Irish Red Ale

I took the day off and brewed an Irish Red ale today. It’s a great session beer. I brewed my first batch last year for my buddy Eugene’s 50th birthday party, and I immediately took a liking to it. Which says a lot about it for a hop head such as I. Did you know that you can hardly find a true Irish Red Ale any more? Sorry, Killians is a lager and it’s terrible, thanks to Coors. Murphy’s Red is also a lager. Rogue makes a version called St. Rogue’s Red, but it’s not made in the true style of an Irish Red from the Emerald Isle, as they bitter it with northwest hops. I hear that Sam Adams makes an Irish Red; I’ll have to try it if I can find it. The only other one to be found is Smithwick’s.

That pretty much leaves you to drink my version if you are around these parts. Last year’s batch was a bit too dark, so I lightened up on the specialty grains and adjusted my water chemistry a bit to reduce the residual alkalinity. The numbers look pretty good. I was shooting for a gravity of 1.053 and wound up at 1.055. Nothing wrong with a wee bit more alcohol. If I have good attenuation with my yeast, I should be able to achieve a final gravity of 1.016 and an alcohol by volume of 5.3%.

Tonight the yeast should start their party…

Hops Baby!

I planted a couple of Cascade rhyzomes and a Centennial this spring so that I could establish a hop source for my hobby. I harvested the Cascade crop today. It's really not bad considering that it is in its first year of growth, and who would think one would have a snowball's chance to grow hops in this southwest Louisiana summer heat anyway!? I'll probably get 2 or 3 ounces out of this one gallon package after drying them.

Until I feel like writing again...Cheers!

And Here He Is...My Grandson Jude!

My son-in-law was kind enough to visit one of my favorite beverage retailers in Albany this weekend, with his new son Jude along for the experience. At just under two weeks of age, the timing was perfect for him to be photographed with grandpa's favorite beverage. Note how excited he is, and how he grasps the bottle with his little monkey foot...

And the Winner Is...

Thanks all of you for the hundreds of entries received in my "name that beer I brew while I wait for my grandson to be born" contest. The lucky winner is that sweet little prego gal on the left coast whom I love so dearly. The beer will be named "Hey Jude Celebration Rye". I racked it to the keg on Monday. It looked and smelled even better than a newborn baby. I didn't measure the final gravity yet, but the yeast ring on the side of the fermentation bucket leads me to believe that it had fantastic attenuation! Kind of like Jude's hair. It looked like it was just microns away from blowing through the airlock. I'm sure we're looking at a 6 percenter. Anyway, I'll tap into it on Friday and let you know my first impression. I've saved some of it back to put in special bottles with labels I've yet to create commemorating the lad's birth. Todd and I have much celebrating to do...

Until then...Cheers