Imperial Stout pt. II

Well I have yet to bottle the Imperial Stout, I want to, I need to, yet time has not yet allowed me to. With luck I may be able to bottle tonight. I think, based on the advice of a good friend of mine that I will go with a geeky name having to do with the origins of this particular style of beer akin to the 1830s Pale Ale. I should also take his advice since he has graciously agreed to draw what will no doubt be a very neat label for this beer, please check out his work here: http://jefflanceillustration.blogspot.com/


The Imperial stout is, in origin an English style, but is often referred to as 'Russian Imperial Stout' because of trade in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries with the Czars of Russia. As with the India Pale Ale, this style is named after the destination export of the beer. It is rumoured, but not proven that the reason for this style's rich and robust flavour is due to the need to fortify the beer for the cold conditions as well as the long voyage toward and in the Baltic Sea. It is said that Catherine II, the eighteenth-century empress of Russia, drank barrel after barrel of this beer, but it has also been said that she was killed whilst having sex with a horse, so believe what you will (she actually died of a stroke in 1796). Like the IPA, the Imperial Stout is much heavier on the malt content, as well as the hop bitterness than a more standard stout, but is not necessarily hoppy tasting. I used a good dose of bittering hops in this, but very little in the way of aroma, I really am trying to highlight the dark, coffee and chocolate like malt used. I have high hopes for this beer, so I can't wait until it is done.

One last bit.
I am trying to come up with a good holiday brew, thinking obviously along the lines of the traditional 'holiday spices.' I want to make something subtle and not overly spice infused, thinking mainly about doing a Nut Brown Ale with hints of nutmeg, molasses, cloves, and vanilla. I have no idea how I am going to make this taste good though. Most holiday brews over-do the spice profile, and I want to make something drinkable and warming. Maybe I'll make a variation of the Brown using Belgian yeast, giving that even spice flavour.
Slainte!
-J

Imperial Stout

Hiyeh,
Right at the moment I have an Imperial stout ready to be bottled. I am really excited about this beer, this is my favourite style outside of ESB and I cannot wait to enjoy this over the cooler months. I'm having trouble naming this beer though, any suggestions are welcome, this is what I have at the moment:

-La Grande Cathrine II Corpulent Impérial Bière
-Czar Nicholas I's Turkish Invasion Imperial Stout

Then I was thinking of some less history-nerd type names:
-None More Black Imperial Stout
-Darker Than a Thousand Midnights Imperial Stout

I have no idea which name I like yet, please if you have any ideas let me know! Either post a comment, email me or post on my Facebook. Thanks!
Slainte!
-J

Buck Mulligan's Irish Red Ale

Well with this sophomore attempt I forgot how the process of brewing worked. It was a good start, the wort boil turned out even better than with the pale ale. The hops I chose, Willamette and Fuggles smelled delicious and the darkish malt looked wonderful. Then the first mistake occurred, whilst putting the airlock on my primary fermenter, I managed to push the little rubber bung into the wort forcing me to reach my arm into the liquid to fish the tiny rubber nub out. Then mistake two, I rushed the fermentation only giving it about five days instead of the couple of weeks that it should take, dumb. The carbonation was fine, but it was not really beer as much as oat soda given that it did not get the proper fermentation. I will not make that mistake again.
Slainte!
-J

Old 1830s Pale Ale

Hiya!
This is the premier post of my status blog about my new hobby of home-brewing. I'm sure most people would not care one bit about my process in this venture, but perhaps my friends will enjoy being able to mark the progress of the beer they are about to be pushed. Anyway here is a description os the first successful beer I brewed. This is the text from the label I made:

"Sovereign people are in a beastly state"
-Sydney Smith

The Beer Act of 1830 was an important stepping stone on the way towards middle, and eventually working class enfranchisement in Parliament. This initial step lifted the steep excise duty on barrels of beer and allowed for a wider sphere of brewers and publicans. Within one year after this act passed through both houses, 40,000 new drinking establishments opened throughout Britain. There was of course strong opposition to such an opening of the tax system, mostly from stark Conservatives who feared race deterioration and nationwide drunkenness. Most opponents of this act however were more afraid of the potential loss of funds through the beer, wine and sprit duties than the effects of drink, after all, they were just as fond of having a laugh as anyone else. It is in the spirit of the 1830 Beer Act that this beer was created, so in the vein of pre-Victorian British fervor let ring a boisterous Huzzah! And drink up.
Cheers!

This beer was made from a kit that my wonderful girlfriend gave me for Christmas and was actually successful. In the end it could have been better, but for a first attempt it was rather great.
Slainte!
-J