IPA Bottled, Wheat Tapped

Robert and I bottled the rest of the IPA last week. Although we can actually fit all three kegs in the refrigerator, that doesn't leave room for the CO2, so it's really not very practical. It was good to empty one of the kegs.

We filled eleven 22 oz. bottles and two 12 oz. bottles. The latter are for entry in the upcoming homebrew competition at the Evergreen State Fair. We're now down to five bottles of the IPA on site here.

The wheat beer has been tapped. I'm not too impressed with it. It doesn't taste bad, but it seems to fall short of what a good wheat beer should be. It doesn't seem to want to accept enough carbonation, and the head retention is not that good. It almost seems closer to a commercial American lager than a wheat beer. Despite any shortcomings with regard to style guidelines, it's still a refreshing summer brew. A little lemon is a welcome addition.

Wheat Ale Kegged

Kegged the two batches of wheat ale yesterday. Here they are en route to their next abode:




Despite the odd extended fermentation, I think the Weihenstephan batch may turn out OK. It still has a rather sour taste, but that seemed to diminish quickly as the sample of proto-brew breathed over an hour or so.

We barely have room in the refrigerator for all three of our kegs, and they are each almost full. There are probably over 13 gallons of fresh homebrew being kept cold on site now.



I can hardly wait to taste a fresh, crisp wheat ale straight from the keg on one of these hot summer days!