New Brew Thursday

As of this evening, we will be adding an IPA to our brew bill. Ever since I mistakenly thought I had drunk my first IPA and… wait – you don’t know that story? Oh. Well let me tell you about it. Don’t worry I’ll be brief. I brewed what I thought was an IPA a long time ago. It was my second brew. However, being a kit beer, and adding three pounds of dry malt to the grain bill, I balanced out the hops. I had no idea what I was doing at that point. I just knew I needed to add about three pounds of fermentables to the batch. So I unknowingly created a remarkably well balanced and delicious brew.

So fast forward a few weeks, I went to a BrewPub with some girlfriends (and my insanely hot red-haired wife), and ordered their house IPA. When the lady brought it out, it smelled like flowers, and tasted like weeds. Oh. So this is what an IPA tastes like. Not what I brewed. So I quickly did two things. 1: I changed the label of my beer to an English Brown. And B: I fell in love with the IPA style. I have since set out on a mission to taste as many IPA-style beers as I can find. I have in the last few months tried ten or eleven now. And fortunately for me, the new gas station by my house sells seven different IPA labels. SEVEN.

Back to the present, I think it’s high time I brew an IPA. Now this is a slightly modified recipe I borrowed from a brewing forum. I changed some of the boil times and ingredient amounts. But I’m ready to brew it. And this will be one I keep in the normal rotation. My BrewCloset is nicely stocked right now, with cases of room-temp beer in bottles. As space in the fridge clears out, I put in more of each label. It’s nice to five or six different beer styles in your fridge that you brewed yourself. My buying beer these days is like a few dollars a month instead of a car payment.

Anyway, please welcome Conspiracy Pale Ale to the menu, friends. I’ll probably bottle this one rather than kegging.

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