Everyone drifts off in thought of other things on occasion.  I probably do it more than the average person or at least more than I should.  Today, I have decided to share some of the daydreaming I did the over the last few days since it was all about beer and brewing.

I figured that I could not really hurt myself with a rake, so I was able to let my mind process other things while cleaning up the yard for spring.  My mind would have been in another place as I raked leaves anyway, but the fact that I had brewing supplies on the way certainly gave me something to focus on.  Welcome to the obsessive part of my brain.

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I can already smell the grains

It has been a few months since I have last brewed anything at home, so I have been anxious to get back into it.  Now that my reserves have been depleted and I have more than enough empty bottles, I am ready to jump back in.  After putting (too) much thought into it I decided that the next three batches will be:

  • Black Ale – Inspired by the imperial version I had at the FBG Beerfest
  • Hefeweizen – In response to requests by multiple parties and as a good base for fruit experimentation.
  • Saison – My first Belgian and to have ready by summer.  I missed brewing in time for a spring seasonal and would like to get on track for future seasons.

Since I have only two primary and two secondary fermenters, this presents a planning challenge for me.  I have learned lessons from having all the equipment tied up in the past and would like to make it easy on myself this time.  That and I need to plan out what to sanitize now, what I can wait on, etc.

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The empty bottles are waiting

Starting off I have to decide which one I brew first.  My initial thought was the Black Ale, but that presents a few problems.  I have plans to add some bourbon and vanilla to the secondary fermenter for that one and let it sit there a bit longer than normal (for me) before bottling.  So that would tie up a piece of equipment for more time meaning that I would have to wait to brew at least one of the others for a while.  Also it will be a pretty strong flavor and I don’t know that I want a Hefeweizen going into the fermenter after it.  Of course it would be cleaned and sanitized, but I am slightly neurotic like that.

OK, so what about one of the other two going first?  I have (at he very least) tentative plans to incorporate a new type of fruit (for me) into at least one of those batches, if not both.  That could very well mean that I split the batches after primary fermentation to get some fruit beer and some of the original, unaltered style.  So either way that would tie up both secondary fermenters for some time making the order of things more difficult to coordinate efficiently.

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Splitting batches will be after primary this time.

With all of that under consideration, if the fruit component that I intend to use does not arrive or is not made available right away maybe the Black Ale wins by default?  Or maybe I just brew the Saison and forget about any fruit going into that one?  I suppose I could even go ahead with the Hefeweizen without the fruit.

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Might need a replacement bottling wand to be safe.

I know I shouldn’t put this much thought into it, but I do.  Or at least when I have hours of yard work to do and plenty of time to daydream of more enjoyable activities!

Probably in part to celebrate the recent changes to the site and also because I am continuing to work through a stretch of Flying Dog reviews, I am inspired to dedicate another month to one of my favorite breweries.  I will not disclose which one it will be today, but in the next few days I will declare the brewery for the month of February.  Since the first try at this went very well and was a lot of fun, I am looking forward to doing it again.

On to what I think will conclude the stretch where I was working my way through a mixed pack of Flying Dog beers.

Brewery: Flying Dog Brewery (Frederick, MD)

Name: In-Heat Wheat

Style: (Hefe)Weizen

ABV: 4.7%

Tasting Notes: Stored in the fridge and served in a weizen-like glass.

Aroma: Banana aroma with a bit of spice and a light wheat/bready nose.

Appearance: Light gold to yellow color.  Two finger, white head that dissipates fairly quick with a little trail.  Appears clear with many visible bubbles.

Flavor: Faint banana with no noticeable hop bitterness.  A slight clove-like flavor that remains after a somewhat dry finish.  Relatively weak flavor overall.

Mouthfeel: Medium to light body with high carbonation that give some bite.

Overall Impressions: Refreshing, easy drinking, and light (maybe surprisingly so for a wheat).  Slightly more flavor as it warms a bit.  Good, but not great (whatever that means).

Grade: B

3775720610 05b3615dae Flying Dog Brewery   In Heat Wheat

Flying Dog Brewery - In-Heat Wheat

Time to review a seasonal from Dogfish that clocks in with a pretty low alcohol content, especially for their brews.  If you cannot guess by the name this beer is fermented with peaches, giving it subtle notes of that flavor.  It is nice to be able to sample beers from all points in the Dogfish spectrum and this one is much different than those I have tried to this point.  I am very glad I gave it a chance, but some beers just don’t suit my palate as much as others.

Check out the video below for more about the creation of this beer.

Brewery: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery (Milton, Delaware)

Name: Festina Peche

Style: Weissbier (neo-BerlinerWeisse per their description)

ABV: 4.5%

Tasting Notes: Stored in the fridge and served in a goblet.  $7.99 for a 4-pack.

Aroma: Light aroma overall with light to medium wheat notes (somewhat bready).  Very light fruity sweetness.

Appearance: Light gold/straw color.  Slight off-white head that quickly dissipates with no trail.  Clear with some haze (few tiny bubbles visible).

Flavor: Tart fruitiness up front (prominent) with no noticeable hop character.  Slight sweetness with a light wheat character in back.  Some dryness at finish.

Mouthfeel: Light body with high carbonation that gives a champagne-like crispness.  Some creaminess (oddly considering other characteristics).

Overall Impressions: Certainly works well for warm weather and is better very cold.  Very champagne-like to drink.  OK beer, but I have no need to buy it again (simply not my preference).

Grade: C (ish)

Cap close up

Cap close up

Dogfich Head - Festina Peche

Dogfich Head - Festina Peche

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