This American Pale Ale (APA) started as a standard Pale Ale and for most of the time I have been making it, it was made wrong, just wrong: way, way too bitter - tasty, but ended up growing some more hair on your chest - not and easy beer to drink. I guess it is always nice to understand that a recipe is developed, and not just made up, but with this I think I'm done - this is … [Read more...]
Low Gravity Pale Ale Brewing Day – Take 2
One of the house hold regulars is an American-style Pale Ale (APA) called "Oh Mama!" that has always been my wife's favourite, but since she got pregnant with our second she can only "steal" sips from my beer so I wanted to make her a very low alcohol version; that way she can have a full glass while still only getting one unit of alcohol (not that she even finishes that one!). … [Read more...]
Black Ale BIAB Brewing day
It has been a while since I tried brewing my black ale using the BIAB method due to the constant failure I have been experiencing: first it was totally undrinkable and went down the drain, and the second time I ended up with a mild. I took the plunge and tried again and I think I'm finally making some progress: a good porter that disguises itself as a black ale - not the best, … [Read more...]
Low Gravity Pale Ale Brewing Day
The regular pale ale of the household (Oh Mama Pale Ale) has indeed became a must have in the fridge, especially in the summer - my wife loves it and I find it very refreshing. The big problem of late as far as beer drinking is concerned is that we found out that my wife is pregnant! We are expecting another child in the Minimalist household, and that means no more big … [Read more...]
Black Ale attempt using BIAB and spraymalt
02/08/2015: This brewing day was first published on the 01/06/2015 but it is now updated with the tasting notes you will find at the end. As my beer making skills improve, I'm trying to find new alternatives to using liquid malt extract (LME) as it is expensive for longer term making and if I try and make a bigger batch it will make it very, very expensive. My Black Ale … [Read more...]