I love winter with a passion, I sometimes think I have SAD in reverse, the darker and colder it gets, the happier I become. With Mrs Velkyal soon to start work again after the summer, she teaches 3-6 year old children, my thoughts turn to beers to brew for the long dark nights, hopefully dark, cold and snowy - I love snow. Random side story, almost every year in Prague it would snow on my birthday.
Anyway, to some of my homebrew plans for winter and Yuletide. As I have done for the last 2 years, I plan to brew my chocolate Export Stout and spiced Belgian Amber Ale. Both those recipes are pretty well established in how I like them, so I doubt I will be tweaking too much, though I do plan to make 2 batches of each.
Although not a beer for the coming winter, I will brewing the third rendition of my Samoset Vintage Ale, which I brew in November for the Thanksgiving of the following year. Now that I have a little mash tun, this year's version will include Biscuit and Victory malt on top of a Golden Promise base, with extract making up the difference, and hopping with First Gold.
I am also planning to brew a couple of clone recipes, in particular the Fuller's London Porter from a recent Brew Your Own magazine, for which I am playing with the idea of pulling out the little polypin to try and condition it almost a la cask. Staying with the Fuller's theme, I want to create something akin to 1845, which is still one of my favourite beers on the planet.
As ever then, lots of plans, ideas and thoughts, what will you be brewing with winter in mind?
These all sound great. As soon as the weather turns even remotely drizzley i'm reachin for the stouts... funny how weather affects drinking habits.
ReplyDeleteI love Fullers 1845 too and found it was THE perfect beer to accompany a steak sandwich with STilton and fried onions. I wrote about it here:http://eatingisntcheating.blogspot.com/2011/05/steak-sandwich-with-fried-onions-and.html Absolutely PERFECT. Seriously, if you like the beer, give it a go. If you can't get stilton another suitably mature blue cheese would work.
1845 with a Stilton and Steak sandwich sounds divine!!
ReplyDeleteIts one of them combos where I knew it would be good, but it blew away all expectations.
ReplyDeleteThis conversation is making me very hungry... and thirsty!
Wow, it's a great deal, you're doing wonderful thing! I can't drink our beer, so I'm planning to make it by myself, on http://www.usemeplz.com I found some recipes, but I don't sure yet..
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