First beer from a confirmed winemaker

[summersolstice]

I've been making wine, mead, and cider for four years (you can see the grape vine on the fence in the background). There's no local wine making group but there is a very active local beer making club I joined a year ago in the hopes of converting a few to wine making. Well, I interested a few in mead but they certainly converted me to brewing! Here's a photo of my firstborn - a braggot styled loosely after a light pale ale. This braggot was made with the addition of 4 pounds of local alfalfa honey and an OG of 1.46. I took this photo after mowing the grass and feeling the unmistakable call from the refrigerator I bought for my garage to hold my beer. I've been bitten!

 

[enderwig]

That's a mighty fine looking beverage Welcome to the obsession!

 

[Fitz]

hope my first batch looks as good as that

 

[FishinDave07]

Clean as a bell...Well Done!

 

[Loweface]

Very nice... Do you fancy sharing the recipe? Sounds delicious!

 

[Frank Ferment]

Cool! I really like the label, it's very original... and I usually like to try new things!!!

If it tastes half as good as it looks...

 

[kornbread]

That's a pretty beer. Nice label too...

 

[fat x nub]

looks good...i like the label

 

[Tankard]

Beer is crystal clear.... are you sure that isn't Budweiser?

Did you use any fining agents, or is your recipe naturally that clear. If so... share?

Thanks for the pic. Nice label, btw

 

[Kauai_Kahuna]

Welcome to beer brewing, or at least close enough. Now that looks good, let me go pour one for myself.

I love to make braggot's, and my friends like to drink it even more than I do. They are a little lighter than a pale ale, but they are so much faster than a mead. I never tried a wine simply because I think I can buy better wines than I could make and I just don't have the patience, or the storage space at temperature.

Yea, god I love braggots, just not braggarts.

 

[summersolstice]

In the past few months since I began brewing I've made four braggots - this pale braggot, a stout, and two ginger braggots and so far they've all turned out well, as far as I'm concerned. I PMed rmck1 with the recipe but I've failed to post the recipe on this very public forum because it's an embarrassingly obvious and very simple n00b recipe despite the clarity and tasty nature of the beverage. Keep in mind this is my first attempt at brewing anything. I don't have Beersmith or anything like it but here goes:

Steep 1 lb of Fawcett Optic pale malt and 2 oz Tellicherry peppercorns in 2 qts water at 155F for 30 mins. Allow grain bag to drip - no rinse. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Add 3 lbs Pilsen LME and another gallon of water and boil for one hour. Add 1 oz Sterling hops last 20 minutes and 1 oz Hallertau last 5 minutes. Add Irish Moss last 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add 4 lbs alfalfa honey. Cool in an ice bath and pour into the primary. Add Wal Mart bottled water from the freezer to top to 5 gallons. Pitch Safale 05 directly into the primary without a starter.

OG 1.046

One week in the primary and two weeks in the secondary before bottling.