Deckbuilder Dunkleweizen

I brewed this batch of beer for my good friend, Jason, who was a huge help in finishing the deck where I spend most of my brew days. It was a favorite of his wife, Crystal, and I was happy to provide them with a little thank you. The fact that it made three extra bottles that I could keep for myself is just an added bonus.

The beer is a very dark amber with red highlights. It has a decent off-white head that dissipates rather quickly. It smells faintly of banana and some clove, which is a characteristic of the German yeast and the wheat malt. As for taste, I just love this beer. Love, love, love! It is a malt explosion on your tongue. It is not sweet, as there is a definite difference between sweet and malty. There are some biscuity flavors in there, as well as faint hints of toast. The flavor has layers, with malted dry chocolate at the front, followed by the biscuit and toast, then something vaguely like dark honey, and finally the zip of spice that you expect from the German yeast. The beer finishes dry, which makes it very drinkable.

I will need to make some more of this beer soon, lest my wife, who also loves this beer, will send me out to sleep on the deck . . .

John's Party Brew Day #1

March 15th was the first brew day for the annual John Crab Party, that is held near the 4th of July. Three years ago was the first time I brewed for John's party and it was a whole lot of fun. Each year we have stepped up the number of batches we make for the party until we are maxing out this year - 5 batches for the party (the maximum number of taps John actually has) and 2 batches for his family reunion. It gives me a chance to brew with John, which is fun, and an excuse to make more beer.

The first brew day was a double day, so we started early at around 9:30 am. We made two batches of oatmeal stout, which was the hands-down favorite from last year. John wanted to try one on a nitrogen tap (he is an engineer and the problems presented by nitrogen taps and their finicky nature excite him). It was a beautiful day to be out on the deck, if a little windy. The temperature was in the low 60s and spring is definitely in the air. We finished the first batch mid-afternoon and had the second batch done before dark. We cleaned up just in time for a bowl of my wife's awesome chili and some fresh bread, as well as dinner and a nice evening with some out-of-town guests who were visiting for the weekend.

It was a great brew day.

I NEVER Want to See a Bottle Again!

I did a marathon bottling session today. That was for three batches - pilsner, dunkleweizen, and blackberry mead - which took six hours. I removed labels from about 70 bottles then sanitized and filled 144 of them. I had delayed bottling the batches for a number of reasons and this was the first chance I got.

I really understand why so many homebrewers want to keg. Why spend six hours cleaning and filling bottles when you can do it in 30 minutes and not even have to wait the two weeks for bottle conditioning. The cost is a bit of an issue (probably at least $150 for the keg, fittings, and the CO2 tank) and then I need to fit it in a refrigerator.

But, it might be looking into though, especially after today . . .

CAMRA Update

Well, it has been a while since I last posted, but I have big news on our homebrew club. We have decided on a name - Charlottesville Area Masters of Real Ale (CAMRA). The CRABS name did not work out because there is a group in Maryland that already has that name. We had our second meeting last night and had 23 people come out. The bar where we are meeting was full to standing room only. We are very excited about where this club will go and the interest people have shown in it.

If you want to learn more about CAMRA, head over to our website: http://www.cvillebrewing.com

More information will be forthcoming and I hope to remember to bring my camera to take some pictures next time.