It's been a couple months.
As always, even though the posts have not been regular, the brewing
certainly has. Since the last post we've
had several new beers in the works that I am very excited about. The coming of spring opens the door to a set
of beers that just are not ideal in the winter months. A smooth, dark stout is no longer the pint you
want in your hand while you huddle from the cold, but a lighter ale with more
citrus and fruity undertones becomes the refreshing drink of choice while you
lounge on the porch. Spring also brings a new set of ingredients to work with
and a new excitement to the day-to-day that revitalizes everyone and has especially
done so my passion for brewing.
Currently on tap we have the Laurel Blonde Ale and Black
IPA. Currently conditioning in kegs #3
and #4 are two new recipes that we are very excited to see how they turned out:
an Irish Red Ale and a Pale Ale with a
strong dry hop that boosts the aroma to another level. As far as the Pale Ale goes, I was tempted to
drink the whole keg straight from the secondary it was so good. I can only imagine what 3 weeks of
conditioning and some carbonation will do.
Finally we have a Double IPA in the secondary 3 days into its 14 day dry
hop schedule. This one is no joke. Unlike the Otium150 Imperial IPA, balance is
not the priority. This is a true Double
IPA, target ABV of 9.0% and 100+ IBUs with an incredible dry hopping
schedule. This has 2x the amount of hops
of any of Otium’s previous beers and promises to be a favorite.
For the first time in a while I have some significant
brewery related news to report other than saving money and reading a book or
two. I have officially been accepted
into the American Brewers Guild Intensive Brewing Science & Engineering
Course (IBS&E). The course consists of 22 weeks
of on-line coursework including assigned reading and video lectures coupled
with quizzes and exams, followed by 1 week of in-house class work and hands on
brewing. Unfortunately, due to the high
demand and limited class sizes, the course does not begin until January
2016. However, upon receipt of my
deposit they will send all of the readings material to get a head start on, which
I am very excited to get my hands on.
