Toasty usually refers to a literal toasty flavor in the beer. Usually it’s either a toasted malt or adjunct (oats, barley, etc.), or it could just be that an aromatic or biscuit malt was used in the brew. I’m sure there are probably other ways of achieving a toasty flavor, but in my experience, these are the main factors in making a nice toasty nose.

I love toasty beer, but it can easily be overdone.

My second all-grain brew used a bit too much aromatic malt, and though the resultant beer was pretty damn good, it was just a bit overpowering on the toastiness.

Try Fat Tire by New Belgium; it’s got a nice biscuity toastiness.

My ingredients:

• 8lb American Pale Malt (2-row)
• 1lb Cara-Pils
• 1oz Cascade – 60 min
• 1/2oz Cascade – 30 min
• 1 tsp Irish Moss – 15 min
• 1/2oz Cascade – Flameout
• WL East Coast Ale Yeast

Mashed at 152ºF for 60 minutes

OG: 1.055

The biggest problem I encountered was getting my mash temp correct. I did all the math correctly, had my strike temperature correct, but I forgot to include the 1/2lb or so of husks I added to ensure a good sparge. (The brew store gave me a bag of husks to aid in sparging for my first few runs.)

My initial mash temp was about 146ºF. I added more hot water to achieve 152ºF, but I ended up with a pretty wet mash.

I’m using Gatorade coolers for the mash tun, and my water level + grains was nearly at the top of the cooler. I know this has some effect on the mash, but you gotta start somewhere, right?

I decided not to filter the cooled wort, as the guy at my LHBS doesn’t bother with filtering. So I wanted to give this a shot, since filtering even 3 gallons through a funnel and strainer takes so long. So I whirlpooled, waited a bit, then siphoned into my carboy. But I left the little tip on the end of my racking cane, so I only ended up with about 4 gallons in my carboy. I wasn’t thinking clearly, I suppose, since whirlpooling left a nice mound of sediment in the kettle.

In the future, I’m going to whirlpool again, and just leave the tip off the racking cane, hopefully getting a yield of 5+ gallons.

After pitching the yeast (no starter), within 24 hours the yeast were absolutely rocking! I’ve never seen such an active fermentation with any of the extract brews. I’m not sure if it’s due to the yeast or to it being an all-grain brew. But I think I like this yeast so far. No off-scents, no trace of hydrogen sulfide to my nose.

I’m planning on getting a keg set up within the next couple weeks, which should work out perfectly for this batch, since I’ll be racking to secondary in the next couple days. Might be a good draft for Christmas or New Years!

Kashmir IPA

Yet another IPA for the record, Highland’s Kashmir IPA contends with the best of them. It pours with a decent head and a clear, golden-brown color. The aroma is thin but with an abundance of fresh hops.

This IPA goes down pretty smoothly, surprisingly, as I’m not too big on IPAs. In my opinion they’re best reserved for warm summer days in the shade. The aftertaste lingers for a good bit of time, where the potent hops conquer the sinuses and throat. This beer’s pretty dry, which I think lends to it being more drinkable than most IPAs.

I recommend this IPA for the hardcore as well as the fair-weathered IPA fan.

Highland's Gaelic Ale

One of my favorites, Highland’s Gaelic Ale is an Asheville staple in the world of beer. You can never go wrong with a Gaelic Ale!

This beer pours nicely, with a good medium head. A friendly and bold aroma of malt and hops lends to the well-balanced flavor of this favorite beer. Its color is a deep amber to copper.

When sipped a sharp bite cuts in with a nice malty flavor, almost sweet. The hops join the party in the aftertaste, creating a nice balance of maltiness and hoppiness, without being overpowering.

This is a highly recommended beer, and no Asheville tourist should go without at least having a Gaelic Ale.

2nd Home Brew: Smoked Porter

So I finally got a chance to taste my second batch of homebrew! It’s a Smoked Porter, a recipe from Alex Buerckholtz, owner of Hops and Vines, a brew supply shop in West Asheville, North Carolina.

This recipe is based on Alex’s recipe that he brought to the Highland Pro Am. He won (first was his Smoked Porter, second was an American Pilsner), so Highland Brewing will be brewing and releasing something close to this beer this fall (2009).

The color of this beer is a nice, deep blackish brown, with a rich dark aroma of smokey flavor, chocolate, and malt. It goes down very, very smoothly, with a flavorful and kind aftertaste. The aftertaste lingers for a moment while more smoky flavor is released.

