Holiday Spiced Ale 2

Spiced ales for the Holidays are simply the best. Made strong enough, they help ease the pain of frost bit hands in Chicago Winters. If the alcohol isn't warming enough, spices in these brews really pop out when served warm/hot. Three years ago, my brother and I brewed our Spiced Holiday Ale as a gift for our relatives. It had tons of ginger and lots of crushed spices (3 large tea infuser balls full of fresh Ginger Root, Cinnamon Sticks, Cardamom, Black Peppercorns, Cloves & Anise), and it turned out great.

For this year's holiday season, I'm brewing another spiced ale, but this time it will be given to my closest friends.

I've brainstormed a beer that's originally inspired by another recipe in Radical Brewing...gotta love that book! I noticed it had lots of brown malt, which should give it some roasty/nutty flavors, but I don't have any more. Instead I've given my brew more of a Nut-Amber bent with some Special Roast. I'm really curious how the big percentage of oats and wheat will influence the taste, clarity and mouthfeel.

As for spices, I thought "earthy" spices might go well with some toasted maltiness. I also wanted to have some "heat" coming from them as well. Some of these spices will be boiled, and some steeped in dark rum & vodka for 2 weeks before bottling.

Grains of Paradise is simply amazing. An intense perfume-like black pepper taste. I really can't use enough.
Cassia Buds are the dried flower buds from the cinnamon plant. After visiting the Spice House, and smelling & tasting these clove-like spices, it should be perfect. They have a taste that is reminiscent of Big Red chewing gum...more resiny/hot than cinnamon sticks.
Cinnamon sticks earlier in the boil should help round out the cinnamon flavor.
Dried Orange Peel might be nice, and it could play around with the Cascade & Simcoe hops.
Coriander may add a super subtle complexity.
Mexican Vanilla Beans have a smooth scent and flavor. I preferred it over the Madagascar (woody) and Tahitian (perfume) beans.

Again, I really loved the hopping in my Rhino Rye beer. With Cascade and Simcoe, I'll play around with a similar schedule. Since it won't be dry hopped, it will get a bigger knock-out addition.

Holiday Spiced Ale 2

Grains
8.0 lbs. Belgian Pils
3.0 lbs. Belgian Wheat
2.5 lbs. Flaked Oats
1.0 lbs. Munich Dark
1.0 lbs. Crystal 60L
.65 lbs. Special Roast
.25 lbs. Chocolate Malt
.10 lbs. Black Malt

Hops
1.0 oz. Cluster, 7.9%, pellet, 60min
.50 oz. Cascade, 6.3%, pellet, 60min
.35 oz. Simcoe, 11.9%, pellet, 25min
.65 oz. Cascade, 6.3%, pellet, 25min
.65 oz. Simcoe, 11.9%, pellet, KO
.55 oz. Cascade, 6.3%, pellet, KO

Boiled Spices
2.0 Cinnamon Sticks, cracked, 30min
.40 oz. Dried Orange Peel, 20min
1.5 tsp Coriander, cracked, 15min
.50 tsp Cassia Buds, cracked, 15min
1.0 tsp Grains of Paradise, cracked, 7min

Spice Potions
details coming soon

3 oz. 2 Mexican Vanilla Beans in Rum
2 oz. Cassia Buds in Vodka
.5 oz. Grains of Paradise in Vodka
3 oz. extra rum

Yeast
Wyeast 1056: American Ale

Brew Day Stats

Brewed: 8/28/08
Racked: just primary
Bottled: 8/7/08

Water Adjustment:
Strike - .5 tsp CaCl, .5 tsp Gypsum, .75 tsp Acid Blend
2nd Sparge - .75 tsp CaCl, .75 tsp Gypsum
Boil - .25 tsp Kosher Salt

H2O/Grain Ratio: 1.15 qt/lb
Mash Ph: 5.4
Sacch. Rest Temp/Time: 153°F/60min
Mash Out Temp/Time: 169°F/15min
1st Batch Vol/SG: 4.75gal/1.075

2nd Batch Sparge Vol/H2OTemp/MashTemp: 2.5/180°F/168°F
2nd Batch SG: 1.037

Pre-Boil Vol/SG: 7.25/1.057
Boil Time: 90min
Post-Boil Vol: 6 gallons
Mash Efficiency: 73.6%

OG: 1.071
IBU: 49
Color/SRM: Amber-Brown/17
Ferment Temp: 73°F

FG: 1.016
ABW: 5.8%
ABV: 7.2%

Robust Porter

It's time for some robust porter. A style of beer we don't see too often commercially, and one I've never tried brewing before. Haven't brewed any classic style porters either, and don't tend to buy them much. But, after picking up a couple new malts, I have to give it a go. And, having an ale with lots of roasted character will be great for the Autumn months.

