All around a lot of great flavors, with lots of complexity from the three yeast strains.

bestplaces.net

What is really interesting is checking the tasting notes from the actual brewers on their website. They examine each batch (I got batch #2) and give their notes as well as criticisms and prospective improvements. The head retention (or lack there of) is mentioned as something to work on for batch #2, as well as more hoppiness. There is a batch #3 out right now, which sounds like it has a much more prominent hop profile, so I am hoping to get my hands on one of those bottles before I go home.

If the other beers coming out of Night Shift Brewing are as good as Trifecta than they are definitely a brewery to keep your eyes on. Though they are only available in the greater Boston area, I would not be surprised to see their Belgian-style pale ale bring them more exposure and a larger area of distribution.

New England Series: Cisco Brewers Island Reserve Saison Farm House Ale

More and more breweries across the nation are offering up there take on farmhouse ales, which includes the French-Belgian saison. Today, saison is a very broad category as far as stylistic aspects are concerned. They can range from light to dark, low to high alcohol, fruity, spicy, and the list goes on. Historically, saisons were (probably) simply malted barley, hops, water, and yeast, allowing the flavor profiles of the yeast to do most of the work. Not to say that good saisons are not still brewed this way (because they are. Check out mine), but many craft brewers are adding in a plethora of ingredients to spice things up...no pun intended.

I have seen Cisco Brewers six packs in the liquor stores and was always attracted to the art, but I am pretty sure I have never had the pleasure of trying any of their ales. Because my goal was to try as many different New England breweries as I could, I tried to stick with single bottles instead of the 6 packs, so when I saw a large bottle of Cisco Brewers Island Reserve Saison Farm House Ale I did not hesitate to bring one home with me.

Out of Nantucket, Massachusetts, Cisco Brewers has been creating craft brews since 1992 when the founders moved to Nantucket to live on a winery. Their operation started out small and was actually considered the first and only outdoor brewery because the entire brew process was conducted outside. Eventually they upped the scale (and moved inside), and now Cisco Brewers is the craft beer branch, with Triple Eight Distillery and Nantucket Vineyard creating the liquor and wine respectively.

The first thing I noticed about Cisco's saison was the unique color. It poured a golden-orange with quite a bit of haze. I have never come across a saison with such interesting colors, and this would be a good sign of many more interesting things to come. The aroma was strong with ripe tropical fruits with some bubblegum/candy notes. There is a sort of aromatic funk resemblant to a sour which gives it that candy tartness. The first sip, which was ushered by the rich aromas, was a rush of flavors that really took me off guard (in a good way). I got strong elements of tropical fruits with lots of tart and sour notes. There seems to be some spices utilized, but I had a hard time trying to figure out exactly what they were.

epodunk.com

After that first sip, I immediately went to Cisco Brewers website to figure out what exactly was going on in this nontraditional saison. As I kind of expected from the sour elements, I found out that this ale was fermented with Brettanomyces ("Brett") along with a saison yeast. Though Brett is not necessarily considered a souring agent, it does create a tartness that gives it a bit a twang without the full fledged Rene-Zellwegger-face-producing sourness. What is really fun and interesting about Brett is that it is a fairly difficult strain of yeast to predict and control, so the brewer is somewhat at the mercy of the microorganisms. The end result is usually somewhat of a surprise, though not completely, which always makes for something interesting. I then discovered the ale was put in oak barrels for a period of time which instilled flavors and aromas, which I noticed more as the saison warmed. Cisco's website also mentioned that many of the hop additions typical of a saison were replaced with a medley of herbs and spices that are grown on location at the brewery, which explains the spiciness that I was detecting but having a hard time pinpointing. It really is an all around "fun" beer that has your nose and palette picking out new aromas and flavors with every sip.

