March's Brew: 'Noble' Trappist Ale

Another Midwest Supplies recipe is a regular strength Trappist Ale brewed with pilsner malt extract, Belgian Candi suger (my first time using this ingredient), some specialty grains, Hallertau and Styiran Golding hops (for aroma and dry hopped in secondary).

The result was pretty nice. A mellow beer with a nice light hoppy aroma (nothing like the Amarillo from November) and a mild hop bitterness. In all I think its a little too plain for me, but its still a very good drinking beer.

Passover is Here and the beer is on Hiatus!

Passover is my favorite of the Jewish holidays, yes despite the fact that beer is on the off list as it is totally chametz. Maybe one day us beer aficionados will come up with a brewed and carbonated alternative for the beer. I've got some top secret ideas, but we will save that another day.

Enjoy your Beer abstinence period if your are celebrating. You will enjoy your first brew after Pesach even more.

January's Brew: Cherry Wheat Ale

January's brew is called Cherry Wheat Ale. This is my first attempt at a fruit beer. I brewed the wheat wort as usual and let it ferment in primary for about 2 weeks. When I transferred it to the secondary fermenter I added 8ounces of 100% Natural Black Cherry juice concentrate from a local health food store. It is currently still in secondary so I haven't tried it but it has a slight cherry aroma to it which I presume will come through in flavor as well. I don't predict it to be a super fruity beer as some microbrewers are making. Hopefully the cherry flavor is noticeable but not overpowering.