Hive Door Ale (Batch 02)

Of the brews I have brewed so far, Hive Door has received the best reception. Therefore, I decided to brew up another batch. This will be my first time trying to replicate. Luckily, I took good notes the first go.

This time I didnt do the partial mash steeping (in a sock) style. I actually mashed the adjuncts. Also, I only used 12 oz honey, versus 16 oz (slight foul). Despite that, I gained a few points on my original gravity. This time: 1.070 (vs. 1.067).

I had to use slightly different hops as well, though comparable, and amounts the same. I did use a plug of Saaz this time, versus pellets.

Here is a video taken during the last 15 minutes of the boil!!!!



Same White Labs Trappist yeast was pitched. Has been fermenting now for 6 days, mainly around 66 degrees. First batch fermented a bit higher, in the 68/70 range, but it has been cold here... Has been steady bubbling, and that same banana split aroma was everywhere a day after fermentation began, so it's on the right track.

Brewed on Sat, Dec 13
Racked on Sun, Dec 21
Bottled on Thu, Jan 8

Dragon Door tasting

Dragon Door Ale - Dec 10 (26 days in bottle)

Appearance - Awesome hand-width head; great retention; nice amber, gold brew, basically see-through; a few slow moving particles, trace of gelatin

Smell - Huge hop aroma, Saaz and more Saaz

Taste/Mouthfeel - Smooth nose, thin malt, almost like a lager, or steam beer, into hoppy bang on buds anticipated by the aroma - an extra notch of bitterness hangs on, possibly from the overly-steeped tea - a little strange, but not terrible, just apparent; some slight spicy tang rounds it up, citrusy, ginger, grapefruity, almost lemony to a point...

Drinkability - With its 4.5% alc/vol, it is definitely the best contender for steady drinking that I have yet brewed... I put half of this batch into a Party Pig keg and it was nice drinking it from the keg. Came out super clear... That said, I already have a number of ideas that I think will make this a better brew. Also, flavor-wise it has improved with a bit of mellowing in the bottle, though the kegged portion didnt last too long.