This is about my 10th brewing of a British Bitter.  Bitter was the beer that started me on my homebrewing hobby years ago.  I loved the bitters when we lived in England, and I couldn’t find that beer when we came back to the U.S., so I decided I should start brewing my own beers.  This is the first iteration that actually reminds me of British bitter, so I’m happy to be on the right path now.

Faint mild malt aroma and a slightly spicy yeast aroma as well. First taste has an ever so slight crispness, then a mouthful of malt flavor intermixed with a slightly roast flavor and the presence of characteristic British yeast. Barely noticeable aftertaste of mild malt.

Brewed: 8/4/2023.  Distributed: 2023.

ABV: 4.2%,  IBU: 31

Malts: Maris Otter, Caramel 20L, Caramel 60L, Amber.

Hops: Cluster, Target, East Kent Goldings, Challenger.

Yeast: White Labs WLP002 English Ale.

I made this brew originally about 8 years ago, and called it 44 Magnum IPA.  I tweaked the recipe over time a bit and then brewed it for my 44th birthday party (2015).

Slight sweet fruity hop aroma, plus some caramel malt aroma. Crisp hop bite, matched with a caramel malt sweetness. Quickly dries on the palate and leaves a slight residual hop bitterness. A little sweet in the aftertaste.

Brewed: 7/22/2023.  Distributed: 2023.

ABV: 6.8%,  IBU: 108

Malts: Brewer’s 2-row, Caramel 60L, Carapils,.

Hops: CTZ, Citra.

Yeast: White Labs WLP008 East Coast Ale.

This brew is well-known in the homebrew world.  A recipe by a well-known homebrewer that was always well received, that gained in prominence after he died from cancer.  It is regularly done as a basis for various charity/fundraising for cancer research.

A lot of malt flavor/complexity, but not too overwhelming.  A nice, noticeable hop flavor and bit of bitterness make a nice combination.

Brewed: 2/12/2023.  Distributed: 3/14/2023.

ABV: 5.6%,  IBU: 44

Malts: Brewer’s 2-row, Caramel 40L, Carapils, White Wheat, Chocolate Malt.

Hops: Northern Brewer, Cascade, Centennial.

Yeast: Wyeast 1056 American Ale.

This was just a random beer created in a time window I had to brew something.  I attempted to create a bright hop profile.

This turned out OK I thought.  Fairly clean taste with some hop flavor, but not much bitterness.

Brewed: 12/27/2022.  Distributed: 2/3/2023.

ABV: 5.7%,  IBU: 36

Malts: Brewer’s 2-row, Munich, Caramel 20L, Flaked Wheat, White Wheat, Red-X, Vienna.

Hops: Cluster, Cascade, CTZ, Amarillo.

Yeast: Wyeast 1056 American Ale.

This was originally envisioned to be a beer that I brewed over the summer (Isolation IPA) that was decent, but I wasn’t happy with the hops.  This Lone Fish IPA was going to be focused on Centennial hops, but when I had a chance to brew it, I had accidentally used most of the Centennial hops for something else.  So I improvised.

The beer turned out much higher ABV than planned.  I’m not a fan of Double IPAs in general, but thought this turned out OK.  But overall, I think the alcohol taste is too present.

Brewed: 12/21/2022.  Distributed: 2/3/2023.

ABV: 8.4%,  IBU: 78

Malts: Maris Otter, Brewer’s 2-row, Munich, Caramel 20L.

Hops: Cluster, Citra, CTZ, Amarillo, Centennial.

Yeast: Imperial A07 Flagship.

I’ve had Kolsch in Cologne, Germany a few times, and it’s been fresh and delicious.  Most of the Kolsch I’ve had in the US has not been very good, other than rare exceptions.  I’ve tried many times myself to brew one and they never come out to my expectations, with the unique yeast flavor overpowering my palate.  This time I tried a recipe that seemed close before, but fermented under pressure, which is a technique used to suppress yeast flavors.  Didn’t work.  I’d say it even accentuated the flavors I was trying to subdue.  Tasting notes below are after lagering in keg for 61 days, but the flavor wasn’t calming down.

Strong sweet aroma somewhere in between a fruit and a wine. Taste is slightly tart with minor hop flavor in background, then finishes fairly clean, with lingering sweetness.

Brewed: 9/27/2021.  Distributed: 12/10/2021.

ABV: 4.5%,  IBU: 20

Malts: Brewer’s 2-row, White wheat, Vienna.

Hops: Magnum, Saaz.

Yeast: White Labs WLP029 German Ale/Kolsch.

This recipe came from a book I have with homebrew recipes written by commercial breweries, for some of their beers.  This one was from a brewery in Wisconsin.  I hadn’t had this beer commercially before, but it looked like an interesting combination of rye malt with this yeast.  I can’t say I’m a fan of the result.  Tasting notes below were after 39 days lagering/aging in a keg, hoping to tame down some of the more bitter flavors.

Strong alcohol aroma. Hot, almost like a bourbon. Taste is crisp with some floral hop flavors in the background, mixed with a slight caramel malt taste. Rye sweetness comes on strong and flavorful. Overall leaves the mouth fairly “warmed” with lingering rye flavor.

Brewed: 10/11/2021.  Distributed: 12/10/2021.

ABV: 6.4%,  IBU: 20

Malts: Brewer’s 2-row, Rye, Flaked Rye, Munich, Caramel 80L.

Hops: Nugget, Challenger, Willamette.

Yeast: Wyeast 1318 London Ale III.

I’ve made this recipe many times.  The first time I brewed this it was perfect, reminded me of exactly the Alt beer’s in Dusseldorf, Germany.  This time turned out decent, but I didn’t get the exact yeast.  Not sure if that made the difference or not.

Sweet aroma, almost like corn? Crisp malt bite that’s very flavorful and break-like. Slight hop crispness that helps give it a bite then disappears before giving a notable hop flavor. Crisp and bready- like a cracker or something, I guess.

Brewed: 10/7/2021.  Distributed: 11/20/2021.

ABV: 5.1%,  IBU: 44

Malts: Munich.

Hops: Spalter Select.

Yeast: Imperial G02 Kaiser.

This is the second rye lager I’ve made, in trying to make a beer like I remember Bell’s Smitten.  This didn’t turn out like I wanted it, but still turned out enjoyable.

Faint sweet aroma of malt. Crisp taste of malt and a hint of yeast. Hop flavor is very much in the background, but gives a slight bite. Leaves palate fairly clear with a mild lingering malt sweetness.

Brewed: 10/3/2021.  Distributed: 11/20/2021.

ABV: 5.0%,  IBU: 38

Malts: Brewer’s 2-row, Caramel 20L, Munich, Rye, Vienna.

Hops: Magnum, Willamette.

Yeast: Imperial L17 Harvest.

I’ve made this brew a few times before and it’s a good solid black ale.  The recipe came from a homebrew book, and they didn’t know what specific style it was, but I’m calling it a stout.  I brewed it once while doing a homebrew teaching, and it was in the middle of a snowstorm.  So the name came up to be Black Whiteout Stout just because it was a cool sounding play on words (I thought).

Dark, slightly sweet, and full-flavored maltiness.  Finishes fairly cleanly, but has a little malt sweetness in the tail end.

Brewed: 8/25/2021.  Distributed: 10/1/2021.

ABV: 7.0%,  IBU: 59

Malts: Brewer’s 2-row, Black Malt, Flaked Barley, Caramel Munich II, Caramel 80L

Hops: CTZ.

Yeast: White Labs WLP001 California Ale.