A great success for my latest BIAB I think the first will be to name my new recipe - light IPA is what I think it is. A month ago I had my second attempt in making a beer using a BIAB method. The first time I tried was a disaster, but this time it worked! There are several differences in the two BIAB, key one is which grains I used and the temperatures of the mash. First … [Read more...]
Fuggle vs Golding hops – tasting round
It's been a while since I had a chance to write here and last weekend my wife and I finally had a proper tasting of the Black Ale that was split on hops - each batch got dry hopping with a different hops variety: Golding vs Fuggle hops. The beer itself is my standard Black Ale from an extract. It had the right color, been boiled with Fuggles and resulted with a 3.89% ABV - a … [Read more...]
BIAB Black Ale tasting and a couple more for good measure
It has been a while since I've done a bit of tasting and trying some new beers, but a couple of weeks ago I came across a great lager (Curios Brew) and that flared my interest to try some good lagers. We got a couple of great beers to taste at home: Goose Island IPA and Brooklyn Lager (both American). Also on the menu - the much awaited Black Ale BIAB. I'll start with the … [Read more...]
Some updates and a new development for the Black Ale
Last weekends was thanksgiving (my wife is American, so we do a small gathering in London), and so many beers were drunk, but non made. The much needed fridge is here too, so there is good storage and refrigeration for all the beers, resulting in every man's dream - a beer fridge! The Cranberry Ale was a great success, and managed to appeal both to the more heavy drinkers … [Read more...]
Bottling day and a good Black Ale vs a less good one standoff
Our house is now officially at full storage capacity for beers. The fridge has a quarter of it full of beers all the time, and after bottling the Cranberry ale last week and bottling the higher gravity Black Ale (more below) this week, all the storage space is in full and the need for an extra fridge becomes vital - I hope to find one by next week, and then some more beer … [Read more...]