Archive for category Photography
Home Brew – Mead. Is. Go.
Posted by bradinator in Beer, Home Brewing, Photography on January 21, 2012
You know last week I would have been happy if the mead finished at anything around 1.030 (which would have been horrifically sweet). Just took a reading and its sitting at 1.011 (11%ABV) and still fermenting like crazy. If it does not stall out over the next 7 days I think its going to hit below 1.000.
Logan’s Birthday Meads are a go!
Home Brew – Meads away.
Posted by bradinator in Beer, Home Brewing, Photography on January 17, 2012
I just kept throwing nutrient and energizer at it and viola! Mead has started up again. I hope the large amount of nutrient and DAP based energizer won’t affect the final flavour of the mead, but even if it does this is going to age for a long, long time. Todays reading was 1.039. It just needs to drop 40 more points and I will be a happy-pappy.
Mother nature has bared her teeth today. Its hard to believe it was +3C on Friday and -38C (with wind) now.
Beer Review – Phillips Longboat Chocolate Flavoured Porter
Posted by bradinator in Beer, Beer Tasting, Photography, Travel on January 5, 2012
Name: Phillips Longboat Chocolate Flavoured Porter
Origin: BC, Canada
Style: Chocolate Porter (5.2%)
Apperance: Nice dark brown, nearly black porter. Big froathy head that shrinks away quickly leaving a tan cream coloured top for the duration of the drink.
Taste: The main aromas are cherries and chocolate. The flavour is very similar, starting with sweet cherries and raisins. It then a sweet chocolate which proceeds to a bitter chocolate and piney hop flavour. Clean finish with just a light aftertaste of chocolate
Mouth Feel: Creamy, very filling and surprisingly refreshing for a porter. Medium body.
Final Thoughts: 4.0/5 – Where most porters are heavy and rich, Longboat akes a different spin on it. It is lighter and very refreshing, but not so much to subdue its fine flavors. Cocoa is very detectable but I am unsure if they used lactose in this batch due to the lighter palette. Nice balance of bitter and sweet.
Donkeys. On a road.
Home Brew – Gravities of Mead and Bitter Ale
Posted by bradinator in Beer, Home Brewing, Photography, Travel on January 4, 2012
I did the first nutrient addition to the mead last night, plus stirred it wildly for about 5 minutes. I added about a 1/2 tablespoon of DAP and Yeast Energizer. This is a few days late, but I believe its better late then never. This morning I continued to stir the mead to remove the CO2 and took a gravity reading which is still showing signs of fermentation; 1.073. Its got a long way to go, but mead is not a rushed brew.
I also took a reading of the Harpy New Years! Bitter ale. Its sitting around 1.020 and appears to still be fermenting. It is probably pretty close to being finished fermenting, but I won’t be touching it until the end of the month.
Another photo my friend took. I believe this is somewhere in Nepal.
Beer Review – Dead Frog’s Toasted Coconut Wit
Posted by bradinator in Beer, Beer Tasting, Photography, Travel on December 21, 2011
Name: Dead Frog’s Toasted Coconut Wit
Origin: BC, Canada
Style: Wheat Ale/Wit (Fruit Beer, 5%)
Apperance: A big fizzy head with great retention. It is a golden, crystal clear wit, with strong carbonation rising.
Taste: A sweet, floral aroma; honey and caramel are detected. Interesting flavour; lemons and herbal notes with a strong presence of spices. Cinnamon, nutmeg and coriander. A floral finish with just a subtle hint of toasted coconut rounding out the rest of this beer.
Mouth Feel: A light bodied, highly carbonated, yet not harsh wit. Refreshing.
Final Thoughts: 4/5 – A very interesting and tasty spin on the Wheat ale. Though I found the coconut to be subtle, it worked well with the sour and spiciness of the wit. The level of clarity for this wit was also quite impressive as they tend to be cloudy from the use of wheat.
Another great landscape shot by my friend
Beer Review – Howe Sounds Father John’s Christmas Ale
Posted by bradinator in Beer, Beer Tasting, Photography, Travel on December 19, 2011
Name: Howe Sounds Father John’s Christmas Ale
Origin: BC, Canada
Style: Spiced/Christmas Ale (7%)
Apperance: A dark brown and red coloured ale that pours with a medium head with decent retention. Clear and very carbonated.
Taste: The aroma is spicy, mainly cloves or cinnamon. The palette is sweet, with notes of caramel, and something that reminds me of molasses and gingerbread cookies. Cloves and cinnamon are also apparent in the flavours. There is a very light bitterness reminiscent of cocoa.
Mouth Feel: It is sharp, but not unpleasantly sharp. Medium bodied and somewhat filling, but that could be due to it coming from a bomber.
Final Thoughts: 4/5 – This is an amazing Christmas ale. Flavourful and aromatic, with a nice balance of spices and sweet malts, Howe Sound’s Father John’s Christmas ale may very well be the best Christmas ale I have ever had. Plus it backs quite the punch (contains high volumes of Christmas cheer)!
My friend's just got back from a backpacking trip around Tibet and Nepal. They gave me permission to post all the amazing photo's they took. I take no credit for any of the Tibet/Nepal photos that will be posted in the coming months!
Beer Review – Whistler Brewing Co. Whiskey Jack Ale
Posted by bradinator in Beer, Beer Tasting, Photography on December 13, 2011
Name: Whistler Brewing Co. Whiskey Jack Ale
Origin: BC Canada
Style: Brown Ale (5%)
Apperance: A gorgeous, crystal clear brown ale with an excellent medium head, fantastic retention. Very carbonated.
Taste: Aroma is very difficult to discern due to the high carbonation. Other than that all I can smell is CO2. The flavour is quite a bit more enjoyable, starting with a sweet caramel flavour, raisins also noted. Definite flavours of grain also. Finishes with a sweet, caramel aftertaste. Overall is a very clean drinking beer. Nice clean and refreshing flavour.
Mouth Feel: Sharp, carbonated and filling. Light bodied.
Final Thoughts: 3.5/5 – The over-carbonation of this beer detracts from its flavours alot. I can tell there is a flavourful brown ale, but its masked by its high volume of CO2. High points for flavour, low for mouth feel.
