Not So Famous…

Well, I’ve spent the last 6 days drinking my homebrew and having others taste it. I’ve been formulating my own opinions and talking with others whose taste in beer I trust, and I will post my aggregate notes here. :)

2005 Scotch Ale

Appearance
Upon pouring this beer, the first thing noticeable is the amber color. While gorgeous, it’s not as dark as I would have hoped. This could have been due to the fact that it’s my first beer. Maybe I could have steeped the grains a little longer, maybe I could have used less water. I think it’s possibly a combination of the two. The beer is also a little cloudy. The major sediment sits on the bottom of the bottle, so a careful pouring is necessary, but the beer is unfiltered, which I personally prefer. Likely, this is because of the amount of trub that made it into the fermenter. We’ll avoid this in future batches. Also, I was unable to cool the wort as quickly as I wanted before pitching the yeast, so I don’t think a proper cold break was reached. If you want to know what that is, please comment. :)

The head of this beer is interesting, really. Given the number of boil-overs I had while brewing, I would have expected the surface tension to hold a head for a long time. However, for the most part, the heads do not have much in the way of staying power. Generally, a thin layer of foam will stay for a little while, leaving almost no lacing on the glass. Something else I noticed is the difference of the initial head between bottles. I know I mixed the priming liquid into the bottling bucket well, so the difference in carbonation must be the amount of yeast in suspension in the beer in each bottle. Depending upon when in the bottling process I poured each particular bottle must mean a different amount of yeast in each bottle. The head is what helps to bring out the aroma of the beer, so each pour is slightly different in aroma, but aside from that, every bottle is pretty equal.

Aroma
The aroma of this beer is, for the most part, everything you hope a Scotch Ale will be. Heavy maltiness is apparent from the first sniff, and promises a sweet, heavy brew. Not much detectable hop aroma in the nose at all, really, which is good, since I only used an ounce of mild hops for the entire 6 gallon boil. No fruity or floral notes, which is also good, as it means the yeast was happy with the temperature of the fermentation.

Mouthfeel
The mouthfeel of this beer is the first indication that it’s not as heavy as some Scotch Ales out there. Not as thin as some lagers, but not nearly as chewy as some of the heavier Scotch Ales. This is indicative of the low starting gravity I got immediately after the boil. I think this is due mostly to using too much water in the boil, and not losing enough of it during the boil. (Mostly due to the fact that my stove wouldn’t boil all of the wort with the lid off. Lid on…less loss due to evaporation. I won’t have this problem with my new camp stove…Merry Christmas to me.) :) Light carbonation is a nice zing, typical of the Scotch Ale style.

Taste
This Ale is interesting in flavor. There’s a nice maltiness to the ale, though not as much as other Scotch Ales that I’ve tried. (Indicative of the problems I mentioned before.) No bitterness to speak of, though I’m sure there would have been a difference if I had not used the little hops I did. What is really interesting is that there is almost a tanginess to this beer…almost like a Hefeweizen. (Wheat beer.) It’s pleasant, though I wouldn’t have predicted it. This could be due to the aforementioned problems, but it’s pleasant, nonetheless.

Overall
As an Ale, this is a very pleasant beer. Not as strong as I might have hoped, but a pleasant taste. As a Scotch Ale, it’s not the best example of the style, but that’s ok. I’m going to enjoy the rest of this ale, I think. :)

It’s 5:15 am, and I’m awake? Why? Well, I don’t HAVE to be awake…that’s for sure. But I most definitely AM awake. After all, it would be more than a little weird if I were writing this in my sleep, wouldn’t it? No more than people expect of me…

Why am I awake? Well, for one, the thunder woke me up. Nothing like a little display of God’s majesty, eh? Something to remind you of just how insignificant you are apart from Him. :)

What kept me awake was a wonderful sense of foreboding I got when I got on the computer to reset my DVR computer. (I’m not going to expound upon that…if you want to know, ask me.) I turned on my laptop to take over my DVR computer, and decided to check my mail and do some quick browsing. The mail was standard…and to be honest, the browsing was too. I went to some of my favorite haunts, saw what was going on in the world. However, what I saw caused me to think, and what I thought about was not pleasant.

