dopplebock
I’m definitely getting around to some things I’ve been “meaning to do” for a while. One such item involves taking more complete advantage of the natural beauty around me – Few things beat getting off the grid for a couple days and out in the woods. Last fall, I finally drug the tent out in late October. It was getting a bit cold for sleeping comfortably, but I’m glad I did it. Now, on the first day of Spring, I think it’s a good time to publicly declare a goal of getting out at least once a month to camp, hike, or float a river.
The other item I’m checking off a longtime list is getting into the homebrew arena. Applied microbiology and biochemistry at its finest. I gave up beer for Lent this year (of course, with the stipulation that I could still enjoy green, dark, and amber beer on Saint Patrick’s Day, which I did). About a week in, I was already contemplating what the first beer I was going to drink on Easter was. At this point, the Shiner Commemorator was in the lead, but in a flash of inspiration, I realized that if I started making my own beer now, it would be ready by Easter and I could celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ with copious amounts of my own brew!
I consulted a buddy who used to brew pretty regularly – he dug up recipes for a Scottish Ale, an amber, and a dopplebock. We decided on the Bock – which is appropriate. Unbeknownst to us at the time, Bock was traditionally brewed for special occasions, often religious festivals such as Christmas, Easter or Lent. Bocks have a long history of being brewed and consumed by Roman Catholic monks in Germany. During Lenten fasts, high-gravity Bock beers provided sustenance period. Apparently, doppelbock synonyms include Fastenbier (“Lenten beer”) and Starkbier (“strong beer”). Pretty Excited. If you are interested in reading more about the style of beer, here you go.
Lots of malt going on. We used three varieties (chocolate malt, German Munich Malt, and Caraveinne). Not too hoppy, just a tough of Hallertauer and Williamette.
On a related note, Shiner just started their own independent music label. Interesting.
Looking forward to testing it out. I’ll let y’all know when it’s done. Any suggestions for naming it? Have five gallons fermenting away. We’re going to put most of it in a keg, but I’m going to bottle some as well. Hell, if you’re bored, send me ideas for a bottle label and I’ll use it. Here are a few pics of the process.
