Beer, Beer, Beer

Bottled β1 today. Actually, we finished about half an hour ago. I am able to write this solely because this round of bottling went so very much better than the first. It was organized and not nearly so messy... Hmm... not unlike sex or kissing or riding a bike, or really any first, though admittedly all of those took me more than one go to get right. I suppose I'm older now and have more experience. In any case, I was surprised at how well the bottling process went. We did change alter the MO, however. (Normally there I would say SOP, but I hate to call something "standard" when I've only done it once.) This time we employed the use of not only a towel upon which to put the filled bottles, but a large bowl to fill the bottles in. This little bit of prevention compensated for my lack of skill in the filling department. I'm not downright rotten at it, but malt is very sticky stuff and a little bit goes a long way on a kitchen floor. So, if my inexperienced conjecture is correct, I should be able to try β1 around Christmas.

Well, I suppose I would be dishonest if I didn't admit that I sampled a little of the flat, warm, nearly-finished β1 today as well. After the two cases were full and all the bottles I had washed were used, there was a little left in the bottom of the carboy... and it was pretty sediment-y and I probably wouldn't want to bottle it anyway... so... I just sucked it right out of the hose like a giant straw. And boy howdy was it good!! I can't even express my extreme joy and elation at how FANTASTIC my creation tasted! (Okay, not my "creation" exactly, but definitely the fruit of my labors.) I should mention that I was sipping on some Dogfish Head at the time, which is some pretty premier stuff, and I could still appreciate my own simple brew. This is not a testament to my palate, because, frankly, I don't think it deserves the praise. No, this is a testament to the sheer awesomeness of my beer. I'm not talking awesome hotdog here, I'm talking awesome beer. My awesome beer.

And while we're on the subject of awesome beer, Dogfish Head is officially my new favorite brewery. Samuel Smith's is moving up there, but it doesn't have the versatility and, let's face it, the flavor that I like. Every brewery has a distinct flavor to everything they brew- something like the relation of an actor to his movies- and if you like the actor, you'll like this movie, or at the very least, you'll like him in it. However, if you don't like Jack Nicholson, for example, you'll never like Tim Burton's Batman no matter how many times you watch it. Actors, like breweries vary in the level of distinctive style they bring to their product. Some absorb themselves in the character, some seek to infuse the character with their signature selves, and some always choose similar roles. In the case of Dogfish Head, I find the perfect blend of actor and character. I like the man playing the character, but he doesn't put so much of himself in his roles that the characters all blend together from movie to movie into a single composite persona. That is to say, I like the taste of Dogfish Head a good deal, but their Punkin Ale tastes vastly different from their 60 Minute IPA which also tastes different from their Indian Brown Ale. Furthermore, I can read the descriptions, which are included on every bottle I might add, and get an accurate idea of what this beer will taste like. Not only are they capable of doing many varied beers, they are also adept at describing themselves.

Dogfish Head is the brewer that I want to be when I grow up.