And what it resulted in was me lying awake in bed, with a sense of dread erasing any need to sleep. What is really annoying is that these senses of dread I occasionally get are almost always justified, in that the thing which I am dreading almost inevitably comes to pass. I don’t think it’s a mystical thing, or any sort of sixth sense. When I was younger, I believed in such things. Now that I am older and wiser, I can easily see that what I originally thought was a sixth sense or ESP was actually an intuition brought on by an application of intelligence to the situations at hand. It’s a a God-given ability in the sense that logic and the ability to think is a God-given ability. Some call it wisdom, but I digress.

The point is that I saw some things that disturbed me on the Internet. Not that there were shocking pictures, or a story that again reinforced that my fellow man is evil. No, it’s more of a personal nature. I therefore exhort every person who reads this excuse for a blog: Don’t do anything stupid. Am I trying to avert some disaster by warning people in a sort of grass-roots effort? Not necessarily, though possibly. And I’m not trying to get President Bush to avoid pressing the red button or anything like that either. Consider this a general exhortation to every person who comes and reads this journal entry. Look at your life’s circumstances, and above all, think before you act.

I used to think that everyone thought before they acted. I realize now that this was very thoughtless of me. Almost no one thinks before they act. Even people whom I would have thought would think, don’t. So having said that, if you’re reading this, then I think it supremely important that you use the brain that God gave you, and think long and hard before you act. Don’t let your emotions get in the way of your brain working. And yes, whoever you are…I’m talking about you.

I’m currently drinking: Nothing…it’s 5:30am! But last night I drank some of my beer. :) I’ll not tell you about it here, as I have an event planned tomorrow that will make the topic more noteworthy. :-D You’ll just have to wait, I guess. :-D

So I went to a church gathering the other night, and really enjoyed myself. It’s great to be at a church, where the guys love beer almost as much as I do. :-D Really!

Anyway, so I’m sitting there discussing beer brewing techniques with a fellow brewmaster, and the doorbell rings. It’s my good friend Daniel, and he’s brought me a Christmas present that he just couldn’t wait to give me. What is it you ask?

An entire book on the concept and technique for brewing Scotch Ales! Those of you who know me know that my favorite beer style is the Scotch Ale, and for good reason. I tend to stay away from excessively bitter beers, as bitter is not my favorite flavor. If I’ve got a choice, I’d rather my sweetness be cut by a lot of alcohol, but I’m not entirely sure why people don’t like a sweet beer, anyway. I like Moylan’s Kilt Lifter precisely because the alcohol hides, and doesn’t mask the sweetness of the good malt their brewmaster uses. Anyway, the guy who wrote this book is a phenominal brewer. He begins with a history of brewing in Scotland…this has got to be the most phenominal Scottish history book I own, and I’ve got a few! :) With the popularity of Scotch Whiskey, many alcohol historians tend to overlook the Scottish contribution to good ale. When you consider that during the early 1800’s Scotch Ale was the MOST PRIZED and sought after ales in the world, you’ve got to wonder what they were on to.

I’m going to find out. My Scotch Ale is bottle-conditioning in my computer room, but I’ve already got some changes to my next batch in the works. As much as I’d love to brew nothing but Scotch Ales until I die, I promised Daniel that I’d brew him a stout next. (Actually, since he purchased the Stout book in the style series, he’ll probably be brewing the stout…he’ll just be using my equipment.) :-D

Alrighty folks, I’m going to finish watching the Good Eats chocolate episode. :) Hopefully, I’ll find out about the school district job tomorrow or within the next couple days. :)

I’m currently drinking: Boont’s ESB. Traditionally, as any Brit will tell you, ESB stands for Extra Special Bitter. Now, a pint of bitter is also traditionally anything but! How they ended up with the name is a topic for another article. However, on this label, the brewmaster has determined that is stands for Extra Special Beer. This is also not a typical bitter, in that it’s….well….somewhat bitter. I have come to appreciate hops, and what they can do for a less malty beer…which this is. Somewhat lighter in color than a typical amber, with very little sweet flavor, and a nice, alcoholic aftertaste with a very fruity aroma imparted by the hops. No lacing on the sides of the glass, and an impressive head thinned to a nice, light covering. This beer warmed my toes. I was pretty pleased. :)

What am I? At heart, I suppose I am a consumer. This is difficult to transcribe, as it’s lately been just a bunch of random, seemingly-unconnected thoughts floating about in my brain. Here goes nothin’…

I have been trying to think lately of things to do to take up time. Not that I’m running out of things to do on my short-lived vacation…I’ve still got PLENTY to do. No, I’m trying to think of things I’d like to do with my life. Here’s what I’ve come up with, and the problems I’ve identified with each.

