Radagast's Oud Bruin

Yup....three geeky beers made in two days...you are correct.

I've been wanting to make an oud bruin for quite some time, but the area I live in is decidedly deficient of mixed fermentation blends (dregs aren't really available either).  So when I saw a pack of Roeselares at the LHBS, I snapped it up and started planning.

The Gaffer's Home brew: a Hobbit Beer

If you haven't figured out by now that I'm a geek, and love fantasy novels, well....you're blind.  I spent quite a while thinking on this recipe, to attempt to get something similar to an ale brewed by the residents of the Shire.  As modified by Frodo and Bilbo's comments in the movie "Have you been getting into the Gaffer's homebrew?"  "Well, yes. But that's not the point.".  Which to me says that the Gaffer's brew is something special--either extra strong, or with extra herbs. 

Wizards Wit

A couple of months ago, I tried Anchorage Brewing's Whiteout Wit; it was delicious.  Bold lemon and spice, refreshing, and only a hint of any funk from the Brettanomyces the company used in it.  Flavoured with lemon peel, corriander, black pepper, and using Sorachi Ace hops (to further the lemony goodness).

Kedrigern's Best Brown, rebrew

One of my favourite brews I have made was the Kedrigern's brown--last time, I had a couple of issues...one of which was that it was only a 3 gallon batch, and therefore didn't last long enough.  The post for the original batch can be found here

So, this time I'm fixing that and brewing a full 6 gallons (in two batches, since my setup isn't made for more than 3.5).  I've made a couple of changes to the recipe, the most significant of which is the use of actual liquid yeast for the first time.  Plus, since I will be aging in a 5gal secondary for a few weeks, I plan to take one gallon and put it through a secondary with brettanomyces.

Should be 6.5 gallons in there, bubbling happily

Apfel Fermented Blonde Ale

I got to eyeballing the German Sweet Apfelwein the other day--there are a good couple pounds of pureed granny smith apples resting on the bottom.  And I just know that the apple cider isn't going leech all the flavour out of them--especially given that I will have to leave all that and more behind when I rack, otherwise I won't get the apfelwein to clear.

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).

Rye Tripel (1gal BIAB)

I have never had a rye beer.  There, I've said it.  This isn't for lack of desire, so much as I haven't really seen a good quality one in my area that wasn't also an IPA (most annoying, actually).  Therefore, I set out to make my own.

Still not the best pic, I know.