Monday, December 30, 2013

RECIPE: #54 Epoux Vient (Leffe Brune clone)

My buddy from church has been very gracious to us this past year.  I helped him install new lights in my house we bought in May, as well as new flooring in the bathroom, a new toilet, and a new sink.  He cut some slots in my new kettle lids for my chiller to come through.  He plumbed my utility sink in the brewhouse, and wants to weld me a 2 burner single tier brewstand.  He hasn't asked for anything in return for his work.  When he came to me and asked if I could brew him a beer for his wedding, of course I was up for it.  I asked what type of beers they would like.  They wanted something dark and malty.  I bought an Oatmeal Stout, Milk Stout, American Stout, and a Belgian Dark Ale.  We decided that we didn't want something too strong as we wanted people to have a couple pints and not get intoxicated, especially as the bulk of our church is going to be there including some that don't agree with us that alcohol is a gift from God for our enjoyment.  After tasting the beers it was fairly unanimous that the BDA was the best.  Malty, fruity, spicy, elegant.  

Monday, December 23, 2013

New Logo



I finally finished my logo for the Home Brewery.  The Center of the logo has been a concept in my head for awhile that I finally got out on paper and fused it into the existing EOS logo.  It originally had a golden gate style keg, then a keggle, then a hop as the center of the O... none of them actually screamed to me.  Finally I turned it back to a normal O and put my Screaming Pint in the middle of it and now it screams...literally.  The focal point of the logo is a pint glass face.  The mouth is sown shut to keep it silent symbolizing the culture of beer for so many years in American Culture.  The pint is screaming, ripping out the stitching, removing the barriers that keep him from screaming at the top of his lungs.  It is all that End of Silence stands for.  No more silenced beer, muted from all that is can be, unable to speak.  Beer is flavorful, it speaks volumes.  That has been my goal in brewing, making beer that speaks: malts, hops, water, yeast, all of them working together, a harmony of voices that give us something beautiful to listen to.  No more quiet beer.  End of Silence.  Let the beer speak!

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Review: 1st Place KLCC #53 CUDL Buddy (Winter Warmer)

It is nice and bright outside right now, the sun is shining, the snow is reflecting white glares into my eyes, my pipes and feet are frozen (I thawed the pipes with the dryer exhaust duct), and my 3 year old son sled down a nice steep hill on his own; so proud.  Winter is here, even if the calendar says it is a week away.  We have not had weather like this in Eugene in nearly 40 years, and 6-8" of snow is nearly unheard of here on the valley floor.  It's cold out there, and hard to drive.  Sounds like the perfect reason to stay inside in sweats cuddled up to a nice malty beer.  I built the recipe around many of the Winter Warmer beers made here in Oregon that I really enjoy, beers like Deschutes' Jubel Ale, Full Sail's Wassail, and Bridgeport's Ebenezer.  I wanted a nice malt back bone, balanced bitterness, complex maltiness, with breads and toffee, and cocoa with a spicy and piney hop presence.  I was shooting for a higher ABV (7.2%, but got 6.6% due to low efficiency).

Look:
Pours a clear deep brown with beautiful ruby highlights, thick, dense khaki head that fades slow to a thick cap and leaves ample lacing down the glass.

Aroma:
Milk chocolate leaps out of the glass first and dominates the nose.  Behind the chocolate are spicy and herbal hop notes, toffee, baked bread, ginger, and citrus rind.  Nutty yeast.  Light fruity esters, and nice spices (even though there are none).

Flavor:
Chocolate hits the palate first, followed by sweet toffee, pine needles, herbal hops, spices in the finish.  Ginger, biscuits, nutty, touch of figs and raisins.  Weird how the spices show up when there aren't any in the beer, only hops.

Mouthfeel:
Medium body, semi-sweet but roasty dry finish, balanced bitterness in the end that asserts itself just enough to keep the sweetness in check and cleanse the palate.  Medium carbonation.  Smooth beer.

Overall:
Really hit the nail on the head with the flavor profile I was going for.  The chocolate is really nice, but could be dialed back a notch, maybe not though, it is nice in there.  The lower than desired efficiency and OG made for a lower ABV than I wanted, could use more alcohol and alcohol warmth in the back end.  The spicy character is very enjoyable, and I can't pin it down as to flavors, but seeing as I used no spices in this beer, I am pleased with what the hops and alcohol did here.  A little too drinkable, very balanced.

NOTE: This beer took 1st place in the KLCC BJCP comp in February 2014 in the American Browns and Ambers category.

Thursday, December 5, 2013

REVIEW: CAPtain America (Classic American Pilsner)

Today marks the 80th anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition.  It is sad that it even happened, and even sadder that many in the church were behind it.  The unfortunate thing is that I spent the bulk of my life believing that the Bible was against alcohol consumption, then I actually read what it said while trying to remove the lenses I had been raised with (we all have lenses that we interpret everything in life through, the Bible is no different).  I am thankful that the Lord gave me new lenses to see the beauty of one of His many gifts to mankind: beer (and wine, mead, Bourbon, Scotch, cider, etc.).  I am also glad that in His goodness He saw to the repeal of Prohibition, made homebrewing legal in all 50 states, and has moved many in the church today to see the wonder of His gift for our enjoyment (in moderation, of course).  If you have read this far and haven't left the page, no, this is not a diatribe on a Biblical view of alcohol.  Just a little musing on Prohibition, how the Christians of that era were misusing Scripture, and how I am glad (as are you) that it is all over.  In celebration of this milestone I thought I would post the review of my Classic American Pilsner (CAP) as it is what a good, full flavor, Pilsner would have been with out Prohibition and WWII.

Look:
Pours a beautifully clear pale gold with lots of fluttering bubbles feeding into a dense, creamy, thick, pure white head that holds a bottle cap.  The head stays around forever eventually becoming a thick cap over the entire top which leaves ample lacing all the way down, thick on the sides.

Aroma:
Smells of Noble hops, delicate, spicy, light herbs, touch of mild fruit, crackery malt, sweet.  The elegance of the nose is wonderful.  No DMS, no diacetyl, no acetaldehyde.  Clean.

Flavor:
The first thing to hit on the tongue is crackers.  Mid palate is full of spicy hops, mild fruitiness, herbal hop notes.  Grainy.  Finish is clean and bitter.  Sweet corn throughout.  No DMS, no diacetyl, no acetaldehyde.  Very clean.

Mouthfeel:
Light body, dry finish, light corn sweetness.  Lots of bubbles on the tongue from the high carbonation.  Finish is bitter and lingers just begging for more.  Very balanced, with a firm bitterness that is in no way harsh or overpowering.

Overall:
I brewed the beer to see if I could, and I wanted a flavorful and elegant Pilsner to replace the 3rd place German Pils I had made earlier in the year.  This beer exceeded my desires.  I am not a big fan of light lagers, but this beer just tastes great, and is beautiful to look at.  Even though the weather has shifted my palate away from this beer towards the dark and malty stuff, I figured I needed to review it.  I thought I would pour a glass, quick review, then dump the rest into the sausages I was getting ready to cook.  I finished the entire glass, and even now (3 days later, mid morning) want another one.  Super clear, beautiful, elegant Noble hop nose and flavor supported by a crackery, grainy, sweet malt back bone, high carbonation, dry finish with a firm bitterness.  Nailed the BJCP, now I just need to keep my hands off the rest until February when the KLCC comp hits so I can enter it.  Definitely need to rebrew it for the Sasquatch in May and to have for the Summer.