BrewBrain Sports Investing

Yesterday I put the lid on my first attempt at Almaden Valley Brewing’s Yellow Lantern Oatmeal Stout.  My goal is a rich, creamy, sweet malty stout without any of the harshness I taste in many stouts.  I don’t like the harsh graininess I taste in many of them. 

I’m hopeful I’ve pulled off an excellent first shot at it.  I want nice roasty flavors accented by chocolate/coffee notes with a hint of bitterness on the finish.  The sample out of the kettle tasted like I may just have a nice beer available in a couple months.  We’ll see.

Next weekend, time permitting, will be another shot at the Raccoon Trail Pale Ale.  My last attempt was a bit undercarbonated, but I think I may be on the way towards fixing that problem.  I pulled them all out of refrigeration, shook them up and left them at room temps for the past week.  I tested one yesterday, and it seemed a bit better.  The flavor also seemed to have picked up a notch as well with the added bubbles.  I’ll give them another week and try again.

Besides carbonation, I have to admit I’m not a huge fan of the galena hops I used.  The next batch will use Centennial for bittering/flavor and either Cascade or Amarillo for aroma.