After the wildly successful Prairie Doggin' Brown Ale (tm), the clamor for their next brew had to be met. After much discussion, and many suggestions, we with an English-style ESB, something that the crew hadn't brewed yet.
Everything was going smoothly (including the drinking) until it was time to cool the boiling wort. Instead of cooling the wort down like one is supposed to (ice bath/copper coil), Josh decided to poor the wort right into the carboy...while Chad overlooked. The wort splashed right off the funnel and straight into Chad's eye. Needless to say they figured out their error instantly. After some swearing, and apologizing, the wort managed to get cooled and the fermentation started.
After a few weeks of worrying that the beer was going to taste like something out of Belgium instead of England, (perhaps sour, yeasty or fruity) Chad took the first swath and deemed it: OK. So he slipped a little DME into the mix to give it some carbonation, bottled it up and prayed it wouldn't get any worse.
He brought 7 - 22 oz bombers to Daroga State Park for Memorial Day and popped them in the cooler overnight. Josh was so excited to try the brew he busted one open at 10 AM. (He claims to have broken no rules, as it was over 70 degrees by then [the noon/70 degree rule]). Just as Chad said, it was: OK. Nothing wrong with it, really, just not much to it. It was pretty smooth and drinkable though, so the suspicion is that the recipe just wasn't up to par for the bolder IPA-normalized gullet. Yes, gullet. Not pallet. That would suggest these drinkers have a discerning pallet, which, Josh readily admits he does not.
With two brews down, let's hope the third time's the charm and a true winner is crafted, if not for the fans - then for their dwindling pride.
