LeGrue's Spring Beers & Swag

Greetings,

Things have slowed down a touch since New Year's, and I've been working in the yard and not the brewery as of late.  I'm ready to make that ESB that I mentioned in the last post, as well as an American Pale Ale that should be awesome as the heat returns to the third coast.

I've recently been working with Jeff Grant, LeGrue's go- to graphic genius, on some t-shirts and other swag that I'd like to share.  If you have any ideas on these or other items, please let me know in the comments below. Your opinion is appreciated!

Cheers,

Mason

NYE 2011

Well, all the preparations are complete for this Saturday's NYE bash at the homestead.  I have all the beers brewed, fermented, and bottled or kegged for copious consumption.  For some of the readers that need a refresher course on beer nerd jargon, here ya go:

Original Gravity (OG): The Original Gravity is the specific gravity measured before the commencement of fermentation.

Final Gravity (FG):  The Final Gravity is the specific gravity measured at the completion of fermentation.

ABV:  Alcohol by Volume, stated as a percentage (e.g 6.5%). Most brewers and consumers are used to having alcohol content reported by volume (ABV) rather than weight. Interconversion is simple but the specific gravity of the beer must be known.

IBU - International Bittering Units : This is a measure of the actual bitterness of a beer as contributed by the alpha acid from hops. Because the apparent bitterness of a beer is subjective to the taste of the drinker and the balancing malt sweetness of the beer this is not always an accurate measure of the "hoppiness" of a beer. But, generally speaking, beers with IBUs of less than 20 have little to no apparent hops presence. Beers with IBUs from 20 to 45 are the most common and have mild to pronounced hops presence. Beers with IBUs greater than 45 are heavily hopped and can be quite bitter.

Example:

"Not knowing that the barleywine had an IBU of 68, Rachel took a big swig from the glass then twisted up her face as the hops assaulted her taste buds."

And now, the LeGrue's NYE Tap Lineup:

Triple Rhino:

• Belgian style Abbey Triple, originally brewed by and for Trappist monks in Europe.
• Light in color, malty, effervescent, very aromatic and deceptively strong. 
• Examples: Unibroque "Fin du Monde", Chimay "Triple"
• 32 IBU 9.2% ABV.

2011 Winter Weizenbock ( pronounced "veye-tsen-bock")

• Strong wheat ale, seasoned with cinnamon and nutmeg.
• Bready and balanced, with hints of banana bread and clove and a dry finish.Similar to Brooklyn Brewing's Winter Ale, but with a traditional weizen yeast character and dry finish.
• 12 IBU, 7.6% ABV

Brad's Big Bad Black IPA

• A black Imperial IPA, made with debittered dark malts that impart a black color and roasted flavor without the burnt toast astringency of a stout.  Think "hop-bomb" in technicolor.
• This is a HUGE beer, very flavorful and aromatic. It has a citrusy hop- forward nose, and a clean, balanced hoppy bitterness throughout the palate.
• Examples of the Black IPA or Cascadian Dark Ale style would be Stone Brewing's "Sublimely Self- Righteous" and Dechutes' " Hop in the Dark".
• 106 IBU, 9.8% ABV........ Bring it!

Pumpkin Pie Porter 2011

• My annual holiday offering that includes fresh roasted pumpkins and toasted spices, all wrapped in a smooth, malty porter package.
• Dark reddish brown color, and the aroma is all pumpkin pie.  The flavor is on the sweeter side, and has a caramel, toffee, toasted bread quality that is very nice. Great after a holiday meal, or any time if you're Brad.
• 36 IBU, 7.8% ABV

LeGrue's 2011 Winter Warmer Cask Ale

• This a my riff on the traditional beers brewed for cold months in Britain.  Medium- strong, roasty, malt forward with a nice, full body and holiday spices to make things interesting.
• Enhanced mouthfeel and low carbonation due to 3 weeks conditioning in a cask, and served in the traditional style.
• Similar to Saint Arnold's Christmas Ale with spices.
• 42 IBU, 7.4% ABV

Black Bulldozer 2011

The Brewery has some production news.

Black Bulldozer 2011, my Black IPA,  is in the fermenter and should be ready by New Year's Eve.  It weighs in as 98 IBU and an O.G. of 1.086, so this MONSTER beer is not for the faint of heart. Thanks to my Brother-in-law Brad for the brew day help. I pitched my standby Wyeast 1056 American Ale strain and will ferment at 65 F. I'll keep it in primary fermentation for 5 days then transfer to secondary to dry hop on 2 oz. of Citra Hops until the 28th. Chill, Carb, Serve, Enjoy.

The Wizenbock is in the keg and chilling down to force carbonate.  Great ester aromas, and a final gravity of 1.008.  Great beer!

Winter Warmer in in the firkin and conditioning for the NYE party as well.  I decided to forget the oak in the cask, as there's not enough time to get the correct oak character for this batch. My next cask aged beauty will be a British Bitter pub ale.

Tripel Rhino is in a secondary and still very active, even after a week and a half of fermenting at 64 F.  Crazy yeast, guys.  I'm going to bottle half of this and the rest will be on tap for NYE.

Cheers, and leave some stinkin' comments already!