beer ASK WHEEBZ

ok back with another update
 
thats what it was, it was the sage beer, finished the rest of it, came back ever so slightly, but everything is kosher now
 
I actually opened the same book RM, cause it is one of my favorites, and read what it said about sage, so I knew I was in the clear. That was my second brewing book I ever bough, and its wonderful
 
I almost feel like I drank a big cup of coffee, very alert, almost like a caffeine high, but intoxicating in a different sense.
 
I like it, I just wasnt ready for that. It is amazing how just simple every day kitchen herbs and spices work in collaboration when brewed with alcohol. Pretty amazing actually.
 
Gonna do one more beer in like 10 minutes. Flaming Pumpkin time!!!!!!
 
I think when the "Old World" stopped making the Gruits and herbal brews, something was lost. I'm already thinking about a Rosemary brew.
Oh, the keg of Flaming Pumpkin passed away in a party celebrating my Grandsons baptism.
 
For me it all stemmed from hearing about wormwood in absinthe and how it was supposedly "magical"
 
Did a bunch of research on that, realized that the Thujone levels in 95% of the absinthe in the world are nowhere near the levels it would take to make you hallucinate, and that it stemmed from doing a bunch of other stuff at the same time with absinthe to produce that effect
 
However, i was also really big into herbal teas and remedies at the time too, so I just took it a step further since ethanol has such an amazing solvent and extraction quality to it, and moved on from there.
 
and there it is
 
my favorite pumpkin beer ever
 
I will do an official review of this, but I really shouldnt have to. This is one of my favorite beers. Only one other homebrewed beer has been better than this, and it was a czech pilsner I had from a random dude down in delaware, which was also one of the best pilsners i have ever tasted in my life. This is hands down my favorite pumpkin beer, commercial or homebrew.
 
 
Bottle says 6.3% ABV, but i distinctly remember it being higher other years. 
 
Appearance: Brown. 
Aroma: Pumpkin Pie
Mouthfeel: Pumpkin Pie
Flavor: Pumpkin Pie with pumpkin stuff
Overall: Pumpkin Pie, pureed, tossed in a glass, down into my stomach
 
10/10 would drink again
 
Still has a head on it. Still. Good mash temps, good stabilization. 
 
Typical pumpkin spices, but perfect balance, and I mean perfect. Sweetness is spot on. Caramel, buttery (not diacetyl), fluffy, raisin and brown sugar flavors
 
Still has a head on it. STILL!!!!
 
I only have one complaint, in fact I am gonna bring this batch down to a 9.5/10.
 
I got a pretty intense copper/metallic aroma out of this when I first poured it. I thought it was the CO2, but its still there. I don't taste it, but I can still smell it slightly, although now I am trying to just be picky
 
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super tight bubbles
 
super fluffy
 
so I had like 4 or 5 ounces of RM's beer left
 
mixed it half and half with 1010's cocoa porter
 
would do it again in a heartbeat

definitely done reviewing beers tonight
 
only ones left are RM's, and I am not gonna crack open a bomber of bourbon aged stuff or a 750 of mead
 
Couple of things I have come across, although I will be 100% honest its one of those things I havent been able to lock down, and it might be something that I associate with another flavor, because I have seen it in beers more than any other thing ive tasted that was weird
 
Aluminum, Carbon Dioxide itself, excess iron, brass fittings, and honestly now that I am thinking about this, it literally might be the caps
 
because I have only ever tasted this is homebrewed bottled beers, and caps/bottling process would be the only consistent factor...
 
........
 
HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

wow
 
you know what
 
it could be zinc too
 
making starters and using an excess of yeast nutrients could cause a zinc overload which could leech into the beer with no filtering
yeast will keep zinc in their membranes, but its never an issue in commercial beer because 1- we filter/fine, 2- we dont bottle condition with the same yeast we use for primary
 
now I have to delve deeper
 
inception stuff
 
not part of wheebz drinking thread
 
but RM sent me 2 bottles of amazingsauce
 
He sent me a bottle or two of this before, but it wasnt as good as this one, no offense RM. I dont know if its the same batch that just sat, or that you did again, but its baller
 
its called Theriac
 
Fitting for the ingredients
 
But I must say RM, sounds like after all this cool stuff you sent me, we either have to play DnD, or LARP the shit out of a weekend
 
I will say this, I am not certified to judge mead. I have no formal training in mead, no amateur BJCP guideline training
in mead, only an understanding of the fermentation process, yeasts involved, and my experiences drinking it.
 
