There were only a few Hump’s beers crafted in the year 2003. This is because during much of 2003 I was brewing a lot of beers from kits. I usually don’t like to brew from kits, but my father-in-law wanted to brew together and had found a lot of kits he really liked from WindRiver Brewing Company. Admittedly, their kits were very good and very reasonably priced.

  • Honey Butter Brew
    ★★★
    OG: 1.055
    FG: 1.013
    ABV: 5.3%

    A Northern English Brown ale with honey and molasses. The title came from what I imagined the brew might taste like while I crafted the recipe. However, in 2003, my recipe formulation skills were not finely enough honed to create a recipe that realizes the flavors I imagine. Not much honey flavor and no butter flavor (which would have come from the impurities in the molasses), but a decent, malty session beer nevertheless.

  • Hellishly Hopped Ale
    ★★★★★
    OG: 1.067
    FG: 1.016
    ABV: 6.4%

    One of my all-time favorite homebrews. This was my first attempt at formulating a beer with over 60 IBUs (the recipe suggests the beer would be at 70 IBUs). The final product did not taste “hellishly hopped”, but I kept the name anyways because it sounded catchy. The final product reminded me of Three Floyds Alpha King or Victory Hop Devil (though it may not have been quite as bitter as either). It had a firm bitterness, a pleasant combination of fruit, citrus, and malts, and a mesmerizingly complex malt profile.

  • Baltic Porter
    ★★★★★
    OG: 1.072
    FG: 1.022
    ABV: 6.4%

    Another one of my all-time favorite homebrews. When I formulated the recipe, I had just read an article about Baltic Porters that included some sample recipes. I used input from those plus my own over-active imagination to craft an original recipe. Despite the fact that I had never even had a Baltic Porter at that time, it turns out that I made a damn fine one. I basically crafted up a strong porter recipe and then used a lager yeast. The result was superb and sublime: roasted flavors, lots of sweet malts, hints of hops, a full body, and an overall great flavor – from start to finish.