Monday, December 28, 2009

Unnamed Beer #1

Yes, it's been awhile. Marco and I brewed back in October, but didn't get around to trying it until yesterday. Why the delay? This batch was intended for a block party that never materialized. I decided to wing it on the recipe, with the expectation that the finished product would be consumed outdoors in fairly cool weather. That meant I wanted something with a robust flavor, so that when cold it would still have a noticeable taste. Here's the recipe:

3lbs amber DME
3lbs dark DME
1oz Centennial hops (boil)
0.5oz Sterling hops (boil)
1oz Sterling hops (flavor)
0.5oz Sterling hops (aroma)
Trappist ale yeast

Hops were whole-leaf. The flavor hops were added with 5 minutes left to the boil, aroma hops at one minute.

The beer's good, but I think it could be better. That's why I'm not naming it yet. Something seems to be missing. It's not terribly highly hopped, but I don't think it needs more (not that it'd hurt — the more hops the merrier). The Trappist yeast might be a bit too smooth; an English ale yeast might give it more of a bite. I think some grain would also help, perhaps half a pound of dark or chocolate malt and a quarter to half a pound of a medium to dark crystal.