RCE - Kealia and bucknut

[Kealia]

This got put on gas last night so the carbing has begun!

I'm gone next week Tuesday - Saturday so I may try a small pour next Sunday night just to pull the trub and see how it's going. I don't think it will be fully carbed by then by I should get an idea of what it will be like at that point as it should be close.

Trying to be patient....

[Gymrat]

You will love the simcoe and amarillo combination.

[bucknut]

This got put on gas last night so the carbing has begun!

I'm gone next week Tuesday - Saturday so I may try a small pour next Sunday night just to pull the trub and see how it's going. I don't think it will be fully carbed by then by I should get an idea of what it will be like at that point as it should be close.

Trying to be patient....

It should be close to ready, I could only wait 6 days before I tried one and it was good on the carb, but as always it just keeps getting better.

[Kealia]

After a mini vacation and a crazy schedule. I'm trying this one tonight!

[Kealia]

I pulled the first pint last night and grabbed a quick pic right from the tap:



The color is a hazy orange which is either from the dry-hop or because it was the first pint and later pints will clear. Either way, I'm fine with it.

The aroma is pleasant Amarillo without being over-powering like a DIPA.
The bitterness if very smooth. I'm not sure whether to attribute that to the FWH or the use of Warrior (which I haven't used before). Either way, it's nice.

At first I felt like it needed a bit more hop flavor but as it warmed that became a bit more pronounced. The finish lingers nicely without any pucker-factor.

My first impression is that it may have benefited from a 15-minute addition plus the hop-stand but I will reserve judgement until:
1) I taste another
2) I compare with Steve's version

Right now it seems to be somewhere between an APA and an IPA. Let's see what the next pint delivers tomorrow (when I have time to drink another).

So far, I am pleased. I made beer.

[bucknut]

Looks good Ron, my first couple pours look like that too but by about half way through the keg they were clear and also had an orange hue. I just finished the last of mine, a bomber that I had bottled when I bottled yours and the aroma had faded some but still had plenty of hop flavor. Did you use any water salts?

[BlackDuck]

Looks mighty tasty fellas!!

[Kealia]

Steve,

Yep, I used the spreadsheet and corrected accordingly. I'm always my own worst critic so it's likely fine. I also think my kegerator is running a bit cold so I'm going to let the next pint sit for about 10 minutes to warm up and see what I get. I also think my expectations have been a bit skewed from the DIPAs that I've had over the past few months.

I will be tasting mine with yours this weekend and will post thoughts. Then, I'll be packaging up a few of these to send out to you, Chris, Jeff and Paul for feedback/input as well.

[Kealia]

Steve, did you keep a bottle of yours so you can do a side by side?

[bucknut]

Steve, did you keep a bottle of yours so you can do a side by side?

EEEGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!.......I completely forgot to save one, It was one of those nights when the fridge was bare and I was thirsty and there was that one lonely cold one left. I did take plenty of notes and a pic or two. We may have to try this again, I call do-overs

[Kealia]

LOL!

Here's my take from last night's tastings. They poured an identical color when viewed side by side. The only visible difference is that yours was clear and mine wasn't. Being the first real pint out of this keg I guess I shouldn't be surprised.



I'd have to say that the aroma for both was pretty close if not identical. I was trying really hard to find a difference but I'm not sure that I could:

Scratch 'n' sniff:


Taste: I think I picked up a bit more bitterness in yours but I was having a really hard time trying to tell the difference. Because I'm so critical of my own beers (looking for faults) and so appreciative of what others do (looking for the good) I think I was looking for any difference I could note but I'm not sure it was there.

I went back and forth between the glasses so quickly that they were soon gone and I had a nice buzz from a 7.8% beer and a 6.9% being drank so quickly. What I should have done was have my wife set up a double-blind test so I didn't know which was which so I couldn't be so critical of my own.

I thought at first that mine was lacking a bit of hop flavor, but I didn't feel that way by the end. And tonight, I have another pint of mine in hand and I think it's really good. It has a nice aroma, good hop flavor and a nice lingering on the tongue - just like yours

In the end, I think we made a damn good beer and I take back my comments about it needing a 15-minute addition for flavor.

The pint I have tonight is also much clearer since I bottled a few of these today to send off.

Thanks for the collaboration and I will let you know when I get this out to you (and others).

[Beer-lord]

These look great and sound even better. Congrats guys for a great RCE brew!

[bucknut]

I'm glad yours turned out Ron and I can't wait to try one of yours. I'm real interested to see what the lower abv does for it, I know I kind of wish mine was a little lower on the abv. Sorry about the rookie mistake and drinking all mine first before getting yours, it just kept getting better tasting with every pour and this was my first RCE.

I totally agree, we made a dam good beer and the hop schedules we used on this one I know I'll continue to use with all my ipa's. I've never gotten this much flav/aroma on my ipa's before. This has been fun and wouldn't mind collaborating again with ya on another brew, and I know I'm definitely signing up for the next RCE again.

[FrozenInTime]

Those brewskis look good!

[Inkleg]

Well done guys.