Miscellaneous Musings: Big Beer Burnout and Bottles

The weather is getting progressively warmer and I'm officially suffering from what I call "Big Beer Burnout." Although Colorado's spate of April snowstorms provided cold nights of inspiration for bottles of warming Barleywine, Quad and Tripel, I'm ready to shift gears to lighter beers. Heavy, alcohol-laden brews have officially fallen off my radar.

I have quite a few of my big beers left that I can store in the cellar until Winter. I'll drink and write Out of the Cellar blogs about them when the cold returns. With that in mind, nearly two cases of my big beers from this year and last have been boxed up and put into cool storage.

Unfortunately, this leads me to my latest dilemma: bottles. A few months ago I recycled a huge quantity of them. The reason I did it, is because I had just re-inherited several cases of old-school returnable and swing-top bottles from my brother. I figured that with those in the fold, I was never, ever going to fill every bottle I had. Why let them take up space in the closet?

Oops.

Sticking two cases of beer in the cellar put a major dent in my bottle inventory. I now have four cases of beer on the way and (you guessed it) am almost two cases short on bottles. Of course, I'll just buy some of my favorite commercial beers and reuse their bottles. But it also means that I get to experience the "joy" of removing beer labels...again.

So please. If you see me headed to the recycling center. Stop me before it's too late.

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Birthday Brewing: Dark Session Saison

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Out of the Cellar: Old Man's Chest

2014 I can't believe it's been a year since I bottled my last Old Ale . I suppose time flies while you're having fun. Anyway, it's time to see what's taken place in the last 12 months. Things have changed quite a bit the last 12 months. First off, the flavors meld better than they did before. This is still a complex flavored beer, but the balance of the different pieces is more cohesive. Bitterness has faded just a bit, but still carries the black tea bite that was there before. 2013 The rum-like qualities have really cut through with time. There's an almost vinous quality to the beer that wasn't around before. This is especially true in the nose. A slightly heavy body persists that is drier than before. The beer finishes with lingering toffee and rum flavors. Overall, I'm quite happy with how this beer aged. I'd still tweak the recipe if I brewed it again, but time has made for a much more cohesive brew.

Colorado Kitchen Brew

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