Without going into too much detail, we're building a system for our client, represented by A1, to replace their old system, represented by A2. B is a new system that the client is building, and C is an existing system that they're going to keep. I work on the Integration team, building interfaces between A1 and B. We just got into systems testing, and this is how it works: User 1 enters information into A1, while User 2 simultaneously enters the (supposedly) same information into A2 without communicating with one another. Then, a set of existing interfaces extracts data from A2 and sends it to C. At the same time, the new interfaces I built extract data from A1 and sends it to B. An additional set of new interfaces (that I had nothing to do with) then extracts data from B and sends it to C. Someone at C then compares the extracted data from B and A2, and by some miracle of Yahweh himself, they're supposed to be identical. Obviously they're not, so it gets thrown at me as a defect against my A1 to B interfaces. Now, I'm just a beer-drinking schmuck, but I count roughly 10 different places besides my interfaces that this process could potentially fail. And 9 times out of 10, it's one of those 10 other places, but nonetheless, it's up to me to crack the case. What this means, is that by the end of the day, I'm really regretting not listening to that career test I took in college that said I should be a plumber.
OK, enough about work. In other news, I kegged my Belgian Wit early last week and am planning on taking it with me to the shore this weekend to share with some friends. This past weekend, I bottled about 40 bottles of my Marzen that's been lagering for a month--it tasted awesome; I'm really excited about this one. The Marzen should be ready in about 2 weeks. I just got ingredients to make an IPA and the recipe is based off a Lagunitas IPA clone recipe. I'm planning on brewing that for July 4th weekend, so I'll probably brew the first weekend in June. Also, I finally invested in a mill, so I'm excited to crush my own grain for this IPA. While work's been a drag, I've had some awesome weekends to look forward to starting with this one:
May 22-25: Heading to the shore for Memorial Day weekend with some friends.
May 29-31: I'll be in DC for SAVOR: An American Craft Beer & Food Experience.
June 5-7: Brewing this weekend and judging a homebrew competition in Pennsylvania on Saturday.
June 12-14: Hanover, NH for my brother's graduation from Dartmouth!
June 17-21: Flying out to Oakland, CA for the National Homebrewer's Conference....really psyched!
June 26-28: Nothing planned right now, but I think my beer judging study group may have a party with our leftover beer.
July 1-5: Beautiful Garnet Lake for Seamus' annual July 4th extravaganza!
Enough about me; on to the beer! Tonight I had Alex Drobshoff's Traditional Bock from the Sam Adams Longshot pack. For those who aren't familiar with the Longshot, it's a homebrewing competition that Sam Adams hosts. The top two winners get their beer brewed and distributed by Sam Adams in the Longshot pack. In addition, a third beer is chosen among entries from Boston Beer Company employees. This year's pack had a Cranberry Wit and a Double IPA in addition to the Traditional Bock. I had the Cranberry Wit over the weekend, and it was nothing special--a decent Wit with some tartness from the cranberries, but they didn't provide much character. I was pretty blown away by the Bock though--it was an excellent beer and helped me forget about A1, A2, B, and C after a long day at work.
Aroma: Malty caramel with hints of toffee and freshly baked bread. Some dark fruit notes sneak up in the background. No hop aroma. There is a slight sensation of alcohol on the nose as well.
Appearance: Medium-brown with a slight reddish hue. Good clarity. The head is small and white in color, though it does not last long.
Flavor: Malty upfront with some residual sweetness that lingers into the finish balanced with a mild hop bitterness. There is the faintest hop flavor as you swirl the beer around in your mouth, and a warming sensation as it goes down. As in the aroma, flavors reminiscent of bread and toffee are present, as are some dark fruity esters (cherries and blackberries come to mind).
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with a medium-high carbonation. The beer is relatively clean with no astringency. Some alcohol is noticeable as mentioned previously.
Overall Impression: An excellent example of a Traditional Bock. Commercially available Bocks tend to lean more towards the Doppel Bock side, and this is a well-welcomed departure from the norm. It's an incredibly drinkable beer and goes well with food or by itself. I definitely recommend picking up the Longshot pack, even if it's just for this beer. Kudos to Alex Drobshoff!
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