Quick Update

After serving my two week sentence training at Fort Sill, I’m back and the Dark Mild was ready for sampling.  David tried his a couple of weeks back and also shared it with the guys at Atypical DFW Podcast (definitely a NSFW podcast, you’ve been warned!).  They all seemed to enjoy it quite a bit and that’s a good sign, since we entered his into Bluebonnet.  I kegged mine and got it on CO2 before I left, so it was ready when I got home.  I poured a pint last night, and it was delicious.  The malt really shines through, with just enough bitterness from the hops for a good balance.  At 3% on the dot, it’s also very sessionable.  We’re both hoping that it does very well at Bluebonnet.

As for The Chestnut Troop Best Bitter, I racked it onto the yeast cake from the mild and let it sit for the two weeks I was gone at around 73°F.  I kegged it last night, and the diacetyl is all gone, and it finished at 1.010.  I’m really glad that racking onto the yeast from the mild worked to get rid of the diacetyl, but I’m guessing that in the process, I introduced too much oxygen to the beer, as I have a strong green apple flavor.  That off flavor is generally caused by acetaldehyde, which can be caused by oxidation or infection.  I was very careful with my sanitation, so I’m confident it’s not an infection, but oxidation was a worry for sure.  I’m hoping that with a little time, it’ll clean itself up.  Even with the acetaldehyde, it’s way better than it was with the diacetyl, so I’ll take the tradeoff.

I moved the mild into the chest freezer and bumped it down to 45°F and put the now-kegged bitter into the kegerator and hooked up the CO2 so it can get carbonated.  Once I empty a keg, I’ll move the mild over and it will be already carbonated, so it'll be ready to drink immediately.

With 4 kegs now, I’m pretty set for the time being, so no brew days are planned as of now.  Once a keg blows, I’ll plan a day to brew another batch of Canon de 12 so I can have it aging and ready for Operation Bravo again this year in November.  After that, I’m not sure what the future holds for brewing.  I need to do another IPA soon, since it’s been a while since the last one.  I’m not sure if I’ll do another batch of Charge 8 or Killer Junior, or try something new.  I’d also like to try again with a lager, maybe a Maibock.

Above, I linked to a podcast that David from New Main Brewing has started participating in.  It’s a pretty good listen for craft beer fans.  Check them out!

Short one today, that’s all for now.