Pumpkin Ale! Happy Thanksgiving! - Batch #99

Big Kahuna Apple Ale - Batch #98

My good friend's son wanted to learn how to brew beer, so he helped me with the brewing of this Ale. As we were completing the mash and getting ready to begin the boil, I said to Tait, "Do you think we should put in some cider?"

I had been pressing cider from "Mo", my backyard apple tree, and I was thinking of saving the rest of the grain mash to regenerate a couple of yeasts I had propagated from earlier batches of Ale. The cider replacing some of the grain mash, I thought, would increase the complex sugars in the beer, resulting in a higher level of alcohol, and impart a unique background flavor.

"I don't know, I suppose so," was Tait's response, as I poured a gallon of freshly pressed apple cider into the boil. I admit to some apprehension since then, wondering if I might have made a mistake. Well, after a few weeks in the bottles, I am pleased to report that this Ale is delicious, and quite a "high-test" brew.

The "Big Kahuna" label celebrates Mo's response to my pruning and fruit-thinning regimen, resulting in some big, beautiful apples. Finishing hops are local, still growing where a prohibition-era farmer planted them 70-some years ago.

Enjoy!