Of Bottles and Buckets

Later this morning, I am going to bottle my Gael 60/- Scottish ale, which was originally intended to be an 80/- but for some reason I ended up with a more dilute wort than I had planned. Not to worry though, I am expecting a decent session beer for autumnal quaffing, with a light caramel and chocolate thing going on.

Originally I was going to brew up Machair Mor (hopefully it will acquire the title Mor, otherwise it will just be Machair) this afternoon, but I'll leave that for tomorrow.

In the mean time I am going to look into the practicality of converting my 6 gallon plastic bucket fermenter into a fruit press. As you probably know, I am not one for going out and buying the latest fancy pants gadgets and gizmos, plus at $280 for a new one I am not prepared to shell out when I can make a perfectly functioning equivalent for about a tenth of the price. Call me tight if you want, but gathering toys and filling up storage space with stuff I only use a few times a year is just plain dumb.

Anyway, time to sterilised the bottles, thank goodness for the dishwasher! And details of Gael to come later this week.

Quick update:

The Gael 60/- has fermented beautifully and is giving me an ABV of 2.7%, which is just about right for the style. The beer itself is dark copper and beautifully clear - I used Irish moss for the first time, green it is lightly bitter (perhaps a wee bit too bitter for the style) and with a touch of caramel sweetness in it. Once it is bottled it will condition for about 3 weeks in the storage room and I have high hopes for this!