This is a winning beer, the best home brew I’ve tasted yet (well yeah, it’s only the second one I’ve brewed!).

Southern Hemisphere Harvest Ale

I tried a half-pour of Sierra Nevada’s Southern Hemisphere Harvest Ale at Asheville’s Thirsty Monk, and they’re not kidding about the freshness of the hops. A bit too hoppy for me, this beer is much more like an IPA than a typical pale ale. It’s a special beer, though, blending seriously-fresh hops from New Zealand with Pacific hops.

At first there wasn’t much of an aroma, but after a few quick sips, the flavors came pouring out. It smelled like liquidized fresh hops. Really. It tasted like liquidized fresh hops. It wasn’t bad, but just way too hoppy.

The color is a nice golden, almost an amber. It is a refreshing beer, however, if you’re not a fan of IPAs, then you probably won’t like this beer all that much.

Sweetwater Blue

Years ago I gave Sweetwater Blue a shot, and I remembered that it tasted overwhelmingly like blueberries, as if they poured some concentrated blueberry right into the beer at bottling time. So on recommendation from Jeff, I decided to give it another shot; he swears it doesn’t have too much blueberry flavoring in it.

(I’m out of pint glasses, so the bottle will have to do for this shot. So sorry.)

After opening the aroma is sweet and malty, without too much blueberry going on. But on first sip, man, this beer sure does push that blueberry flavoring right in. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good beer, but the blueberry is just as overwhelming as I remember it.

The aftertaste lingers briefly, mostly the blueberry and not so much malt, hops, or any of the other stuff that makes a good beer. Goes down smooth, and indeed it is refreshing.

This is one of those beers that has, at least to me, an excess of fruit flavoring. Whether or not they use fresh blueberries or some kind of extract, I’m not sure, however I would guess they use fresh. For one, the bottle promises me ‘fresh blueberries’ and for two, it does smell and taste so.

Fru-fru beer drinker, this one’s a good one for you. Manly beer guzzlers, I’d recommend you pass on this guy.

1554 Enlightened Black Ale

This black ale, in my opinion, is pretty damn good! The aroma is smooth, not overpowering, with barely the faintest smell of hops. Nice head, nice smoothness to the pour.

The taste is ever-so-pleasant, with chocolate and creamy overtones and aftertaste. This 1554 Black Ale is probably the best beer I’ve yet to taste by New Belgium. The aftertaste lingers slightly, but mostly it’s the chocolate that hangs out. Goes down very smoothly, rests nicely.

This beer is supposedly a throwback to Belgian black ales, pieced together from ‘an ancient crumbling Belgian library book.’ Even if it’s not accurate to the old Belgian dark ales, this one’s got my number. I hope to enjoy the 1554 Black Ale on a regular basis.

Mothership Wit Beer (Organic Wheat Beer)

The Mothership Wit beer pours super light! It almost looks like lemonade. The aroma is loaded with citrus and spice, and the head isn’t bad, but I’d expect a bit more from a wit beer.

It tastes a lot like Hoegaarden except it’s more like the obligatory lemon slice has already been added. The body is pretty thin, so it goes down quite smoothly, but I kinda like the extra sponginess that goes with many witbiers. This one’s not nearly as cloudy as I would’ve expected. The aftertaste lingers briefly, but most of what stays is the lemon/citrus taste.

All in all, it’s a pretty good beer, great for hot summer days. I would recommend giving it a shot, if you like very light witbiers, but I will warn again that it really is super, super light.

Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer (PBR)

Well here it is, the original Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer! This one’s a classic and a favorite, especially among the beer drinkers in my town, Asheville, NC. It’s always on special and never lets you down!

As far as how good of a beer it is, this one’s a real toss up. As I’ve mentioned before, PBR has its certain place in the world, just like any Adam Sandler movie. (Sorry Adam Sandler; I do like your movies, however; please don’t feel insulted).

PBR has a great foam head, just like the majority of the other American domestic pilsner beers. The color is that perfect urine light gold you expect out of a cheap beer. The aroma is pretty much of American pilsner, the response you’d get from a piña collada-drinking housewife with no taste for beer.

I will admit that I’ll take down many a PBR, quite happily. When money’s tight, PBR will take good care of you! PBR also makes a great beer for long-weekend camping; just pick up a few suitcases and you’re set! (Just wedge ‘em in the river behind a rock; mountain river water is the perfect temperature for cooling beer!)