Batch #5, Stone Clone, was put in the bottle tonight. Either my patience has grown or I just don't have time but this was actually ready to bottle over a week ago. Probably a combination of better patience and no time but, either way, I am glad it waited. The extra aging time will only benefit this beer, especially given it is the biggest beer brewed so far. This 7.6% ABV beer needs the extra time to make it right. Judging from the smell and taste of it, it will be worth the wait! Arrogant Bastard is a fav, so hopefully this will taste a little like it's inspiration. Can't wait to try it!
I brewed batch #6, Hop Head Porter, 10 days ago. It is amazing how noticeable the color of dark ale is, even early on. The beer is BLACK in the fermenter! It will move to the secondary sometime before a highly anticipated trip to the beach next week. Being out of town for a week will give it a chance to properly age just as batch #5 did. This is the first batch brewed with a "homebrew buzz", hopefully I wasn't too lose and forget something!
TRI.P.A and 4Summer Ale have been tapped into frequently over the last few weeks and the results are magnificent! I am beginning to get a feel for the ingredients being added and the impact they have on the final product. Not quite ready to formulate my own recipe but I will be there soon. Hope those that have tasted the first four batches have enjoyed the results. Unless folks are afraid of hurting my feelings with critical reviews, it's been good because most everyone has given good feed back! The greatest joy of this hobby is not when savoring my work myself but when others enjoy the end product.
Excited to taste Stone Clone and make better batches so that you can taste a better homebrew!!
Cheers!!