Special Roast is a darker toasted malt having a more intense color and aroma than Victory or Biscuit. A good amount went into the Nut Brown 2, and a little will go in this porter. Another, even more intense toasted/roasted malt is Brown. I was very excited to finally get some, and upon opening the bag, I knew it would be great in this dark ale.

My hope is that this porter will have a moderate roast quality coming from many malts. Along side the Brown and Special Roast, a generous addition of British Black and Chocolate malts should also add roasty qualities and intense color.

At first, the recipe's hops were a bit understated, but after getting a sense of these intense grains, more will probably be better. I really loved the overall hop complexity in the Rhino Rye. It had good bitterness and flavor, plus a perfect small dry hop addition to top it off. This hop line-up should work really well.

Fermented on British Ale yeast, I'm also looking for some sweetness to come through. Mainly form the British 2-row & Crystal. In this recipe, I've stuck to mostly British ingredients, and hope to find a unique, and almost historical taste all together.

Robust Porter...aka..."Zen Porter"

Grains
10. lbs. UK 2-Row
1.0 lbs. CaraPils
1.0 lbs. UK Brown Malt
1.0 lbs. UK Crystal 65L
.25 lbs. Special Roast
.75 lbs. UK Black Malt
.60 lbs. UK Chocolate

Hops
1.0 oz. Target, 8%, pellet, 60min
.50 oz. Glacier, 6.1%, pellet, 60min
.50 oz. Glacier, 6.1%, pellet, 25min
.25 oz. Columbus, 12%, pellet, 25min
.50 oz. Cascade, 6.3%, pellet, KO
.25 oz. Columbus, 12%, pellet, KO
.50 oz. Cascade, 6.3%, pellet, Dry
.50 oz. Columbus, 12%, pellet, Dry

Yeast
Wyeast 1098: British Ale yeast cake

Brew Day Stats

Brewed: 8/21/08
Racked: 8/29/08
Bottled: 9/11/08

Water Adjustment:
Strike: 1.25 tsp Gypsum, .75 tsp Chalk in mash
2nd Sparge: .5 tsp Gypsum, .5 tsp CaCl

H2O/Grain Ratio: 1.15 qt/lb
Mash Ph: acidic
Sacch. Rest Temp/Time: 156->154°F/60min
Mash Out Temp/Time: 164°F/10min
1st Batch Vol/SG: 3.75g/1.070

2nd Batch Sparge Vol/H2OTemp/MashTemp: 3.25g/182°F/171°F
2nd Batch SG: 1.032

Pre-Boil Vol: 7.25
Pre-Boil SG: 1.052
Boil Time: 75min
Post-Boil Vol: 6 gallons
Mash Efficiency: 71.6%

OG: 1.063
IBU: approx. 45
Color/SRM: dark brown-black/33-46
Ferment Temp: 70's

FG: 1.018
ABW: 4.7%
ABV: 5.9%

Progress

1. This wort had aromas unlike any other beer I've made. Like coffee. In fact, after collecting the sparge "loss" for starter wort, I proceeded to drink a cup with cream, and it tasted awesome.
2. It started to ferment within a couple hours, and really took off. As I write this a day later, it has really settled down.
3. The FG is on the higher side, but it also resulted in a a beer with really great body.
4. After tasting one w/o dry hops, the beer is fantastic!
5. Tasting it at bottling w/ dry hops, the dry hops are a little strong, but I think it will definitely make it much more complex, especially with full carbonation and a couple months of conditioning.

