Doctor Duvel

I'm like a sommelier, but for beer.

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Location: Upstate New York, United States

Favorite Beers: Orval, Samuel Smith, Duvel, Hennepin, Oude Gueze, Chimay, Dogfish Head, Anchor Steam, and anything made by Trappist monks.

Wednesday, June 03, 2009

Brewery Update

Today was a two batch bottling day. Ugh...

On draft:

Up-a-Creek Kriek
"I'm Finishin' My Coffee" Stout (virtually gone--a gem, by the way)
No-Name English Bitter (what I'm sipping)
Aimless Academic Ale (a-stylistic UK ale--brown meets Winter Welcome?)
Pliny the Motherfucker (a very bitter, free-style, Pliny the Elder knock-off)

Bottled stocks:

Lookin' good. Lots of Belgians available and a nice range of summer-ish beers, from helles bock, to pilsner, to weizen. Weak point would be a lack of bottled pale ale and barley wine stocks that need replenishing. May plan a tasting or two to clean out the library--there are a few things where the final bottle or two may as well be dispensed with.

Just bottled:

Fucktoberfest: The Okobterfest I didn't mean (or need) to brew but someone gave me a smacked pack of Wyeast Oktoberfest. Just as well--it should be delicious. Quirky, non-traditional grain bill with some toasty Special "B" giving it a certain je ne sais quois.

No-Name Altbier: Old Guy Altbier? I'm turning 35 shortly. . . Also tasted promising.

In fermenters:

A probably mediocre saison--good concept but has some weird aromas. May be fruited and served on draft.

A horribly fecal and sour lambic. Patience will be needed. Big time.

A hopefully delicious Ardennes hoppy Belgian pale. Yeast cake will probably produce an IPA Tripel, that style that everyone is doing now . . .

Session IPA. Bottle or keg? Should really bottle one for a change.

3787 Dubbel.

Upcoming projects include, in rough order of priority:

Corny summer piss beer
More IPA
Saison (2 different yeasts to use)
Chili ale?
Other Belgians (Have packs of Trappist Blend and Canadian Belgian--both new to me)
1 or 2 Roeslare beers (Pale and Flanders brown?)
Barley wine

All in all, I've a healthy brewery. I am running out of bottles though...

Thanks for reading.