Oskar Blues Ten FIDY

I'm trying to get better with updating this blog more often. I'm gonna start it off with a much overdue tasting--Ten FIDY, a Russian Imperial Stout from Oskar Blues. Oskar Blues is one of the few craft breweries that package their beer in cans, and kudos to them for doing it! Check out my post on light struck beer, and you'll understand why cans are actually the best packaging for beer.

Aroma: An initial blast of dark chocolate and coffee. After getting past the roasty notes, there's hints of dark fruits. No noticeable hop aroma.

Appearance: Almost jet black with a beautiful dark brown head (though the head retention was not great).

Flavor: Roasty flavors dominate with a background biscuity maltiness. Some fruity esters are apparent in the flavor as in the aroma. Despite having a whopping 98 IBUs (International Bittering Units), the beer is incredibly well-balanced and is even slightly sweet on the finish.

Mouthfeel: Thick and slick on the tongue. Extremely warming (it should be at 10% ABV) with a very mild carbonation level. Some astringency is noticeable, but that can be expected with so much roasted grain being used.

Overall Impression: A full bodied, well-balanced Russian Imperial Stout. Despite the high ABV and IBUs, the beer is wonderfully smooth and drinkable. Definitely a must have for the approaching winter months--this will keep you warm on a cold day! Plus it comes in a can, and we all know that everyone likes it in the can!

Oaked Vanilla Bourbon Porter

Over the weekend, I kegged up 3 gallons of my homebrewed Oaked Vanilla Bourbon Porter. The base beer is a robust porter, rich and chocolately, clocking in at around 8.5% ABV. After primary fermentation, I slit open two whole vanilla beans (if you don't know what fresh vanilla beans look like, see the picture above) and added them to the secondary fermenter for just over a week. While the beer was being vanilla-ized, I took a 200ml flask of Jim Beam Bourbon and put it in a container with about a 1/4 oz of medium toast French oak cubes. At kegging, I blended the vanilla porter and the oaked bourbon. I think I added a bit too much bourbon, but there's no harsh flavors--the beer is still smooth and very drinkable. It's carbonating now in the keg at about 12 PSI, and I plan on tapping it when I move to DC at the end of the month.

On the DC note, if you didn't already know, I'm relocating there to start a new job at the beginning of December. I'll be living with a friend in Mt. Pleasant for a bit, while I look for my own place, which means brewing is going to have to take a break for a bit. The good news is that I've stocked up on homebrew to sustain me for awhile; I'm bringing down the 3 gallon keg of porter, a 5 gallon keg of pumpkin ale, and a case and a half of flanders red ale. I'm planning on buying a small chest freezer (5 cubic feet) when I get down there for the kegs. Once I find my own place, I'm going to use the chest freezer for fermentation temp control and lagering. My existing upright freezer, which is a lot bigger (14.1 cubic feet), will be converted into a real 3-keg kegerator (with taps on the front and all). I just got a 3 gauge secondary CO2 regulator to control the individual pressure in each keg, and I've already got it hooked up carbonating the porter and serving the pumpkin ale.

Although homebrewing will be on hiatus for a little, I'm looking forward to exploring the DC beer scene a bit more. There's some great beer bars there, including RFD, Brickskeller, and the newly opened Churchkey (which has a daily rotating tap list), all of which I'll be frequenting often.

Homebrewed Pumpkin Ale Review

I tapped a keg of my homebrewed Pumpkin Ale this week, just in time for Halloween, and in turned pretty good for my first pumpkin/spiced beer. Before I get to the review, I just wanted to share with everyone that I'm going to be moving to DC in a month to start a new job. Homebrewing is going to have to take a hiatus for a bit as I'm living with a friend down there at first. Then, once I find my own place, I'll start the brewery up again! For my final pre-hiatus brew, I'm going to be brewing a Vanilla Bourbon Porter to keep me warm during the winter in DC. I got the yeast starter going last night, and I'll be brewing tomorrow on Halloween day. It's going to be a small, 3 gallon batch of a 1.086 original gravity robust porter (about 7.5% ABV). After primary fermenation, I'm going to split a full vanilla bean and let the beer age with it in the secondary for 2 weeks. Finally, at packaging, I'm going to fortify the beer with some Jim Beam Bourbon. The beer is definitely going to pack a punch, and will be a great "sipper" on a cold evening!

On to the Pumpkin Ale review:


Aroma: A sweet malt background of caramel and toffee, laced with spices reminiscent of a holiday spice cake. No hop aroma.

Appearance: Amber with an orange tint. Hazy, probably from unconverted starches in the pumpkin. Small, slightly off-white head that lingers while drinking.

Flavor: Cinnamon and nutmeg are most noticeable, with an initial malty sweetness. Some biscuit and bread-like flavors are apparent. The beer finishes a little bitter. It definitely tastes like pumpkin pie though. No hop flavor, though the hop bitterness is discernible (the lingering bitterness may also be caused by overdoing the spices a bit).

Mouthfeel: Medium-full bodied with medium carbonation. A little astringent, though not overbearing.

Overall Impression: I think the beer came out great for my first spice ale. I initially added the spices at the last minute of the boil, and after fermentation, I found that the beer was a little bland. I added another full dose of spices in the secondary, and let the beer sit for a week before kegging. It's definitely not bland anymore, but I think I overdid it with the second dose of spices; I should've showed a bit more restraint. If, and when, I brew this again next year, I'm going to do away with the boil spices altogether and also up the character malts a bit to bring the beer into a better balance.