Happy Birthday Bourbon Vanilla Imperial Porter!

On January 11, 2009, I remember what I did – I bottled my then recently crafted bourbon vanilla imperial porter (BVIP). Today, on January 11, 2010 I will drink it. Some time last year, when I started brewing some bigger beers, I made it a policy to age a few bottles of anything over 7.5% abv. Most of this BVIP has long ago been quaffed, but a few bottles remain. After tonight there shall be one fewer.

Appearance

Pours silky black with one finger of quickly dissipating tan head. Some foam lingers through the whole session, but with very little lacing. Some ruby and mahogony tones show through when held up to the light.

Aroma

This beer smells old! Quite a good dose of leather, with chocolate and vanilla playing too. Makes me want to drink it. As the beer warms, roasted – almost smoked – cashews come into the nose.

Taste

This is a complex brew. Leather and dark rummy fruit – maybe figs. Roasty. Some bitter sweet chocolate in there too. I made it, so I know the bourbon and vanilla are there, but the aging has really moved them into the far background and they serve to add to the complexity. I am happy with that result to be sure. Upon warming, this beer has an almost port like quality. Port aged in a catcher’s mitt that is.

Mouthfeel

Fairly light for a beer this big. Not overly creamy like a stout, but smooth. No perception of the 8.6% abv at all – thanks to the 365 days in the bottle no doubt.

I’m really pleased with this beer and with this aging experiment. I’ve got two more bombers of this bad boy and will endeavor to have one of them left on its 2^nd birthday.

The 9 Yards Wee Heavy

At long last, here are the first official tasting notes for The 9 Yards Wee Heavy...and the first post having anything to do with co-namesake of this blog: beer. Right out of the gate, the beer is still not fully carbed. Much better than the bottle I tried a week and a half ago, but still not there...Fighting urge to spend Anna's college money on a kegging system...on to the notes:

Appearance

No head or lacing, with only minimal effervescence visible. In the glass, the beer is a handsome chestnut brown with just touch of haze. My personal preference would be to go a couple shades darker next time.

Aroma

Hmmm…what is that sweet smell…it’s almost bready...oh, yeah, it’s malt! And lots of it. There are some subtleties in there too, maybe peat or moist earth, hints of alcohol, maybe caramelized sugars. It’s hard to nail down in the absence of the wafting effects of proper carbonation.

Taste

Sweet malts dominate the first quarter. Caramelized sugars are also definitely present, along with hints of butterscotch (which given our low ferment temps must be coming from the caramelization boil and not from diacetyl). A very nice hop presence late in the game – not enough to taste per se, but enough bitterness to balance the otherwise dominant malt. Some of what I’m perceiving as bitterness here could be fusel alcohols which may tame w/ aging. Time will tell.

Overall, fairly straightforward at this young age. Maybe some complexity will come with proper aging though. Dangerously drinkable for a 9.2% abv concoction. A little heat in the gut about half-way through the glass. Bring on your so-called "arctic surge" Canada!

Mouthfeel

Silky smooth, even in its under-carbed, adolescent state. This will only improve with a little more time (as will the beer in general).

I know my next post was supposed to feature beer...

I know my next post was supposed to feature beer. But alas, things come up. I'm working at home this afternoon because Becky has a doctor's appointment. Anna woke up from her nap and came down to find me. She wanted to work on a new puzzle she got for Christmas...a 63 piece affair. A formidable foe for the 3-year old! I got her all set-up and settled back into my work - reading about Probabilistic Quality Control using Non-Destructive Evaluation (thrilling stuff!). About two minutes into the project, I hear a small voice - not necessarily talking to me, more just thinking out loud - say, "I think this game is for kids to do with adults." I couldn't help but laugh. I tried to balance helping and reading. In the end the puzzle won and she lost interest.

Keep an eye out for tasting notes for The 9 Yards...

Expectations

After Christmas in Sheridan with my parents, we went to Greeley on New Year’s Eve to spend some time with Becky’s family. It was a quick transition between our two families, and I just realized this morning that I needed to adjust my expectations a little bit. I’m not convinced expectations is the right word – assumptions or even agenda seem like reasonable alternatives, but I’ll go with expectations.

My parents cleared their schedules and took over Anna for the whole week we were there. Becky and I had to vie for time with her. We still did the routine stuff like wipe her butt and tuck her in at night, but other than that, we were pretty hands off. Here, there is so much going on during the days, it feels like Anna is in the way – and that Becky and I still have regular duties as parents. I didn’t realize this until this morning. I was still in the do-my-own-thing mode. But then I noticed Anna seeking out attention and I noticed Grandma making efforts to keep Anna occupied with more stuff (instead of more attention). At first this saddened me. Maybe that’s legitimate. Maybe that’s just how it is here, and that in fact would be consistent with our previous (pre-kid) experiences. Both set’s of grandparents love Anna (and us), I have no doubt about that. They just have different lives and interact with her differently – and therefore I need to remember to adjust my expectations and my agenda for how our time at the grandparent's house will go. I have no basis or reason to judge which is better – I can see benefits to both. This holiday season presented us with a really quick turn-around between families. And an opportunity to take another step on the parental learning curve.

p.s. I fully expect my next post to have to do with beer – Brian and I have a big tasting day coming up on 1/7/2010: The 9 Yards Wee Heavy should be ready!

Christmas vacation is a great time to fire up the blog

Sometimes, I want to share a couple photos or thoughts with friends and family, so I end up sending out an email...or more often doing nothing at all. Other times I just want to tap out some thoughts to help myself process something, so I end up with these random journal pages floating around on my desktop. So, why not start a blog? I just turned 29 and am still taking advantage of the glorious institution that is Christmas Vacation. We're in Wyoming, so it's butt cold outside. Grandma and Grandpa are more than happy to keep Anna occupied. So what better time than now? The stars are aligned like never before - and to be sure, like they may never be again. So here we go...lets get to blogging.

Plus, Becky and I just watched Julie and Julia, and not to spoil the story, but setting up a blog worked out pretty good for her. Maybe this will be my big break and I'll be blogging from the beer garden outside my very own brewery next Christmas....or maybe I'll be a one entry wonder. Stay tuned readers.