Brew Notes here…
Two weeks in the bottle is the normal conditioning time. I also did another taste test after 3 weeks. No appreciable difference.
I store my brew in 22 ounce brown bottles, and my official Colorado Avalanche beer mug just happens to hold that exact amount:
Head Retention: Fair. The foam subsides quickly – I’m not sure how that can be improved, I’ll have to do some more research.
Clarity: Good. I am pleased with the results. No chill haze when the beer is cooled to 50 F – 55 F, the classic cask ale serving temperature. There is some residual yeast at the bottom of the bottle (so the bottles need to be stored and chilled in an upright position), but this is a “feature”, as most home brewers do not have the necessary filtering equipment to remove the residual yeast. I carefully decant the beer just as I would with a bottle of wine that throws some sedimentation.
Color: Good, but perhaps a touch too dark. This can happen when doing extract brewing with less than 5 gallons. I’m hoping to fix that in the future.
Carbonation: Light. I am trying to emulate UK CAMRA cask ale, so the beer should be lower in carbonation than American commercial beers. I see many small bubbles in the brew, so I may just need a slight adjustment to bring up the carbonation just a bit more.
Flavor: Good! The malt comes through, with a slight hop finish. Very tasty. I’m declaring victory.
Overall: The ABV came in at 5.8%, so one bottle puts a good buzz on. (Yes, I’m a wimp, my binge drinking days are way in the past.) Very quaffable.
Next up: A classic English Bitter. Stay tuned! Cheers!