Though I have really only gone through the brewing process a handful of times I have noticed that my efficiency has improved dramatically. There are many steps along the way that you just cannot rush through, but bottling isn’t one of them. I have that routine down pretty well and bottling the few cases I have for each brew goes by very quickly. Even as I evolve my brewing to a larger setup and different techniques it is good to know that at least the bottling should go smoothly.
Since the bottling process was already covered in more detail in Part 3 of the Honey Porter, this will really just be an update on how my two experiments are doing with a few pictures thrown in to prove that all of this actually happened.
Sanitized and ready for duty
Racking one last time
My version of a drying rack
The brew that I have been referring to as the IPA clocked in at just over 4% ABV which was about what I expected with the previous readings being what they were. Though it is tough to tell exactly how the flavor is when flat, this one seemed to be a bit more of a pale ale than an IPA when I gave the sample a try. The hop flavor was definitely there though as confirmed by The Wife making a face after one sip.
Done with one and on to the next
The pineapple and grape infused Pale Ale came in at just under 5.25% ABV and, judging by my small sample, seemed like it would be a nice light(er) bodied beer when fully carbonated.
Since that time I have opened a bottle of each to try because I wanted to give some out to friends before the holidays hit. Neither of the two I sampled were fully carbonated but they were drinkable, which is my rock bottom standard for handing out to others. So I packed up a case and a half of my Pumpkin Ale (soon to be reviewed here), a few of the “Practice Makes Porter,” and some of the two recently bottled to hand out to some guinea pigs.
There is something about beer (especially when free) that just makes people smile and every bottle was gladly accepted. Hopefully some of them like some of the beer and if not all I ask is to get the empties back so that I can use them to bottle the next batches. It certainly felt good that others were willing to drink what I made and I thank them for helping me clear room to brew some more!
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