Ich bin blau, amigo.
It was Easter Sunday, and the basement was cold amidst clanging church bells. Previous ale batches had been begrudgingly bubbling away at nipple-riffic temperatures. So I figured why not do like the Krauts...lager! Well, since our lagering fridge is on the fritz, we did a pseudo-lager. You might even say this one is a dig at Corona. The two secret Mexican ingredients were blue corn and agave nectar ( a pound of each). The baby blue cornmeal was made into polenta the night before, which transformed it into a lavender mass of gelatinous Iron Chef-worthy weirdness once refrigerated. The amber agave nectar is an unrefined syrup extracted from that most famous cactus of Mexico. It tasted very sweet and corn syrupy, with a slight note of tequila. It would go in at knockout.
Now to Deutschland. The heart of the grist was German pils and a couple pounds of Munich malt. The hops of the day were German Saphir (sapphire) which weighed in at a measly 4.4% alpha acid content. With only four ounces to work with, they would require a 105-minute boil to achieve the projected 33 IBUs of total bitterness. They smelled like Hallertau to me with a little citrus. Nice.
The mash went off without incident, although the polenta remained mostly in small clumps of purple dumplings even with the most rigorous stirring. Sadly, our efficiency was quite low, and the long boil was fortified with a cup of light DME in the later minutes to bring it close to its 1.05 target. It was tenderly impregnated with a very potent but un-bohemian Chico yeast courtesy of DuClaw Brewing Co. My hopes are for a crisp, slightly stinky cream pilsner which will spend a long time in the fridge after fermentation. Lime wedges are optional, but a bikini is required.
It was Easter Sunday, and the basement was cold amidst clanging church bells. Previous ale batches had been begrudgingly bubbling away at nipple-riffic temperatures. So I figured why not do like the Krauts...lager! Well, since our lagering fridge is on the fritz, we did a pseudo-lager. You might even say this one is a dig at Corona. The two secret Mexican ingredients were blue corn and agave nectar ( a pound of each). The baby blue cornmeal was made into polenta the night before, which transformed it into a lavender mass of gelatinous Iron Chef-worthy weirdness once refrigerated. The amber agave nectar is an unrefined syrup extracted from that most famous cactus of Mexico. It tasted very sweet and corn syrupy, with a slight note of tequila. It would go in at knockout.
Now to Deutschland. The heart of the grist was German pils and a couple pounds of Munich malt. The hops of the day were German Saphir (sapphire) which weighed in at a measly 4.4% alpha acid content. With only four ounces to work with, they would require a 105-minute boil to achieve the projected 33 IBUs of total bitterness. They smelled like Hallertau to me with a little citrus. Nice.
The mash went off without incident, although the polenta remained mostly in small clumps of purple dumplings even with the most rigorous stirring. Sadly, our efficiency was quite low, and the long boil was fortified with a cup of light DME in the later minutes to bring it close to its 1.05 target. It was tenderly impregnated with a very potent but un-bohemian Chico yeast courtesy of DuClaw Brewing Co. My hopes are for a crisp, slightly stinky cream pilsner which will spend a long time in the fridge after fermentation. Lime wedges are optional, but a bikini is required.
OG=1.054 IBU=34 SRM=5
