Krogdog (sp) comes to Allentown

Matt Krogstad (seen at right as Gene Frenkel) swung through Allentown on his East Coast adventure and good times were had by all. I mention his visit here because if we and Krog are hanging out, there's going to be good beer close by. And damn, was there ever.

Here's the greatest hits of his visit:

Great Divide's Hades Ale - An awesome, yet American-made Belgian pale ale. American brewers usually seem to go too heavy on the added sugar and lose the subtlties, but this beer rocks.

Sierra Nevada Anniversary Ale - Find this limited release IPA while you can. It's got a great hop complexity (grapefruit, apricot, orange) but without a killer bitterness. Easy to drink and tasty.

Allentown Brew Works' Pigtail Ale - A slightly bolder take on the English ESB (extra special bitter) style. The malt profile hits some great caramel and toffee flavors and is topped off by a bit of citrus hops.

Summer Brewing

I've been busy, but not too busy to brew. Here's what's in the works:

S07-1: Apricot Wheat Redux
Brewed 7/14/07

4# Weyermann German Wheat
3.5# Briess Pale 6-Row
.5# Caravienne
.8 oz Crystal Hops (5.1 AA) @ 60 Min
4 oz. Apricot flavor at bottling

Mash @ 150 F
Wyeast Activator 1010 American Wheat
OG: 1.045
FG: 1.007
ABV: 4.7%
IBU: 16

Currently: Bottled and should be ready in a week. Flavor is an interesting mix of sour german wheat, banana, light caramel malt, and apricot


S07-2: Simple Saison
Brewed 8/6/07
9# German Pilsner Malt
1# Caravienne
1# Wheat
1 oz. EKG (5% AA) @ 60 Min
.5 oz. Hallertau (3.2% AA) @ 15 Min
.5 oz. Hallertau (3.2% AA) @ 5 Min
1 Tablespoon of cracked corriander @ 15 Min

Mash @ 150 F
Wyeast Activator 3724 Belgian Saison
SG: 1.056
IBU: 25

Currently: Just transfered to secondary fermentor at 1.016 (high). Tastes like a Belgian pale ale with a light black pepper and spicy hop kick.


Best beer I've had recently: Ayinger Celebator - An awesome dessert beer and only 6.7% abv for a doppelbock. Enjoy this with cake or ice cream, really, it's all good.