Spanky's Place :: Anvil Ale, part 3

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Anvil Ale, part 3

Category Beer

I sampled some of the Dark Anvil Ale today. It came out really good, with a light hoppy finish. I'm a little worried about the head though.

The beer itself is a very dark amber color, almost like a porter. It has a light flavor, similar to most American style ales, but is also very rich, creamy, and smooth like a stout. There is no bitterness at all, I think the decision to use the Willemette hops was a good one.

However, the carbonation isn't what I had hoped for. When poured into the glass, the beer seems almost completely flat, unless I "glorp" (when you pour too fast, and the bottle makes that sound momentarily as the air rushes in to fill the bottle) it when I pour.

I spoke with Chuck down at his shop, and after verifying that I had used the correct amount of priming sugar (3/8 cup for this batch), he suggested that I just give it another couple of weeks in the bottle before worrying about it.

So that is what I'm going to do.

-Devin.

Posted by Devin Olson On 11/14/2004 | Permalink

Comments

1 - This is just a WAG, Devin, but at 6.9% the yeasty beasties are starting to feel a bit wobbly-kneed themselves. The carbonation is going to take a bit longer than usual; longer still, of course, if there's much in the way of acid (usually comes across as fruity notes -- this is not in any way related to the production of fine malt vinegar). If you can't wait, keeping a few bottles a few degrees warmer than normal can speed it up a bit, but you'll lose a bit of refinement in the overall flavour.

You know, for a guy who hasn't had a drop in nigh on twenty years (I had my share -- I just had it all at the same sitting), I can still remember a lot of this stuff pretty well. I may have swilled way too much, but I took it awfully seriously.

Posted by Stan Rogers At 06:32:40 PM On 12/09/2004 | - Website - |