Tasting Notes & Mugshot

Appearance: Black yet a tiny shine of light manages to slip through in a narrow glass and looks to be quite clear, dense tan head hangs around
Aroma: Dark green hop aroma almost smells like wet hops and balances perfectly with rich caramel malt aromas, a smooth chocolate scent comes through along with a late wisp of slight coffee/roast
Taste: Hops and rich malts in the taste are an accurate accentuation of the aroma, with a perfect balance of solid hop bitterness and caramel sweetness, then a fairly intense "dark-green" hop flavor (Columbus) balancing with chocolate, coffee and slight roast notes
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied and medium carbonation makes it feel silky and smooth
Aftertaste: Hop bitterness lingers a tad with an overall sense of sharpness, and some late dryness also enhances the sense of chocolate/cocoa/coffee within, the flavors are full enough so that it has a lasting finish
Drinkability: Rich, smooth, hoppy and too drinkable!
Overall Impression: The hops and malts are perfectly balanced at every level of the experience...in the aroma, the taste, and aftertaste. I think the Brown malt helped round out all the other flavors, and the higher mash temp & FG with Carapils all contributed to a fuller feel. The hops add lots of interest, and create a unique quality. Perhaps the Gypsum additions helped accentuate the bitterness and hop profile. This is probably the most complex beer I've made, there isn't anything I would change, and it has moved up to the top as my favorite. I will definitely try to recreate this beer, and would highly encourage anyone to brew it as well...if you do, please let me know what you think. Cheers!

Mint Stout 2

Mint Stout 1 was a huge success. Everyone liked its unique and refreshing taste. It was nice...a mix of roast, chocolate, mint, hop bitterness, and a touch of hop flavor. As a whip-it-together 1 gallon brew (as a yeast starter), it really came out nice. In fact, both my 1 gallon stouts have turned out better than any full batch attempt.

Here goes another...Mint Stout 2. A few differences, but pretty much the same idea. Since I had some stout and nut brown starter wort, I decided to go lighter on the dark grain steep. The hops were kicked up a notch, especially because Mt. Hood isn't as aggressive as Centennial. The spearmint was also taken up a bit.

Same yeast as before, so it should taste like the first one. This was more of a whip-it-together brew, and surprisingly the OG came out only 2 points above the first Mint Stout...Woo Hoo!


Mint Stout 2

Grains & Fermentables
.53 lb. Light DME
38. oz. Tripel all-grain wort from previous batch
34. oz. Nut Brown all-grain wort
34. oz. Stout all-grain wort
.10 lb. Belgian Biscuit
.10 lb. Chocolate Malt
.10 lb. Special B
.05 lb. Rst. Barley

Hops
.25 oz. Mt. Hood, 5.2%, pellet, 75+min
.25 oz. Mt. Hood, 5.2%, pellet, 10min
.25 oz. Spearmint, fresh, sliced, KO
.02 oz. Peppermint, dried, KO

Yeast
Wyeast 1056: American Ale smackpak

Brew Day Stats

Brewed: 8/18/08
Bottled: 8/28/08

OG: 1.056
IBU: approx. 47
Color/SRM: Dark->Black/34
Ferment Temp: 72-78°F

ABV: approx. 5-5.5%

Click here to see a full list of one gallon batches.
Here to see the original Mint Stout.
And here to see the Raisin Toast Stout.

Five Flavored Beers

After brewing and racking a five gallon batch of basic pale ale, it came time to add natural flavorings into five separate 1 gallon jugs. I've been wanting to play around with come combinations of flavors, and this method was really the best approach.

If you've ever had a hot pepper/chili beer, you probably loved it...right? Well I love them, and one of the best came from Twisted Pine Brewing out of Boulder, Co. It's called Billy’s Chilies, an excellent beer made with fresh anaheim, fresno, serrano, jalapeno and habanero pepper. So satisfying, I knew I had to and brew one. Mine will be made with 3 peppers (ancho, serrano & jalepano), that I hope will blend together interestingly.

My herbal Fresh Sage Ale was very tasty. The aroma of this herb jumps right out, and has a similar effect on the senses as dry hops. Here I will add a touch more, with an addition of wildflower honey.

Another herbal aroma I'll play with is basil. Every green thumbed person I know seems to be growing it this year, and they all are offered their herbs for this brew. I'll keep it local, and go with a handful of leaves from my next door neighbor...thanks Chad. This beer will also get a touch of honey, but clover, to see if there is any difference.

A long time ago I fell upon an herbal tea that's unlike any other. Orange Ginger Mint, by the Republic of Tea. The aromas and flavors are so unique, satisfying and calming. I've been curious about trying this combo of flavoring in beer for quite a while too.

Lastly, I thought I'd try a fruit based flavoring. Here it will be raspberry mint. I really liked the mint in my one gallon Mint Stout, so we'll see if this turns out good too.