Cisco Brewers flat out states that this is labeled a saison since it is the closest style to the ale they created, but it is by no means to be taken as an example of at traditional saison. The aroma that greets you with every flavorful sip and the effervescence makes this beer an all around thrill ride for your senses. You can probably tell by the length of this post, but this beer has really gotten me excited. I actually went out and bought two more bottles; one to share with some friends (who all loved it as much as I did) and one to age for a year or two. I don't know how to make this happen, but I NEED a bottle or three of these to make it out to Colorado. Oh how I will miss this funky "saison"...

New England Series: Woodstock Inn Brewery Red Rack Ale

There is nothing like a good red ale, be it the traditional style with the focus on the malt or the new age, ultra hoppy version. Oddly enough it is a lot harder compared to many other styles to find red ales...anywhere. They are obviously out there, but not in as much abundance as styles like IPAs and stouts. When I do come across one, I always find myself fighting the urge not to get it. When filling a mix 6-pack at the Craft Beer Cellar the other day, I saw Red Rack Ale, which I assumed was a red ale. I was looking for New England breweries, and this one just so happened to be brewed in New Hampshire so I thought, "Why not?" After some quick google work, I found out the Woodstock Inn Brewery in North Woodstock, New Hampshire is a small, seven-barrel brewery that operates in an inn style hotel. I do believe they brew larger batches at Shipyard's facilities as well because the bottle says brewed at Shipyard, but I don't think Shipyard actually owns them or anything of that nature.

Red cross roughly
marks N. Woodstock

Red Rack Ale poured more on the dark orange/red side of amber rather than the true brick red you see in many other red ales. A creamy head sat atop for a while and sank down a bit and became rather rocky. Bubbles seemed to be coming from all over the bottom of the glass, racing to the top. The aroma was rich with malt sweetness and caramel. Earthy and grassy notes with some hop bitterness linger in the background. In line with the scent, the flavor immediately fills your mouth with caramel sweetness until a strong bitterness accompanied by an earthy/grassy/herbal element enters in for the finish. Though being labeled a red, the bitter element gives the feeling that you are drinking an ESB (extra special bitter) with a malt profile somewhat resembling that of a red (but without the breadiness that is usually prevalent).

This ale was very drinkable and would make for a good choice if looking for a beer to session. Not that it matters all that much, I wouldn't necessarily say Red Rack Ale is in line with the red ale style (which the brewery ascribes it as), though it definitely had some of the sweet malt elements that red ales exhibit with a bit of the hop elements from an American styled red. All in all, I am glad I got to try this beer from such a small New England brewery.

New England Series: Wachusett Belgian Style White

If you grew up in Massachusetts or have been here during the winter months, you probably heard or saw commercials for Wa-Wa-Wachusett Ski Area. What you may not have known (because I sure didn't, though I am new to Massachusetts craft beer) is that there is a Wachusett Brewery in Westminster, MA pumping out delicious craft beer. When I saw the bottle displaying the name of the ski resort over the words "Belgian Style White," I immediately grabbed one. Not only was I able to drink another New England brewed ale, but a white that I can use to improve my own witbier (HB#5).

Wachusett White is a light yellow with a slight haze that gives it almost a hay-like color. In the beginning there is a sizable head that disappeared rather quickly, but a stream of bubbles rushing to the top of the glass retained a thin layer. Aromas rich with orange and cloves are dominant while hints of citrus and some pepper-like spice appear in the background. The blend of aromas really created a well balanced smell that foreshadows what is to come almost perfectly.

city-data.com

The flavors are lead by a surge of cloves and coriander with hints of citrus and a very subtle maltiness. The clove flavor holds on strong through the end, while a more prominent breadiness and a very, VERY subtle bitterness (from what I am guessing is the hops) makes an appearance in the finish. A moderate amount of effervescence keeps the mouth tingling.

I think the Wachusett White falls somewhere in between the Allagash White, which seemed to be heavier on the clove and spice profile, and the UFO White, which showcased more of the fruit and citrus aspects. It is also the example that reminds me most of the Belgian witbier (HB#5) that I brewed.

