Batch #132 ~ Lavender Rye Ale

Okay okay, I'm done for now with the Lavender experiment.  This final batch is still aging in the bottles, but an early test indicates that this recipe may be well settled.  I am now studying the needs and desires of the lavender crop in our front yard, because there's nothing like "growing your own".

Speaking of growing our own, the rye grains used in this batch of ale came from organic grain trials at the high school garden and greenhouse we established in Carbondale, CO.  I planted a few hands full of the rye seed we harvested there in 2012, then harvested a small bucket full, some of which ended up feeding the yeasties that made this ale for me.

Grow on, grow on.

Batch #131 ~ "Lavender Overdrive" Pale Ale

It was just a five-gallon batch of homebrew, made with liquid malt extract, some hops, and a few too many Lavender flowers.  In my experiment with this herb as a bittering agent alongside hops, this batch represents "too far" in the lavender department.

However, rather than rush headlong to judgement, I have put a "best after" date around Thanksgiving time, to encourage the saving of these bottles for a more aged and experienced flavor.

We'll see . . .