The joy of beer

I’m currently enjoying a glass of Arcadia Ales’ Amber Ale, an excellent ale from the Arcadia Brewing Company (warning: crappy browsing experience) in Battle Creek. It will soon be chased by a New Holland Sundog Ale brewed in Holland (Michigan). Why the dopey post about microbrews?

Because I had to pour out five gallons of partially fermented ale when the foaming brew clogged the airlock, allowing the CO2 to build up enough pressure to blow the lid of the fermentor. I figure the beer was exposed to the open basement air for about 12 to 16 hours; not a good thing for maturing beer. I can’t brew another batch until Saturday at the earliest and my last batch won’t condition until at least the 16th. So I drown my sorrows in good beer from others, pretending my batch would have been as good as either of them. Ah, the brutality of failure.


Comments

3 responses to “The joy of beer”

  1. Actually, the Magic Hat brewery in South Burlington, VT uses open fermentation for their beers. I visited the brewery and took a tour about 6 or 7 years ago and was surprised to see these giant containers uncovered. Now I know little to nothing about brewing beer, but I don't know what “health” implications that has?

  2.  Avatar
    Anonymous

    Really? That would be cool to see. Considering this was my third batch, I'm not ready to risk it by plowing forward. Maybe if I had an expert brewer friend on speed-dial, but my mind does the (probably flawed) logical path of: bucket was seal with airlock to prevent air, air was let in, therefore the batch is spoiled.So, this wouldn't be The Dawes, would it now?

  3. Yes it is, The Dawes. I've been enjoying the blog, keep up the good work. I haven't been gaming in a while, but if you would like to catch up sometime you can contact me via Xfire or email.

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