Jeff's Limerick Session Stout...

...is delicious. And I'm pretty sure I underestimated it when I first tasted it a week ago. Just look at how much I am enjoying it today:
It has now been in the bottle for two weeks and the whole thing has really come into its own.

Appearance: What can I say, it has been beautiful from the beginning, with a wonderfully opaque, ebony color (with that beautiful garnet red every time the light passes through a small amount of it!) and a cream-colored head. The head has developed with the carbonation, though. Where in the beginning there was barely any to speak of, a gentle pour now yields a finger of the off-white goodness with a bit of pretty lacing and a definite layer of foam that remains throughout my drinking a glass of it. Mmmm.

Aroma: Mmmm chocolate, coffee, and caramel. No complaints here.

Flavor: I had my first taste a week ago today, and for the first few days, I was detecting this bright, sort of fruity tang that I didn't like all that much and that wasn't exactly in tune with the style. In the last couple of days, however, that twanginess has all but disappeared from the brew, leaving it roasty, chocolatey, and wonderfully drinkable. Really nice coffee and cocoa tones with a nice clean finish.

Mouthfeel: This is another aspect of the beer that has changed for the better over the past week. Where my first impression of it was a little too light and watery, it now possesses more body and has a great sort of silky feel on the palate. I think the carbonation just needed to fully develop.

Overall: Holy smokes. The low ABV makes this an amazing session beer and super easy to drink anytime. Can't really say I'd change much about this recipe at all!

The moral of the story: I need to be just a little more patient! I've got some great brews on my hands!

Hit me up if you'd like to enjoy one sometime :)

Original brew day post from 2/13/11

Sláinte!
-Yer ruddy brewmakin' honorary Irishman

Various updates

Hello readers! I've got some wonderfully happy updates on the following:

Mead: Wow, I caught a whiff of it the other day, and man does it seem like it will be wonderful nectar! The mead has still been bubbling away, barely slowing down since it started. It is also showing some signs of clear progress, namely some sediment in the bottom and some darkening of the color at the top. It has officially been fermenting away for two weeks, and I'm so excited to taste it in another month and a half. Hopefully it will be an instant classic, just like the NESB (New England Special Bitter, what what!). More updates to come.

Youzaho Light Lager: I'm starting to take some pride in this, especially because it's a lager and I'm trying to take some care with it so that it ferments properly. Turns out that my garage is a perfect place for lager primary fermentation, with the temperature remaining in the 50-60 range that is perfect for the Saflager S23 yeast. If this comes out well, I will definitely be trying some more lagers. It looks really nice, and is already past high Kraeusen. The best news about it is that there was a ladybug on the carboy this afternoon when I checked on it! Good luck? Yes. Luck of the Irish? Completely possible.

NESB: Man does this taste and look good. Come by for a bottle sometime! This recipe is going into the archives as a wonderful standby. Such a great first brew.

Equipment: I got a wine thief at the homebrew store last week. Makes my life so much easier! Now, taking specific gravities is as easy and dipping a thing into another thing. Yeah that's right, I went there. I also walked away with two spanking new airlocks so that I can use all of my carboys at once! Furthermore, this isn't exactly rocket science, but I am currently storing the remaining 3/4 of Hallertauer hops in a labeled mason jar, and I plan to do this any other time I need less than a full ounce of hops in a recipe. Such a great method for storage! Freshness in the fridge!


Happy St. Patrick's Day!

-Jeff