New Year, New Beer

I hope all of your holidays of choice were safe an enjoyable!  Brooke and I enjoyed our time in New York and Washington, D.C., but we're glad to thaw out again in Houston.  This new year brings some interesting new ideas that I'm itching to try.

While I was in DC, we ate at a place called Birch and Barley (check it out!!), and I had a beer that was made at an Abby off the coast of Canada.  The brewers use only items that grow on the island where the beer is made, so that means a mixed grain bill and no hops.  Instead, they spice the beer with ingredients like rose hips and other aromatics, and it's fermented with a wonderfully fruity Belgian yeast strain.
It was like a cross between a nice herbal tea and Belgian golden ale.  Outstanding!

If you've been reading this blog, you know by now that I'm all about deconstructing the flavors of items I like to eat/ drink and referencing that in a beer. To that end, I had to take a swing at my favorite non-fermented beverage, Chai Tea.  Where to begin?  I'm thinking a malty English brown ale grain bill with little to no hop bitternes, and additions of Chai spices, honey and lactose. More to come on that!

The next order of business is to bottle and cellar the Brazos River Barleywine, and then fire up the brewery to make a Belgian Strong Ale (easily a favorite) and Berliner Wiess (a sour wheat ale that's my first attempt at funky beers).

As always, feel free to comment and help steer the direction of our malted adventure together.

Cheers!