Homebrew #2 - the quaffability test

So after a couple of weeks to condition and settle, we've been drinking more of Homebrew #2 - AKA Pointless IPA - over the past few days, and I have to say it's going down nicely.  The intense bitterness has mellowed slightly so it's not quite so in-your-face, and it definitely makes it a more rounded drinking experience.

What definitely hasn't changed any is the cloudiness - it's still pretty cloudy, which is presumably a protein haze.  Having done a bit of reading, we may try adding some Irish Moss (a dried seaweed, apparently!) towards the end of the boil next time we brew as this is supposed to help coagulate some of the proteins and help them drop out of suspension.

To be honest, though, the cloudiness isn't a big issue for me - I never expected to get a perfectly clear brew since we don't have a centrifuge and I don't want to use any animal products such as finings in the beer.  Most importantly, it doesn't affect the flavour at all.

So all in all I think that it's been a success.  There are a few things we'll change by way of process next time, but I think we're going along the right lines.  Next time is another IPA - using the same base ingredients but with a bunch of new world hops - and after another brew or two we'll be able to properly begin experimenting with different malts and hops to create different types of beers.  We'll also try bottling to see how that goes.

Before that, though, we'd best drink the rest of this one - there surely couldn't be a better way to spend a bank holiday Monday!

The Naming of Beers is a Difficult Matter...

... it isn't just one of your holiday games.  Or so T.S. Eliot might have said, had he been writing about beer rather than cats.  And it is a tricky matter; if you take a look at the beers in any decent shop you'll come across a full range of naming styles.  Even though our homebrew isn't aiming at a market beyond family and friends, I reckon it's still important to try to get a good name for each and every brew - and now that it's spent a couple of weeks conditioning it's ready for it's first serious tasting this evening.

So where to look for name inspiration?  Well, other breweries have a variety of approaches, with most seeming to have a 'house theme' which they will stick to for naming all or most of their beers.  Fyne Ales, for instance, have a predominantly West of Scotland/Western Isles theme - Vital Spark, Somerled, Highlander, Sanda IPA etc - which certainly suits the beautiful location of their brewery.  Flying Dog brewery stick with an appropriately gonzo take on a canine theme throughout their brews - Doggie Style pale ale, In Heat Wheat hefeweisen, Raging Bitch IPA etc.  And being a big Terry Pratchett fan I love the idea of the Discworld Ales - Bledlow's Silence, Modo's Midden and so on - though I've yet to try any of them, which is something that I really should rectify as soon as possible.

Then there's the 'comedy' beer name, where bad puns go to die - Hoptimus Prime, Modus Hoperandi, Brewed Awakening etc.  Don't get me wrong - I'll happily drink a beer with a pun-tastic name, but it's not my first choice for naming our own beer.

My dad, on the other hand, is a fan of puns.  Suffice it to say that he dubbed our Christmas brew 'Blawnag Ale'...  We agreed to disagree on that one!

Anyway, a couple of weeks ago I was  pondering all of this for a while and was struggling for inspiration.  So who better to ask, I thought, than the man who knows everything - Richard Osman from Pointless.  Since he's never wrong about anything, the following brief Twitter conversation will probably explain why this brew is now officially called Pointless IPA.  'Nuff said!

Hombrew #2 - a sneak preview!

So on Monday evening we kegged & dry-hopped the latest homebrew, and initial impressions were pretty favourable.  I couldn't resist pouring a small sample midweek - as you'll see here, the colour looks pretty good but it needs a good bit more time to settle as it's still quite cloudy.  Not that I mind the cloudiness, to be honest, but I know a lot of people prefer a clear beer!

We have hit one snag, though, in that the barrel is losing pressure.  I suspect we've just not tightened it fully, but rather than re-tighten and re-pressurise now I'm going to remove the dry-hops at the weekend then re-seal and re-pressurise.  It'll then be pretty much good to go bar some further settling.

So how does it taste?  Well, I'm quite impressed for a first all-grain effort. It is hugely, intensely bitter - and it's a bitterness which lingers and grows after each sip.  I guess those Target hops with 10%+ alpha acids have done the trick nicely!  On top of that bitterness is a pretty well-rounded flavour; having used Fuggles and Goldings it's got a nice earthy, woody flavour.

We'll see how the dry-hopping has added to the aroma and flavour at the weekend!