New England Series: UFO White

The second Belgian witbier I encountered was the UFO White by Harpoon Brewery out of Boston, MA (they now have a second brewery in Vermont as well). Harpoon is one of the first micro breweries I was introduced to in my underage days, and I still go back to it every time I come home to the east coast. Their UFO (UnFiltered Offerings) series is a line of ales that are unfiltered and brewed with wheat which gives them more of a haze. Besides Boston Beer Company, which I believe has exceeded the label of "micro brewery," I would say Harpoon is arguably one of the most prominent and respected micro breweries in not only Massachusetts, but all of New England.

The UFO White is quite a bit different from the Allagash White that was highlighted in the previous New England Series post. The pour produced a light yellow ale with an orange tint that had a bit of haze, but not enough to give it that foggy white appearance that is usually found in the Belgian witbier style. The head was prevalent during the poor, but quickly dissipated and left little signs that it was ever there. The aromas were dominated by sweet oranges with a slight hint of spiciness.

britannica.com

Though the scent lead me to believe that I would be drinking something along the lines of carbonated orange juice, I was pleasantly surprised with the balance of flavors that my palate was fortunate enough to experience. Up front there was the sweet orange that I was expecting with some hints of coriander and some pepper-like spice. There was a very strong bready flavor that lasts into the finish that blends well with a lingering orange sweetness. The body is quite light, though bulked up a bit with the breadiness, and the carbonation adds a pleasant sharpness to give your mouth some excitement.

I would not refer to the UFO White as the most complex Belgian witbier out there, which is not a bad thing at all, but it definitely holds it own amongst the other micro beer options. It is surely a thirst quenching ale that can be sessioned on a hot day. This would be the perfect beer to take fishing or to the beach.

New England Series: Allagash White

Ever since my Belgian Witbier (HB#5) turned out to be very drinkable and dare I say...good, I have been trying to drink more whites to not only see how my take stacks up against commercial examples, but also to see how I can improve the recipe for the next time it is brewed. Luckily, it has proven very easy to find a bunch of witbiers here in Massachusetts and what is even greater is that there are plenty brewed in New England.

The first one I picked up was a four pack of the Allagash White. Allagash is based out of Portland, Maine, and is a very renowned brewery from New England. There version of the classic Belgian witbier has taken home numerous medals throughout the past years and is a great representation of what a white should be. That being said, it does have some noticeable differences from my homebrew, but we will get to that in a bit...

In the glass, the Allagash white is a very pale yellow with the signature white haze of a witbier (from the wheat). A fairly thick and creamy head dissipated quickly, but there was no shortage of bubbles to keep a thin layer alive. The aromas are rich with cloves, and some notes of citrus and orange make it through as well. The first sip was dominated by cloves and coriander, which were quickly complimented by some orange and lemon citrus and breadiness from the malt. The finish is engulfed by a lingering spiciness of cloves and coriander with a slight hint of bananas. The ale is light-bodied, as it should be, but is livened up a bit by a high level of effervescence that gives the mouth feel a slight sharpness.

The small blue star marks Portland, ME

In comparison to my take on the witbier, the Allagash White has a more prominent clove spiciness, which I am definitely looking to bring to my ale. The clove aroma and flavor are largely due in part to the yeast, so I may need to make a starter or pitch more slap packs. Other than that, they are fairly similar and share the same effervescence (bubbly-ness) that brings some excitement to the light-bodied mouth feel.

All in all, Allagash created a great example of a Belgian witbier that should not be passed by if it graces your local packy's shelves.

New England Series: Wolaver's Oatmeal Stout

After spending the past two weeks in 70+ degree weather in bone dry Colorado, it was actually a pleasant surprise to wake up to a classic Massachusetts spring morning freshly soaked by an early morning shower. At the end of my walk on the mud packed trails of Borderland State Park, nothing sounded better than getting back to my warm home and cracking open a stout, but the problem was that I had no stouts waiting for me and honestly had nothing in mind for a good stout around these parts.

