There is no February

So, you may be wondering: what the hell happened to February?

I do apologize for the lack of updates. Truth be told, I just didn't have much to say. February pretty much sucks. It's my least favorite month. Sometime around Valentine's Day, when I still hadn't been inspired to post anything, I simply decided to BOYCOTT the whole month. But for you obsessive types, I'll give you a quick re-cap:

-It was nut-shrivellingly cold, and then
-It rained for 3 days, melting all the snow and revealing the accumulated street garbage of the entire winter.

I spent some time brewing, more time drinking, and a whole lot of time not-job-having.
________________________

So let's move on.

The Mild finished perfectly at 1.011, and it tastes wonderful already at just 5 weeks of age. Chocolaty and a little roasty, and you would never guess this gentle guy comes in at a mere 4% booze-by-volume. Success!

I actually got together a 3rd "quick batch" recently. I must say, I have enjoyed brewing these low gravity beers so far; I never ventured into this territory before, back when time and space were not issues, but it has been a good learning experience for me, I think. The latest brew is a Belgian Pale Ale. I overshot my gravity a bit so this one may hit 5% bbv or so, but it's still pretty small by our standards here at 46 Tremont Street. This brew was partially inspired by Kevbones' brand new 55-pound bag of Franco-Belges Pale Ale malt. What better way to try it out than a nice Belgian Pale Ale?

7# Pale Ale Malt (MFB)
.5# Aromatic Malt (Dingeman's)
.5# Dextrine Malt
.25# Special B

Wyeast 1762, Abbey Ale II

Currently slowing down after 2 days of a wild, sulphur-throwing primary fermentation. Temps were right on so I am assuming the sulphur is normal with this yeast; I'm not worried.

Anyhoo, It's March 1st, and it's snowing again. I must admit that I will be happy once this winter is over, the weather improves, the days are longer, and I hopefully will be less unemployed than I am now. The job search continues, I am undaunted, but still it wears at one's soul in a way few other things do. Will keep you posted.

-Wrence