Super-Secret-Surprise Beer!

Ok, so as I mentioned before, I was planning on brewing a new super-secret-surprise beer last weekend. Well, things got a little crazy, so I wasn't able to do it this weekend. However, since I didn't have class yesterday until 7pm, I changed the schedule to do it then! So, it is now bubbling away happily in the fermenter.

I wish I could tell you more about this beer, but unfortunately, it's a surprise! So, you'll just have to wait! It will be ready in about two months, so I know it will be a bit of a long wait, but I promise to divulge more information about it as time goes on.

I will say that the brewday went really well. I almost had a boilover after I added the malt extract (I don't know what it is about Dry Malt Extract, but it just seems to always want to boil over!), but, because I was paying super close attention to this batch, I was able to narrowly avoid that. Other than that, it was a relatively quite brew session. I had to do a yeast starter for this beer (because the gravity is slightly higher), and I was afraid that I had a bad batch of yeast. The last time I did a yeast starter, the yeast was a lot more active than it was this time. After I pitched it into this batch, though, it took off like a rocket. It's the closest I've come to needing a blowoff tube for all of the foam produced by fermentation!

I'm really excited about this beer. It ended up weighing in at about 1.064, meaning it will most likely reach about 6.8-7% ABV (though there's no real way to tell until it's done fermenting). That's a little higher than the last batch of Waldo Lake Amber Ale.

Speaking of the WLAA, I got impatient and tried a bottle of it yesterday as the beer was cooling. It wasn't quite done carbonating yet, but it was close. I must say, it is reeeeeaaally good! I hope my sister likes it (since she'll be getting a lot of it)! I'll post tasting notes for that after it is completely done. I probably won't do it, though, until my sister has had a chance to try it. Since she's the one I'm brewing it for, I thought it would only be fitting for her to have some input on the tasting notes.

Anyway, I guess it's time to go. Bis Dann!