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

Batch #137 - "Jaba~Escher" Pumpkin Ale

This pumpkin ale is the third and last batch using the pumpkins raised in our back yard in 2011.  That 36# Lakota Sioux pumpkin behind Jaba is the actual squash baked, grille roasted and frozen back then, ending up, finally, in this ale.
I'd better plan on raising more pumpkins in 2014, because this ale won't last long.

Cheers!
MT

Batch #136 - Rock Bottom Fresh Hops Pale Ale

I rose early one Sunday morning in late August to harvest these fresh hops.  I filled a bicycle pannier with them before dawn, and was brewing with them by 10:00 am, same day.  I used 4 ounces of hops flowers in the boil for the first 40 minutes, then introduced a second infusion of 2 oz from 30 - 60 minutes of the boil, and a third infusion of 2 oz from 45 - 60 minutes, using exclusively this fresh hops.
The resulting beer is not very bitter at all - in fact, it's downright sweet and quite floral in its after taste, a very interesting and delightful ale, if you're not exclusively fixated on super-hopped, cheek-cavingly bitter IPAs.
Cheers!
MT

Batch #135 ~ Bohemian Red Ale

There is a roasted barley called "Cara Bohemian", which I have combined here with "Cascade" and "Citra" hops, for a delightfully rich ale that reminds me of Autumn, crisp breezes and a hint of snow on the peaks, as silly as that sounds.

This photo was taken a few years ago in early October, on the Hay Park Trail, looking over the red Gambrel Oak and the golden Aspen trees, to the peaks around Independence Pass.

All I really know is that I'm really glad I brewed ten gallons of this Ale, rather than five.  C'mon over and have a taste!

Cheers!
MT