Re: OT: PerlMonks Brewers

[weierophinney]

I've been brewing on and off for seven years now; mostly off the past three years due to having a child (not enough energy to brew when she was in her first year, and not enough eyes and hands since then).

My favorite brew I made I'll never be able to do again. It was some all-grain or partial mash during a home-grown oktoberfest in Montana (my best friend, and later, best man, hails from Berlin), and by the time I got to putting the hops in, I was quite soused. It was a nice amber ale with great aroma... wish one of the designated drivers had been writing down what I was doing!

Another memorable one is from the Joy of Homebrewing, the famous "Goat Scrotum Ale", which was named "Tumultuous Porter" in later editions. It calls for quite a number of optional ingredients, and the first time I made it, I included juniper berries picked while trekking in the Maze District of Canyonlands National Park, fresh grated ginger, and bakers chocolate. 10 days after bottling, it tasted like gin; a month later, it tasted like a ginger beer; a month after that, all chocolate; a month later, an incredible blend of the three.

Then there was the "Mexican Mocha Stout", a nice blend of bakers chocolate, cinnamon, and coffee (yes, coffee!) -- two friends and I finished a case of it one evening without even realizing... Guess my tastes run to dark, huh?

Some day, I'll be able to do it again... maybe when the little girl's big enough to go to friends for sleep overs!