Happiness is a Cold Homebrew

So…yeah. 

I realize I have not updated this blog in quite some time. The honest answer is that I just haven’t been brewing all that much lately. This is mainly due to the holiday craziness/horrorshow that is Christmas and New Year’s lumped together. However, i am happy to report that I recieved many lovely brewing-related gifts this year, not the least of which was my very own outdoor burner. In addition, my dad was kind enough to purchase Ray Daniels’ Designing Great Beers and Palmer’s How to Brew for me. The digestion of these two epic tomes alone has consumed nearly three weeks of my life.

Also, Skyrim happened.

In any case, my Belgian Imperial IPA turned out wonderful, having been successfully bottled and consumed with great enthusiasm. I also managed to let about a gallon or so sit on some light-toast French oak chips for a week or so, which scrubbed out much of the aroma from dry-hopping but left an interesting vanilla aroma and taste in its stead. We’ll see how it ages out, but it’s certainly interesting, and quite unlike anything I’ve made before. I suppose that’s pretty much the point of homebrewing, though…

I’ve decided to brew this recipe again, but will make several small changes which will hopefully be improvements on the original recipe. First and foremost, I’m reducing the grain bill from 18lbs to roughly 15, but increasing the mash time while lowering the mash temperature. This will keep the ABV% roughly the same, but hopefully produce a more fermentable wort, which will in turn produce a slightly drier beer. Secondly, I’ll be making my own Belgian candi sugar for this next batch, just because it’ll be a fun experiment. There are many different methods for doing so, and I’ll be sure to document the procedure once I’ve decided on a procedure.

So that’s it I guess. Thanks to all of you who have subscribed in my absense from the blog. I appreciate all the kind words and feedback I have already received, and am looking forward to seeing what everyone has to say, and brew, in this new year. 2012 has been great so far, and I plan on brewing some tasty beers in the next few months. Happy new year, and Happy Brew-Day everyone!!