Friday, January 1, 2016

2015 Year in Brewing

2-23-15; 4 gallons of a simple hard cider, using Belgian yeast.  I lightly oaked it, and it fermented out to fairly dry.  At one point, it got infected with what I suspect is a wild strain of Brettanomyces (based on the pellicle, which is not a reliable method of identification).  The completely fermented cider was dryhopped with 2oz of East Kent Goldings pellets.

2-25-15; 3 gallons.  Kedrigerns Best Brown.  It has come out fairly tasty, even though it is not quite what I wanted.  I'll be keeping the recipe, but as a porter--it needs some tweaking to be a brown ale.

3-10-15; 1 gallon/1 quart.  My experiment with the Anchorage Brewing Dregs.  1 gallon of plain cider, and what I intend to become a 1.5 litre solera.
     The cider is decidedly interesting, and not half bad (although I have to be in the right mood).  It didn't carbonate properly, though.

5-28-15; 1 gallon.  Apple Blossom Metheglin.

6-20-15; Rosehip Tripel and Belgian Table Ale. I added the lees from the brett cider above, and intend to flavour with orange zest and chamomile, rather than the rosehips.
The table bier is made with the second runnings from the tripel, fortified with sugar, and fermented with the same yeast.  Dry-hopped with Styrian Goldings.

7-3-15; Rhubarb Wine, 5 gallons.

8-15-15; Smoked Shire Brown, 1 gallon.   A quickly thrown together brew, not bad in flavour, but needed more than 3oz rauchmalt per gallon.  Using the aged hops added a strange flavour.  I intend to use the leftovers and add brett dregs, as a base for a small solara (one of these days...)

9-13-15; The Highwayman Old Ale, 3.5 gallons.

10-3-15; Pumpkin Weizenbock, 3.5 gallons?.  2.6 bottled.

10-4-15; Garden "Lambic", 0.8 gallon.

10-12-15; Belgian Dark Candi Cider, 4.5 gallons.  Nothing special; Apple cider, dark candi syrup, and Ommegang yeast culture.

10-26-15;  Sweet German Apfelwein, 4 gallons.  Juice, sugar, and Gewurztraminer yeast (Vintner's Harvest AW4).

11-23-15; Spruced Up Quad, 1 gallon.  Belgian Strong Dark Ale, with spruce tips and Westmalle yeast.

11-24-15; Rye Tripel, 1 gallon.  A paleish Belgian ale with strong rye character.



Total: 33.25 gallons brewed (much of which is still in the fermenters).