The other big change I made was switching to hop extract for part of the bittering addition. The high attenuation keeps this beer firmly in the DIPA category where a sweeter beer would come across as an American barleywine. I mashed just under 150 to ensure the targeted 85% attenuation of the original. I used half a sack of Great Western 2-row (paler than their pale malt) along with a small amount of carapils (for added body). I've learned to anticipate 20% lower efficiency when brewing a big IPA as a result of the huge amount of wort lost to the hops. With the kegs (not to mention the moratorium on Younger growler sales this year) I thought it was time to give a clone another shot. Force carbonation, which enables quicker, more reliable carbonation of strong beers. Keg hopping, which allows the beer to remain in contact with the dry hops until second before serving. The ability to flush the keg with CO 2, which reduces oxidation preserving a fresher hop character. I credit a couple techniques that kegs allow me to do for this improvement. Over the last few years I've made a handful of attempts at replicating PtY using information gleaned from talks, articles, and emails from Vinnie the beers were good, but not quite there.Īfter I finally bought a kegging system last year, my hoppy beers got considerably better. The hop flavor was dominant, with complex citrus and fresh pine, while the beer was still remarkably smooth and easy to drink. I've had samples of it a couple more times since that night, mostly from growlers, but that first sip left an indelible stamp on my tongue. I first sampled Russian River's Pliny the Younger at a BeerAdvocate American Beer Fest about five years ago. Certainly a beer that is built for blending with a fresh/sweet ale, something I may try out with one of the last few bottles. The medium-low carbonation is perfect, glad the Brett was finished when I bottled.ĭrinkability & Notes – Too easy to drink, the lack of body means that the flavor doesn't linger to reveal all of its complexity. For a big beer like this a thick creamy body would have been nice, but it isn't unpleasant as is. As the beer warms the flavor becomes spicy from a combination of the oak and alcohol. Not much bitterness remains after the years, but it doesn't take much to balance the small amount of residual sweetness. Taste – The dank cellar quality comes through stronger in the flavor than it did in the aroma, but it is still backed up by some of that aged-wine character. As it warms there is a slight alcoholic sharpness to the nose. Certainly smells like an English strong ale rather than anything from Belgium, despite the Brett (the claussenii strain was originally isolated from a stock ale). Smell – Vinous, port-like, slightly dusty/musty, just a hint of toasty malt (or is that oak?). A hard pour produces an inch of head that fights to maintain verticality, but steadily sinks to a light-tan ring over five minutes. Historically this blending was done to order by a publican, but there are still a couple of bottled blends available like Olde Suffolk from Greene King (I wish they bottled the funky "5X" portion, 12% ABV, two-year in oak).Īppearance – Deep brown with a wonderful clear garnet highlight when held to the light. This is the sort of beer that is perfect for blending it has big complex flavors, but not the amount of sweetness you'd expect from a strong English ale. One of those beers was a Old Ale with Brett C, something the English traditionally called a stock ale. Not knowing when I'd be able to brew after moving I decided to spend my last few days in Massachusetts brewing four sour/funky beers to leave at my parents' house to ferment/age. I'd been thinking about making a beer with Brett since soon after I started brewing, but I had hesitated, not wanting to risk letting the bugs make the jump to my clean beers. What is the best beer for a cold winter night?īefore moving down to DC I enjoyed a couple months of unemployment between when my previous employer (a purveyor of no-verification loans) went belly up and my new job started.Adjusting Recipes: Volumes, Efficiency, Extract.
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