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leghorn · 10-25-2009, 01:22 PM

Here's a couple pics:

The boil (with my new blichmann kettle)

The hydro sample (a light 5.4 SRM)

leghorn · 10-25-2009, 05:32 PM

Quote:

I'm inclined to do something similar, mayby throughout the year brew a spectrum of styles a la that sam adams billboard and have a tasting of 12 over a couple of nights in december or january of 2011?

That would be cool - would also be great if you went with a common theme - like used the same hops in all the brews, or same yeast. Then try to pick it out and compare the result between the brews.

Quote:

This is an amazing project... I really might try to do something like this! Make sure to get some pics of the tasting.

Thanks! It's a lot of fun, too. I will - I'll post pics and tasting notes.

leghorn · 12-19-2009, 08:41 PM

I began the vertical tasting this afternoon. Just finished my Enkel. The updated recipe is on the original post. Here's the review:

OG: 1049
FG: 1007
ABV: 5.5%
IBUs: 19.9
SRM: 5.4

Bottled on 11-17-09

Aroma: Malty/fruity up-front. Some slight bubblegum. Fruit is like pears and apples.

Appearance: Pale straw color with white head that disipates quickly. Lots of carbonation bubbles rising from the beer. Foam laces the glass on the way down. Slight chill haze.

Flavor: Crisp malt taste. Spiciness from the hops all the way through. Graininess is evident, in a good way. Slight citrusy finish - probably from the dry hop.

Mouthfeel/Palate: Dry and easy-drinking. Definite session beer, probably perfect for summer.

Overall: Very enjoyable. The dry-hop was on a whim, but I think the Crystal hops add a interesting note for the beer. I would make this again. If I had to change one thing, I might dial back the Aromatic to a 1/4 pound.

Next up - the Dubbel...

leghorn · 12-19-2009, 09:07 PM

OG: 1067
FG: 1006
ABV: 8.0%
IBU: 22.3
SRM: 15.6

Bottled 9-13-09

Aroma: Just like candy. Strong caramel smell. Raisins and dry, dark fruit is evident.

Appearance: Burnt Gold to Light Brown. Off-white head, 1 1/2 fingers, lingers and is slow to disipate. Foam mats the side of the glass as it goes down.

Flavor: Caramel dominates. Malty backbone, which I can tell is 2-row, not pilsener, interestingly enough. Slight spiciness, but it is almost lost in the caramel. Tart finish that comes from the different yeast.

Mouthfeel/Palate: Dry finish makes it easy enough to drink. However, it is not balanced well enough, and the high alcohol makes this a 1, maybe 2 bottle tops type of beer.

Overall: This will probably be the weakest of the 4 beers in the tasting. The recipe is not right, and it is too unbalanced. I also don't like the specialty yeast - WLP500 would have been much better.

After dinner comes the Trippel...

**DubbelDach** · 12-19-2009, 10:15 PM

This is inspiring! I may try this in 2010. (Although I've tried to give up bottling. Might just have to beer gun a sixer of each and stash them)

Ketchepillar · 12-20-2009, 12:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by leghorn

I began the vertical tasting this afternoon. Just finished my Enkel. The updated recipe is on the original post. Here's the review:

OG: 1049
FG: 1007
ABV: 4.4%

=5.5ABV. A typo I assume, just a heads up.

leghorn · 12-20-2009, 01:18 AM

Whoops, yep just edited the post. Thanks.

leghorn · 12-20-2009, 01:29 AM

Tripel

OG: 1071
FG: 1009
ABV: 8.1%
IBU: 25.3
SRM: 5.3

Bottled 7-5-09

Aroma: Restrained fruitiness with subtle spice.

Appearance: Crystal clear, straw colored beer. Thin white head that lingers and laces down the glass.

Flavor: Crisp, slightly sweet at the start, fruit and spice nicely intertwined from the yeast and hops. Everything is balanced. The beauty of this beer is that every favorable element is clearly present, but nothing is over the top. It all binds together well in the flavor.

Palate/Mouthfeel: Dry, with slight alcohol bite at the end.

Overall: My favorite of the four. I am very pleased with this beer. I wouldn't change a thing.

Pic:

leghorn · 12-20-2009, 01:38 AM

Quadrupel

OG: 1083
FG: 1010
ABV: 9.6%
IBU: 24.8
SRM: 12.7

Bottled 4-14-09

Aroma: Strong woodsy/oak aroma with slight spice. Some toffee/malt notes as well.

Appearance: Red with a toffee colored head. Faint head that lingers in the glass. No lacing.

Flavor: Toffee and oak up-front and dominant. Thin vein of spice throughout. Slight vanilla note at the end.

Palate/Mouthfeel: Very dry, slight alcoholic bite

Overall: An unusual beer. The toffee flavor comes from a technique in Randy Mosher's Radical Brewing book. The oak was an idea I had when I made this beer. Both overwhelm the remaining elements. It works overall as a beer, but not among my personal favorites.

Pic:

leghorn · 12-20-2009, 01:50 AM

On my Tripel brew, I added an extract of spices to a 6 pack of bottled beer to make a Christmas Tripel. The spices were saffron, orange peel, oak chips, and coriander soaked in Chardonnay for about 2 weeks. I added that Chardonnay extract to the beer just before it went into bottles. Here's my review of that beer.

OG: 1071
FG: 1009 (maybe a bit more with the Chardonnay)
ABV: ~8.1%
IBU: 25.3
SRM: ~5.3 (maybe a bit more with the extract)

Bottled on 7-5-09

Aroma: Spicey and a bit winey, orange hints, light fruitiness. Subtle hints of vanilla and hay, probably from the saffron.

Appearance: Amber/burnt orange. Thin head that disapated quickly.

Flavor: Light fruitness and orange hints up front. Crisp malt backbone. Carb bite and slight alcohol at the end. The spice dances on the tongue and lingers afterwards. The sweetness of the Chardonnay also remained on the lips for minutes after it was sipped. Wine flavors become more evident as the beer warms.

Palate/Mouthfeel: Very light body, but lingering spice and sweetness.

Overall: Very nice. The base beer was already good, and the various spices add several dimensions without throwing it out of wack. I really enjoyed this beer.