Due to the storm this past weekend I was unable to brew. As I need to get a couple more beers on tap in time for St. Patty’s Day, I was forced to brew on Monday night. Fortunately, I have decent lighting on the back deck. The brew session went exceedingly well, and two more brews are bubbling along nicely as I’m writing this post.

Brew 1: Irish Red Ale

This is a variation of a recipe I’ve been brewing for about 6 years. The backbone is provided by marris otter and english 2 row pale malt. The color and mouth feel come primarily from the crystal 70-80, with a touch of biscuit malt for that toastiness I like in a red. This was pitched on top of the yeast cake from the english pale that I brewed a bit over a week ago, and has been fermenting at the expected feverish pace since about 20 minutes after the transfer to the fermenter.

Brew 2: Chocolate Oatmeal Stout

This one is based on a very simple chocolate stout recipe that I’ve been brewing for at least 10 years. There is a nice chocolate nose and flavor that is offset by a bit of coffee-like bitterness. Toasted oats give it a bit of nuttiness to round it out. This is a relatively low alcohol stout that serves as an excellent way to begin a drinking session. There is just a bit of hop bitterness, but no discernable hop flavor or aroma (as it should be for this type of beer). I plan to put this one on nitro when it’s ready. Few things are tastier than a stout on nitro….