Compose - Oh, I’d love to compose, but whenever I sit at the piano and start playing what’s going thro’ugh my head, it turns into some easily-recognizable tune. It’s quite maddening, really.

Write - I’d love to write. I’ve tried to write, and my short stories are alright, I suppose. However, I’d love to write a major novel. I’m not looking at doing a series or anything. Nothing that adventurous and unlikely. But I’d like to write. So I sit and think of topics. And they’ve all been done. I can’t come up with anything that would not be construed as a rip-off.

Those two failed ideas have led me to the conclusion that I am a consumer. I think I’ve just consumed the creativity right the heck out of my head! I love to read…I read every night. I can’t stop reading. When I run out of books, I just re-read the ones I’ve already read! I love to listen to and play music. I love these things, and yet, when I try to et the creative juices flowing, I just emulate that which I already admire. I can write fan fiction, but it’s just fan fiction, using personalities that other writers have already created. I can’t write a tune without it sounding completely ripped from some other composer. There’s no point really.

Am I depressed? Not really. The upside of all this consumerism is that I have a very eclectic taste, and means that I can generally hold my own in conversations with most people on very diverse topics. My reading has helped me learn to write cogently, with few spelling errors. My music listening habits mean that I can recognize and hum many tunes that help me to spice up my thought life. :) I’m a good consumer, as far as all that goes.

But then there are times…mostly at night…where I would really love to CREATE something. Really…

Well, I think I’ll go to bed now. Not really though…I’ll probably just end up reading.

I’m Currently Drinking: Nothing. But about an hour ago, I drank the Seasonal “Snowcap Ale” from Pyramid Breweries. A very nice ale with malty goodness throughout. Some bitterness cuts the sweetness of the malt. Very dark and roasty. Good brew.

Well, I have reached the final leg of my beer-brewing journey. The beer has been lovingly siphoned into bottles, and now awaits carbonation. How did it go, you ask? I’ll tell you…

To begin with, allow me to say that if I have any say in it, I will not be using recycled bottles ever again. Why? The stinkin’ labels are a pain in the butt. Kim and I soaked the bottles in hot water for over an hour, and the labels were still a pain in the butt to remove…especially the Kilt Lifter bottles. The entire label removal and bottle sterilization process took a few hours, and we were ready to be done about halfway through. We still had not actually bottled any beer.

After the dishwasher finished sanitizing the bottles, we began setting everything up to transfer the fermented beer to the bottling bucket. We started boiling the sugary priming liquid that would wake the yeast up and get them creating carbon dioxide. Finally, we removed the bottling bucket, tubing, and bottling wand from the diluted bleach water we had it all sanitizing in. We affixed the wand to the tube, and the tube to the fermenting bucket, and we were ready to go!

Kim set up the bottles and prepared to cap the first filled bottle. We were all aquiver with excitement. Well…I was, anyway. I stuck the wand in the first bottle, and off we went. When I lifted the wand from the bottle, it stopped filling. Almost like magic. :)

For the most part, filling the bottles was pretty simple. Nothing much exciting happened. Everything worked as it should, for the most part. We capped the bottles and went to see a movie. YAY US!

When we got back, we cleaned up the kitchen, and noticed that I had filled a bottle that we had not capped. We marked it, and capped it. We’re thinking that it might taste a litte funky, but we’re keeping it anyway.

Now we wait. The bottles must age and build up some carbonation. They should be ready around Christmas, and I’ll definitely post my tasting notes.

I am drinking: McEwan’s Scotch Ale. A very nice example of the Scotch Ale style. Nice and sweet, but instead of being balanced by hops, it’s balanced by a great deal of alcohol. A very tasty ale indeed.