Hey folks, I am back from holiday! After 50 days without a beer, it was a real treat to get home and see how the hazy had conditioned.
First impressions? Huge mango and guava aromas. The taste is mostly mango, though. Next time, I will probably tone it down by using fewer hops, just two or three instead of four fruity ones. That way the flavours will come through more clearly.
Holiday update: managed to lose two stone and got the blood pressure down (win!). But let us be honest, you can’t go on holiday and live like a monk. There was plenty of great cask ale and amazing food, so I definitely indulged. I am back for three weeks before heading off again, so trying to eat and drink a bit more sensibly at home… although I had to try the hazy pale ale. If it were a dud, I’d just dump it and rebrew, but luckily it turned out pretty tasty! Made a little video for YouTube too, so if your over there a quick watch or a like, share or a sub would be grand. If you are not into mango, it might not be your pint, but I’ve already had 3 or 4 and enjoyed every one.
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| KNASH - TROPICAL HAZY PALE ALE |
Oh, and almost forgot with all the hazy excitement… I’ve got a German style pilsner lagering away in the keg. Could not resist a sample, and wow, it’s super clean and really lovely. Funny enough, the only link between both brews? Tesco Ashbeck water!
Next up, I will be brewing again once the hazy’s bottled or kegged. Loving the Fermzilla for dry hopping and transfers. It makes things so much easier. Got to balance it all with looking after my health though: no big drinking sessions, keep the exercise going (as long as the knee behaves!).
On the work front, there is some overtime going, but I’ll have to skip the next couple of chances. Got car repairs before the MOT and then a doctor’s visit on Monday for the double jab (flu + covid). Do not fancy ignoring it and shuffling off this mortal coil just yet, I have got too many beers left to brew! Honestly, I wish Fermzilla made a 15L version so we could all do 10L batches.
Anyway, I have rambled enough. I will sign off by saying this: with the hazy, I changed too many things at once. New fermenter, new water, new software, new hops. Makes it impossible to know what really worked. Classic rookie mistake! We always tell new brewers: change one thing at a time so you can learn from it. Guess I need to take my own advice, even after all these years.
Cheers,
Marko 🍻
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