Well I have had a long summer break with not much brewing related happenings.. Largely due to distractions but also partly due to the fact there wasn't much beer ready for drinking. I did drink one of my IPAs I had done quick and easy in PET bottles for the annual camping trip. It was good but not my best. Still more drinkable than the pilsner I had attempted early winter. A few friends described a celery flavour? Not sure how that happened. Maybe I should have boiled the super alpha pellets longer. I still drank all of it and I have to say it improved with age. Either that or I got used to it.

My stout has turned out well. Very rich and creamy. I would have preferred a dryer flavour, it has a mild syrupy almost molasses-like hint of sweetness. Next time I will try some black roasted grain and maybe some hops to add to the bitterness.

Now for the IPA with all those cascade hops. Normally I would wait a little bit longer before trying a beer but I couldn't wait. From initial perspective the beer seems very clear with a lot of sediment. No doubt from all the hop pellets from the dry hopping I did. I didn't have a bag to use but I will likely use one for the next brew with dry hops. This beer was bottled in flip-top bottles which I have found to be rather energetic when opened. A loud pop on opening is always a good sign of a well carbonated beverage. This time there was quite a lot of bubbling. Quite a bit of sediment was stirred up and the beer ended up cloudy in the glass. First thing I noticed was the wonderful aroma of cascade. Exactly what I was trying to achieve with this beer. Tasting the beer made me realise that I had nailed the exact flavour I was looking for too. I am completely stoked. This is easily the best beer I have made. The bitterness is perfect and the flavour is slightly fruity while still having a nice malt flavour. I will make this beer again for sure.

Of course in true home-brew tradition I can't wait to share this beer with all my mates.