The Halper's Bottled, and a Hop Hater's Review of the Ides of March

In case you haven't been following along in the side bar, the Ode to Halper Bitter (MB0026)is now in bottles, and slowly carbing up in the basement. Preliminary results say that it's a bit too sweet in the caramel department, although it is rather balanced. As of now, it's the best version of a Pale Ale that we've been able to produce here at Muckney. More to come.

So, as the title clearly states, the Halper himself, Jon of Confessions of a Hop Hater and Earth Bread + Brewery weighed in recently on the Ides of March Russian Imperial Stout (MB0017). Check it out.

Cheers,

Dave

Ides of March Bottled in June - Plus the next Fermentation Friday is set

Almost three months to day after brewing, the Ides of March RIS and Quercus borealis are FINALLY in the bottle. Justin and I got together after dinner and two hours, three bombers, and four cases of sanitized glass later, we're sitting on two cases of each rendition.

So how are they tasting at the moment? Fantastic, actually. The QB has really balanced out, leaving an oak-ie, bourbon-ie nectar suited only to be imbibed during a cold winter's eve. The RIS is pretty balanced itself, with a nice dark fruit and roast character with a moderate bitter. I'm excited to see what they are like carbed up.

Up next, More Missionary Position (MB0020) and an American Pale Ale (MB0019). Both are happening Saturday as a prelude to a celebration commemorating the 28th anniversary of my escape from the womb.

And on an unrelated note, Travis over at CNY Brew is hosting this month's Fermentation Friday. Check it out and join in the blog-tastic fun.

Cheers,

Dave

Home Brew Update

Not much on this front right now. Just a lot of waiting on really big beers. Justin and I did get a chance to check in on the Ides of March Quercus borealis. After 3+ weeks on the bourbon soaked oak chips, the "oak aged" character is pretty prominent. Even though the barrel-aged character is pretty strong at this point, we decided to let it go for a few more weeks to see what happens. We'll always have the option to blend it with the regular RIS. We shall see what happens.

The Missionary Position (MB0018) is still slowly finishing up fermenting. I'm guessing at least another week and we'll be where we need to be.

Cheers,

Dave

Quick Hitters - RIS Update

Last night Justin and I FINALLY transferred the Ides of March RIS (MB0016) and the Ides of March RIS Quercus borealis (MB0017) to secondary. Respectively, their FGs were 1.031 and 1.035. Not exactly where we wanted them, but after 54 days in primary, rousing the yeast, pitching new yeast and a helluva lot of waiting, It had to be done. So we racked on over to our secondary vessels, being sure to add the Oak chips with Wild Turkey to the carboy. Off they went to the basement for at least a month, probably much longer to bulk age and then be bottled for a tasty winter treat. I hope all is well.

Up next: The Missionary Position BSA - tomorrow. More to come.

Cheers,

Dave

Housekeeping

Happy Monday!

Just a quick shout about some goings on. First and foremost: What's everyone doing May 17th? If you happen to be in Central PA that Saturday and are looking for a good time that's supporting a good cause, check out Pints for Pets in Altoona, PA. Benefiting the Central PA Humane Society, P4P will be held from 4-8 PM at the home of the Altoon Curve, the Picturesque Blair County Ball Park. Tickets are $25 in advance, $30 at the door. Check out the stellar beer lineup and then get your tickets. I know a guy who knows a guy that might be able to help you out.

On a hope and a prayer, the Ides of March RIS double batch (MB0016, 0017) will FINALLY be transferred to secondary, freeing up our primary vessels for some more brewin'. I've had the itch to brew for about two weeks now, but no place to put it. Hopefully we can move onto The Missionary Position Belgian Strong Ale (MB0018) and Stone Soup Porter (MB0019).

And Finally, work will be taking me to some far and away places in the upcoming months. while searching for breweries in North Jersey (I have to spend some time there at the end of May), I stumbled across this video on the Cricket Hill Brewery website, makers of the best beer in the world, or so says Brew Master Rick Reed. After watching, I seriously considered staying an extra night just to see this guy in action.

Enjoy this tidbit.



Cheers,

Dave

Ides of March Strikes Again!

Well, technically the Ides of April. So Justin and I checked in on the Ides of March RIS double batch tonight, expecting to be able to transfer to secondary to free up our primaries. Well, not so much. After 31 days in primary, we had a "FG" of 1.036 and 1.034 respectively for our two batches.

So as of tonight around 7:00 PM, we repitched a pack of Safale US-05 into each brew. Hopefully that gets us down to where we need to be, right around 1.021-ish. We shall see soon enough.

Cheers,
Dave