xmas beer cheer

My attempts at brewing a fat yak style beer are ongoing. I've spent a lot of time in the past working on very slightly hopped beers so my experience in brewing a big hoppy beer has been limited. This was the first time that I produced something drinkable, however, so I'm happy to at least have some beer even if it is not the beer I imagined.

Having said that, my latest pale ale is quite tasty. The extra hops balance out the lingering sweetness that my beers always seem to have a bit of. The result is a quite delicious ale that goes down easily. I was a little cautious this time, after being burned by Sour Sunday, so I avoided finishing the keg with hops and elected to drop in a bag full of fuggles right at the end of the boil. The result is a bit less aromatic than I wanted and I think next time I'm going to suck it up and go for the proper finishing time with uncooked hops.

The above pictured brew helped wash down all that delicious xmas ham that my wife cooked. It's been a super food xmas and I feel bloated and over indulged in the best possible way. Merry xmas everyone.

Saved by the can

When you're in a pickle (or at least your brew is full of vinegar) and you have friends coming over in less than a week and you've promised a bountiful flow of beer out of the taps then there's nothing to be ashamed of in running down to bi-lo to pick up a coopers homebrew kit and brewing up a quick and easy pale ale.

At least that's what I keep telling myself.