I started getting into the groove in 2001. I began experimenting a little more, finding out what worked and what didn’t, and created a couple of fantastic beers in the process.

  • Emancipator Doppelbock
    ★★★★★
    OG: 1.080
    FG: 1.020
    ABV: 7.9%

    Big and malty with flavors of noble hops. Slightly warming with alcohol. An excellent doppelbock.

  • Cocoa Brown Ale
    ★★★
    OG: 1.059
    FG: 1.011
    ABV: 6.3%

    Bittersweet from chocolate, malts, and lactose. Finish is strong with bitter cocoa. Overall: not bad.

  • Peat-Smoked Ale
    ★★★★
    OG: 1.056
    FG: 1.015
    ABV: 5.4%

    I actually made two half-sized batches – each using a different yeast. One used a Scottish ale yeast and the other an English ale yeast. Both started out intensely smokey, but toned down with age. The Scottish batch has a bready, malty sweetness with noticable, but not overpowering, smoke aroma and flavor. The English batch is a little more bitter with more hop flavor, has less smoke aroma and flavor, and has a more complex malt profile with flavors of caramel and chocolate. The English batch is nectar!

  • Four Grain Ale
    ★★★★★
    OG: 1.055
    FG: 1.016
    ABV: 5.1%

    Very cloudy gold appearance. Hoppy and bitter combined with a wonderful, chewy wheat flavor. Has a big wheat aroma and a dry finish. The hops provide a citrus tone that goes well with the wheat flavor (similar to a weizen with a wedge of lemon – but hoppier).

  • Summer Ale
    ★★★
    OG: 1.051
    FG: 1.010
    ABV: 5.4%

    A “California Common” ale (a la Anchor Steam Beer). Very bitter and hoppy and finishes very dry. The hops are citrusy and grapefruity, and the malt, though noticeable, is a bit overpowered by the hops (hence only three stars).

  • White Ale
    ★★★
    OG: 1.050
    FG: 1.011
    ABV: 5.1%

    The intent was a Belgian Wit. The result didn’t quite hit the mark. The appearance is dead on – it is indistinguishable from Blue Moon White when poured into adjacent glasses. The spices (bitter orange peel and coriander) are a little weak, but detectable. The real artifact that deviates from the style is the hoppiness. There is a too much hop aroma, flavor, and bitterness.

  • Cream Stout
    ★★★★
    OG: 1.044
    FG: 1.010
    ABV: 4.5%

    There were hints of solvent-like alcohol in the aroma that, luckily, faded with a few weeks age. The brew is sweet and roasty. Hints of coffee, lots of roasted grain flavors, and sweet flavor from tip to back of the tongue thanks to the addition of lactose sugar.

  • Georgian Oktoberfest
    ★★★
    OG: 1.057
    FG: 1.012
    ABV: 5.9%

    Cloudy orange/amber appearance. Malty with a fair amount of noble hop spiciness and bitterness (more than a typical Oktoberfest). It is also a little fruity tasting (a lager yeast was used, but it fermented at ale temperatures). There was also a little solvent-like taste which, thankfully, went away after a few weeks age.

  • Chocolate Maple Porter
    ★★★★
    OG: 1.064
    FG: 1.017
    ABV: 6.2%

    Robust porter with maple syrup in the aroma and bittersweet chocolate in the flavor. A little too much cocoa and lactose, but still a nice porter. The maple aroma is a bit timid, but detectable. A little better than my previous attempt at a beer with chocolate and maple (the Cocoa Brown Ale).

  • Holiday Ale
    ★
    OG: 1.066
    FG: 1.012
    ABV: 7.1%

    A very spicy winter ale – a bit too spicy. Spruce in the aroma and a heavy dose of ginger and spice in the flavor. The spices, unfortunately, cover up the malts and hops. To make matters worse, the beer is a light brown with a very heavy cloudiness – not attractive when poured into a glass. My brother-in-law (who was just “my sister’s boyfriend” at the time) enjoyed it, and so did I – but few others. I think the recipe could use a few improvements.

  • Cherry Stout
    ★★★★★
    OG: 1.061
    FG: 1.016
    ABV: 5.9%

    An excellent stout with a some cherries in the aroma and very subdued sweet & sour cherries lurking in the flavor. A little more cherries would have been even better, but this did turn out quite nicely.