The Next Step II

There's the label for my amber. Not too thrilled with the beer, but I know exactly what to do to make it better, and that's a step forward.


So the next step is kicking off tomorrow when I brew a mini batch of American pale ale. I was planning on waiting until after my trip to Portland to brew a wheat, but then I got worried whether my grains would still be good at that point. I was advised that they're already past their expiration date, as they came pre-crushed and have been in the fridge over a month, and I might want to toss them. But instead I just thought I would brew up a half batch and make it my first brew-in-a-bag AG batch. Sort of a trial run, if you will. If I still have to throw it out, well, I'll have learned something in the process at least.


This evening I'm trying a bottle of a Sankt Gallen pale ale, which I've not seen before.

 I may have mentioned Sankt Gallen before. They're located in Yokohama. I'm a big fan of their 'XPA' (their word for a double IPA), but little else that I've had from them. In my opinion, they're all fairly middling. The pale ale is along the lines of the XPA, however, and I think that these styles are really where their strength lies. Fresh, crisp, liberally hopped ales with a great malt-bitter balance. I hope they keep pumping out these beers, and in the meantime, keep doing their homework on other styles.

I'm on to a Baird pale ale now, which, next to the Sankt Gallen is quite a bit meatier and consequently less crisp. A great beer, but just different. Actually my first impression of the SG was that it smelled like a pilsner. Gonna be nice come August, I'll bet.

Keep it here for more on my first AG batch, as well as my trip to the beer Valhalla known as Portland, Oregon.