Another Brew Gone, and a New One Comes On

In the last couple of weeks, I finished my last bottle of the most refreshing and best-tasting brew I have made to date. My third brew, the Red Ale, is now only a memory. I am down to only two varieties now.

This week, I opened my new Pale Ale clone of Sierra Nevada. It is tasty and refreshing, and the carbonation is excellent. The flavor is good, with the exception of the hops, which are unusually strong. It actually tastes more like an India Pale Ale due to the hoppiness. I am not a super-big fan of IPA, so this one is a bit overpowering for me. I'm not too sure how it compares to the brew it is a clone of, so I will have to go out and buy a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale to use as a reference.

My Heffeweizen tastes really good, still, but is not as cloudy as the ones in the brewpubs. I may have let it settle too long. I have no way of knowing. It tastes good, though, and makes for a nice buzz after two bottles.

The Brown Ale is in the secondary carboy, and will be bottled next week. I wanted it to be ready for Memorial Day Weekend, so a May 15 bottling date will make it possible. It is also time to choose a Summer Ale to brew next weekend.

Last weekend, I went to a product launch with the Hopheads of Sacramento, a Meetup group. The brew was called Saison, and was made by Odonata Brewing Company, a new outfit in the area. Saison comes from the French for Season, and refers to a particular summer variety of Pale Ale that is traditionally consumed at harvest time. This particular Saison was a cloudy white color, but was very tasty and smooth. It was quite a refreshing brew, but a bit stronger than the traditional version, I would say.

Next up, a brew to bottle, and a new brew to do.