Yes, it stormed on my brew day. It didn't get ME down!
I decided that taking Thursday as a short "work from home" day was a great idea. I always have these great ideas :)
Since I have been busy night and day working on Perch stuff, I hadn't brewed in a long time. On Wednesday, I reorganized the cellar and truly, the cellar is less than half of where it should be. I have been giving out more beer, and making less. Clearly this is a recipe for sadness.
The two most popular beers in the rotation are Grilled Lemon Cream Ale and Rosemary IPA, so... I put the word out that I'd be having a double brew day and tat all were welcome.
Throughout the brew day-fternoon (see, I just made up a word!) about a dozen people visited- it's so nice to have friends come by. This particular day, a storm blew in right at noon when the brew day was supposed to begin. I put up an EZ-Up tent and we were no worse for wear.
Paul was there early and helped weigh ad mill the grain, helped with mashing in, and- this is a first- SAT with me for a little bit while the mash water heated up.
I have these brew days, but I'm always doing SOME thing. Cleaning, getting things ready for the next step, etc. I honestly believe this is the first time I SAT DOWN at a brew day. I sat for like... 20 minutes straight! It was INCREDIBLE! Thanks Paul!
Bryan Myron brought his brew kit and brewed up a Pumking Clone. I helped him with the batch last year, and it was the BEST pumpkin beer I have ever tasted.
The rosemary for Rosemary IPA was picked in the garden at The Perch. I actually added additional Cascade at T-15 in this batch. I felt that the last batch was a bit "flat" or one-noted. In the prior batch, I used no hops beyond the bittering, letting the rosemary take it all. This is fine and it's an IPA for non- IPA lovers, to be sure. I bittered it to 60 IBU's, so it's an IPA, but with no late addition hops- every single person says "OH! I don't like IPA's and I like it" This phenomenon attests to the "Perception of Bitterness" that brewers speak of. It definitely had a lot of hop bitterness, but without the in-your-face super hoppy flavor and aroma, people perceive that there is less bitterness. Rosemary IPA is fantastically loved by all, and a litle cascade to boost some citrus pine notes will help it be just a --little-- more IPA-ish.
If I run out of Grilled Lemon Cream Ale, my mom will kill me. So- I made it for self-preservation reasons, really.
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