In our home there is a bit of a soft spot for Hefeweizens, maybe because we are from a hot country where a cold and bubbly wheat beer tastes great; maybe because we love bread? Anyway, I have done several tries on Hefeweizens and they tend to come out a bit off from what I expect them to be: not really heavy on the banana, clove and bubble gum, but rather sour and spicy … [Read more...]
Chewy IPA Brewing Day
This IPA was one of those ones that are born out of the limited inventory that a home brewer sometimes has: limited space means limited grain storing capacity, so before you know it you have no base grains for ale, only those grains you got to make a lager "one day". With this realization, I took the thin lager grains, gave them some crystal malt for roastiness and added lots … [Read more...]
4C IPA Brewing Day – when repeating a recipe doesn’t come out as planned
A big part of making beer at home is to be able to repeat recipes, even if it is yours. I love experimenting, and too often I'm just making beer based on what ever ingredients I have, so I rarely actually follow recipes. Lately I've decided to try and repeat recipes, as part of making sure my process is right and I can actually control the brewing process. I am aware that this … [Read more...]
IPA Brewing Day
I've dabbled in making an IPA a couple of times, but never really successfully. My biggest mistake was, well, not really getting what an IPA is. Basically, it is: a strong mild/pale ale that has more hops added in the boil and a lot more added as a dry hop. Essentially, you want to make a higher gravity beer that will have more in the hops front and a lot of dry hopping. My … [Read more...]
Spraymalt and steeping brew day – maybe a British Ale?
Spraymalt and steeping brew day - maybe a British Ale? 23/02/2015: This brewing day was first published on the 28/12/2015 but it is now updated with the tasting notes you will find at the end. On Christmas day I had a chance to brew (we don't do Christmas, so it made sense) and so I dug into my brewery box (sitting on the top shelf) to see what I have to play with. In the … [Read more...]