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Post by Alex Bullock on Dec 10, 2018 8:33:06 GMT -5
Brewer: Alex Bullock
Beer: Opus Lupulus Style: American IPA w/ Brettanomyces
SRM: 4 IBU: 53 ABV: 6.7%
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Post by Alex Bullock on Dec 12, 2018 15:02:36 GMT -5
This beer would benefit from some time at room temp, but should be put in the fridge on the 16th at the latest to give enough time to chill.
This beer came from a 10 gallon batch of IPA wort I brewed back in June which consisted of ~80% pale malt and ~20% flaked wheat. This half was pitched with London Ale III (WY1318) and a bit of my house mixed culture (contains multiple brettanomyces strains and some pediococcus and lactobacillus). The beer aged in the primary fermenter (on the yeast cake) for about 2 months until I kegged it to avoid oxygen exposure. It aged in the keg for another 3-4 months until I dry hopped it and bottled it with champagne yeast 7 days later. The hops used were Denali, Galaxy and Azacca in the boil and Galaxy and Azacca in the dry hop. My goal was to create a tropical, fruity IPA that would age slowly to bring out more funky, brettanomyces flavours as the hop flavours/aromas drop out over time.
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Peter
Junior Member
Posts: 52
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Post by Peter on Dec 19, 2018 17:23:45 GMT -5
Since Alex has done such a good job reviewing our beers, I'm going to do my best to return the favour.
Aroma: Aroma begins with low funky notes followed by crackery malt. I also get perhaps a bit of lemon.
Appearance: Slightly hazy straw colour. Pours with a beautiful thick white head that eventually settles out but leaves white lace on the glass.
Flavour: Malt flavour is mellow and reminds me of English Cream crackers. It seems like it might be sweet at first but finishes really dry. This is followed with firm citrus, for me predominately grapefruit and lemon. The funky notes are there but are not overbearing. Bitterness is firm which combined with the dry finish makes this extremely thirst quenching.
Mouthfeel: Lively carbonation adding to the dryness. Medium body, creamy malt but with a citrus zing.
Overall: Very complex flavours going on here. This isn't a style I would normally drink but this would be great on a hot day in the summer since it's such a quencher.
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Post by Christy on Dec 19, 2018 19:04:23 GMT -5
I'm going to have to delay for a day on this one. This cold is getting the best of me and I really can't taste anything right now.
I'll be back!
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Post by Alex Bullock on Dec 19, 2018 19:12:50 GMT -5
Mine came in a little low for carbonation but I'm pretty happy with how this turned out! If I brew this again I might use more hops (I am getting a lot of malt character too Peter) and add some spelt or oats to balance the bitterness a bit more, but definitely pleased with this. I'm looking forward to tasting this as it ages and I'll definitely bring this to a future meeting so we can see how my house culture of brett and bacteria changes the beer. Looking forward to what everyone thinks (good and bad!)
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Post by imaretiree on Dec 19, 2018 20:15:46 GMT -5
Right away, I smell the Brett funk. Some lemon and a little bit of some tropical fruit.
Taste-wise, I find the bitterness mild and finishes very late. I also taste the funk at the end. Initial flavour is strong mango and fading into tangerine. The dryness has a cracker taste. It's actually more complex than my description because I find it very balanced so the flavours fade in and out of each other.
I think it would be bolder when fully carbonated.
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Post by Christy on Dec 22, 2018 21:40:47 GMT -5
I don't get any funk in the aroma, but my sense of smell and taste may not be back to 100% yet either. I do get mango up front with some tangerine in there too, basically smelling what Tony was tasting.
Got a bit too close to the bottom when pouring, so it's a bit more than slightly hazy and a nice pale gold straw colour.
Flavour for me is more grapefruit, with something a little more tropical in the background. I can't pull out malt flavours, but the overall balance is good - it's nicely rounded. Finish is somewhat bitter, and although I'm having trouble tasting any funkiness, I think I'm detecting it more as a sensation along the edges of my tongue. Carb is light-ish, but I don't mind that.
I'd really like to try this again when I know my olfactory system is working properly and see just how much I missed. Given what I could taste, I very much enjoyed this beer, as did my Dad - he asked me to pass along his compliments as well!
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