American Beauty Bottled

I bottled American Beauty the other day. That's what I've called my Belgian Trippel IPA. It was a small all-grain batch, about a half a gallon. I had oats and wheat in it, as well as a dosage of corn sugar after primary fermentation was complete. It stood up well to the dosage, and it has gained a bit of trippel character from the sugar. And a few days later (that's today), the bottles are starting to carb up already. The plastic bottle I used is getting hard, which is great news!

The taste is a bit harsh on the hops side. I could have toned that down a bit. Fortunately, that will mellow with age. So I might have to restrain myself and age these for a few months or longer. The ABV ended up at 9.2%, which is good, especially if it carbs right up. I wish I made a bigger batch. All I can say is that I will never make a 1-gallon all-grain batch again. Unless I find myself with only the capacity to do so. But it is a lot of work for a little beer. I ended up with five and a half bottles of beer. But one bottle was 16-oz. So I guess it's about a six pack. But still... to spend like eight hours to make a six pack is silly. When I could spend like eight and a half and make two cases. Oh well... live and learn.

I can't wait to try it all carbed up and cold!