A quick glance at what the coolers had to offer at the local packy (or liquor store for you out-of-staters) brought me to  Wolaver's Oatmeal Stout. I had never heard of Wolaver's before, but "Vermont's Own" adorned the top of the label, which honestly sealed the deal for me. After all, I am searching out New England brews that I have not been exposed to.

Wolaver's is credited as the first USDA certified organic brewery and is a subdivision of Otter Creak Brewing, which are both brewed in Middlebury, Vermont. Wolaver's mission takes simply brewing beer with organic ingredients to the next level by making efforts to support local sustainable agriculture as well as reducing their impact on the environment. This is slowly becoming a trend I think all micro breweries, as well as other businesses big and small, can appreciate and strive for. Anyways...

Picture from utoledo.edu

Wolaver's Oatmeal Stout was everything I was hoping for on this chilly, wet day. It poured an impenetrable dark (and I mean dark) brown with an inch head that dissipated down to something resemblant of cappuccino foam.  The smell is dominated by roasty aromas with hints of coffee and some chocolate, but I must say that the smell did not do the beer justice, in my opinion. The first sip was full of dark, robust malts that were accentuated by notes of sweet chocolate and coffee bitterness. There is also a very full bodied mouth feel that is quite creamy and silky, which can (more or less) be attributed to the high quantity of oats. In oatmeal stouts, oats make up as much as 20% of the grain bill which enhances the body while also adding a distinct creamy mouth feel.

I wish I could get this beer in Boulder. It is an exceptional example of an oatmeal stout that I would absolutely encourage anyone to get there hands on. It is also worth mentioning that this stout just took third place in the stout category at the Great International Beer Festival held in Rhode Island. Not too shabby...

The New England Series: Exploring the craft beer of New England

For about two weeks, I will be home in Massachusetts, which means I will have a very different beer selection to choose from than what I am used to in Boulder. Off the top of my head, Sam Adams is the only New England beer available in my part of Colorado. For this reason, I decided to spend these two weeks, which will be homebrew-less, focusing on New England craft beer and breweries. Though Colorado (and I can't leave out California) is usually hailed as the epicenter of America's quality craft beer culture, it is undeniable that New England breweries produce some unbelievable examples of classic beer styles while also pushing the limits of craft beer. Though finding liquor store with a decent micro-brew selections is less convenient than Boulder, they are out there and I will find them. Watch out New England...

UPDATE: America Brown Ale (HB#6) now in bottles

This is going to be a pretty pitiful post, but better than nothing. The day before I left for Massachusetts (3/28) I finally got around to bottling the American Brown Ale. It had been sitting in buckets for about 5 and half weeks, which is a week and half longer than intended. Because the beer was dry hopping in secondary for the extra 11-or-so days, the hop aromas are very strong, which I am very pleased with. However, the extra time in the fermenter also resulted in more of the sugars being eaten up by the yeast, so the final gravity was 1.006, which is about .012 points of what it should have been. This is not the end of the world, but it does mean that I will have a higher ABV than intended, and the beer will have less sweetness and a much lighter body, which may not be characteristic of the American Brown Ale style. For what it is worth, the un-carbonated sample tasted quite good so that is a good sign of things to come.

Homebrew #7: Saison Typique

I know, it is pretty lame to name a beer before you even taste  it. However, since this is the second saison I brewed, I decided I need to use more descriptive and interesting names than just "saison" in order to keep things straight. Because saisons are traditionally regarded as French ales (from a French part of Belgium) I thought it would be appropriate to use a French word. I went with Typique because it translates into "typical" or "simple." My goal for this brew was to brew a very basic saison and see the flavors and aromas the yeast instills in the ale without being muddle by fruit, spices, or other adjuncts. It seemed appropriate to name such a simple but lofty goal of a beer Saison Typique.

