As I mentioned in my previous blog post, I brewed two batches of beer to my friends’ wedding that took place two weeks ago. Today I thought I’d finally write some tasting notes in case someone is interested in trying the recipes. I’m slightly more happy with the Pale Ale, but I have brewed the recipe (or at least variations of it) several times. Both beers were good though! Let’s start with the Dunkel!
The beer pours with a light brown color and it is slightly hazy. The color was a bit lighter than I expected, but then again I didn’t use that much roasted malts in this. A cream colored head is formed, but it collapses quite quickly leaving drapes of lacing along the glass. The appearance is okay. I’m not really sure why it hasn’t cleared despite the 2 months it was lagering in the keg at 0C. The aroma features some light roastiness (hints of dark chocolate), dark fruits, dark malt bread, and syrup/molasses. The aroma is quite clean and promises a malt-forward flavor. The taste is similar to aroma, with a light roastiness and bready malt tones dominating. Towards the end, a slight yeasty fruitiness joins in together with some grassy hops. The finish is quite dry and lightly bitter. Unfortunately the flavour is slightly boozy/solventy as well, which hints that the fermentation was not perfect. It was fermented in a temperature controlled fridge, so perhaps I underpitched or underaerated. The body is on the light side and the carbonation level is a bit too high. It is easy to drink and quite refreshing though. All in all, I’m quite happy, but you can definitely tell that the fermentation didn’t go perfectly. I’ll have to try again next winter.
The Pale Ale was more to my taste, and it was also the beer that got most compliments at the wedding (it also ran out first). It pours with a quite clear golden-amber color (similar to Sierra Nevada’s Pale Ale). This was slightly hazier at the wedding, so it cleared up nicely during two weeks in the fridge. A fluffy white head is also formed during the pour, and it collapses slowly leaving lots of lacing along the glass. A really nice appearance! There is lots of citrus (especially grapefruit), resin and grassy herbs in the aroma. As you can guess, it is very hop forward. The aroma is otherwise very clean and promises a really tasty beer. The taste begins with a slightly sweet caramel cookie flavor, and it is quickly joined by grapefruit and ‘tropical fruit’ hop flavors. Very fruity. The finish ends in a moderate bitterness, that has a slightly grassy and herbal quality to it. Maybe from the dry hops? I remember the beer being grassier at the wedding, so maybe it has cleaned up during these two weeks. The flavor is also very clean, and you can tell the fermentation went well. The beer has a medium body and carbonation level, and is very easy to drink and really refreshing. A really nice APA that suits my taste buds perfectly. It went quickly during the wedding so it seemed like I wasn’t the only one who liked it!
The labels to the beers were designed by my lovely wife ♥
