Homebrewed

Tonight I got to drink one of the Ev's homebrews for the third time. The first that I sampled was earlier in the year. It was a stout, and I was pleasantly surprised at its quality. After all, you never know what someone's first homebrew is going to taste like. This one was a little sweet with a roasted malt and a smoky caramel finish. It was very drinkable without a heavy mouth feel, and I made short work of the two he left at my house.

The second beer of his that I tried was last night. As I said in my previous post, it was a single-hopped IPA made with strictly Chinook hops. It had a rich, citrusy aroma. The taste definitely delivered although it was not overpowering at all. It would be a great session IPA. I could definitely drink three or four of them and still want another. This second offering was even more impressive than the first, and not only because I am a bigger fan of the style. I'm actually much more critical of IPAs because I'm such a fan of them.

Tonight Evan broke out the big boy: a twenty-two ounce double IPA. I'm pretty judgmental about my IPAs, and I am even more so about my doubles. I'm not going to lie; I was a little worried even though the other two were very solid. There is more to a double IPA than loading it with hops (even though that is an integral part). It can be tough to get a well-balanced and drinkable beer when you throw over two pounds of hops into a five-gallon batch. Evan poured us a couple near-pints, and I shoved my nose in the glass. As expected, the brew had a pungent aroma: floral and full of citrus. The most prevalent flavor on first taste was Centennial hops. Citrus and pine were balanced by a nice toasted malt that made the beer go down almost too easily. At around ten percent alcohol, my glass was gone a little too quickly, but not so quick that I didn't notice the excellent head retention the beer had.

I've been wanting to get into brewing for quite awhile now, but the up-front expense of equipment has kept me from diving into the hobby. Now I'm a bit more hesitant because Evan has set the bar kind of high. He has one or two more varieties that I have yet to try (as well as a fridge full of local beers that I can't wait to tell you about). Tomorrow night we are hitting the town for a brewery tour that will test our palates as much as our livers. I imagine you'll have to wait until late Saturday or Sunday for an update on that front. I don't plan on being a very trig cove following tomorrow evening if ya kin (fellow Dark Tower fans will understand that last part a bit better, but I imagine you can catch my meaning via context). Until next time...

I'm all in.