Up next: Long Hammer IPA by Red Hook. A capable IPA, but a little mellower than the others I’ve tried. It does go down fast and smooth, but maybe that is because of how thirsty I was!

At the end of a long weekend, after a good day of Christmas preparations, playing with the boys, and watching some football, I saved the tasting for a quiet moment. With my complete attention, I sat down to drink this beer. It felt good to sit back, relax and enjoy.

As for my IPA, the carbonation phase is done, I’ll let it condition another week while I finish off my 6 pack of Long Hammer, then I’ll pop my first Home Brew IPA!

I was in the beer aisle, undecided about my next selection for IPA tasting. I was leaning towards Upland’s Dragonfly IPA, but then my eyes rested upon the ‘Two Hearted Ale’ from Bell’s Brewery. Although I’ve had this before, it struck me as the perfect choice for this cold December night.

After a short run and some cleaning up in the garage, I popped open my first bottle. This is a truly good beer. It had a citrusy taste, which combined quite nicely with the hops. I have to agree with the label here: It had a very crisp finish. This will definitely become a regular choice.

I just realized that Bell’s Brewery is the same brewery that creates Oberon Ale, a very tasty beer that I experienced at The Ambassador in Haughton, MI. during a fishing trip with Bob and the Gang. The Ambassador is an experience you won’t soon forget!

Everybody would enjoy a little gift this Christmas season. Wine would be perfect! Check out this Petite Syrah available from SpellBound Winery:
(PS, I never said it was all about the beer!)

Well, finally got around to bottling the IPA. I don’t think the extra time will diminsh the taste at all. Here is the first draw:

As usually, the first taste is not that thrilling. This still had a strong tast of yeast. I remember this from my first batch, so I”m not overly concerned. The hops definitely stand out and the beer has a tingly after taste.

Here are the bottles, all sterilized and ready for the beer:

Now, the waiting. Two weeks for fermentation, two weeks conditioning, then … Bottoms UP!!! Which means this beer will be ready for consumption around Christmas. I couldn’t have planned that much better if I tried!

With the fermentation phase complete, I will be bottling my IPA in the next day or so. Then the wait begins for the conditioning phase. In the meantime, you might enjoy looking at this: ‘Drinking with George’ Which might make the perfect Christmas gift for anyone that loved, ‘Cheers.’

While my American Devil IPA is busy fermenting, I decided to taste some other IPAs so my palate will be prepared for my creation. I started with Michelobs Rye P.A. This was quite good, without some very good hops taste, but not much after taste. It paired very nicely with the chili that we had for dinner. I liked sipping the beer with it’s full bodied taste, then sliding down a spoonful of the spicy chili.

I had one very happy tummy by the end of dinner. Added Bonus: another bottle is chilling in the fridge for my nightcap!

I just realized that I started my first batch of beer when we began Daylight Savings Time. Now, we are falling back and I just put down my second batch of beer. I chose a premuim brew pack, the American Devil IPA. I’ve been getting quite fond of IPAs lately. The extra hops seem to apply to my palate!

I’m going to make sure that there isn’t another span of 8 months between brews! I retrieved the last bottle of my first batch from my friends fridge today and downed it while I was brewing this IPA. It was a good reminder of how worthwhile this hobby is!

I let the first bottle of beer chill for about three days, then popped it open. The first taste was splendid. It had a very good flavor, not robust, but subtle. The beer paired nicely with the sweet and sour beef that my wife made for my birthday. It will be interesting to compare the taste at the end of this week. Then finally I’ll chill the whole batch and share with some friends!

The carbonation phase is nearly complete, I’ve managed to keep my hands off of the beer this long, so you’d think I’d be able to let it condition for a couple of weeks longer. No. There is a very scientific point here that must be observed. 

The question is what, exactly, the conditioning does for the beer. In order to answer this question, I will start chilling one bottle tomorrow. After it has chilled the recommended two days, I will collect data on the taste and quality of my beer. In the same manner, I will collect data after the first and second weeks of conditioning. 

Following the second week of conditioning I will do a lot of data collection!

Thanks to all those who have voted for my next batch of beer. The stout currently holds a strong lead! I will leave the voting up for another week. Go to the interact page to place your vote!