Tuesday, February 5, 2008

State of the Fermentation

I am pleased to report there is good news on all fronts. Tonight, I made 6 gallons of wine using Bergamais grape juice from California. It will be very similar to a French Beaujolais, but can't be called that because the French have exclusive rights to the name. Anyway, I plan to age all 30 bottles on toasted oak, and possibly spice a few.

The Warpharin Ale has finished clearing and tastes superb. It finished at a modest 1.010 (two points better than expected) making the ABV 4.84%. It will be a lovely session beer - perfect for those marathon band practices. The beer has a medium malty character with a nice hop presence, but low in bitterness. The color is a rich amber. Also, brown sugar lightens the body somewhat giving it a "snappier" feel.

The Winter Warmer has been happily aging for a couple of months, but still needs a good dose of spices. I'm still debating what to spice it with...


The Bergamais just prior to pitching the yeast.


The Warpharin Ale (front) and The Winter Warmer (back)


Hydrometer reading on the Warpharin Ale

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nice photo of the hydrometer. I got a feeling that Warpharin Ale is going to be very tasty.

Unknown said...

Oh, sweet, I didn't know you were doing wine!

Anonymous said...

Love the hydrometer photo Keith! Brae

Keith Shank said...

Thanks for the feedback - I love to take pictures in the dark! By the way, the wine is fermenting very well, even though it's bit chilly at 60ºF.