No…More…Bad….HOMEBREW!

Posted at 9:22 pm by Patrick under General Ramblings

Pardon my bastardization of a classic movie line, but after this weekend’s activities, it seemed apropos.

Halloween is a big holiday around our house. Andrea and I enjoy coming up with costumes and generally acting silly. A few months ago after watching the movie Mommie Dearest we knew what we would be: Joan and Christina Crawford.

I know what you’re thinking. I’m not a good looking 5-year-old girl, especially with the goatee. But, the costume was good enough to take the “Best Couple’s Costume” at a party we attended last night. And, we won a mini pinata shaped like a cactus. How sweet is that?

At the aforementioned party, I met a fellow brewer from Mississippi who bootlegged a few kegs across the south ala Burt Reynolds and Jerry Reed. Of the three I sampled, one was really tasty — a beer inspired by Three Floyds Alpha King, with lots of centennial and cascade hops shining through.

The pilsner I tried was brewed cleanly. It was very malty and had a residual sweetness that was pleasant. The one shortcoming I thought it had was a subdued hop character, perhaps due to the Bohemian Lager yeast he used, or just not hopping aggressively enough. It was somewhat non-descript as a pilsner, but made for a perfectly drinkable lager. Clearly this is a case where you can do a lot to set drinker expectations by how the beer is described.

The third beer I tried was problematic. I don’t remember the beer’s style, but I do remember these two things: it was oxidized and cidery. It’s a shame too. It was the last beer of his that I tried, and the last impression that I had of his beers. It might have helped to do some quality control sampling right before serving for guests — I know he wouldn’t have served that keg if he had tried it first.

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