That's it in a nutshell. I thought this was the perfect chance to use up some old ingredients. Also, I expect the secondary durations to vary among the beers (honey beers may ferment, & the chilies only a short time). Below is the base beer recipe, brewday stats, and individual secondary flavor additions. Please check out the full list of one gallon batches here.

Base All-Grain Pale Ale Recipe

Grains
9.4 lbs. Organic 2-Row
.20 lbs. Belgian Biscuit
.34 lbs. CaraMunich III 57L
.22 lbs. Am Crystal 20L
.19 lbs. UK Crystal 45L
.25 lbs. Melanoidin Malt
.75 lbs. CaraFoam

Hops
.65 oz. Cluster, 7.9%, pellet, 70min
.55 oz. Glacier, 6%, pellet, 70min
.35 oz. Cluster, 7.9%, pellet, 10min
.50 oz. Mt. Hood, 5.2%, pellet, 10min

Yeast
Wyeast 1056: American Ale decanted starter

Brew Day Stats

Brewed: 8/1/08
Racked: 8/11/08
Racked to jugs: 8/15/08
Bottled: see listing below

Water Adjustment:
Strike: 1 tsp Gypsum, .75 tsp Acid Blend, .25 tsp CaCl
2nd Sparge: .5 tsp Gypsum, .25 tsp Epsom, .25 tsp CaCl

H2O/Grain Ratio: 1.3 qt/lb
Mash Ph: 5.4
Sacch. Rest Temp/Time: 151°F/60min
Mash Out Temp/Time: 167°F/10min
1st Batch Vol/SG: 2.8gal/1.055

2nd Batch Sparge Vol/H2OTemp/MashTemp: 3.4gal/180°F/168°F
2nd Batch Vol/SG: 3.45gal/1.024

Pre-Boil Vol: 7.25gal
Pre-Boil SG: 1.041
Boil Time: 90min
Post-Boil Vol: 6.25

OG: approx. 1.051
IBU: 34
Color/SRM: Gold-Amber/8
Ferment Temp: 174°F

Five Flavored Beers

1. Honey Basil
1 oz. fresh basil sliced
8 oz. clover honey
Bottled: 10/6/08

2. Honey Sage
1 oz. fresh sage sliced
8 oz. wildflower honey
Bottled: 10/6/08

3. Raspberry Mint
16 oz. fresh raspberries quick hot water steep & crushed
.5 oz. fresh spearmint sliced
Bottled: 8/29/08

4. Orange Ginger Mint
half an orange rind
1 oz. candied ginger sliced
.25 oz. fresh spearmint sliced
.125 tsp. dried peppermint
Bottled: 9/11/08

5. Hot Pepper
1 dried ancho chili steeped in hot water & sliced
.25 tsp. black peppercorn crushed
1 sliver serrano pepper in 2 bottles
Bottled: 8/31/08

Blueberry Oatmeal Stout

Sandy Jaywalker to Blueberry Stout, these guys are on roll! I'm happy to have them back to brew another batch. This time, they're putting an interesting twist on a sweet style oatmeal stout...hand picked Michigan blueberries. This time, their Dad was here to give brewing a try, and I really like how he enjoyed observing how the scents and tastes change from grains, to mashing in, for sparging, and then boiling and hops. It really is remarkable how all the flavors come together, and then they continue to mature in the bottle.

I've been teaching the art and science of brewing to a handful of friends. I've brewed my fair share, so it feels extra good to have others experience the satisfaction of brewing their own beer form scratch...the all-grain way. It's truly rewarding for everyone.

At first, I didn't think a blueberry stout was such a good idea. Then, I thought of a beer brewed by Wisconsin's Society of Oshkosh Brewers (SOB), a blackberry stout. I'm not sure if it was blackberry flavoring, or the real fruit, but it was fantastic! Also, I remember seeing Dark Horse Tres on the web. Apparently it gets rave reviews on both rate-beer & beer-advocate. So then, my brain's recipe generator wheels started spinning.

Some of you may know by now how much I love blueberry ales...especially with fully fermented crushed berries. This is a very gentle/subtle flavor and aroma. In the Belgian Blue, I'm trying a new technique of adding the fruit to the primary fermenter, after high kreausen, in hopes to retain as much flavor and aroma as possible. Since this stout will have much of the classic roast and chocolate intensity, I hope this technique will work out here.

