Planning for summer drinking.

[Yooper]

I mentioned in the chat last night that I had the opportunity to save $42.50 yesterday at austinhomebrew.com. It was the 50 state sale's day for Michican. I ordered enough grain to last me for quite a long time, and a very nice wine kit.

Summer's coming, so it's time for a fizzy yellow beer. Once the ice comes off the lake, we'll put our dock in and get out and do some fishing. My favorite beer to drink in the boat is Bell's Two Hearted but my favorite beer to drink on the dock when it's warm is my own cream ale. It should be warm here in just about 3 months- perfect timing for a cream ale!

I can also start on my Marzen a bit late.

I really like drinking with the seasons- fest beers, heavier beers in the winter, those fizzy yellow beers when it's hot. And it's always perfect weather for an IPA!

Do you like to drink with the seasons?

 

[Bopper]

I definitely drink with the seasons and brew accordingly for the most part. I have a two tap kegerator but I can fit 3 kegs inside. I usually have a session ale on one tap (Amber ale, mild, or BM's Centennial Blond) then on the other I usually have a seasonal beer (Octoberfest, heavier/spicier beers in the winter, etc.). When in between seasonal beers, I usually make a stout or IPA. In the summer I keep two session beers on tap along with something with a higher abv in the third keg with a picnic tap. I like to keep a wheat/hefe on tap all summer (yes, I do enjoy a wheat with a lemon or orange wedge on a hot day while sitting on the deck - heresy, I know! ).

Other than the summer when I have two session beers on tap, the third leg is almost always another cold conditioning/carbing session beer. I tend to have people over on a regular basis and I always try to have an extra keg of a lighter bodied session beer ready to tap if a keg floats.

I do of course have exceptions - I have a bourbon oaked porter kegged and ready for drinking now. I thought I'd get to it this winter but the pipeline was very full and I thoguht it would benefit from some additional conditioning. Now that the weather is nice, I'm not sure if I want to tap it. I might save this one for next winter - who knows!

 

[AnOldUR]

Threw together a starter with Wyeast 3724 for a Saison last night.

Springs here, summers just around the corner






Edit:
And congrat on the AHS haul. That'll make a lot of beer! When's the party

 

[ohiobrewtus]

I do. It's almost time for 10 gallons of Summer Ale and 10 gallons of Hefe. I love tossing back a couple of way too cold Summer Ales after sweating my ass off on the mower. The Berliner Weiss will be ready right about the time that it starts staying warm around here.

I'm still working on finishing up a keg of Old Ale and I have some bocks that I'll need some help drinking, but I guess I could always just bottle them off and keep them until the fall.

 

[ohiobrewtus]

And congrat on the AHS haul. That'll make a lot of beer! When's the party

She's anticipating that I may actually come to her party at the cabin this summer so she's brewing a ton of beer for me.

 

[Yooper]

She's anticipating that I may actually come to her party at the cabin this summer so she's brewing a ton of beer for me.

True! So, when are you coming?

 

[pjj2ba]

Summer!!??? I'm planning beers for fall already!

 

[Mutilated1]

I pretty much always like to drink those fizzy yellow beers.

 

[JesseRC]

How does your creal ale compare to Cream of 3 crops recipe as far as taste goes?

 

[DubbelDach]

Kegging Orange Honey Hefe this weekend and a 2-Hearted clone next. Will have Cream Ale and Watermelon Wheat rockin' at some point this summer. I definitely have seasonal tastes. Might give a summer ale recipe a go at some point as well.

 

[humann_brewing]

I am most definately a season beer drinker. I have my RIS going for next winter, I have a lager going for summer and trying to finish off the porter I have kegged from the cold season.

The beers I have in the hopper (pun intended) would be a nice crisp wit and a light SMASH with vienna and cascade and ferment low with some pacman hopefully to get a nice refined flavor.

 

[menschmaschine]

I'm getting ready for summer brews as well. Just ordered a sack of BestMalz Pilsner malt and a pound of Hallertau Tradition from North Country. But I can't decide between a Helles or a Pilsner for my first summer brew.

 

[McKBrew]

I typically follow a seasonal pattern, but always have those cravings for an RIS in July. Luckily a bottle will do it for me, and I don't need a full keg.

Nothing like a lower ABV beer on a hot day that you can drink like water and not get too buzzed. I'll be making a 10G batch of Kolsch this year for sure.

 

[DeathBrewer]

I always make a few cream ales and other light beers during the summer. I make hefeweizens all year round, tho, so I'm set

 

[Yooper]

How does your creal ale compare to Cream of 3 crops recipe as far as taste goes?

I don't know- I've never made the cream of 3 crops recipe, so I can't compare it!

 

[nealf]

I just made my Kolsch starter this week, I plan on pitching it hopefully sometime this weekend. And then I'll probably try to pitch a cream ale onto that slurry. I am kegging my hefe this evening.... I'm going full force into summer beers I guess, for the first time.

 

[Saccharomyces]

I'm getting stocked up on IPA, double IPA, cream ale, and blonde ale right now since I like hoppy and light all summer (and summer is about 8-9 months here).

In a few months I'll build my first lagerator and then I'll start cranking out Munich Helles 10 gallons at a whack for late summer. Helles is my all time favorite.

If I get inspired I'll probably throw a Wit or two in there, and I'm planning to do some Berliner Weiss to add some funk in there too.
:rockin:

 

[IrishLass]

In our household we're definitely seasonal brewers. We just bottled our Summer and Mexican lagers... should be perfect by early summer. My guy started his favorite, a double dry hopped IPA, a couple of weeks ago, and I'm doing mine tonight after work, a summery lemon wheat.

Still nursing some of the winter beers, a blackberry stout, an oatmeal stout.

Looking forward to the change in seasons (although we didn't really have a winter in Denver ).

 

[Saccharomyces]

I'm getting ready for summer brews as well. Just ordered a sack of BestMalz Pilsner malt and a pound of Hallertau Tradition from North Country. But I can't decide between a Helles or a Pilsner for my first summer brew.

Pils!

I like to start spring out on the hoppy side, and wind down to the more malty beers at the end of summer into the fall.

 

[Cugel]

Saison, Wit and Bohemian-ish Pilsener specifically for the summer. That's in addition to my house dry stout and bitter. But don't forget that nothing beats a dry stout on a warm summer's day...

 

[DeathBrewer]

Ahh, yes. Almost forgot about the saison. Definitely doing that again this year. Maybe a couple times

 

[bad coffee]

Soon as my grain and hops get here, I'll be doing a summer wheat, a couple of IPA's and some nice belgian blondes. Lots o beer for summer parties. I've never done a kolsch, so that's on the list as well.

Good idea about starting the RIS now for winter.

B

 

[niquejim]

Down here we have 2 seasons. This time of year is Hot and verrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry dry(1/2" of rain since Jan 1), and the summer is even hotter and very wet, so of coarse I plan ahead.
A sweet stout in the dry season, dry stout in the wet
An APA or ESB in the dry season, bitters and milds in the wet
An IPA in the dry season, and more IPA's in the wet
A CAP whenever the mood hits, and my sour mango is perfect on a hot sunny day

 

[menschmaschine]

Pils!

I like to start spring out on the hoppy side, and wind down to the more malty beers at the end of summer into the fall.

Thank you. All I needed was a little push.

 

[hcarter]

I already have a summer ale in bottles. I have a pale ale that has been in primary for two months. It's ready to go. My cooking and brewing/winemaking has always been seasonal. I find it's the most fun that way, you can suprise the people you cook for by having something ready "just when it's supposed to be." I should get started on a Port for Christmas.