Out of the Bottle: A Dog Bit My Enkel

The beer that began life at a brewing party has finished fermenting and bottle conditioning. My estimated Final Gravity for this beer was 1.011. It came in a hair lower at 1.010. The ABV is a modest 5.4%.

To say this beer wasn't brewed in a controlled environment would be a mild understatement. It's easy to get distracted from the task at hand with a bunch of friends around. Once I got it home, fermentation took place at a relatively consistent temp of 70F. As I previously reported, the yeast I used worked fast. The final gravity was lower than I expected, given this yeast's reputation.

Enkel pours a hazy amber hue. The head is small, but firm and leaves nice lace. The nose has a lot of fruity esters from the yeast in the form of banana and bubblegum. Caramel, pepper and cut grass are there too. In the mouth, caramel and plum sweetness from the CaraVienne and Special B malts is out front. Bitterness is about what I expected. My goal was a good sweet/bitter balance and I got it right. The hops carry the spicy kick I expect from Saaz. The body is heavier than I was expecting; given my use of candy sugar, but still fairly light. The beer is extremely dry.

Overall, I'm pleased with how this beer turned out. I have no idea if this qualifies as a "true" Abbey Enkel, but I'm enjoying it. In the end, that's all that matters.

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