Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Homemade Spent Grain Soft Bavarian Pretzels

Hi All!  I made these homemade soft Bavarian Pretzels to enjoy with some good beer.  I added some spent grains from my friend Greg's brew day.  The pretzels turned out great!  With the spent grains adding light nuances of malty goodness, they paired very well with a Deschutes Brewery Red Chair NWPA.  What a fantastic snack pairing I had last night! I'm looking forward to baking another batch and taking some to Greg and his family.  Thanks for reading!  Cheers!  

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Deschutes Brewery Hop Henge Experimental IPA

Another fantastic brew from my favorite brewery based in Bend Oregon.  Rated at 95 IBU's, this brew is LOADED with hops!  It is also 8.5% ABV so it has a little kick to it also.  The hop aromas is immediately evident on the nose and in tasting is quite evident throughout and in the bitter finish.  This beer is not for hop-phobics.  I actually find this beer pretty balanced, but with a bitter finish, somewhat similar to how a German Altbier drinks.  If you are a hophead and like IPA's, this is a must try!  It is a limited release, so get it while you can!  I know I will will.  It is available in bombers.  Cheers!

Spiced Apple Wheat Winter Warmer

Now that it is carbing up, it's quite good.  The spice and apple aromas are great!  The flavor is very balanced with nothing being overpowering.   The alcohol is 9%, but no heat is noticed on the palate.  Very warming though!  I'll be taking this brew to Homebrewer's Night at The Brew Hut on Thursday, Jan 19, 2012, at 6:00 p.m.  I will also be entering it in The Brew Hut's Homebrew Competition on January 29, 2012.  I'll keep you posted!  Thanks for reading!  Cheers!

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Spiced Apple Wheat

O.k.  I admit.... I couldn't wait!  I cracked one open tonight and WOW!  The apple and spice aromas are fantastic!  The flavor is AWESOME!  (It reminds me of apple pie.)  The hops bitterness comes out at the finish.  Very nice balance on this one so far.  The alcohol is not detectable, but as I sip on this one I am definitely feeling it.  There is creaminess in the mouthfeel from the oatmeal, which is why I love using raw oats in my brews.  Color is deep golden and hazy, because it is a wheat beer, with a nice pillowy white head.  I think with some aging this one will be a great winter warmer!  Think I will save a bunch for winter 2012!  Thanks as always for reading!   Cheers!    

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Spiced Apple Wheat

Hello all!  Well, the Spiced Apple Wheat is now in bottles.  I'm hoping it will carbonate quickly as I really want to get my tastebuds on this one!  After some re-calculating, the alcohol content is 9%.   The flavor is great!  The Cardamom adds the great spice notes and the apple comes through on the finish.  It almost tastes like a spiced cider!  Very interesting beer.  I'll keep you posted on the flavor after carbonation.  Thanks for reading!  Cheers!

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Spiced Apple Wheat

This beer is tasting better every time I try it.  Gravity is 1.022.  It looks to be about ready to bottle as it is stabilizing.  I'll give it another day or two to to clear up a little.  It looks like it will be around 8.5 % abv.  I'm hoping it will be carbonated enough to take to homebrewer's night at The Brew Hut on Jan 19th.  I will also be entering it into The Brew Hut's homebrew competition on Jan 29th.  Thanks for reading and have another cold one for me!  CHEERS!

Sunday, January 1, 2012

HB Spiced Apple Wheat

Gravity is 1.028, then added my apple juice reduction and it bumped up to 1.036.  The yeast is already starting to krausen.  I think the actual ABV will be around 8.5 - 9%.  The flavor is pretty good.  The spice is definitely shining through in the aroma and finish, but some of that is from the yeast also.  Being a wheat beer, it is very hazy during fermentation.  I'll keep you posted!  Thanks for reading!  Cheers!