Showing posts with label Homebrew. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Homebrew. Show all posts

Tuesday, 5 April 2016

Homebrew Clone Wars - Camba German IPA

original left, clone right

So if reading my past post on the Original I mentioned I was doing a clone of this. Been in the keg for 9 days now so a bit young....

Colour - clone is darker but not cleared yet, only 9 days since going in the keg and also suffering from chill haze.

Aroma - tangerine much more pronounced in the original.

Taste - more malty biscuitness (new word ?) in the original all the way through*

Body..bit more body on the original, not a lot but noticeable in a side by side.

Bitterness...spot on !

What I'd do different next time.....just some small tweaks really. Increase the mash temp to 68c, use a lighter crystal or caramunich, add bit more base munich and for more aroma increase the flameout addition and dry hop.

* Otherwise I'm really happy with this, being so young I might have to update this as the malts will no doubt shine more though in a couple of weeks.





Friday, 4 March 2016

A Long Long Hiatus

I've been kinda busy, a lot has changed and two years have passed. It was only today that a reader left a comment on a beer which woke me up to the fact that I'd totally forgotten to update this blog while being on my own brewing adventure....

I was always meaning to journal my travels as a complete novice to where I am now, which I would say is competent, as you never stop learning. The idea was perhaps uploading brewing videos to youtube though I never did get around to it.

In a follow up to my last post 2 plus years ago...I did eventually move to all grain brewing. Funnily enough, I'm moving away from a three vessel system and have a brew day planned for tomorrow on a new shiny piece of kit I just bought, The Grainfather, to simplify my brewdays.

With that in mind I will start to blog again as my interest in good beer has not waned. Continuing on the blog will be more about brewing related while chucking in a beer review or two.

I wish I brewed before starting this blog as the nerdy side of me likes to deconstruct a beer I am drinking guessing what malt and hops are used.....without sounding like the bearded* weirdo standing at the bar with the one thousand yard stare contemplating what they are drinking and basically talking out their arse. Them and bloody beer hipsters do my brain in !

*caveat note, not all with beards standing at the bar are weird, some are though so be aware on approaching !

Having a greater understanding of what flavours each malt and hop brings to the beer  has changed my perception greatly, never mind what yeast alone can do.

Two years have flown by and the local beer aisles have changed greatly, including the ever increasing pricing. I now have a tendency to look at a beer and say 'sod that, I make better beer at home'. Others I will pick up and buy, recently i have a thing for German IPA's, a few of which I will post about in the coming weeks. One of which I will also try to clone.

So with this return from the dead why not leave with a small rant. Black IPA, think about it Black India PALE Ale......No, I'll be here for hours keyboard bashing.

I'm outta here.