Blueprint Brewing – What A Sap *

 My Brew Reviews  No Responses »
Sep 162011
 

Though I probably should have saved the best of my home brews for last it seems that I am ending this run on the other end of the enjoyment scale.  Actually I think the best was posted on Tuesday.  Granted all of these likely would have received different grades a few months ago (and a few did), but this more recent run of evaluations was necessary for me to better understand how they hold up over time in my house.  When I get the brewing fever I cannot exactly drink it fast enough, so it is good information to have.

Once again The Wife gave a suggestion for the name and I gladly went with it.  I did not even wait for her second suggestion.  That is how my brewery (in name only) operates.

Probably retiring this recipe for now . . .

Brewery: Blueprint Brewing (Winter Park, FL)

Name: What A Sap

Style: Brown Porter

ABV: 4.55% (+/-)

Tasting Notes: Stored in the fridge before being served in a pint glass.

Aroma: Pretty light roasted aroma with some sharpness and a faint sweetness as well.  Not very enticing overall.  – 6/12

Appearance: Dark, dark brown in color.  Two finger light brown head that is thick, holds well, and leaves a nice trail on the glass.  Opaque though rising bubbles can be seen at the edges when held to light. – 3/3

Flavor: Fairly light roasted malt flavor up front followed by a light bit of sweetness from middle to finish.  There is just a hint of bitterness but really not much depth of flavor overall.  Finishes with some dry bite and a bit of astringency. – 10/20

Mouthfeel: Medium in body with a really high level of carbonation that definitely adds some bite.  Pretty smooth on the palate after the initial carbonic bite. – 2.5/5

Overall Impressions: Has not held up as well as the others over time though it was not one of my favorites to begin with.  The flavors do open up and become more full as the beer warms some.  The carbonation was so high that it started to slowly climb out of the bottle just after opening and that carbonation really overwhelms the less intense flavor.  Was one of the more expensive batches to brew for me in my relatively short time doing so and I ended up without the pay off to show for it (drinkable, but that is about all). – 5.5/10

Grade: C+ (27/50)

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Blueprint Brewing - What A Sap

 Posted by Lucas at 10:15 am  Tagged with: , ,

Blueprint Brewing – In Your Rye *

 My Brew Reviews  No Responses »
Sep 132011
 

Without looking back at any of them I don’t think there has been a review of any of my home brewed beer where I have not wanted another shot at brewing the recipe.  This is no exception, but I think I mean it more with this one.  I really like this beer and it is something that I would love to have on hand at the house.  I can only drink so much pumpkin beer and stout, but this I have not grown tired of.  This was the last beer that I brewed and maybe it should be the first when I get back into it.

The Wife came up with a better name for this one, but I am going to save that for the next batch of it that I make.

Wishing I had more of this one . . .

Brewery: Blueprint Brewing (Winter Park, FL)

Name: In Your Rye

Style: American Pale Ale (maybe Specialty Beer)

ABV: 6.50% (+/-)

Tasting Notes: Stored in the fridge before being served in a pint glass.

Aroma: Really nice floral and fruity aroma with citrus (lemony) notes and a slight bit of sweetness.  Not too strong but very enjoyable.  – 9.5/12

Appearance: Slightly coppery golden color.  Two finger (plus) frothy cream color head that holds really well and leaves nice lacing along the glass.  Clear with a slight haze and with tons of rising bubbles visible. – 3/3

Flavor: A light fruitiness up front with some slight malty sweetness and also a bit of citrus and floral character in there.  Moderate bitterness that is well balanced into what is a quite well balanced beer overall.  Bit of dryness at the finish with some lingering bitterness and citrus character. – 16.5/20

Mouthfeel: Medium to light body with a pretty high level of carbonation that does not add any bite.  Drinks quite smoothly but light at the same time. – 4/5

Overall Impressions: I really enjoy drinking this beer and could do so all day.  Quite good cold and just as good when it warms just a bit.  It finishes quite nicely and has held up really well over time (maybe even better).  Have to take another shot at brewing this beer with maybe some hop variations from this batch.  Probably a good candidate for my first time kegging since I think it would be great to have on draft at the house. – 8/10

Grade: A- (41/50)

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Blueprint Brewing - In Your Rye

 Posted by Lucas at 10:30 am  Tagged with: , , ,

Blueprint Brewing – A Gourdeous One Too *

 My Brew Reviews  No Responses »
Sep 092011
 

In revisiting some of the home brews that I still have around the house I expected that they would all taste a bit old to me and have a good drop off in grade.  That really has not been the case until this one, but as one of my favorites I guess it had farther to fall.  While still pretty good, it definitely tasted a bit old.  Either way I still plan on brewing it again when the pumpkins are available down here.  My brewing operation actually has to wait until fall to brew a fall seasonal, but has been worth the wait each time so far.

I did purposely rename this beer to the way that it should have been spelled the first time around.  It will probably be easier to just put the year on each going forward.

One game gone and the full Sunday of football ahead . . .

Brewery: Blueprint Brewing (Winter Park, FL)

Name: A Gourdeous One Too

Style: Vegetable Beer (and I suppose Spice Beer)

ABV: 5.70% (+/-)

Tasting Notes: Stored in the fridge and pulled slightly early to warm a bit before being served in a stemmed goblet.

Aroma: A full spicy aroma of cinnamon, nutmeg, etc. with a sugary caramel-like malt profile as a base.  Really quite nice overall.  – 9/12

Appearance: Deep amber in color with strong tones of copper.  One finger tan head that dissipates very quickly without leaving much of a trail.  Mostly clear with some haze and floating particulates (resulting from pouring a bit too quickly) and tons of rising bubbles visible. – 2/3

Flavor: Moderate amount of brown sugary (caramelly) malt sweetness.  The pumpkin pie spices are definitely there and pretty consistent from start to finish.  They are not subtle, but not overwhelming either.  Does have some vegetal quality to it still.  Finishes with a bit of dryness and some lingering spice flavor.  – 13/20

Mouthfeel: Medium body with a high level of carbonation that lends some bite.  There is some crispness up front, but is a bit more smooth toward the finish. – 3.5/5

Overall Impressions: It does taste like it has fallen off a bit over time and the higher level of carbonation that it now has does not help the flavors.  Certainly still drinkable, but I can tell that it is tasting a bit old even more so when it warms up a bit.  Still a recipe to brew again when pumpkins are available.  This beer (and pretty much all pumpkin beers) is one that I only need to drink one or two of as the flavors tend to meld together on the palate and flatten the more you drink. -6.5/10

Grade: B (34/50)

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Blueprint Brewing - A Gourdeous One Too

 Posted by Lucas at 10:00 am  Tagged with: ,
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