Brew notes here…
Two weeks of bottle conditioning, so its time for the taste test!
Using my trusty official Colorado Avalanche beer mug:
Head Retention: Fair. About what I would expect from a beer made with lighter malts.
Clarity: Good, but subject to chill haze. Beer temperature for the above image was 48 F, a bit low for a cask ale “simulation” (should be 55 F to 60 F). A bottle opened at 53 F showed much better clarity. Hey, it’s summer, I’ll be serving at a colder temp, so chill haze will have to be a “feature”.
Color: Good, on the light side of the Pale Ale spectrum, perhaps, but acceptable.
Carbonation: Medium. Probably higher than cask, but the slight increase in the bubbles will make a very good summertime brew.
Flavor: Good! The hops come through all the way, but not at all overpowering as in an IPA. The wife pronounced it to be “pretty good”, which is a compliment from a non beer drinker.
Overall: I’m calling this an ESB, but it’s probably more like an Ordinary Bitter. The ABV came in at 3.7%, so it would be a good “session” beer, not that I indulge in drinking binges anymore.
Summer is not a good time for home brewing; it’s tough to keep the right temperatures for fermentation unless you have a dedicated cold storage unit, so we’ll start the next project probably in September. Cheers!