Batch #143 ~ Backyard Hops Pale Ale

The OTHER wild hops I have used before, located in a different part of the valley, was the source for a bit of rhizome (root) I transplanted a few years ago, to my back yard.  It took a couple of Summers to get established in a shady part of my garden, but this year I saw that it was starting off strong.  I gave it an old sunflower stalk to climb on, which it used to nearly reach a branch of Maude, my apricot tree.  With just a wee boost from me, it finally reached the branch, and quickly spread itself out on this high, sunny perch.  This Winter, when I'm giving Maude an annual pruning, I'll fashion this area of branches toward becoming an annual solar collector frame for the hops, for which I'll drop a rope.
I didn't harvest enough hops from this vine alone to make a 10-gallon fresh hops ale, so I floated some dried Columbus and Amarillo hops first, and stirred in the Backyard hops for just the last 10 minutes of the boil, just enough to make its flavor perch on top of your palate.
Finally, have a peek at the label to find the latest human engineering marvel, the Rosetta spacecraft and its comet lander, Philae.  Rock on, European Space Agency!
Salute!
MT

Batch #142 ~ Fresh Hops Pale Ale

This may become an annual tradition for me, an early morning, late Summer bike ride with backpack or panniers, accompanied by someone dear, to my not-so-secret wild-hops vine.  By the time the sun is up, we have harvested a few pounds of fresh hops flowers, packed them up and we're riding home, without having seen a single person.  By mid-morning, with a cup of hot coffee at my side, the grain mash is underway, and by noon, several bags of fresh hops have been layered into the boiling brew, giving it a composition of beginning flavors, for the yeast to color over time.
I don't know what variety my wild yeast is, but I do know it is low on the alpha-acid scale.  It has a mild bitterness, but an intense floral character.  Using heavy amounts of this hops ~ alone ~ in a 7% pale ale, results in a flavour palate more like shoving your face in a bridal bouquet, than having your cheeks caved in with the bitterness of an IPA.
It lives in a semi wild place, along a riverbank, fairly far from the ranch where it probably originated, during the settler era, a century ago.  Rhizomes wander over time, and my harvesting habit will surely begin to chase this flower further along the riverbank, away from me, the ale predator.

Cheers!
MT

Batch #141 ~ Brown Ale

This Brown Ale commemorates the emerging movement called, "Slow Money", as initiated by Woody Tasch, author of the book by the same name.  "In Soil We Trust" is the motto on the fictional currency note sprawled across the book cover.  The subtitle reads, "Investing as if food, farms and fertility mattered".

The seal on the note is Woody's latest concept, a "beet-coin".  Why a beet?  Because it's the "most intense vegetable", of course, as noted by author Tom Robbins, in the first line of a novel.  For the Slow Money movement, a beet-coin is simply a tax-deductible vehicle for investors to help build local food enterprises.  Check it all out at: https://slowmoney.org/

Hear, here!

MT

Batch #140 ~ Creamy Porter

I used some pale chocolate malted barley, as well as some special roast (last used in my Batch # 116 in 2011) ~ a perfect blend for a nice porter.  In the brewing of this batch, I did strive to maximize the amount of grain mash I could fit in my mash tun, coming out to 28-pounds total.  Brewed into a ten-gallon batch, this resulted in a smooth porter at 7.4% a.b.v.

In spite of this misleading label, there is no milk nor chocolate in this ale.

Cheers!
MT

Batch #139 ~ Saison Pale Ale

Our dear ones Phoebe and Damien were married in Clermont-Ferrand, France, in the end of August, and they asked me to help them with the ceremony, a great honor.  It was truly wonderful to enjoy the French culture and cuisine, especially from the kitchen of Damien's Grandmother, Janine Mandard, a fine chef.

The French are unparalleled in the cuisinal arts of cheese and wine, and we did manage to find a few nice artisanal ales from the Auvergne volcano region.  I decided to dedicate my Summer Saison Ale to these French pioneers of the grain:

"poeme liquide" pour la France!

avec l'amour de michael

tre bon!
MT

Batch #138 ~ Lavender Amber Ale

Our niece Meghan Leon married her sweetheart Justin Monzon this Summer, and they asked me to brew a special beer for their wedding, an honor I could not decline.  This was my first batch of ale since last Autumn, so my cellar became somewhat empty, and my homebrewer's club somewhat deprived, until I managed to pick up speed with Summer brews.

The beer was a hit at the wedding, owing much, I'm sure, to the fact that it was the ONLY beer at the wedding.

Here's to you, Meghan and Justin!
Love,
MT