Beer is so good

I hadn't brewed since April of this year, and the beers I was drinking then haven't turned out so well: some high temp fermentation off-flavours in an ESB, a bad recipe Kölsch, and some grassy dry-hopped IPA had put me off my own damn homebrew. Then my son was born (which was awesome) and I was little busy these past few months to say the least. Well, last month I started again and man oh man does it feel good. I started simple: Pacific Pale Ale (only half dry-hopped so I could drink half of it a week earlier), a Nut Brown, a Pumpkin Porter and a Kölsch that went back to my tried and true recipe. I've got an RIS and parti-gyle dry stout ready to brew this week or next.

I've been drinking the PA all week and just cracked my first NB. Mild, malty, complex and delicious. Damn this is a fine hobby. Gentlemen and gentleladies, please join me in a toast: here's to beer.

Amen! Even though my Sam Adams clone I just tapped didn't come out as good as I wanted, still mighty fine and tasty!

The thing about homebrew that I recently learned is that there's always your next brew.

Really gives you a good incentive to drink the stuff you've got!

<raises glass> here's to beer!

here here

Woot!

congrats on the litte guy.. and happy brewing

Love the song that says "God is great.. beer is good"

Prost

Congrats on the brew buddy. If you can't train 'em, raise 'em.

Congrats on the new addition to your family. You mentioned brewing a Pacific Pale Ale that your really enjoy. Would you mind posting the recipe? I have some friends expecting their first child soon and I would love to have this on tap for guests to their shower.

Thanks dudes. Chin Chin right back at you. And yes, the little man is definitely a brewmaster in training--although his mother keeps giving me grief for seeing if he will still fit in the brewpot....

@msa8967 I'd post my recipe for a Pacific Pale Ale, but I have to say that I don't really put much thought in to it! My grain bill is 90% 2-row, 5% Carapils/Dextrine, 5% Crystal (usually 60L). For my system, that's 9 lbs/0.5 lbs/0.5 lbs. Mash @ 152 F

For hops, I think Cascade is the quintessential West Coast Hop, so I almost always use it as flavour and aroma charge as the key ingredient. I generally bitter with Perle, Centennial, Magnum or just Cascade all the way down. I aim for an IBU in the upper 30s--38 is usually good for me. And then I dry hop 7 days with Simcoe or Cascade. again. My last brew was 1 oz 10% AA Magnum @60 min, 1 oz 9.2% AA Cascade @15 min, .5 oz Cascade @5 min. Wyeast 1056 @ 65 F. Dry hopped w/ 1 oz Simcoe once fermentation is complete. It's a tasty brew!

I've used BierMuncher's Nierra Sevada and Ed Wort's Haus Pale Ale recipes as bases in the past (although I prefer BM's as more loyal to the "Pacific" taste). Check them out if you haven't yet!

Thanks for sharing this recipe info. I am going to try to get this brewed soon.

Congrats on the boy and cheers! Beer is proof there is a God and he loves us!