15 years of brewing! You know what's been the best part lately? Tons of experimentation! For the past couple of years, we've been working with several strains of brettanomyces (wild yeast). We found one and deemed it the best for it's [sic] tart flavor and funky, fruity aroma. Adding black mission figs for a subtle jammy aspect, hibiscus flowers for an herbal bouquet and hazy sunset hue, and white pepper for a bit of spicy twang, we've created FIFTEEN -- a unique drinking experience inspired by the wild farmhouse ales of Belgium. Though immensely complex today, more flavors will emerge with time, so throw a few bottles in your cellar for future celebrations. Thanks to all of you who have made our 15 year ride possible!
Peace to all and follow your dreams!
Brewed with Rocky Mountain water, malted barley, malted wheat, hops, black mission figs, hibiscus flowers, white pepper, and a very unique strain of brettanomyces yeast.
(Note that the misplaced apostrophe not only occurs on the label, but also is on the linked web page above. A nice touch of consistency, at least.)
The description's a bit over the top, but what can we expect from marketing people. I haven't opened it yet, we'll see what it's like later.
Edited to add:
I'm drinking the "Fifteen" now. It's a very nice ale, but as over-the-top as the description is, the beer itself isn't all that crazy. The bret yeast is definitely noticeable, but as to the rest of it, it's just a very nice, clean, crisp ale. Yeah, it has a bit of fruit and funk, but if they hadn't told me it was brewed with white pepper, hibiscus flowers, and figs, I wouldn't know. Don't get me wrong, it's a very nice beer, it's just not really as crazy as I expected it to be, given its description. (note proper lack-of-apostrophe in that "its")
Sunday's beer: O'Hanlon's Brewing Company, Ltd., Thomas Hardy's Ale, 8.5oz bottle, 11.7%abv. I've had a previous year's version of this one. This is the 2006 edition, and if the last one was a proper indication, I'll probably hang onto this one for a couple more years before I think it's ready. I can't find a home page (quickly) for the brewery, but you can see what The Independent says about the beer.
Today's beer: Lagunitas Brewing Company, Lumpy Gravy. I'm drinking this one right this second. It's a variety of brown ale, but otherwise is hard to describe. It's tasty though. Named after the Frank Zappa album, and I believe was released on the 40th anniversary of the release of that album. A great album, and a tasty beer.
Speaking of brown ale, I made one yesterday, here's the recipe:
Ingredients:
- 9lbs 2-row pale malt
- 1 lb 80l crystal malt
- .5 lb chocolate malt
- 4 oz Goldings hops (home grown!)
- White Labs WLP002 English Ale Yeast
Process:
- Steep grains at 154 degrees for one hour.
- Mash out
- Sparge, extracting approx 7.5 to 8 gallons of wort.
- Bring to a hard rolling boil
- Boil for 15 minutes
- Add 2 oz Goldings (bittering)
- Boil for 45 more minutes
- Add 1.5 oz Goldings (flavor)
- Boil for 15 more minutes (75 minutes total boil)
- Start chilling and add final 0.5oz Goldings (aroma)
- Transfer to fermenter, pitch yeast and aerate.
It was a good brewing session with no surprises. The wort tastes great, and the yeast is happily working away right now, so I'm hopeful it ends up tasty. Should be done in time for Xmas, especially since I force-carbonate.
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