Homebrew #4:  (Imperial) Saison had additions of crushed coriander and sweet orange peel during the boiled, and at flame out I threw in a bag with pink peppercorns that sat in the carboy throughout the entire period in the bucket. I am not going to go too much into the Imperial Saison since I did so in depth not too long ago, but overall it has a very hot mouth-feel to it that is in major part to the high alcohol percentage (~11.5%) which is accentuated by the peppercorns. If/when I brew this again, I think I will either take the peppercorns out before pitching the yeast or only letting them sit for a week or two (though I am not sure if it would be during primary or secondary).

But I digress. Saison Typique is inspired by a recipe in Brewing Classic Styles that was simply malted grains, hops, water, and yeast. It might sound lackluster, but the yeast is a huge part in the taste and smell of a beer. It is truly a simple recipe that is probably (somewhat) representative of the first farmhouse ales in French-Belgium.

Sparge 2 in the mash tun

Here it is...

Brew Day: 3/3/12

Target Info:
Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.039
Original Gravity: 1.058
Bitterness (IBUs): 27
Est. ABV: 6.9%

Grains:
Pilsner (2 Row) Belgium    8 lbs 8.8 oz
Munich Malt:                            15.5 oz
Wheat Malt                               9.8 oz
Caramunich Malt                       2.7 oz

Mash Schedule:
Mash in: 12.9 quarts of 162*F water. Hold @ 147 for 90 minutes

The cane sugar

Sparge 1: 3.25 gallons of 168*F water
Sparge 2: 3 gallons of 168*F water

Pre-boil volume: 7.5 gallons
Pre-boil gravity: 1.040



Boil Schedule:
1.82 oz German Hallertauer hops    90 min
13.1 oz Cane Sugar                       60 min
0.75 oz German Hallertauer hops     0 min

I put the flaked hops into a
hop bag to prevent a lot
of sediment

*I lengthened the boil to 90 min to reduce DMS, but up to this point I have always been a little unsure what to do with the hop additions. I have been pushing them back to 90, but I have been reading you should just keep them where they are if you want the target IBUs to be correct. So in this recipe the IBUs would be less than the target since I pushed the first addition of hops back to 90 minutes. However, the hops I got are slightly more bitter than the ones in the recipe, so it should balance out (somewhat)*


Post-boil volume: 5.5 gal
Original Gravity: ???

*I got ahead of myself and pitched the yeast before taking a sample, so I didn't get a chance to take an OG reading. I am going to say it is pretty close considering I nailed the pre-boil gravity and post-boil volume. I am going to start printing out brew day sheets so I stop forgetting important figures*

2 packages of Wyeast Labs 3724 (Belgian Saison) yeast were pitched.

The primary fermenter rose naturally up to about 75*F. I am now holding it at 77 with a heater, but will let it come back down naturally in a day or two.

Collaboration, not Litigation

Avery and Russian River brewed there sixth annual batch of Collaboration Not Litigation this year, and I got my hands on a bottle. The story behind this beer is worth mentioning: Both Avery and Russian River brewed a Belgian ale called "Salvation" and instead of going head to head on who gets rights to the name, they decided to bring their beers together in a collaborative effort to make a "super" version that they so fittingly call "Collaboration Not Litigation."

What makes this beer so interesting is that is actually a blend, not just a singular recipe. Russian River brewed their Salvation (a Belgian Dark Strong ale) and Avery brewed there Salvation (a Belgian Strong Golden ale), and they literally mixed (or blended) the two together in order to capture and compliment the flavor profiles of each. I am hoping to get my hands on another bottle so I can age it for a year or so, but we will see...

In the glass, Collaboration Not Litigation looks orange (almost red), but with some light going through it the color appears to be more of a darker amber. The aroma is largely dominated by what I would assume are yeast derived spices, and a faint scent of sweet fruit with little to no hops.

The upfront flavors start very spicy, like the nose, with some raisin-esque sweet fruit notes. There is also a bit of banana and some cloves (though that might just be the spiciness I am picking up) that appear in the finish. A hint of alcohol appears, being that this beer is 8.69%, but it works well with the spiciness of the yeast and the sweetness of the Belgian candied sugar so as to not be too overwhelming.