As we sat around after brewing the stout, we enjoyed a bottled of my year old Blueberry 2. After analyzing it, to see how we might approach adding blueberries to the stout base beer, Matt rose a question about how the blueberry skins may add a bit of acidity. I think he may be right. I haven't really focused on that being too evident, but that may be the attributing factor of my Blueberry 2 as being half wine-like. So for their Blueberry Stout, we will crush the blueberries, filter out the skins, and add the fresh juice in two stages to the primary fermenter.

Blueberry Oatmeal Stout

Grains
7.25 lbs. Organic 2-Row
1.50 lbs. Flaked Oats
0.75 lbs. Canadian Honey Malt
0.75 lbs. Crystal 80L
0.75 lbs. Chocolate Malt
0.75 lbs. UK Roasted Barley

Fruit
5 lbs. Fresh Blueberries, crushed, post kraeusen
6 lbs. Fresh Blueberries, crushed, added 8/18

Hops
1 oz. Glacier, 7.4%, pellet, 105min
1 oz. Cascade, 6.3%, pellet, 10min

Yeast
Wyeast 1056: American Ale 12oz. starter

Brew Day Stats

Brewed: 8/12/08
Racked: just primary
Bottled: 9/9/08

Water Adjustment:
Strike: 1 tsp Gypsum, 1 tsp chalk
2nd Sparge: 1 tsp Gypsum
Boil: .5 tsp Kosher Salt

H2O/Grain Ratio: 1.15 qt/lb
Mash Ph: 5.3-.4
Sacch. Rest Temp/Time: 153°F/60min
Mash Out Temp/Time: 165°F/15min
1st Batch SG: 1.064

2nd Batch Sparge Vol/H2OTemp/MashTemp: 3gal/184°F/170°F
2nd Sparge SG: 1.028

Pre-Boil Vol: 6.35
Pre-Boil SG: 1.050
Boil Time: 120min low evaporation rate
Post-Boil Vol: 4.9
Mash Efficiency: 85%

OG malts: 1.060 (1 point shy)
OG w/blueberries: approx. 1.070?
IBU: approx. 37
Color/SRM: black
Ferment Temp: 72°F

FG: 1.019javascript:void(0)
ABW: 5.35%
ABV: 6.7%

Nut Brown Ale 2

Last year's T&C Nut Brown Ale was a very good session style beer. It had great malt/hop balance and an overall mild toasty brown ale taste. It was so satisfying, I've wanted to brew a bigger version ever since. And now, I think I've done it.

Here is a Nut Brown Ale that will be super saturated in deep shades of brown. Increasing both the gravity, and the mash temp should boost the residual sweet flavors. The generous portion of crystal malts should provide a fair amount of sweetness. This time, I got some Special Roast, which replaces about half the Victory malt in the original recipe. Can't wait to see how this malt will change the toasty character. While mashing, it did have a light roasted scent. The Chocolate malt was doubled to give it a super deep color, and a richer chocolate/roast flavor.

Bittering units are kept moderately low, just enough to balance the beer on the sweeter side. I also wanted to try a slight hop aroma with a small knock-out addition.

Boiling this dark wort was a pure delight. There was definitely a complex malt aroma evaporating and filling our kitchen. Each character malt in the recipe is added generously, and I hope the finished beer also takes on a varied malt complexity. Already, during fermentation, the aroma is quite good.

Nut Brown Ale 2

Grains
8.6 lbs. Organic 2-Row
.75 lbs. American Crystal 40L
.49 lbs. British Crystal 82L
.60 lbs. Victory
.55 lbs. Special Roast
.65 lbs. British Chocolate
.60 lbs. Carapils

Hops
1.0 oz. Glacier, 7.4%, pellet, 60min
.70 oz. Challenger, 6.3%, pellet, 10min
.40 oz. Challenger, 6.3%, pellet, KO

Yeast
Wyeast 1098: British Ale 1qt starter

Brew Day Stats

Brewed: 8/8/08
Racked: just primary
Bottled: 8/21/08

Water Adjustment:
Strike: 1 tsp CaCl, .75 tsp Acid Blend
2nd Sparge: .5 tsp Gypsum

H2O/Grain Ratio: 1.3 qt/lb
Mash Ph: 5.3
Sacch. Rest Temp/Time: 156°F/80min
Mash Out Temp/Time: 163°F/10min
1st Batch SG: 1.060

2nd Batch Sparge Vol/H2OTemp/MashTemp: 3.58gal/186°F/172°F
2nd Batch SG: 1.021

Pre-Boil Vol: 7.25 gallons
Pre-Boil SG: 1.040
Boil Time: 75min
Post-Boil Vol: 6 gallons
Mash Efficiency: approx. 70%

OG: 1.052
IBU: 29
Color/SRM: dark brown/28
Ferment Temp: 75°F

FG: 1.016
ABW: 3.8%
ABV: 4.7%

Belgian Blue

Last year's Blueberry 2 is absolutely fantastic, so I want MUST brew another! I've aged a good portion of the batch for one year, and it's still very full in blueberry flavor, and has finally cleared up completely (it's been very cloudy most of the time).

