Tompopo Brewhouse & Winery
Not Too Spunky : second batch of 2009
Brewed on the afternoon of May 24, 2009
A medium-dark ale meant to have just enough hop flavor & aroma to appeal to me, but still be drinkable for people who are easily overwhelmed by hops, such as My Darling B.
After bringing two and a half gallons of water to a boil I asked My Darling B to help by stirring the water while I poured in three pounds of Muntons Plain Dark malt extract. I kept that at a rolling boil for thirty minutes, then added 1 ounce Cascade hop pellets and boiled for twelve minutes. Finally, I added 1 ounce of Hallertau hop pellets and boiled for three more minutes before shutting the burner off and carrying the pot to the kitchen sink to cool it off. When the pot was cool to the touch, I poured it into a waiting carboy already filled with two and a half gallons of filtered water, pitched a packet of Wyeast 1968 London ESB yeast and hobbled down to the basement with the carboy carefully cradled in my arms.
Monday, May 25, 2009
...and by eight o'clock Monday morning it was bubbling merrily, fermentation well under way. I love this moment. Even if the beer were to turn out skuny and undrinkable, I'd still feel a happly lilt in my soul to see the fruits of my labor come to life in such a giddy way.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
The brew had completely settled down by suppertime today and by Friday or Saturday it should be ready for racking.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Racked the brew into a freshly-washed carboy for what ought to be the final week of fermentation.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
My Darling B and I bottled the second batch this evening, after both of us carefully calculated the number of twelve-ounce bottles we'd need for a five-gallon batch (fifty-four) and checked each other's work. I remembered to leave some beer in the pipe to start the siphon this time, we had more than enough bottles washed and ready to go for bottling, and everyone lived happily ever after.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
The brew has a very clean taste, very little body and a thick head forms during the pour. It's very drinkable, but it needs something more. It makes me fart a lot, too.
© 2009 Dave Okonski