All in all, Avery and Russian River did not fail to please (not that I ever though either would). This only further strengthens my growing obsession for Belgian style beers, whether brewed the same way they have for hundreds of years by Belgian monks or interpreted by American craft brewers to offer a more "modern" perspective. If you see this beer anywhere, be sure to drink it.

How the (Imperial) Saison (HB#4) is shaping up...

First off, let me start by officially "upgrading" Homebrew #4 from a saison to an Imperial Saison. Because I came up about a gallon short of my target volume, this beer had a very high original gravity (1.088) and finished with a very low at 1.006. TastyBrew.com has a calculator that gives an ABV based on original and final gravity as well as fermentation temperatures. The equated percentage has to be taken with a grain of salt, but apparently Homebrew #4 was pushing 12% ABV. Saisons are not (usually) much more than 8 or 9 percent alcohol by volume and often times much, much lower, so 12% in my eyes is worthy of being labeled "imperial" in order to signify the higher than usual alcohol content.

But moving on to how the Imperial Saison is stacking up almost 7 weeks after bottling...

To be honest, I am not thrilled with how this beer turned out. As you know from my ramble above, the alcohol percentage is very high and also very prevalent in the aromas and flavors of the ale. On top of that, the peppercorns that were tossed in at flame-out and then soaked for the entire fermentation accentuate the heat of the alcohol. The flavor is initially very strong and a punch to the tongue from the alcohol and peppercorns, but it smooths out...a little. In the middle you can faintly sense the orange but not so much the coriander. It does finish fairly dry, as it should.

This freak accident (it's not that bad) of an "Imperial Saison" drinks more as a fine liquor than a beer. Obviously the alcohol percentage will slow you down, but I find it difficult to put down a full bottle of this beer. It looks great, but the most important part, the aromas and flavors, are not at all where I hoped them to be. I am not saying that it isn't drinkable, but not on the level of a "traditional" (whatever that means) saison. It burns up your nose and lingers like a fine liquor, or a beer aged in aged liquor barrels. On that level, it is actually pretty pleasant, but I did not really envision this as a "sipping" beer. I wanted a more drinkable ale... 

Eventually I will try to brew this beer again and see if I can't turn out something that I am more pleased with. Next time I will make sure increase my pre-boil volume in order to finish with the proper amount of wort. I think the 12% ABV is really what is throwing off the whole profile of the beer. After drinking a couple of these, I feel like I have gotten a feeling for what it would have tasted like if it had properly fermented to about 7.5% ABV. Based on that, I also think I would add the peppercorns at flame-out, but pull them before pitching the yeast. It will really make the pepper more subtle and allow the orange peel, corriander, and most importantly the yeast to shine through as well. It will definitely be worth while to try and see if I can make the proper improvements to create what I am shooting for to see if I actually know what I think I know.

UPDATE: American Brown Ale (HB#6) now dry hopping in secondary

Hops waiting in secondary

This past Monday (2/27/2012) I got around to transferring the hoppy brown ale I brewed into secondary fermentation. Two ounces of Centennial hops were added in order to soak for two weeks to create much more prominent hop aromas. It has been a week since the transfer and I will be ready to bottle in about one more, so this one is getting close to done.

The green looking foam is
the dissolved hop pellets.

As far as the style/name dilemma goes that I was having, I think it has been settled because of the larger than anticipate volume I ended up with. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a final gravity reading before pitching the yeast, but I did a rough calculation and found that the original gravity would have been around 1.062 instead of the anticipated 1.071 because of the extra gallon of water that didn't boil off. This means that there is a smaller concentration of sugar in relation to the volume, so the beer will subsequently be lower in alcohol (there is less sugar by volume for the yeast to convert into alcohol). An original gravity of 1.062 puts my brown ale within the parameters of an "American Brown Ale," so that is what I will refer to it as now. If all goes as planned from here, which clearly it has not up to this point, I should have a beer around 6.2% ABV (instead of 7.1% ABV) that will still hold up strong with malt and alcohol in balance with the eight and half ounces of hops used that will surely be on the forefront. 

