Rhizome IPA

This is the WIP of my "Rhizome IPA", which will be the first beer made with freshly picked hops that I grew this year. My plants just about exploded with baby cones about 2 weeks ago, so those hops will go to hop up this beer.
Label time:

I added the hop cones at the last minute, I don't know if I like them there or not. Before I added them, the picture seemed a bit empty, or somehow lacking. Whatchu guys think?

(The recipe will be very simple, one grain, 1056 american ale yeast, and a few ounces for bittering and a few ounces @ flameout, and some dryhopping action)

http://img389.imageshack.us/img389/808/ripanewj2tm1.jpg for full size, click that

More green. A bigger picture of the hop plant. And a farmer picking the cones off the plant.

That's about as big as I'd want the cones, they're already detracting from the middle of the picture since they're so boldly outlined. Also, I'd have to draw a fully grown hop plant for a farmer to be picking hops off of anything, I think I'll stick with the rhizome thingy.

Otherwise, how's it look with bigger cones?

Ya Im just messing with ya. It looks pretty good.

I like that label a lot! Do you have a final recipe yet?

98EXL said:

I like that label a lot! Do you have a final recipe yet?

Click to expand...

I want something super simple to let the hop flavor really come through without anything else getting in the way.
Initial recipe:
12 lbs Briess 2-Row
(I might change this to add some dextrine malt)
3 oz Chinook for bittering
2 oz Cascade @ flameout
2 oz Cascade dry hop (I've actually been eager to try making a dry-hop tea with a french press)
1056 American Ale Yeast
(5 gallon recipe)

Pretty plain recipe. The beer will be all about these fresh hops. I've got another recipe in the works to utilize those hops called "Pine Needle Pale Ale". I'm thinking a pretty well hopped beer spiced with rosemary, Maybe some juniper berries, and I'm going to soak some pieces of pine in either vodka or rum (maybe gin if I want to go crazy) and toss them in for a very brief period (a week before bottling, maybe less time).

wow...all I need to do to brew that is 1) wait for my hops 2) go get grain...that's it