Some call it the End of Summer

Labor Day weekend is a celebration of those who work hard to put food on the table. It also marks the unofficial end of summer. The beaches are packed for the last time. People have picnics, family reunions, and get one last swim in.

For me growing up, it meant that we had to start getting the farm equipment ready to harvest- usually no day off. With the harvest season, I also got the start of soccer season. Now that my playing days have mostly passed, I have found a different hobby to take up my time. It is no longer too hot to sit next to the boiling pot of hops and sugars. I now look forward to the cooler months.

So to celebrate this change of seasons, I thought I would brew a nice cooler weather beer. So what is it? Hopefully, it will be the perfect Maple Porter for Halloween and Thanksgiving. This weekend, I created a base porter, and I will add maple to it in secondary.

My Recipe:
8 lbs. Light LME
8 oz. Chocolate Malt
4 oz. Roasted Malt
4 oz. Caramel 60 L.

1.5 oz Willamette (60 minutes)
.5 oz Willamette (10 minutes)

WL013 London yeast
OG- 1.062

I went light on the finishing hops in hope to keep the aroma from the maple to be added.

Also, Labor Day weekend has now been dubbed my homebrew weekend. Last year, we brewed a double batch (American Wheat and Oktoberfest Ale) for my wedding. I look forward to brewing next year as well.

A porter I like?

While taking in the Ravens/Patriots game last Sunday at McGovern's, I decided to give the Evolution Lucky 7 Porter a try.  Normally I do not prefer the overly smokey or burnt taste to many porters.  This beer on the other hand was a delight.

It poured a dark dark brown, and produced a half inch tan head.  It had a faint smell of chocolate and smoke, with toffee and caramel coming in the nose as it warmed just a bit.  The taste was a delightful blend of the chocolate, toffee and caramel and a hint of smoke.  The little bit of bitterness came out at the end, just to break up the rest of the flavors.  The beer was very light and smooth, and at 5.8% made it extremely drinkable.

I liked this beer, and it somehow made me feel good to like a porter, one style that I don't drink often enough.  Many others love the burnt/smokey taste to the porters, but it just isn't my style.  The other porters that I would drink on most days are the Sierra Nevada Porter, and the Stone Vertical Epic 09-09-09 (which makes it hard to enjoy that beer, since I will have to find people to trade, I only have one bottle left- Should I keep shelf it?).

Anywho, any porter out there that you love?

Going Vertical

Max's description of Stones Vertical Epic 09/09/09 was just "Dark Belgian Ale". I wasn't too sure what to think before it came to me. But I was not thinking Porter. And then I saw it. Dark as night, creamy tan head. Porter overcame my mind. Chocolate came through on the nose, with not much else. Then the taste. Definitely some chocolate, vanilla and little spice. Could use more spice to break up the chocolate. I would expect a little more hoppy bitterness from Stone (but not too much to over power everything, just enough to pull everything together). The beer was not too heavy or too light.

I would not call it a Belgian. Maybe when sitting in a cellar it will round out better, but for now it is a Porter. With that note, I normally do not like porters. Usually a porter has the burnt taste to it. The VE090909 did not. It was sweet and delicious. Although, one was enough. Not something to have a night of. (Especially at 8.5%.) I think I will try to go and grab a couple of bottles, this is a beer that should be really good on a cold night in the winter. I am thinking Christmas time.