Monday, June 29, 2009

Othello


I guess a stout is a good beer to name after some literary figure. After all, there are two breweries which boast similar names: Rogue's Shakespeare Stout and New Holland's The Poet. For some reason, while thinking what to name this batch I recalled the name Othello. Maybe it's because Othello is my favorite work of Shakespeare? In any case, I think the name fits.
Othello is an Oatmeal Stout which was brewed on Nov. 29th, 2008 one day before my birthday. I guess you could say it was a present to myself. I had some reservations about brewing this style while I was preparing for it. Will it taste like a stout? What if I don't pick up on the oatmeal notes? Will I be able to see what is going on during fermentation due to the color? As most home brewers can probably relate, you can get your boxers in a bunch real quick thinking about your beer too much. However, I consulted numerous recipes made some adaptations and in the end I think it turned out rather well.
I settled on an extract/grain brew where the foundation would be two cans of malt extract, amber and dark. In order to get that oatmeal stout character I used a pound of flaked oats and roasted barley (I probably could have gotten away with just using a half pound, but I like my stouts to have a thick oatmeal, grainy, cereal note to them). I let the grains steep in the pot for a little longer than normal, between 30-45 minutes, prior to adding the extract. Now a good stout should lean towards the more malty end of the spectrum, but don't forget that to balance out the complexity of the malt you need to hop it rather aggressively. For this I used a 1/2 oz. of Cascade for the boil and 1/2 oz. Willamette for the finish. These two hops are pretty high in AA and did a good job of balancing out the beer (note: I use hop leaves).
By way of yeast if used an Irish ale yeast made by White Labs. I would recommend using liquid yeast for quality and ease of use. It was a dry stout yeast which might have accounted for the fact that the beer tasted a little flat a first, almost like a Guinness on tap. At any rate I was bottling the beer by Dec. 20th just in time for Christmas (Santa prefers cookies and stout over milk). The ABV came in at 3.93% which is a little low, but there is room for growth.

The results were that at first it had a little bit of a watered down taste. Almost as if something was missing. During fermentation I did notice some issues, which might have been due to temperature. It might not have reached it peak or the fermentation could have been stunted. For the I simply set a few bottles aside to lay down for a while. I actually opened one up today and it tastes better now then it did 5 months ago. Overall, the beer has all the makings of an Oatmeal Stout.

The apperance is a dark opaque color with ruby red hints. The head has a nice rich brown color that develops thick and lingers for some time.
The aroma gives hints of chocolate, roasted grains, coffee, a loaf of bread, has a big oatmeal nose, and a light trace of hops can be detected.
The taste is that of rich roasted grains such as oats and barley.. There is a mild coffee bite which is balanced by a sweet chocolate presence. The flavors are earthy (or earthly) and you could say that it's like sticking your head in a bad of oats.
Mouthfeel is a medium-full body. Complexity in flavors, but there is a watered down taste. There is some smoothness and creaminess present and carbonation is low.

Friday, June 26, 2009

Coming Soon...

Brewing specs for:

Initiale
Witchurch

Othello
Common Place
Mango Genius

The ultimate summer time classic...


I realize that there are a few individuals that do not like fruit in their beer. However, Sam Adams Cherry Wheat is one of my favorites that I would recommend for all beer lovers. While it is a staple of mine year round, I thoroughly enjoy this beer during the summer months. Chicago is currently being bombarded by a humid heat wave, which demands for a frozen beverage. And since it is Friday I plan to pick up a sixer on my way home from work.

Being a fan of wheat beers in general, I can say that Sam Adams Cherry Wheat is a good balance of tart, crisp cherry flavor with rich, bready malt notes. The mouth feel is light and refreshing with a level of sweetness at first sip. The after taste brings back memories of Indiana farmland coupled with a sense of pure Michigan(.org) from the cherries. If you want a solid, moderately complex beer that will cleanse the mind and help you battle the summer heat, I strongly suggest picking up a Cherry Wheat.