Black November & Mikkeller!

Nov-Dec is that time of the year when I get to make my dark, hearty beers. In particular, the keg of vanilla stout kicked so quickly last year, I decided to brew a double batch. It so happened that Mikkel Borg Bjergsø from Mikkeller was in town, and thanks to a fantastic arrangement made by my lovely friends I managed to get this year's vanilla stout tasted and critiqued by him.

Stolen off Nick & Natasha's blog! You can find them on the link on the right.

Gueuze - The Making Of ...

Hmm .. after the very unexpected win for this beer, I was left wondering how in the world an experiment could have turned out this way. I suppose it was a lucky combination of having judges who were able to appreciate the style (my family hates it) and having just the right sort of bugs in that mix.

My very nasty-looking culture of "house" bugs

Coming of Age - "Imperial" Saison

Just a little story to highlight the virtue of patience in brewing, especially for stronger beers. 

Back in November 2011, a bunch of us from the Homebrew Club were gathered for our inaugural Brew-Together session, hosted by Owen. It was interesting too, as I pitched my (comparatively) ghetto setup against the automated Spiedel Brewmiester. The recipe came from me, and it was to be a 8% ABV Saison, fermented in 2 different locations using Wyeast's 3711 Saison yeast. I tried a sip 2 weeks later - it was gross. Rocket fuel. Headaches. Nail polish remover. It was full of higher alcohols, or "hot" alcohols.

Magnum Opus (American Pale Ale)

This is THE house ale that is always available on tap, and is deliberately made to have just a subtle malt backing. This gives it a delicate mix of maltiness, subtle hop aromas and a fairly light body. At just 4.7% alcohol by volume, this beer is flavourful but does not overdo it, making this a prime candidate for the budding craft beer drinker or as a refreshing mid-day drink.