2012 Brewing Quarterly Schedule*

Lat year I put together this list with high hopes and lofty ambitions. Well out of the 33 beers I said I would brew, I hit 16 (plus others I didn't set out to brew, probably an additional 4-5 beers). Not too bad approximately half of what I aimed for. I was all over the board as far as when I would brew the beers and I often missed my mark for beers brewed for special occasions (Oktoberfest, Christmas beer, etc.).

I have decided to approach this year from a slightly different approach. First of all I will be developing a Quarterly schedule and I will re-evaluate at the end of each quarter. I have also noticed that I brew a bunch of beers that have all sorts of creative ingredients and flavorings. I love brewing this way, its one of the reasons I brew. However, it never really allows me to focus on a style and really hone in on the nuances of the style. This year I hope to focus on a few styles and do small tweaks in the recipe that will allow me to really create a great base beer recipe and also allow me to get a better understanding of the styles I am focusing on. The styles I am hoping to focus on are the following: American/Oatmeal Stout, American/Southern Brown. I know they are both hybrids, but I want to take the best from each of the styles. I will also continue my work on Saisons and IPA/Pales. In addition I hope to finally master a lager that will ferment out completely in a timely manner.

January:

Wee Obese - A Wee Heavy, Wee Heavy

Brown #1 - A complex malt bill brown ale

February:

Stout #1 - A Basic Oatmeal Stout with a bigger hop punch

Gueze Y1 - For my Birthday my wife gave me a gift certificate in which she will be my assistant brewer for a Gueze. Luckily that means she signed up for a 3 year tour. Looking forward to this one.

Old Oak- A Big, Malty, Oak aged English Style Barleywine. An ode to Avery's Samaels.

March:

Pale #1- ???

Biere De Garde- A malty Farmhouse Ale

Pomme Dubbel - A Belgian Style Dubbel with Pomegranate Molasses instead of dark candy syrup.

Here's to 2012!

*Beers Subject to Change

Charger's Session iPA

I like to offset my big strong ales with more sessionable beers so that I have a beer that I can have a couple of and still be able to get some work done. At the time I put together the recipe I had just brewed two stronger beers (Black Friday IPA and Mexican Hot Chocolate Stout) and I had a keg of Belgian Golden Strong on tap. I hadn't made a real hoppy beer in a few months and my hop supply is running pretty low. The 2011 harvest is just getting out to retailers and so I wanted to finish off my Nelson hops from 2010's harvest. I had the opportunity to try Drakes Brewing Company's Alpha Session. I loved this beer because it was dry, hoppy and low alcohol. Essentially everything I love about an IPA minus the booze.

I decided to brew this beer and name it after my new French Bulldog puppy Charger. Charger is a beast of a little dog, he has a huge head with lots of chubby face rolls. He is very loving and gentle, but he is also kinda a honey badger. He is tough, and bold, but with a gentle soft side. Like Charger, this beer has a big bold hoppy side, but has a softer lower alcohol side as well.

Recipe: US 2-Row, Honey Malt, White Wheat, Magnum @60, Nelson @ 20, 10 and flame out, US-04 (by accident, wanted to use US-05).