Originally, I was going to brew a Dubbel to pour over the Tripel's Trappist yeast cake. But instead, I'll try fermenting a blueberry ale, the Trappist way. So 8 pounds of plump blueberries will be hand crushed and added to the fermenter, in two stages, after the kreausen settles down. They will be added to a dark Belgian strong ale. Shooting for about 10%, and hopefully an interesting mix of flavors and aromas.

I thoroughly enjoyed the Italian Birrificio Montegioco Braco ale brewed with blueberries, plus the label totally rocks. Both this beer and my Blueberry 2 have a port wine-like quality. So with all the flavors I was getting from my original Blueberry Ale, I think it might be nice with all the Belgian yeast spiciness as well.

Belgian Blue

Grains & Fermentables
7.0 lbs. Belgian Pils
5.0 lbs. Organic 2-Row
2.0 lbs. German Munich
.75 lbs. Belgian Wheat
.75 lbs. Belgian Special B
.75 lbs. British Crystal 80
.25 lbs. Belgian Biscuit

.50 lbs. Candy Sugar clear, after kreasuen settles some
4.0 lbs. Crushed Blueberries, after kreasuen settles
4.0 lbs. Crushed Blueberries, mid primary

Hops
.20 oz. Magnum, 14.9%, pellet, 60min.
1.0 oz. Saaz, 5.7%, pellet, 60min
.65 oz. Saaz, 2.3%, pellet, 20min
.35 oz. Saaz, 2.3%, pellet, KO

Yeast
Wyeast 3787: Trappist High Gravity (yeast cake)

Brew Day Stats

Brewed: 8/5/08
Racked: around 8/26/08
Bottled: 9/9/08

Water Adjustment:
Strike: .5 tsp Gypsum, .5 tsp CaCl, 1 tsp Acid Blend
2nd Sparge: .5 tsp Gypsum

H2O/Grain Ratio: 1.1qt/lb
Mash Ph: 5.3
Sacch. Rest Temp/Time: 156-->153°F/60min
Mash Out Temp/Time: 168°F/10min
1st Batch vol/SG: 4.25gal/1.073

2nd Batch Sparge Vol/H2OTemp/MashTemp: 2.67gal/182°F/168°F
2nd Batch vol/SG: 2.75/1.037

Pre-Boil Vol: 7 gallons
Pre-Boil SG: 1.060
Boil Time: 105min
Post-Boil Vol: 5 gallons
Mash Efficiency: approx. 74%

OG grains: 1.084
OG w/sugar & berries: approx. 1.100
IBU: 32
Color/SRM grains: amber-brown/16
Color/SRM w/berries: amber-brown-purple/20's
Ferment Temp: 72-74°F
Bottling Yeast: Safbrew T-58

FG: 1.016
ABW: 8.8%
ABV: 11%

Progress

1. Fermented a bit on the higher side, and gave off some fairly intense alcoholic fumes.
2. 8/8/08 - Added .5 lb candy sugar (dissolved in 1 pint boiling water, and 4 lbs blueberries thawed and heated in microwave then hand crushed.
3. First round of blueberries and the fermentation picked up right away with impressive scents escaping the airlock.
4. Can't remember when I racked it, but around 2 weeks before bottling.
5. Added re-hydrated Safbrew T-58 yeast at bottling.

Half Acre - Over Ale

JUST RELEASED!

A new beer from Half Acre Beer Company here in Chicago. The Over Ale has been in the works for some time now, and I'm excited to see it in stores and bars around town. It's an ale with deep hues of color and rich flavors all over.

Try it, you just might like it! I know the guys at Half Acre will be sampling this beer along side the Lager at various retail outlets around town. So stop in to say hello while giving these beers a try. Be careful though, try it again, and you just might love it.



Maybe I'll see ya at the tasting tonight...

Place: Vas Foremost Liquors
Local: 2300 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Time: 5-7pm