Inspiration and Ideas
During 2015-2016, I worked on three categories of beer:
The first is my American (India) Pale Ale Iteration Series: The idea behind this series is to experiment with producing a light coloured, yet hoppy, full flavoured and mid ABV American Pale Ale. The challenges associated with this category are many. I find that light coloured, mid-ABV beer mixed with a slew of hops has the potential for quickly becoming an unbalanced mess, leaning rightfully towards notes of grass and unnecessary levels of bitterness. There's also the greater potential for oxidation with these beers. So I'll be working on my handling of the beer from brew day to bottling to ensure that the beer meets as little oxygen as possible. I'm hoping to slowly make my way to what I truly want out of this series - a balanced golden (India) Pale Ale with hops bursting out of the glass.
The second is my Left Fields Farmhouse Saison and Sour Ale Series. The idea behind this series is to explore saison yeast strains (along with mixed fermentation), the production of sour ales, brewing techniques, malt composition and water profiles, initially within the context of the farm I was living on in Sorrento, B.C. - Left Fields Farms. At first, what this meant, was that I hoped to experiment with, and include fruits and other ingredients in my beers as they come into season on the farm - giving a stronger context and sense of place to the beer. This series has changed since moving back to Vancouver, emphasizing yeast, process and aging. The naming of this series, most recently, has been updated to reflect the use (or lack of) Brett in the final product. If the beer is clean then it will be A, and if its fermented/ aged on brett, it will be B.
The third series is my CopyCat Series. All recipes in this series are from external sources (e.g. AHA Gold medal recipes, BYO recipes, recipes from other online sources). My hope is to learn what these brewers are doing so well, and if I can incorporate anything from their style into mine.
Any other beer I make will be under the category of Other Beers.
The first is my American (India) Pale Ale Iteration Series: The idea behind this series is to experiment with producing a light coloured, yet hoppy, full flavoured and mid ABV American Pale Ale. The challenges associated with this category are many. I find that light coloured, mid-ABV beer mixed with a slew of hops has the potential for quickly becoming an unbalanced mess, leaning rightfully towards notes of grass and unnecessary levels of bitterness. There's also the greater potential for oxidation with these beers. So I'll be working on my handling of the beer from brew day to bottling to ensure that the beer meets as little oxygen as possible. I'm hoping to slowly make my way to what I truly want out of this series - a balanced golden (India) Pale Ale with hops bursting out of the glass.
The second is my Left Fields Farmhouse Saison and Sour Ale Series. The idea behind this series is to explore saison yeast strains (along with mixed fermentation), the production of sour ales, brewing techniques, malt composition and water profiles, initially within the context of the farm I was living on in Sorrento, B.C. - Left Fields Farms. At first, what this meant, was that I hoped to experiment with, and include fruits and other ingredients in my beers as they come into season on the farm - giving a stronger context and sense of place to the beer. This series has changed since moving back to Vancouver, emphasizing yeast, process and aging. The naming of this series, most recently, has been updated to reflect the use (or lack of) Brett in the final product. If the beer is clean then it will be A, and if its fermented/ aged on brett, it will be B.
The third series is my CopyCat Series. All recipes in this series are from external sources (e.g. AHA Gold medal recipes, BYO recipes, recipes from other online sources). My hope is to learn what these brewers are doing so well, and if I can incorporate anything from their style into mine.
Any other beer I make will be under the category of Other Beers.