Brewing Update

I haven't brewed since May, and I am not considering brewing until late August, for several reasons.

1. It's hot here.  The highs bump 100° f with humidity in the 60s.  I'd have to start brewing at midnight to finish before it got to hot, and I'm not that dedicated.  I do not have a fermentation fridge, and the coolest room in the house fluctuates from 72° and 78°. (Ah the joy of living in a 1940s, uninsulated frame home!)
2. I have five full kegs in the fridge: CYBI Bam Biere Clone, Bugeaters Rye Cream Ale target="new", Kölsch I Said So, Roger's Red Mild Ale, and Belgian Bombshell.  It'll take me a while to work my way through it.
3. I can't decide what to brew next.  I want to brew Donn's Famous Horse Cram It In Brown Ale, Shadow Warrior, and another Saison du Permienne, but I can't decide what to brew first.
4. Finally, we are in Stage 4 water restrictions about to move to Stage 5.  Since it takes about 15 gallons of water to make 6 gallons of beer, I probably should be a little more considerate.

Brewing Analogy

The other day, I visited Satan in Midland to brew Betty Faulker Bock (See my next post. Or the one after that.). Some of his coworkers stopped by, three brothers who like beer. As we started sparging, they began asking us about brewing. We both tried to impress on them how easy brewing is. On the way home, I was listening to old Brewing Network podcasts where someone referenced Doc Scott's Cookie dough analogy. While I never heard the entire thing, I think I can figure it out.

There are two ways to get your cookie fix. Buy cookies in the store or make your own.

Take your average cookie recipe. You mix all the ingredients into a dough, then chill it. Then you take bits of the dough and put them on a baking sheet. In 20 minutes you have cookies. This is all-grain brewing. At this level, you can tweak all the ingredients to achieve the desired flavor you are looking for.

Or, you can go to the store and buy pre-made cookie dough, slice it up, put it on a cookie sheet and in 20 minutes you have cookies. This is extract brewing. You can push M&Ms into the dough, and make one cookie, or put one big chocolate chip into the center and make another. That's extract brewing with specialty grains.

Evaluating Williams Red Ale

A couple of weeks ago, I kegged the Williams Red Ale kit I brewed. I sampled it the other day, and what follows are my notes. I should make it clear that I am evaluating the beer I made, not the kit itself. A better brewer would make a better beer!

Appearance (0-3): Cloudy amber with ruby highlights. Light head, very light, is tan colored and disappears quickly, leaving faint Belgian lace along the glass. 1 point.

Aroma/Bouquet (0-4): Roasted malts predominate with a caramel smell. Hops are faint, merely an accent. 3 points.

Taste (0-10): Hop/Malt balance (4): The malt is apparent first, with the hops lingering on the back of the tongue, lingering for several moments after drinking. 4 points.
Aftertaste (3): Hops linger, mentioned above. Slowly fades. A slightly metallic off taste (maybe contaminated?) 2 points.
Mouthfeel (3): Not watery. Satisfying. 3 points.

Overall impression (1-3): Goes down easy without an alcohol kick. Exactly what I was hoping for. Slight, slight, slight metallic taste but after three, who cares? 2 points.

Williams Read Ale score: 15 points.

William's Brewing's Red Ale Kit

I have decided to brew more kits just to have more beer on hand. So I bought William's Red Ale. I was looking for a low alcohol beer that I could brew and keg quickly. I brewed it last weekend, and kegged it today. I didn't even take a gravity reading. I don't care. I just want beer in the keg.