May edition: what homebrew are you drinking?

I'm enjoying an IIPA loosly based on Stone Ruination. I skipped the 15° crystal and rounded up the pale malt. Mash was higher than I wanted, and sparge efficiency higher than expected so IBUs adjusted to compensate (9.18% abv). Just reached a happy carbonation level (forced CO2), still a little young/green, but enjoyable.

 

I'm sampling some kegged beers that I haven't really been too in love with: Banana dubbel, a forgotten dunkel that's over a year old, a Baltic porter. At least one of them has to go to make room for a pale ale. Probably a good thing I don't have children.

 

If you had kids, you would have finished those beers whether you loved them or not. The next time you need a reason to drink meh beers, I'll loan you my kids for a weekend

Did you actually use bananas in the Dubbel?

 

Oh yes. 11 uber-ripe bananas that had sat in my freezer for many months, waiting for me to make muffins for my co-workers. Ended up making beer instead, but nothing I am proud enough to share. Yep. If I'm not proud of my children, I hide them in the closet. The bananas went in a BIAB mash. The dubbel does retain a distinct banana character, but also tannins. Perhaps extracted by boiling fine banana particles? Don't really know, but my only pumpkin beer had a similar issue.

Oh, and the dubbel was really a braggot, used 3 lbs of buckwheat honey. But I don't think you would ever notice.

 

Brothers IPA and a session pale ale, both young, both great

 

Tap 1: Grapefruit IPA that's drinking well right now. Need to finish soon because a NEIPA will be ready to go next week.

Tap 2: Cranberry Hibiscus Saison. Still needs a bit more carb, but should be good if the weather ever starts acting like it's May.

 

Tasted two beers from the fermenter:

1. Pale ale IPA tweener. Nugget, Cascade, Centennial, Waimea. US-05. This beer is fruitier than expected. Not sure if it is the Waimea hops (largely unknown to me) or the fermentation temp hitting 72 degrees (also unknown to me). Hard to pinpoint the fruitiness, but more tropical than citrus. I'll be dryhopping with Cascade, Centennial, and Waimea.

2. Sacch arlingtonesis beer -- mostly Belgian pils, but with some malted oat.and wheat. Brewer's gold bittering. The only comes across as pretty neutral, bitter, but with a weird Play Dough aroma (started thread about that).

 

Banana Weiz



brewed with bananas in the mash

 

Drinking on a Dubbel that's about 3 months old, pretty good right now with big prune, date, fig flavors, supported by a nice bready malt, with a very soft/velvety mouthfeel. Excited to see where this is in another 3 months.

 

Do you mind sharing how you incorporated the hibiscus? I am thinking of doing a blonde or saison with hibiscus and raspberry.

 

Me and my honebrew partner's iteration of a west coast hazy IPA. The first beer out of our new keg setup.

 

Maybe both to your unknowns on #1. I did a single hop Waimea IPA recently that went over very well. Super tropical aroma and super piney flavor along with tropical background. Very interesting hop I will be using again.

 

Secondary. Base was a simple saison using 3711 with 4 lbs of cranberry and 2 oz hibiscus in secondary for 6 weeks.

 

So, I swear this is the same beer.

Berliner weisse, brewed with a touch of sage and fermented on around 6 lbs of chopped/pureed pineapple. The first pic was before I swirled the pineapple/yeast sediment at the bottom of the bottle. I used yeast from Stillwater's Pineapple fields, so whatever strain that was, it flocc'd hard!

 

Saison after mowing the lawn and spreading new seed, fertilizer, and weed killer. Nice and crisp, subdued aroma of mild funk, citrus, and black pepper. Big citrus flavor with black pepper and all spice, herbal hops, and a dry tart finish that leaves a lingering medium bitterness. Medium high carbonation lifts the light mouthfeel and clears the palate. Huge dense meringue head that leaves sticky lace all the way down.

 

NE IPA that doesn't look very NE anymore. Haze dropped clear 3 weeks in the cold keg. Oh well, still tastes great. This is the single fermentation DH edition (another keg got a secondary post ferment DH). Citrus, orange, grapefruit, guava, passion fruit, pine, and dank resin burst from the nose. Body is creamy with a dry finish. Flavor is sweet and juicy, but the hops could use a boost. Big lace and thick head all the way through.

 

IPA made with Pearl malt, citra/mosaic and 1318.

 

Sometimes contrast helps. After a Ballast Point Big Eye IPA, my hombrewed Belgian Pale Ale seems at its best.

 

A DIPA with lots of Citra. First couple of pours didn't impress me - seemed like a lack of body. It is possible that my reservations about adding a pound of corn sugar to the boil were influencing my palate. Now it seems quite tasty. *shrugs*