Small update from my brew. Life got in the way, in a spectacular way, and my planned 2 weeks in the primary turned into 2 months. Then as soon as I do bottle it and put it in the basement, cold weather arrives and it gets down below 55F where I was storing it. Ugh. Of course, it can't dawn on me in time, either, so they spend 2.5 weeks down there not carbonating.

A week and a half after bringing them up to a higher temp (in the dining room, much to the girlfriend's dismay), it's showing promise, but it's still not fully carbed. Still sweeter than the sample from bottling day, and with very little carbonation. I'm hoping a few more weeks will fix this, but most of the aroma hop character has already left. Still, with a little tweaking and some better attention to bottling on time, this recipe may prove to be a winner.

Next time, though, I'm going with an even split of the crystal 120 and something lighter, like a 60 or 80, for a bit more balanced flavor. It may be that the 120 alone turns out better, but I'd like to compare. I like the fairly dry, toffee-ish flavor it imparts. Despite my concerns early on, it's really not overpowering.