Carlyon Amber Ale

Another attempt at an IPA. I keep following advice that I do not want. This will end up as a nice Amber Ale. 

Different malt combination. Different hop combination. It will be a much different beer. 

Into the fermenter on 04/04/2011 and fermented furiously for three days. The OG reading came in at 1.072 and I took a reading on 08/04/2011 at 1.020. So it's coming along pretty quickly. I took a sneaky taste on the first reading and it certainly has a more interesting flavour than the previous attempt. 

The hop character still has not struck as much as I would have hoped. Here's how it was built. 

Ingredients.

1.8 kg Muntons IPA bitter malt extract

1.5kg Black Rock amber malt extract

500g light brew malt brew improver

500g crystal malt medium grain

25g Chinook hop pellets

25g Amarillo hop pellets

25g Willamette hop pellets

Safale yeast U.S 05

18.5 L water. 

The Chinooks were used as the main bittering hop. I only boiled it for 30 minutes. I really will get more bold with the next one. I'll try and double the length of time for the boil and stack some more bittering hops in there. 

I am looking forward to seeing how this turns out, but this has just heightened my interest in doing another brew straight away. 

On a side note, if anybody would like to purchase me some swing top bottles, then that would be ideal. 

Carlyon Strong Ale

A new brew?

Not at all. I have just come to discover that the attempt at the IPA that was attempted has failed and the result was a strong ale.

The Fuggles hops that were dry hopped has given me a slight floral aroma, if anything and very little hop character in the flavour.

We're about 5 weeks since these suckers were bottled and we do have a big, bold ale from an alcohol standpoint but it's not what was envisioned originally.

I've since discovered that this beer is not unlike the 3 Ravens Uber Blond, and the Prickly Moses Extra Strong Ale. This might sound like bragging, but if you've tasted all three beers you'll probably understand what I mean.

For those following at home (and this is probably just me) the name has changed to Carlyon Strong Ale because I have changed premises to the Carlyon Manor and this is now the site of all beers produced.

Dave's IPA

It's done. Bottled. Secondary fermentation.

It's weighed in at a healthy 7.0% ABV and is tasting nice and hoppy. If anything, going by the taste immediately after fermentation it is lacking a little bit of body so I will change the malt structure the next time that I do another IPA.

I'll use different hops too, so really it will be totally different.

Why don't I wait to sample it properly after the secondary fermentation to make my judgement? That's a fair question. Maybe I'll sit tight. You've convinced me.

I want to make another IPA straight away to tinker with the recipe, but I also have a number of other styles that I am dying to try making. Isn't there an easy solution? Not immediately. Get another fermenter? Get two more fermenters?

This has been considered. Carefully. I don't know if I can justify it yet, but it's definitely something that will be thought over. Maybe thought of over a couple of the IPA's.

In summary, I'm pretty happy so far with how this has turned out.

You'll be kept up to date with a sample after some time.

Dave's Pale Ale

First sample!

The pleasantly mediocre Pale Ale

Let's not get excited about it, this was a pure packet pale ale. No ground breaking ideas, and no hops! No hops for goodness sake!

I don't know what I was thinking.

Anyway, we'll put that elementary error behind us for now. The ale is only two weeks in the bottle but it seems like a reasonable time to give it a spin to make sure it isn't poisonous or spoiled or anything toxic like that.

I'm alive enough to complete this post. Let's consider this the first victory along the way.

Quite drinkable though (not overly aromatic or bitter due the absence of hops. I thought we were going to to drop the whole hop debacle? Forget it.) with a clean flavour and light body. With the low ABV and inoffensive flavour it's fairly sessionable but I would want to have something else there for taste.

Let's give it a month or so and see how it matures.

Fin.

Dave's IPA

Now we're getting somewhere.

This one is going to be more interesting. Whether or not it's any good will remain to be seen, but due to the modifications made I am sure it will be more interesting.

What's the change? Hops, my friends. Hops. Well, there are some other changes. Twice the malt as well, some grain. But it's the hops that will really separate this from the last.

Hops in the wort, dry hopping. It's turned up to eleven, man.



This batch will also be much stronger than the Pale Ale. Judging by the Original Gravity reading this brew should be around 6.8-7.5% ABV.

Rock 'n Roll, son. (and daughter, I guess)

You will be informed upon first sample.

Dave's Pale Ale

Next update to the pale ale brew, I know you've all been on tenterhooks waiting to hear.

So far so good. Just bottled the lot and they are on the second fermentation.

I sampled one as it was being bottled and it didn't kill me instantly, which I took as a very promising sign. Straight out of the fermenter it tastes fairly decent so after some maturation I think it might be half decent.

By this time, however, I plan to have much more interesting beers in the works so these will likely be a little bit unimpressive.

Stay tuned. If you want, that is.

Otherwise forget it.

Dave's Pale Ale

Fingers are crossed. 

The first of 2011 is on it's way.

Much less exciting than anything written about so far, my personal home brew is underway. 

Interesting for you? No, I didn't think so. 

Nevertheless, for those that have some interest (and for me to keep a bit of a record) I will keep some updates about the progress of this, and subsequent brews that I attempt. My current aim is to try and work on a nice, hoppy IPA. 

So the IPA is on it's way? No it's not. The first brew of the year will be a stock standard Pale Ale, mainly for me to blow out the cobwebs and get used to the new equipment. Perhaps I'll tweak the Pale Ale after the first brew to see how I can modify it. I haven't really decided yet. 

Currently bubbling away during fermentation, I'll update at the first sample and see how it goes.