UPDATE: Belgian Witbier bottle conditioning

I finally got around to bottling the Belgian Witbier, which had been sitting neglected in a corner of my room for five and half weeks. Because I am not one to rack to a secondary fermenter, unless necessary for processes like dry-hopping, I was a little worried that this batch may have picked up some unfavorable flavors from sitting on the yeast cake for so long. Generally, from what I have read, it is fine to ferment in the same vessel for up to four weeks, but after four weeks you risk adding some funk to your beer.

Like I said, I got a little worried that the witbier was going to taste and/or smell like farts, so I did some snooping around a few different forums. Sure enough there was plenty of people saying never let a beer sit in primary longer than two weeks, while others swear their best beers sat for six weeks (for whatever reasons). I chose to believe the latter... 

When I opened the lid of the bucket for the first time since January 11, the smell was way better than expected. To be honest, I had kind of forgot about this beer, but after smelling and tasting it, I feel like this could be one of my best ones yet. It definitely had a prominent grapefruit smell from adding the zest in at flame-out. And the flavor was sweet with oranges with earthy and floral undertones from the chamomile and coriander. The color was the best part. It was a very pale yellow with a lot of haze, which made it appear almost white. Usually brewers are doing everything they can to make as clear of a beer as possible (one of the reasons people vouch for racking to secondary), but witbiers are supposed to be cloudy and appear white, which is why the are often times referred to as "white ales.". But I digress...

Come bottling day I slaved away cleaning bottles in my bathroom and was ready to actually start the bottling process. I boiled two cups of water and added 4.7 oz of priming sugar (dextrose) for two minutes. The sugar water cooled for a bit on the stove while I did some cleaning and sanitizing, and then I put the water into the bottling bucket. Right after I got the siphon all ready, I looked into the bottling bucket and thought to myself, "Hm...Looks like there is some water on the bottom from the sanitizer." Naturally, I dumped it out, and immediately after realized what I had done...

Luckily cane sugar, which is sold at grocery stores, can be used as a substitute for the dextrose (aka corn sugar) from homebrew stores. I ended up getting highly refined baker's cane sugar because it supposedly adds the least amount of flavors. Depending on the beer and what flavors you are going for, honeys, brown sugar, and dry malt extract are just a few things that can be used as priming sugars. The brown sugar is intriguing...

Despite the sugar fiasco, things seem to have gone well. I am curious to see if I can notice the difference in priming sugars, but who knows. The gravity read 1.003, which is lower than expected. This will hopefully turn out as delicious as I wanted it to be.

Homebrew #6: Imperial Brown Ale/Double Brown Ale/India Brown Ale

BJCP.org

It was rather difficult coming up with the title for this post. Putting a style to my most recent beer I brewed was not an easy task. I went with a fairly renowned recipe called "Janet's Brown Ale" that I found in the book Brewing Classic Styles. It is classified as an American Brown Ale because of the prominent hop profile compared to the malt forward English version. However, I noticed the recipe created a beer with a ~6.8% ABV and 63 IBU, which is outside of the BJCP style guidelines (which are what are widely used for brewing competitions) for American Browns which states an alcohol percentage of 4.0-6.0% ABV and 25-60 IBUs. So where does that leave the ale that I brewed?

In the American craft beer world stronger, hoppier ales are often times given the label "Imperial," though historically the term was reserved for typically (though not always) dark ales, like stouts, that were brewed specially for royalty, particularly in Russia (thus the popular style: Russian Imperial Stout). The BJCP has categories specifically for Imperial IPA, Imperial Stouts, and Imperial Porters, but there is no explicit Imperial Brown category. They do mention Imperial Brown/Double-Brown under the "Specialty Beer" category which is more or less reserved for situations like I am in where there is a twist on a classic style that puts it outside of set guidelines. The term "double" (not to be confused with a Belgian Dubbel) is often times used interchangeably with "imperial" to describe a traditional beer style that has a higher alcohol content and/or a stronger hop profile.

