Schlafly American IPA

Happy Hop Day!  I poured myself the Schlafly Special Release American India Pale Ale by The Saint Louis Brewery Inc. and can say that I immediately like the simplicity of the way it looked in the glass.  It had a crystal clear medium amber color with a light, white, fluffy head.  I also loved the bottle because they took the time to add a great quote:

“There can’t be good living where there isn’t good drinking.” - Benjamin Franklin

The scent was mild.  I didn’t smell malt, just a light, floral hoppiness.  I took a sip and the mouth feel was light, washing easily over my entire mouth.  It wasn’t thick or soft, but it was very pleasant.  It tasted sweet, with a bit of floral hops chased by a nice bitterness.  This beer was simple, but good.  It definitely fits into what I expect when I open an IPA.

I give it 4 stars

O’Fallon 5 Day IPA

Happy Hop Day!  This week I cracked into my Missouri beers.  The label of O’Fallon Brewery’s 5 Day IPA said that it was the Riverfront Times 2008 Best Beer in St. Louis.  I set my expectations high.

It poured a murky orange with barely any head and no lace.  I’m fine with not being able to see clear through a beer, and I like the look of a fine frothy head, but I don’t put much stock in it.  I like the color, but I have to say that if you’re looking for a beer experience includes a nice visual, you’d probably be just as safe drinking this one from the bottle.

It smelled like orange rind or maybe the orange pinwheel cookies that my mom makes.  Very nice.  The mouth feel was smooth, light and refreshing.  It was crisp and refreshing, like drinking a cool glass of water on a hot day - very pleasant experience.  It wasn’t very malty, but it had a clean crisp citrusy start and a mild citrusy bitter finish that lingered at the front of my mouth

Nothing wows me about this beer, but it is VERY drinkable.  It would make a decent session beer.  As far as styles go, it reminded me more of a maibock than an IPA, but maybe that’s just me.  I give it 3.5 stars

Christmas in June

I am bad with gifts that I receive - I get gifts that I absolutely love, but I will wait to play with them until I have time to seriously enjoy myself.  It must drive my wife nuts.  She got me some awesome gifts for Christmas that I'm just getting around to playing with.  She bought me a bottle tree, so the last couple of days I've been washing and de-labeling the bottles that I've been saving up (and collecting from friends).  I won't need them for a few weeks, but I really wanted to play with my bottle tree.

She also got me Powdered Brewery Wash (which my equipment is soaking in right now) and Star San (which I just used to sanitize the yeast starter kit she bought me).  Star San mix is re-usable, up to a point, so it's currently sitting in my secondary fermenter waiting until I'm ready to sanitize the equipment that is currently soaking in PBW.  Still following me?

After work today, I ran to the local Northern Brewer store to pick up the yeast I need because my new yeast starter kit says the starter needs to sit for at least twelve hours - and I want tomorrow to be a brew day. 

Tomorrow I'll be doing a NB Spiced Winter Ale kit.  Considering when I probably should have brewed it (it was also a Christmas present from my wife - notice the theme?), it was a good choice.  It may be a little out of season, but since I'm not as fond of summer styles, I'm more than happy to be brewing and drinking a winter beer out of season.  In fact, I'm really looking forward to it.  I'd say that 6 weeks will be a long time to wait, but I've got a nice selection of Missouri beers to keep me busy.  Since it's a wide selection, I want to take my time with them.  That might mean the timing is just right for my homebrew.  We'll see.

That's not all I received for Christmas, but it's all that there was time for tonight.  Now I think I'm going to finish my New Glarus Laughing Fox and curl up with a book.