 
 
Appearance: Its melomel. Straw colored, slightly hazy. Obviously no carbonation
 
Mouthfeel: Sweet, coating, whatever the good definition of cloying is, 
and gawd I wish I would have cracked this open with a carbonara or a grilled chicken/shrimp dish
 
Aroma: Orange, flowers, honey, sweetness, sexy valentines day, wait......
 
Flavor: Honey, neutral fermentation, should probably sit for 6 months to mellow, but I think RM told me that anyways
It is honestly phenomenal. Citrus rinds, fresh pressed fruit juice, honey (obviously). 
Ohh by the way did I mention that it was made from honey? Cantelope flavors as well.
 
Overall: Like I said, I am not a mead judge, but I have had a fair share. 
This was a semi sweet mead. Perfect for a main course at dinner, could work for dessert as well. 
Love the fact that it isnt thin as hell. Most meads end up being an apertif drink, where they are
watered down and thin, but this worked out perfectly. 
 
I would actually love to know the yeast you used for this, because it could work great in a dessert cider as well.
 
So
 
Jim Beam Devils Cut bourbon barrel vanilla stout
 
Appearance: Light on the color for a stout, more of a porter-ish, but still acceptable
 
Smell: Oak tannin and bourbon right off the bat. Chocolate and roastiness. Good stuff. 
 
Mouthfeel: Surprisingly light. Almost like a dry irish stout. I feel like I would want a little more out of this. Something to stand up to the booze and the oak. Carbonation is good
 
Taste: Oak and bourbon, with hints of vanilla. At this point its more of a porter than a stout. Now I am going to say something that you probably won't like, and I bet I know why it happened, but I will need you to tell me the oaking process that you did on this, because, duh duh duh....., there is some LAB present. It is minimal, but it is there, and would account for the thinner body as well.
 
Overall: I kind of like the LAB in there, but its definitely not supposed to be there. What I really like is the bourbon and oak arent overpowering like they are a lot of times. Really good balance. I would double the dark malts in there, make it nice and thick.
 
I am curious Wheebz. Do/did you develop your palate from tasting so many different things? How do you know what Lab taste like, or the diacetyl taste is?
 
Yeast used for the Mead was Cotes De Blanc and The Bard is the one I used in the Chicken in Mead Sauce I posted in the Mead Recipes thread.

First, there would have been more to the stout than there is but for a mishap that caused the loss of a portion of the wort.

LAB in there, hum, The Oaking process I used was to soak Heavy Toasted Oak Chips in Beam Devils Cut for 3 months then added them to the secondary and racked the beer onto top of them. The Oak chips are stored in the Rocket Room where I do all my ferments. I do t think there was any cross contamination but I guess anyrjkanythimgs possible.
 
Not what I was thinking then. 
 
I mean its small, like super small, but has the potential to get worse.  
 
and 10, I went to school for this stuff. We did a lot of sensory analysis and testing in school.
 
Really great info Wheebz, many thanks!

Next time I brew Flaming Pumpkin I'm thinking about adding a piece, quarter to a half, of a Fatalii and maki g a real Flaming Pumpkin. Really just looking for a slight itch, nothing over the top hot.

When I brewed the stout I held some of the dark grains as my Mash tun wouldn't hold it all. Next time I'll do 2 separate mashes and then combine for the boil or get s bigger mash tun. Plus don't waste any of the wort

Next up on the Mead front is going to be a Cyser. Fiji, Gala and maybe a little Granny Smith apples with Orange Blossom and a touch of Buckwheat honey. Going to use Montrachet yeast for a good Semi sweet one. Hopefully won't have to back sweeten then. Just hoping like crazy that it doesn't freeze when I cold crash it
 
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