So at this point I have tried American Brown Ale, but my homebrew does not fit the guidelines. Imperial Brown is tempting, but I like to maintain some sort of historical accuracy and, unfortunately, this ale will not reach the palette of royalty (as far as I know?). Double is tempting, though I feel the alcohol content being only 6.8% ABV does not earn my homebrew such a title, since the beers I think of when I hear "Double" are usually in the ~10% ABV range.

from growler-station.com

India Brown Ale seems to be a fairly prominent term that some craft breweries have taken to (check out Boulder Beer Co.'s Flashback). I assume this title came about because India Pale Ales distinguish themselves from regular pale ales through the use of more hops and higher alcohol content. Thus it seems to make sense that an India Brown Ale is a brown ale, but with more hops and a higher alcohol content. The theory is sound, but again, this title does not really jive with the history behind the name "India Pale Ale" (see my post on Homebrew #3 to get a brief idea of where the term IPA came from). Boulder Beer Co. seems to skirt around the issue by calling their Flashback an India-style brown ale.

I still can't decide what to refer to this beer as since it seems too hoppy/alcoholic to be an American Brown Ale, not majestic enough to be an Imperial Brown, not alcoholic enough to be a Double, and nonsensical to be labeled an India Brown Ale. Debates, like this one I am putting myself through, have been pretty common recently when trying to describe beers like Odell's Mountain Standard, which some refer to as India Black Ales while others refer to it as Cascadian Dark Ales. I won't go too deep into this anymore since this post is getting long and I haven't even started to write the recipe, but my point is that in the end they are just names. Unless you are planning to enter a competition, it really doesn't matter, and even if you are entering a competition, you can just enter under the "Specialty Beer" category.

Here is the recipe I put together in BeerSmith. Like I said I took the grain bill and hop schedule from a recipe in Brewing Classic Styles, but I tweaked the amounts and also added in another malt (mainly just because I had some available).

All the grains and hops for the mash

Brew day: 2/10/2012

Grains:
10 lbs 6.9 oz - Pale Malt (2 Row), US
1 lbs 1.4 oz   - Cara-Pils/Dextrine
1 lbs 0.3 oz   - Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L
13.9 oz          - Wheat, Flaked
6.5 oz            - Chocolate Malt
5.6 oz            - Brown Malt (this is the grain I added to the recipe)

*This recipe called for hops during the mash, which I have never done nor heard of before. Usually hops are added during the boil, but I tossed in 1.05 oz of Northern Brewer hops for the 60 minute mash in*

Mash tun all wrapped up to help
maintain temperature.

Mash Schedule:
Mash In:  17.7 quarts of water at 169.7*F. Hold at 154*F for 60min
Sparge 1: 3.2 gallons of water at 168*F for 10 minutes
Sparge 2: 1.65 gallons of water at 168*F for 10 minutes

Pre-boil volume: 7 gallons (about .15 higher than anticipated)

All the hop additions weighed out
(including the hops in the mash)

Boil:

1.31 oz Northern Brewer    60 minutes
1.05 oz Northern Brewer    15 minutes
1.55 oz Cascade              10 minutes
Super Moss                     10 minutes
Cascade                            0 minutes

Post Boil Volume: 6.1 gallons

kettle boiling out in the snow

*I had a hell of a time with the wort chiller. It was snowing so the hose was all frozen up. I thawed it out with boiling water, but the nozzle connected to the hose must have warped from the ice and wouldn't screw all the way in to my wort chiller. I ended up having to stand in the snow with my foot over where the wort chiller and hose connected to keep the water from spraying into my kettle, which can cause contamination. It really bummed me out and I subsequently forgot to take a gravity reading before I pitched the yeast. I am in the process of figuring out how to estimate the original gravity based on all the data I have.*



Cooled wort down to 67*F and pitched two smack packs of Wyeast 1056 American Ale yeast.

The bucket is now fermenting at 67*F.