Palilalia India Pale Ale - Tasting

A variation of an India Pale Ale from The Complete Joy of Homebrewing
O.G.: Unknown - whoops!
F.G.: Unknown - whoops!

The brew has a rich, burnt russet color with a frothy almond head and malty aroma that contains a hint of caramel. The flavor profile starts out with a rich roasted maltiness that tapers to a hint of bitterness (from the roasted barley) and finishes with a hint of smokiness left over from the oak used in secondary. With a medium mouthfeel, this gentle brew has proved to be moderately sessionable.

Looking at this post's title (and especially if you checked back to the ingredients), I'd wager that the thought 'he didn't mention hoppiness in the description' has popped into your mind. It's true that this brew was supposed to be an IPA, but it turned out tasting much more like a brown ale - this is most likely due to the use of roasted malt barley and complications with hop additions. Part of the reason for multiple additions of hops throughout the boil (i.e., boiling hops, finishing hops, aroma hops) is to extract the hops' oils at the appropriate times so they don't end up cooking off completely. I think this recipe would have benefited from additional hop additions, similar to the process the Palace Bitter underwent. In any case, this is an enjoyable brew that has been compared to Ellie's Brown Ale.

I've decided to name this brew 'Single Peak Brown Ale' since it was first tasted at 14,060 ft on Mount Bierstadt's summit (click here for photos and a trail report). I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate the end of my homebrewing hiatus than cracking this one open somewhere special.

Long Time, No Brew (Whoop Moffit Vienna Lager - Tasting)

It's been quite some time since my last post on here. Between completing my Master's, taking an awesome road trip to Vermont, hiking a portion of the Long Trail, wandering around Michigan, and preparing for my Colorado Trail hike, I haven't had much time to keep track of the blog or do any brewing. Happily, this is about to change. So, without further ado, here is a brief review of the Whoop Moffit Vienna Lager!


A significant variation on a German Lager from The Complete Joy of Homebrewing
O.G.: Unknown - whoops!
F.G.: 1.18

Ramius Transporting the Brew

Since I wasn't in blog-writing-mode when this beer was being tasted, I didn't (read: forgot) take any photos of the beer and only have the description of the beer in my brewing notebook. That said, I have fond memories of the brew and got some encouraging feedback about it whenever I passed it around. Those who enjoy winter beers were most pleased - they likened it to more of a porter than a lager.

The beer was medium bodied, with a rich brown coloration similar to molasses. The aroma reflected the large amount of Carafa malt that went into it - recall that I put in 0.75 pounds rather than a single cup. Additionally, the Tettnanger hops provided a mild, floral, and somewhat spicy fragrance. The flavor profile was characterized by a toasted maltiness bordering on a roasted flavor. The hops provided a light, flowery taste with a hint of spice.

This was a pleasant brew, but I'm not sure that I'll make it again any time soon. The issues with it are simple: keeping it cool and at a constant temperature. That said, who knows? Especially since it was so popular with varied groups of people.

Elbro Nerkte Brown Ale & We're in the Garden - Tasting

A take on a Brown Ale from The Complete Joy of Homebrewing
O.G.: 1.04
F.G.: 1.01
ABV: ~3%

I tried to like this brew... I really did. Unfortunately, whether due to human error, poor ingredients, or just bad luck this batch turned out very badly. That said, I seem to remember the Elbro Nerkte being quite tasty when I first tried it - though I'm not sure if it has deteriorated with age or I had simply consumed too much of the Belgian White prior to tasting it. In any case, I'm not even going to bother doing a full description of the flavors because, honestly, I don't want to taste it again. I will note, however, that most of the poor flavor fades if a warm bottle is consumed.


An impromptu take on a Belgian white from The Complete Joy of Homebrewing
ABV: Unknown
IBU: Unknown

We're In The Garden

Happily, unlike the Elbro Nerkte, the Belgian White was a smashing success. The beer has a vibrant amber color with a snow white head and an aroma of honey and a touch of hops. The flavor profile starts out sweet with a warm, nutty citrus taste and finishes with somewhat of a sweet bite. The honey and coriander worked together wonderfully in this brew, though with age the honey taste was largely lost - perhaps the coriander remained so potent due to the coriander seed dropped into each bottle?

After passing this brew around my family, lab group, and friend group I can assure you this will be a staple recipe in my homebrew repertoire. I can count the number of people who had any kind of reservations about this brew on one hand and most of them don't care for beer and tried it because I pushed it on them. I have a feeling this Belgian White will be just what a person needs after a long summer day and hope to make quite a bit of it in the future.

Goat Scrotum Ale - Tasting

A porter from The Complete Joy of Homebrewing
ABV: Unknown
IBU: Unknown

At long last, a review of the Primal Porter!

The beer has a rich, dark brown color with a tan head and a light aroma that reflects the dark malts and spruce essence that shaped it. After tasting, the spruce and black patent are immediately detected, though their profile is complicated and intertwined enough that several of my friends have only detected one or the other. The Primal finishes with a bit of toasted maltiness and sweetness that is much more distinct than the initial flavor profile. This is one of the more light-bodied porters that I've had, though it is very pleasing in this respect.

The Primal Porter on a
gloomy fall day

I have passed this around several groups of friends as I was interested at what their reactions would be to a brew that is so strangely unique - recall that I threw a bunch of essentially random ingredients into a boiling pot, let it sit for a while, then bottled it. The great consensus is that the Primal is much more drinkable than a typical porter - I can't tell you how many people were reluctant to try it due to their (misplaced) belief that it would be a very heavy beer or have a flavor profile that was too much like other dark beers (i.e., dominated by a dark or toasted malt). It seems that most people, including myself at one point, are under the impression that porters don't have any kind of sweetness or overall complexity to them. Upon tasting the Primal, most people expressed their genuine enjoyment of the beer, noting its lightness and drinkability. Of course, there were still a few individuals who did not enjoy it due to the fact that they either (1) don't enjoy darker beers - which Tegan sadly fits into - or (2) just don't enjoy beer as a whole. That said, I'm truly pleased that I was able to share this well respected, yet very misunderstood, style of beer.

Rampart Red Ale - Tasting

An Irish Red Ale from Hop To It! Homebrew
ABV 5.0%
IBU 28

On the fifteenth day of bottle conditioning, Hilary and I sat down with the wee Ramius to try the brew. It came out wonderfully! A nice reddish amber colored ale with a white head and an aroma that is strong and malty, with hints of toffee and sweet hops. Tasting, one notes the same basic profile as the aroma with a little more hoppiness coming through. Medium bodied, this ale turned out to be quite sessionable.

A final note: Hilary and I have dubbed this brew BlackHole Red Ale. Guess why and win a prize.