Time to Get Serious

Tomorrow, I brew! It's been a while so I can't wait to get at it again. I've kegged my last batch from last brewing season (for me, brewing stops in the summer) which I've renamed December Lager since its nothing like a pilsner like it was suppose to be (more on that later). I was coming back from running an errand in Lansing so I stopped by the Michigan Brewing Co and picked up 50lbs of 2-row and some rye malt. I'm going to attempt an Imperial Rye P. A. This will be me first attempt at a high gravity beer, so it will be a challenging way to start off the brewing season. I'm hoping to get a barrel to age it in as well. The barrel age rye from Founders I had a the Michigan Brewers Guild Summer Beerfest was amazing. The beer below is the December Lager (aka Mystery Pils), kind of dark for a pilsner huh?

Beerfest and Barley Harvest

The Michigan Brewers Guild Summer Beerfest was last weekend and was a great time as always. We really do live in a great beer state. The selection was amazing. I was big on trying the bourbon barrel beers which Founder's had two stunning examples of. Rye P.A's were a new one to me with several example present (I can't remember who was brewing them...) that I really liked. I think my next batch is going to be an imperial rye P.A. Great job to everyone who was involved with the fest. The next day I harvested my barley. More on that later, including how a scythe just fell into my lap (figuratively of course, otherwise I would still be in the hospital).

Two sheaves of barley.