You heard me drone on, and on about buying local and seeking quality (especially in the beer world, but apply it to everything in your life, ok), but I am not the only one. This blogger has it dead right on! It looks as if he is a beer rep for New Holland Brewing in Michigan (Holland, Michigan that is). This dude has my dream job (for a brewery in Michigan, to boot).
Check it out http://grainbill.blogspot.com/2010/03/this-is-about-cows.html.
I am sipping on my first Oktoberfest today (bottled only 8 days ago). It is only marginal....it needs more lagering, for sure (or something). It seems a little thin (mouthfeel again), but it has a taste square in the middle that seems off or odd. We shall see if I can get this to mellow out in the next few weeks and if I can send it to the AHA nationals.
I won't necessarily feel bad if my Oktoberfest doesn't ripen as I would hope. What the hell, I am an Ale Brewer.
Speaking of Ales, the weather warmed up in Denver last week into the 60's. Which gave me the opportunity to crack a beer and do some yard work. I cracked open one of my Red Ales and set it out while I did some work and my kids played in the yard. I don't know if it got light struck or just warmed to a nice ale temperature, but its malty base came forward in both aroma and taste, and truthfully, I liked it a whole lot better. It has me wondering if I should enter the end of this batch into one of two upcoming competitions as an Irish Ale. I have been entering it as an American Amber (which isn't quite right) because of a little more aggressive american hop bittering than I think should be in an Irish, (it scored 26 and 30 of 50 respectively in two comps), but I think now that if served at a more "traditional" temp and the edge of hoppiness aged out of it, maybe it is an Irish after all. I am curious, for sure, but I hate to waste a beer (on a competition, that is) that I found a new found taste for.
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