One Of Those Days

[Guybrush3pwood]

Worked two doubles in a row, came home to check on my psuedo-Racer 5 Clone. It was too grassy and hot when I last tried it a week ago... lines froze, fridge too cold. Thawed out and tasted it... still too grassy and hot.

Went to keg my batch of Centennial Blonde Ale... autosiphon broken. Figured out a work-around, kegged and tasted... ester explosion. The AC has been broken and one day this batch got up to mid/high seventies.

SO, the last two beers I've made are not drinkable right now. I have most of a batch of heffeweisen that is, thankfully, idiot proof and very good. I also have a little less than half of a batch of mediocre IPA I made from my LHBS recipe. The hops are over the top blackberry because I relied on mostly pacific Gem, and there is this weird plasticky taste that close to 3 months in the bottle has done little to nothing to improve.

I brewed these past two beers so I would have something interesting to offer at my memorial day BBQ... I started the IPA nearly a month ago trying to time it, but I didn't count on the high grav of the beer, it's gonna need at least another month in the keg before it evens out, if not longer. The Centennial was just kegged tonight (crazy work schedule), and is going to be drinkable, but probably lackluster at the BBQ.

Every once in awhile this hobby kicks you in the balls... Today is one of those days.

 

[bull8042]

Welcome to my nightmare bro! Sounds like you are due for a good one. So pick up your balls and keep on brewing.

 

[Guybrush3pwood]

I tasted the Centennial today and it's perfect
Crisp and refreshing with a beautiful C hop aroma (I dry hopped with centennial and cascade) and a low enough ABV that I can drink a few without needing to sit down. This is light bodied enough that it might even attract the BMC crowd.

Kudos to BierMuncher for that recipe, it's a perfect BBQ quaffer.

So, I'll have the Blonde ale, my Paulaner clone, and 4 gallons of Ed Worts excellent apfelwein which will be at least partially carbonated. Plus, I told people to bring beer if they wanted anything specific, so I'll be in the clear.

To celebrate I ordered grain for my next batch, a partial mash recipe I picked up somewhere for a Fat Tire clone. I think it's going to be my last extract recipe, I'm almost at my savings mark for switching to all grain.

The IPA is still way hot, the alcohol is right up front and makes it taste very estery, like overripe fruit. The off-flavors might also be due to the airlock blowing off 3 days into ferm., I was naive enough not to put a blow-off tube on a 1.07 OG beer... But seeing how it's such a hop bomb I think time will heal all wounds. I'm going to leave it on gas and sample it every week or so until it either tastes right or runs out, whichever comes first. I might give the recipe another whirl when I switch to AG, but the hops are just too expensive to keep trying over and over again.

It just goes to show you, sometimes you eat the bear...

 

[Neunelfer]

Sorry to hear about your misfortunes, but I absolutely approve your username.