I made a Winter Bock on Friday and everything went well with the exception of a couple of small changes to the recipe. The last time I made this beer I used 1 ounce of bitter orange peel, some cinnamon and some fresh grated ginger.I entered it in competition in two categories, Bock (because it is the underlying style) and Winter Spice. The beer placed in Bock and got nothing as a Spice beer.
I saved money this time by using some free home harvested orange peel (not bitter orange peel) and a teaspoon of grated ginger from our spice rack (also already paid for) along with the cinnamon. I expected maybe a little spice in the un-fermented wort this time but when I took a whiff of the flow going into the carboy it smelled like a fruitcake. Also, I used a new Wyeast strain called Hellebock.
We'll see what happens.
The Oktoberfest I made 28 days ago is going to be bottled today, I hope. The family went to a
birthday party for a couple of hours and I need that time to do it without interruption. And finally, I sampled the session strength American Pale I made a few weeks ago. The first cup came out overly bitter. I think this is because there were some hop bits in the bottom of the keg that did not get strained when I packeged the beer. I have experienced this phenomena before and I believe the beer will become clear and smooth by the time I pour the 3rd or 4th cup. The body is a bit thin but the taste is good otherwise. I might raise the mash temperature next time or add a 1/2 pound of Dextrine malt to give it more body.
