9/21/07 – Now on tap: Company cream ale
I just tapped my recipe, Company Cream Ale, brewed some weeks ago. Though it is quite early to offer my my early observations, I can say that I nailed the color that I was shooting for. This beer pours crystal clear with a beautiful straw yellow color–it was my first attempt at a light-lovenbond beer. The first pour was relatively free of any “gunk;” I chose to secondary this beer, a practice that has significantly waned now that I keg my beers.
At this point, the flavor is pretty strong; the DMS that is characterisitic of the cream ale style does come through. The pilsen malts and a boil limited to 70 minutes contributed the DMS. The alcohol warmth is certainly present ( 7+%). I expect that this beer will be a nice counterpoint to my lastest batch of brew, the Step Ladder Foreign Stout, which will take its place on tap in a couple of weeks. I hope that the difference in final gravity of the cream ale will be different enough from the stout that I will be able to pour a black and tan, where one beer “sits” on the other in the glass.
More updates to follow when this golden beauty is fully carbonated ( and further aged ).
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Ok.. I got a little excited there. The beer is not exactly crystal clear; it is actually downright hazy. It might clear up a bit when things settle out a bit more. Next time, I will certainly use some flocculant during the boil.