Month: November 2007

Both kegs blew while company were over, but luckily, not until after everyone both had been sampled and and satisfied. The spice sludge that came out of the pumpkin keg was a little horrifying. The body looked like a cider that had been mixed with dirt. I tried two sips, but couldn’t manage the intense flavors and had to offer the last pint to the sink.

One of our guests is gearing up to start brewing cooperatively with her neighbor. She was asking about my setup and already seems to have a strong grasp on the basics, but wants to jump ahead to all-grain. Cool. Teaching friends to brew is fun.

During this last week I’ve tapped a pumpkin beer and opened the last of the IPAs Joe and I brewed back in April. The quality of the last 4 beers I’ve brewed is consistently better than my previous beers, and I’m very satisfied with the prospects. The pumpkin ale is a little spicier than I prefer, and the color is almost a sickly green, but it’s quite good. Michelle, who I typically make the beer for, seems content with it.

I expected that the IPA would be a throw-away simply because of it’s age. To my surprise, it was excellent. The aroma was still fresh and citrusy, and the flavor had not dulled any over time. I think it was probably the best carbonated of the bunch, and really made quite a nice finish for the day. I’ll have to go back to the recipe again.

I still have to keg the Imperial IPA, but I don’t have a spare at the moment. Probably time to pick another corny up.