Homebrew IPA coming soon

I was finally able to taste the India Pale Ale I made in February. It has been named "Snow Day IPA." Look for an explanation of the name when I post the recipe. So far I am very impressed. I will sample a couple more bottles and put up the recipe and my review. The labels are ready, so look for bottles to be distributed soon. Let me know if you are interested in picking one up, having one dropped off, or me holding one aside until you are in town. I will warn you though, be ready for a lot of hops, so if you don't want a bitter beer, this may not be your type of beer. The alcohol was 6.5%-7%.

Beer in Sedona

While in Sedona, Arizona last week we stumbled across a bar named "Olde Sedona." We watched some of the NCAA games, ate some yummy black bean chili and I sampled some Amber Ale from Oak Creek Brewing Co. At the time I didn't realize that was a local beer, so I really didn't take any notes. I recall it being smooth with hops that don't overpower. It went very well with the chili and fried onions. Next time I am in Sedona, I hope to visit the company brewpub and sample some more of their offerings.

Homebrew Cider

January Homebrew


Recipe
Back in January I fermented some Draft Cider. This was my first attempt, and none of my homebrewing buddies have done one, so I had to find a recipe on my own. I ended up buying five gallons of fresh Ohio cider from Whole Foods. The cider must be pasteurized, but not preserved. I used Wyeast cider yeast and let it ferment one week in the primary and another week in the secondary. I used corn sugar and then put it in beer bottles.

The Name

I named this Dupuy Draft Cider in honor of my girlfriend, since she was kind enough to buy me some homebrew equipment for Christmas! Since she does not like beer, and she loves cider, I thought I would give this a try. If time permits I may make another batch this fall.

A copy of the label from the bottle

My Review

I thought the cider was a bit under-carbonated. I felt that the apple taste could be stronger. It was cloudy, but the color was good. The scent coming off the top seemed about right. It was a refreshing taste, but I feel like a future batch could use some changes. In the next batch I may let it ferment longer. I may add some camden tablets for stabilization then put in some cider, juice or an apple enhancer to bring up the flavor towards the end of fermentation. I may also add sugar to push the alcohol level to 6-8%. Before bottling I may add more corn sugar to increase the carbonation. If you have any suggestions send me an email.

Other Reviews
Graham said, "I found it to be pleasantly light, and refreshing with a very fine carbonation and pleasant after taste. I drove home with it chilling on the ice in the back of the pick-up so it was possibly a bit to cold........but still very nice, Well Done!"

Mark said, "It's about the color of a Blue Moon, light smell of apple and the taste is slightly citrusy. A great hot summer day drink. Thanks for sharing."

My Dad said, "Had a taste of your cider and it was excellent. A little light, could be a little heavier or more cider taste, but really good!"

My Mom said, "Your cider was great."

If you want your review of the cider posted, send it to me. If you have not tried the cider, let me know asap, because there is not much left.

Bockfest

This year I attended Bockfest, which was held on the first weekend of March. In an earlier post, I listed details about the Cincinnati event. I arrived downtown Cincinnati around 5:00, just in time for the parade. I assumed I would be watching the festivities, but instead I filled in as one of the goats pulling the float. My brother and sister had created some goatheads for us to wear. The goatheads wore monk like robes and the masks. Due to a lack of robes, I simply wore my work clothes with the mask. On the float was my younger brother in a German Oktoberfest outfit playing drums and accordion. Pulling the float in the front was a real-life pregnant lady with a German hat and a goat painted on her shirt. The goats pulled the float with ropes on the sides, but a couple of us simply held onto the float so it wouldn't fall apart. We passed out root beer barrel candy along the path. We received many cheers and had our picture taken a few times. After the parade there was an awards show, but we could not see anything, since there was not a stage. We were surprised to later find out that we won a major award, the "Most Fun" entrant. Unfortunately the award was one pint glass, so we are in the process of handing the glass back and forth. Below are some pics.

We spent both Friday and Saturday night at Kaldis, a bookstore/restaurant/bar on Main Street in the Over-the-Rhine area of town. Kaldis had at least five different Bock beers. There was a coupke by local brewers Christian Morlein and Barrel House. I personally preferred the Spaten Maibock. There was a special menu, and I sampled a dish that was basically chili dogs. Overall the weekend was a lot of fun, and I look forward to this festival further developing as the Over-the-Rhine area continues to connect to its history. Below are a few more pics.

Delay

Sorry for the delay in posts. I have been out of town, and the NCAA tournament has distracted me a bit.

New Sam Adams Glass

Sam Adams has created a pint glass, that they claim is the best way to drink Sam Adams Boston Lager. Below is the picture, with some notes from their newsletter. Glasses can be purchased at their website, but at this point there is a 2-3 week wait. No word yet on if bars will use these glasses. Founder Jim Koch said the following, "We wanted to create a glass that offers beer lovers a full sensory drinking experience by fully showcasing Samuel Adams Boston Lager's complex balance of malt and hop flavors. This glass achieves that mission."

Bead inside top rim - small ridge creates turbulence to increase CO2 and aroma release as beer enters palate
Lip of the Glass - places the beer on the front of the tongue where sweetness is tasted
Narrowness - enhances hop aroma by concentrating the head
Round Shape - greater volume to surface ratio maintains temperature longer
Narrow grip - reduces the beer's exposure to heat from the hand
Nucleation site - increases hop aroma release