Frankly, I'm surprised it's taken this long. For all that I bitched and moaned during the brewing of my first beer, it came out pretty well in the end. In fact, just last week I drank the remaining two bottles, which had been aging for over six months. It's true what they say: good things do come to those who wait. The extra time in the cellar had rounded out the ale's flavors, and taken a bit of the sour bite off the finish. For a first effort, it was damn good.
Now I want to do even better. With the holidays coming up, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to brew something bigger and more complex. After considering a few different recipes, I've settled on a bourbon vanilla oak stout, with the ingredients from Beer and Wine Hobby. Not to spoil the surprise, but if you're a relative of mine and not a recovering alcoholic, you'll have a little something special in your stocking this year. I've even selected a Christmas-themed name for my brew: Secret Santa Stout.
I haven't gone overboard: Secret Santa Stout is still an extract brew, just with a few additional steps. I'm steeping a lot more grains this time, going to a two-stage fermentation, and adding some additional flavoring during the fermentation. It's a moderate step up from my first recipe, which feels appropriate given my experience. Just like last time, I'll be chronicling the process in this blog. Expect more dizzying highs and abyssal lows, more self-doubt and misguided confidence, and, above all, more temper tantrums.
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