Homebrew + Nintendo Wii = Crazy Delicious

Tonight we enjoyed a wide variety of home brew, on tap and in the bottle, and bowled on the wii all night. Matt came over to partake. On tap, we had the CA Pale (which, now that its carbonated and has mellowed a little, is one of my favorite of our past brews. Its nicely hopped but not overly bitterly, very drinkable, and good for all occasions) and the Amber, which I'm still very happy with (though I do wish it was a little more carmelly, a little more malty, and more in the AltBier style. This is what I envision for Red Mosquito Ale, a deep red with a nice balance of maltiness for the initial flavor and hop bite for the end).

By bottle we sampled the Honeyed Wheat, a new addition to the lineup, and the Drury Lane, quickly becoming a staple in small amounts. We've already spoken about the Drury, but there's much to say about the Honeyed Wheat. It's actually a very crisp beer, unlike past things we've made which kind of consume your taste buds. It tends to finish clean with little aftertaste, and is nicely carbonated. I think this is largely because its a wheat beer, and so tastes less malty than other beers. The Honey adds a nice sweetness because it isn't completely fermentable, and gives it a characteristic to set it apart from other Wheat Beers. I'm pretty sure this is the perfect ale for warm weather, just kickin it in the back yard around a barbeque, throwin horse shoes and drinking beer on a sunday. By the way, next year we should spend a solid amount of sundays just kickin it in the back yard around a barbeque, throwin horse shoes and drinking beer. MAKE IT SO!

I still need to keg the Oatmeal Stout, which I'm hoping is nicely roasted like the Irish Dry was, but with a smoothness and fullness the oatmeal should impart. Kegging beer is amazing; few things are as awesome as pulling forward on a handle and watching delicious beer you brewed yourself pour into a glass. Also, some time this weekend I'm gonna start working on CCB Tap Handles, which I envision being carved out of a relatively light but hard wood, maybe a white oak or maple. First up, the Misty Mountain Hops handle, partly because I already have a vision of it, and because an IPA should be a staple brew. Then I'll move on to a general brand handle (non-beer specific), and maybe a Number 9 Stout after that (this is where I want a dark, chocolately, and 9 % stout to head, or maybe a porter). So that's my update. As always, long winded. Life is good.