Enjoying my first bottle from my batch #2, a medium porter made from a mix of extract and grains. So much for low expectations, that’s a pretty damn good beer. The gravity only dropped from .05 to .02, but the extra sugar and the grain residue makes a respectably rich beer with a fine head. A few of those will feel just right watching the Steelers game.
Next up: a scottish ale with some bonus amber dry malt and an extra half-plug of cascade hops is about done in the secondary fermenter. The wort seemed a touch bitter. More than a touch, but I like hops. As soon as that goes into bottles, and assuming that my wife doesn’t stage some sort of intervention to get the spare apartment space back, I’m practically drooling over a wee heavy kit from South Hills Brewing supply. Then it’s time to start trying my own recipes.
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News about brewing with genetics research yeast: a friend of a friend tells me that he didn’t notice any terrible flavors or deaths when he tried it. Look for updates some time early in the new year. As for the name, CDC Watch List Ale is growing on me. Kudos to everyone who participated.